#and some people are fickle and indecisive!

[mothygraves]

people are so rude about those really nice temporary tattoos that look decently real. "just get a real one" as if there aren't a million reasons why someone wouldn't want/be able to get a real one. it doesn't just boil down to someone being a "fake poser"

[astradelphia]

Some random observations about romance in astrology.

♍ Virgo Venus- Virgo have an eye for clean aesthetics. Think 'that girl'. Clean girl makeup. Minimalist dress. Can express love in practical ways eg did you eat today? Let me make something for you. Or going out of their way to help you. They may not even be aware that this is an act of love for them because they just do it instinctively. Virgo can be perfectionists too. They hold themselves to such high standards they might do the same to others. They might help you grow and evolve or they might be too critical- even if they see this as an act of love as they just want to help you be your best self and make the relationship its best- but could be nitpicky or fussy. Most likely to get the ick. If they meet someone who passes all their stages of overthinking they can be very devoted. There's a reason they match well with scorpio. Though more grounded and analytical then emotional this can be a good balance. Virgo represented by the maiden also can be misinterpreted. Being an earth sign I think they can be quite sensual once they've selected a partner. They might view sexuality as a basic need for wellbeing and want to embrace it on a regular basis. They can also be too bodily aware, technical or methodical. Maybe too in their heads and they need someone to bring them out of it. They want total loyalty and commitment. Some may not date unless for marriage - there's too much fine tuning to be done in their own lives to waste time on someone who isn't up to their standards of personal growth. However some Virgo may have a tendency to choose partners who need fixing. This isn't a healthy dynamic but appeals to the Virgo need to problem solve and improve things, an energy best applied elsewhere. They'd make good interior designers with their eye for aesthetics and organizational tendencies. Virgo also value taking care of health beauty and hygiene. Turn offs are the opposite of those or an untidy living environment. Acts of Service could be one of their languages. I think they could also be overthinkers so words of affirmation may be important to them too but they appreciate actions.

♎ Libra Venus - Libra is ruled by the planet Venus so this feels like a comfortable position to me. Libra's have a natural eye for beauty and love of aesthetics. They want to make the whole world beautiful. Don't mistake them as being shallow though, their definition of beauty can be broad and all the Libra's I know have a love of humanity in general. Being an air sign they're also intellectuals. You have to charm their mind to get to their hearts. Deep philosophical conversations, witty banter, discussing anything and everything, emotional intelligence, attracted to inquisitive minds. Libra's value harmony balance, cooperation and peace in all things and in relationships. They'd rather talk things out then fight it out. Might be good at compromising. Might also be very indecisive or fickle but once they truly set their minds on something that's it. They are naturally charming and flirtatious - sometimes they can flirt without meaning too or just for fun without any intention behind it. Some of them may love the idea of love but have commitment issues. Libra being a venusian sign makes them sensual creatures. Pleasure my senses vibes. Physical touch all over everywhere. Makes a good partner because they'll care just as much about your wants and needs as their own. They expect the same in return. A balanced Libra may rule with head and heart but being air signs I'm inclined to think they tend to rule with their heads a lot. Can be over thinkers. Analyzers. Might stare into your soul, scorpio gets the rep for this, but Libra love to understand people and make people feel understood. This can feel like psychoanalysis sometimes but it's out of love they really just want to know how people think maybe out of curiosity too. 'I relate' is their catchphrase.

Libra rules the lower back, hips and buttocks. May possess good qualities of these or may be attracted to them in others. Venus dimples are their characteristic.

They may intellectualize their feelings or yours. They may view emotional displays as more like a debate or discussion them emotional expression. They still mean well but this could be frustrating for some.

♏ Scorpio Venus - scorpio can get a bad reputation so going to focus less on bad stuff here. They are deep. They feel things deeply. Emotional. Very passionate, devoted and loyal. Scorpio is ruled by Pluto the planet of transformations. Being loved by a scorpio may make you transform. This can be intense and uncomfortable for some but can also be a good thing. They want to know you completely - heart, mind, body and soul. They want all your secrets and they'll keep them. They'll probably accept all the feelings you find negative in yourself. Accept your dark side. They may not be so quick to open up to you. This can feel unequal. Scorpio like a bit of mystery so don't dump everything on them in one go you can take some time too. But because they want it all but aren't willing to let you in so much it can feel frustrating. Don't rush a Scorpio though just create a safe space for them to be themselves with you and let them know that you really want to get to know them on the same level too but it's okay for them to take a bit of time. They might need time to build trust but once they're committed to you they could be the most loyal and devoted partner you've ever had. They want to merge energies. They want to make love to your soul. Everything has to mean something beyond a superficial level. Will stare into your soul. Can have an intense gaze. They like people to match or appreciate their depth and intensity but sometimes don't like being stared at even though they do it to others all the time?

Dark side of unevolved Scorpio is stalker behavior. Obsessive. Controlling. Manipulative. Possessive. Jealous. Suspicious. If they sense disloyalty whether it's there or not these traits can come out so be careful.

Could like dark aesthetics.

Jupiter aspecting Juno or Venus positively can indicate good partnership or marriage. In mythology Mars and Venus are lovers. Jupiter is the husband Juno the wife but Venus can also embody wife energy. For the same reason I think Jupiter and Moon aspects can also be an indicator as the Moon can embody feminine energy and wife energy.

8th house synastry - passion. Intensity. Transformation. Soul felt passion. Chemistry. Could be change eachother on a deep level. Pluto/Scorpio energy.

5th house synastry - Okay I love this placement! To me this seems like a best friend and a lover and you could play like kids together. Fun and joyful. It could be a fling, could be flirtatious energy or a crush that's hard to get over. Childlike spirit. Young at heart couple. Could bring out eachothers inner child and be very playful. Could also indicate wanting children together?

Aries Ascendant in composite - young at heart couple. Playful competition with eachother. Unstoppable team together. The couple that gyms or plays sports together. Activates their drive or spark. Really just like being around eachother. Could get competitive with eachother in a negative way if they forget they're on the same team.

Notes: this is just from my notes app so it's a rough thing I might improve this later and make it more pretty and aesthetic or add on to some of the observations.

Disclaimer - I am not a professional astrologer. Personally I take it all with a pinch of salt I don't think you can determine compatibility or everything about someone based on this especially not just on one placement. This is just for fun and can maybe give you some insights and clues about yourself or the other person :)

Hope you liked this post! Feel free to comment if you have other placements you'd like some notes on but please be patient as I'm not planning on posting super regularly right now.

[sodafrog13]

finally was able to get down my visual hcs for mary :] i think she, hench, and the son have a Very interesting dynamic. more thoughts under the cut if u care to peek (careful, it's wordy)

i think hench and mary have been together long term by events of the game and i specifically think they started dating when hench wasn't working for the son yet

i actually think he used to work for the columbians, based mostly on mary's intense shock that the son would be so willing to let him leave and also the fact that his skin tone matches the default skin tone of the normal columbian mobsters (though the latter could admittedly just be attributed to dennaton's heavy use of palette swapping and sprite refurbishing). in my thinking, he and/or mary got into some sort of trouble with his former boss and pledged his loyalty to the son and his family if they would be able to get him out.

in doing so, it was made specifically clear to the henchman (likely by the father) that if he were to ever double cross them, he'd have both him and mary killed. thusly, the henchman did everything in his power to be an asset to the russian mafia, so much so that the son, more lenient when it came to the terms of their agreement than his father though perhaps more willing to actively test them, took a shine to him.

the son is curious of mary. as a gay man who doesn't really know he's gay, he honestly has the tendency to be misogynistic to women he doesn't see as his equal (ie the bodyguard), as his interests truly lie in patriarchal views of masculinity and power. he at least has enough foresight to recognize how important she is to the henchman and is fine with letting her be (past the occasional remark about her to the henchman directly). that said, he does consider her a bit of a hindrance re: the henchman's ambitions, but again, never to the extent he'd do anything about it.

mary is genuinely unnerved by the son. she has every right to be, considering both her and her partner's safety are basically up to his family's whims, but she lets the henchman go as he pleases. she recognizes that he has a genuinely fondness for his boss (because it's the same kind of fondness that he has for her) and quite honestly, she doesn't mind him having another partner so long as he's honest with her. it's just the fact that it's him that puts her off. she, however, also has concerns re: the henchman's plans for the future. she doesn't really Mind that they're not married but it is something she'd enjoy. that, and she really does wonder how much longer he's willing to keep doing mob work. he's not old per se but he's definitely not as young as he used to be, and even she can see that he won't last very long with the life that he leads and that scares her.

the henchman is... well, he's indecisive. doesn't really know what he wants until it's hitting him in the face. he's honestly just fine coasting around until some other force leads him off his beaten path, something that annoys the son and concerns mary because it really does sometimes come to a battle of who can get through to him first, even if none of them really know it. he loves them both, he really does, but he's also fickle. because even though he wants them both, he also secretly wants a certain level of freedom that he just can't have by being both tied to people and also a job (as seen in that dream he has where he's driving out of miami, not only without his girl or his boss but in spite of the hurricane that he's sure to run into). so maybe it's not even that he's indecisive, he knows what he wants it's just that he knows, logically, that it is something he cannot have. so he just willingly keeps himself in that loop until something breaks, that something being all those dreams that richard was sending him in an attempt to break the bigger cycle of things.

in a different world, i'd like to imagine that they can work things out. i truly do not blame mary for what she did, because i truly would have done the exact same thing as her in that situation even if it wasn't necessarily what was 'right'. but i feel that in that same vein, hench could have done more to reassure her that things would be fine, esp considering he has a personal enough connection to the son to know that he's different from his father.

but also i mean we all know that nobody in miami has communication skills. that'd be ridiculous there'd be no game otherwise

[rebelumbrella46]

HOTD 2X02 "Rhaenyra The Cruel" Thoughts!

Green Side:

Aegon: Tom's performance as Aegon was exceptional, allowing me to sympathize with his character throughout the episode. I could deeply feel Aegon's pain and rage, especially in moments where he needed comfort and was denied. Alicent’s inability to provide motherly solace was striking; even Cersei, in all her madness, was a more nurturing mother. Aegon's inadequacies as a king are clear—he’s young and impulsive. One of the episode's standout scenes is Otto reprimanding him, realizing the monumental mistake he made in thinking Aegon could be controlled. Aegon will never be as pliable as Viserys. This parallels the frustration Daemon feels with Rhaenyra, who, ironically, exhibits the patience and indecision that mirror her father.

Otto: Otto is a character I love to hate, and the actor’s portrayal this episode was a highlight for me. His regret and frustration with Aegon’s choices were palpable, showing that karma is catching up to him. I also appreciated the subtle grief Otto displayed when speaking of Viserys, indicating a complex mix of respect and genuine care despite his actions. The scene where he dismisses Alicent’s attempt to seek solace was particularly telling—it highlighted a pattern where comfort is consistently denied, first to Alicent and then by her to Aegon.

Alicent: Alicent was insufferable this episode; I found it impossible to empathize with her. She continually makes the situation about herself, oblivious to her children’s suffering and unable to provide them with any comfort. As someone who has read the books and knows how her story ends, all i can say is that the Gods for more cruel that they are, wouldn't take it out on an innocent child for the crimes you have committed and in the end the punishment would be ten times worst.. a very fitting end if they decide to go for it.

Aemond: Aemond had a brief but significant moment where he confessed his feelings over the incident with Luke. This scene showed a level of remorse that sets him apart from Daemon, particularly in this episode. Aemond’s awareness of the pain his actions cause to others and the brewing rivalry between him and Daemon were well portrayed.

Helaena: Helaena, my poor sweet child, continues to be a character I deeply care for. She doesn’t seem to appreciate the public’s sympathy, as if she knows the whole situation is wrong. And knows these people could so easily turn on her, i'm pretty sure she saw it even. The citizens of King’s Landing have long been depicted as some of the most unsavory characters in the history of Westeros. Their actions and attitudes throughout the series often highlight their fickle and ruthless nature. This is why, every time I recall Daenerys burning the city, I find it difficult to muster any sympathy for them.

The brief encounter on the stairs, where Aegon denies her comfort, reinforces the pattern of emotional neglect seen throughout the episode.

Criston Cole: I have to give immense credit to the writers for their incredible work in depicting Criston Cole. With each episode, my hatred for this character grows exponentially. Kudos to the actor as well, who is doing a marvelous job. But honestly, every time Cole appears on screen, all I can think is: "How much longer until this guy meets his end? Hopefully, it's a very horrible one.". His manipulation of Arryk, sending him to his death, was disgusting.

What’s even more infuriating is Cole's blatant hypocrisy. He projects his own shame and regret onto others, acting as if he's on some moral high ground. His self-righteousness is maddening, especially given his own shady actions. I found myself wishing Otto would expose him in front of Aegon—reveal how, while Aegon's child was being murdered, Cole was with Alicent, another person whose hypocrisy drives me mad. (Like Aerys "the Mad King" kind of mad, wanting to see them both burn)

Despite showing guilt for his actions, he repeatedly makes the same mistakes. The only moment Alicent gained a bit of my appreciation was when she reminded Cole of his betrayal of Rhaenyra’s trust for his absolution last season.

i truly don't want to see anymore of Alicent and Cole intimate scenes.

The decision to name Cole as Hand of the King is a boon for Team Black, as he is likely to make poor decisions and counsel Aegon poorly, ultimately working in their favor.

Black Side:

Rhaenyra standing up to Daemon was a powerful moment. Their confrontation, though painful to watch, was necessary. Daemon’s actions have deeply wounded Rhaenyra, and his lack of remorse is entirely in character. His abrupt departure leaves Rhaenyra in a position where, despite knowing he loves her, she can no longer trust that he will remain by her side.

I'm interested to see what his reaction will be next episode when he finds out that Rhaenyra was almost killed on her bed right after he left her to deal with the consequences of his actions.

Rhaenyra’s concern and regret for Helaena were touching. I believe she would welcome Helaena if she ever chose to leave the Greens. However, I was uneasy about Rhaenyra sending Baela instead of Jace. While I understand her reluctance to risk her heir after losing a child, it felt dismissive of Baela's well-being, who we have to remember is still Rhaenyra's step-daughter.

Baela and Jace: The brief scene where Baela confesses her occasional hatred for Daemon was surprising but added depth to her character. Jace reminiscing about Harwin and Laenor was a nice touch, evoking memories of characters I miss, including Luke.

Rhaenys: As always, Rhaenys remains my favorite character on Team Black. Her knowing look at Daemon, recognizing that only he could have orchestrated such actions, was telling. The quiet moment between Rhaenys and Corlys, reflecting their mutual support despite not being Queen and King, contrasted sharply with the dysfunctional relationships of Viserys and Aemma, Viserys and Alicent, and even Rhaenyra and Daemon.

Mysaria: Mysaria was another highlight for me. Her decision to speak truth to Rhaenyra and return her kindness by saving her life suggests a budding alliance. Rhaenyra needs someone as cunning and insightful as Mysaria to advise her.

The Twins - Arryk and Erryk: The twins' final fight was heartbreaking. Although I wish we had seen more of them this season, their confrontation poignantly illustrated the perils of war and how it harms even those not directly involved in the conflict.

I’m looking forward to seeing Daeron, who was finally mentioned. I can’t help but think he might be the only salvageable son of Alicent, likely because he grew up away from her and Otto’s influence. I’d love to see more of Rhaena and am eager to meet characters like Hugh Hammer and Adam. The brief return of Seasmoke was a pleasant surprise—I missed seeing him too!

Overall, this episode was much stronger than the last.

Rest in peace little Jaehaerys.

P.S: Don't think i didn't see Visenya's and Vhagar's mention this episode, on the book Rhaenyra opens. My favorite Conqueror and targaryen woman. I cannot wait for The Conquest Prequel. So excited

[sumliang]

( havana rose liu / 27 / she/her )  wait, is that SUMMER LIANG at THE SOULSTONE again? i heard through a grapevine, that the NIGHTSHADE coven’s POTIONS witch has been in town for 27 YEARS, and currently works as a WAITRESS AT THE SETTING SUN. some say she can be SELFISH and IMPULSIVE, but i thought she was actually UPBEAT and WITTY. 

OTHER CHARACTERS: @aureliabriar, @deangela

FULL NAME: Summer Zhi Liang NICKNAMES: Sum, Sammie, Sunny DATE OF BIRTH: November 30th, 1997 AGE: 27 ZODIAC: Sagittarius ☼ | Sagittarius ☾ | Aquarius ↑ GENDER: Cis Female PRONOUNS: She/Her SEXUALITY: Bisexual HEIGHT: 5'2

PLACE OF BIRTH: Westray, Washington SPECIES: Witch (Potions) AFFILIATION: Nightshade Coven EDUCATION: BFA from Woodside Grove University OCCUPATION: Waitress at The Setting Sun VIRTUES: Creative, intelligent, funny, witty, positive, outgoing, fun-loving FAULTS: Selfish, impulsive, hedonistic, defensive, crafty, fickle, flighty, indecisive

MOTHER: Jessica Liang nee. Miller FATHER: Bowen Liang SIBLINGS: None PETS: Ziggy (Orange tabby)

BIO

Boredom is your greatest fiend. Everything in your life is so terribly normal. There were no issues in your childhood, no enemies, no rude friends, no mean exes. No horrible parents, or uncles, or siblings. So you created your own, personal nemesis: Boredom.

Never could there be a second of peace. You needed something to keep you busy at all times, something to keep your mind off of your lack of problems. You created your own, personal problems. Wicked potions mixed at night, in the shadows of your own room: love potions. Seemingly harmless, silly fun. But to humans, lacking knowledge, they were evil.

Your friends were your first victims. Then your classmates. Then your cousins. Your parents were never on your table, never planned. And when your mother downed your "laughable" potion like a shot, and ran off with the neighbor two months later, you suddenly found yourself with a very real problem. Your father lost to alcoholism, your mother lost to your stupid potion, love suddenly wasn’t all that fun anymore. And someone’s caught onto your wicked little game – watch out.

BULLETS.

It's not that Summer's evil, she's just exceptionally selfish with little scope on consequence for most of her life. Since things were so horribly dull and nothing ever happened that carried repercussions until, of course, her mom ran off when she was nineteen and her dad started drinking.

People were never meant to get physically hurt by her potions. She experiments a little here and there, adding ingredients to vary the effects. Love potions with an intended target for the drinker, love potions that made you fall in love with the first person the drinker saw, potions to induce obsessive infatuation. Most of them were supposed to wear off, of course with varying lengths, which even Summer herself couldn't fully estimate.

The potion that wound up killing was a wake up call. Maybe it wasn't brewed right, maybe they were allergic to an ingredient used in the potion, she's not sure. All she knows is that she regrets it. Not enough to stop fully, but enough to slow down, to be more careful.

Summer's chaotic neutral and will maintain that stance, despite the harm she has caused and the relationships she has created and ruined.

She's still living with her father in his house (because have you seen the price of rent these days? sheesh), and things aren't great. Even the routine of cleaning up her drunken father and taking care of him has become a boring habit after years of dealing with it. But guilt gnaws at her every time she comes home and finds him passed out on the couch with a bottle of something in his hand, so she has a tendency to stay out late, club hopping, anything to avoid that.

Summer is aimless, she got a degree because that's what people do, but she never had any plans with it. She likes to paint but she doesn't have any grand ambitions of becoming an accomplished artist with galleries. She doesn't have ambitions of any kind, she's idle, and she's making it everyone else's problem, however unknowingly.

[seaspraycd]

mason gooding, bisexual, cismale + he+his, class mage «—◦—→ well met, ronan harris! the godling born child of poseidon. it’s been 28 years and now they have answered the song in their veins. can he change the course of history with his practicality, courage, and observational skills? or will their fickleness, emotionally-distanced tendencies, or indecision hinder them? only time will tell before this godling’s name is sung into myth and legend!

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒

𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄.    ronan harris 𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐒.     ro 𝐀𝐆𝐄.     28 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 & 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐒.     cis male & he / him 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.     demisexual demiromantic  𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐒.     demigod ( son of poseidon )  𝐎𝐂𝐂𝐔𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.     marine biologist

𝐏𝐇𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑.     black 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒.     brown 𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓.     5'10 / 155.68 cm 𝐁𝐔𝐈𝐋𝐃.     athletic 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐒.     none 𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐒.     none 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒.     double hoops on his right ear & daith piercing on his left 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌.     mason gooding

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓.     neutral good 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐒.     practical, courageous, and observative 𝐍𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐒.     fickle, distant, and indecisive  𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐁𝐈𝐄𝐒.     eating sushi, reading re-translated classics, people watching, and collecting shells

𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃

𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐋.     resolved but sensitive 𝐏𝐇𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋.     enhanced condition to being a demigod 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐀𝐒.     burning to death 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓.     20/20 𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃.     right 𝐃𝐑𝐔𝐆 𝐔𝐒𝐄.     microdoses on mushrooms 𝐀𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐇𝐎𝐋 𝐔𝐒𝐄.     sometimes 𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐓.     very protein-rich pescatarian.

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒.     poseidon ( biological father ) , commander wilson harris and leila harris nee jones ( parents, deceased ) 𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒.     candis, dante, and giselle ( biological siblings ) 𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐒.     none 𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.     bachelor's of science in marine biology from university of florida. 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐒.     can hold his breath for eight minutes, running a marathon, solving the new york times crossword puzzle in pen, and has an insane recipe for green bean casserole.

𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘

born at marine core base hawaii to commander wilson harris and leila harris, the middle child to the navy couple who often moved every few years as wilson's station rose. ever since ronan could remember, he was obsessed with fish of all shapes and sizes. ronan was often rewarded with books or trips to the aquarium where he would be mesmerized by how beautiful, curious, and whimsical the different types of fish were and the other aquatic friends who lived there. growing up, they moved to okinawa, italy, greece, and korea sticking with the other navy brats as they were quickly forced to learn enough to survive. this forced ronan from a young age to learn language and he was a polyglot by the time he was eight, having japanese, korean, and english conversationally under his belt. greek and italian came a little bit later. ronan hadn't identified his upbringing as traumatic but it sure was tough. there were expectations that just differed from some of the others being the son of a commander and he needed to be immaculate at all times, never embarrassing the unit. luckily for ronan, his elder siblings were pretty radical so it made him look that much more compliant. he tried his best not to make too many waves and focused on schooling, learning, and exploring culture wherever he went. the young boy grew into a teenager and was friendly enough, a bit on the quiet side as he preferred fish to people and loved to sit nestled into a book versus being out in the world. it was at sixteen that his father made it a personal choice to teach his son the value of exercise and lifting weights, something that helped stimulate ro's mind with clarity until this day. at eighteen, he would finally leave for the university of miami to study marine biology. ronan had an incredible four years learning and working with dolphins at the dolphin research center, where he really figured himself out wholly and did far too many things a sheltered boy should've learned during his youth but he was shameless and young. at twenty-two, he found himself tapped on the shoulder to move to alaska to study the reproductive habits of salmon and fishing migration with the university of alaska, where he focused on his research building a small community of others where he played board games with, dabbled in microdosing, participated in the crossfit games, marathoned, broken up with and lived an overall quiet but active life. he loved the quiet but always wished for something a bit more — well, life knocked hard.

[mercurysunstar]

finn wittrock / he/him ——— no way is that CASPER WINSTON.. they’re a 40-year-old SYNTH notoriously known for being FICKLE & INDECISIVE but there are some people who have seen them being ASSERTIVE & DISCIPLINED. if you ask me, they remind me a lot of not staying in one place for a long time, drowning in a sea of wilting roses and shooting for the stars because the earth is not enough but that could just be because they’re considered the NOMAD around town. just keep an eye on them & see if their true colors shine through..

tw drunk driving

additional information

casper was never good with emotions even from a young age he struggled regulating them and understanding them, he couldn't understand why he'd feel angry for no reason or sad the next. it eventually got to a point he just shut them down all together

that was when he was a teenager and it made his life hell of a lot worse for it, starting fights randomly, never crying or grieving especially after his best friend had passed in a drunk driving accident that he was involved in when he was in high school

his 'grieving' happened in drinking and refused to go to therapy because he deemed he didn't really "need it"

things seemed to flip for him though when he met clarice and for the first time ever fell in love with someone

he'd have girlfriends in the past, even a boyfriend at one point, but he never really felt anything for them not the way he did clarice so he proposed to her

because of these 'new' feelings (at least to him) he was having a hard time actually commiting to the marriage part of the proposal and after her mom had passed it really only solidified those feelings so after he kept coming up with an excuse after excuse she broke things off with him

for the first time again there was a new feeling and he hated this one, leaving dallas for a while (a few years to be exact) to try and make them go away

he's back now and currently looking for a new job in town trying to steer clear of clarice because he's unsure of if those feelings are still there or not

[bouncykhotchillipeppers]

I did my first astrology reading for Baekhyun four years ago, and now I’m doing a second natal chart reading with more insights!

✦ Disclaimer

I do not know him personally, no harm intended, others may interpret differently. I’ve been studying astrology for six years, and I take this seriously and try my best. Feel free to ask any questions you have!

✦ Note

Astrology is complex and difficult to explain, please ask for clarification if you need it. I will not be discussing parents, family, or earlier life to preserve some privacy. This is not a full chart reading, just some highlights I found to be fascinating.

✦ Ascendant and Moon in Gemini (First House)

The Ascendant is the lens through which someone views the world—it’s your perception of your reality—and any planets in contact with the Ascendant affect it. The Ascendant and First House are the beginning of someone—it’s partially how people perceive them, and it shows the world “this is who I am.” Gemini is playful and chaotic and indecisive, concerned with making connections within their immediate surroundings. Having his Ascendant in Gemini therefore makes his chart ruler his Mercury in Aries, which is direct and blunt and to the point. All of this seems to overpower his Sun in Taurus. It’s why he can come across as brash and exuberant and, to put it bluntly, the most unhinged person in the room at all times. Connections are easy; boundaries are not.

Moon in Gemini here is interesting because Gemini is so logical while the Moon presides over emotion. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s like an emotion sponge. He is highly aware of the atmosphere in the room at any given time and reacts accordingly, though maybe not appropriately. This mix of Mercury and Mars in Aries combined with Moon and Ascendant in Gemini creates someone approachable, a moodmaker, a trusting balance of logic and emotion. Gemini Moons are restless and need to talk through their emotions in order to get their point across; connection to the immediate surroundings is the root of emotion. It’s how we parse through our feelings. Our minds need to be constantly active with something or we get bored and boredom is the most terrible thing because it leads to overthinking, so these are the people keeping four conversations going at once while playing a video game and also thinking about the chores they are definitely not doing. It’s fickle and petty and childish and eternally curious.

Jupiter square Ascendant exacerbates plenty of these qualities in him, but since Jupiter is in Virgo, where it’s detriment, it doesn’t act the way it’s supposed to. He remains humble when he should be outgoing, his sense of identity is compromised, his overconfidence leads to stepping across a boundary he shouldn’t have, his enthusiasm overrides his sense.

Optimistic, but not illogical. He’s thinking about a lot more than he lets on to others not because he has to but because it’s all he knows how to do.

✦ IC in Leo, Jupiter in Virgo (Fourth House)

IC in Leo is intense. He needs to learn, fundamentally at his core, to be himself. Individuality is important.

Jupiter is lovingly placed in Fourth House and accidentally exalted. As long as he is not confined in his home (literally or metaphorically) and has the creativity and expression to be himself, he will be content. He very much works on his inner self and his inner world and re-emerges with new ideas and philosophies about these things. He consistently sees himself as a new person in this regard. (With Sun opposite Pluto, this also emphasizes this “transformation” of the self and how he won’t always have the same opinions or ideals as he once had. That Taurus is stubborn, though.) This placement gives him a sort of practical optimism—the Virgo being practical, the Jupiter being optimistic. Not to say he’s happy all the time, but rather he attempts to take an optimistic viewpoint rather than be a downer about it.

Going on a tangent for a moment and focusing on a specific aspect pattern called a Thor’s Hammer, which involves two sesquiquadrates and a square, forming a triangle. A sesquiquadrate is a square (90°) and a semisquare (45°) stacked on top of each other, creating planets that are 135° apart. I’ve included a highlighted picture of his chart to show what I’m referencing here. This Thor’s Hammer involves Jupiter (expansion) at the apex locked in with Mercury (communication) and a Uranus-Neptune (rebellion, transcendence) conjunction square. This pattern is rare, rare enough that I’ve only seen a couple of other charts have this out of thousands, and trying to find any information on it is nigh impossible. This is what I have gathered and interpreted. So basically what is happening is that this Leo House, this expansive Fourth House, is being forced to fight back against something. This creates someone who does not like to conform, who does not like to listen to the rules, who does not react well to discipline from authoritative figures in any way. And it’s just hell. It’s hell to have this. It’s an extremely difficult aspect pattern to have and to overcome. And whoever has this aspect cannot receive any outside help because that is what it’s doing—it’s fighting or rebelling against the outside. It needs to be overcome in an internal way. Mercury is locked in tension with Uranus and Neptune, and all three of them are unleashing that tension onto Jupiter with no holds barred.

It’s a powerful weapon. It’s called Thor’s Hammer for a reason—strength, survival, an ultimate drive to achieve something great. He is in a constant internal battle with something to prove, and embracing it is key to success, but learning to wield that metaphorical hammer, let alone embrace it, is a challenge.

Mercury is driving and logical, and when it’s in square with Uranus, that creates someone who thinks outside of the box with wild ideas most people aren’t ready to hear. Adding Jupiter into this mix expands it and cranks the efficacy up, but Neptune is like a higher frequency of Jupiter and is rather universal and often distorts reality. It’s like he has two deeply rational planets, Mercury and Uranus, battling against the planets that are deeply emotive and based purely on vibes. All of this bottled up tension needs an outlet: Venus, the planet of worth, placed in a trine with Jupiter, is what is helping him overcome this insane aspect pattern in his chart. As long as he has this outlet, as long as he has worth and connection with others, he’s able to learn to overcome the extreme energy he has here. He loses that and it won’t be pretty.

✦ Pluto in Scorpio (Sixth House)

Pluto is an incredibly important planet in his chart simply due to the fact that there are so many aspects to it.

Pluto in Sixth House is a powerful placement. Literally. Pluto represents power in a general sense as well as everything related to the “underworld” of society, including taboos, death, paranoia, and transformation. Sixth House is complex but generally presides over service and health. This is different than the Tenth House of social status and career—Sixth House is more focused on coworkers and the job itself rather than society or public persona. This is how we connect with the world around us, how one explores the relationship between oneself and the external.

He is, to put it bluntly, obsessed with his job. He has an interesting combination of extreme work ethic (Pluto in Sixth House), tendency toward relaxation (Sun in Taurus), and the need to do everything as soon as possible (Mars in Aries). However he reacts depends on the situation at hand. Hopefully he’s able to accomplish some balance and order in this regard.

I covered his Sun-Saturn-Pluto T-square before but will restate it. If you have any sort of Sun-Saturn-Pluto aspect yourself, you will understand. Overall, the Sun represents the self, Saturn represents authority, and Pluto represents power. Now, make all of these attributes very similar to each other (fixed signs), but make them resent each other (square and opposition aspects), and then force them to get along. Three unbreakable planets in three unbreakable signs (two of which are domicile, or at their most powerful) is actually kind of terrifying, and honestly I would see this in the chart of someone who’s a very serious person. However, I could also see this in the chart of someone who has a balance of when to be serious and when to destroy that seriousness and just be yourself. I see the latter more in him. Because Pluto is transformative, the way he views himself changes quite often. This whole aspect almost has a…chameleon-like quality to it. He is the person to go to if you want support. He knows when to hold his ground on his beliefs and when to follow the rules. He knows his strengths and weaknesses and others’ as well, and Saturn keeps Pluto’s power-hungry side in check. He's a reluctant leader, but a good one. And with his Gemini Moon in 1H, that makes him even better because communication and connections are the most effective ways to get through to him as he can empathize well. He feels like it’s his duty for others to get along. For some more perspective, this aspect can also make him suspicious of others’ intentions (see: the story of how he was scouted). Though he’s a Taurus, the world isn’t all flowers and sunshine, and he’s not afraid to admit that. The Mercury quincunx Pluto aspect makes him a rapid-fire and witty debater, though susceptible to misinterpretation, and this as well makes him naturally suspicious of people and their intentions.

I will also mention that with Sun opposite Pluto in the 6-12 House axis, there is a tendency to martyr himself for the greater cause. Uranus and Neptune along with his Eleventh House Mercury and Mars will emphasize “the greater cause,” whatever that may mean to him.

✦ Descendant in Sagittarius

The Descendant is an interesting point that is referenced less often than the Ascendant but no less important. It’s what we are ineffably drawn to, what we hope to find in other people, what is hidden within ourselves that we need to uncover through the companionship of another person. Associated with the sign of Libra, it’s concerned with balancing the self and the individual other, how one on one interactions occur.

With this in Sagittarius, he hopes to find belief in others. Sagittarius is concerned with higher learning, whether that is religion, philosophy, secondary education, foreign travel, languages. How does one implement meaning and significance into the mundane? Optimism is simple enough to come by for him, but it is finding meaning that he feels he lacks in and hopefully attracts to him.

✦ Uranus Rx and Neptune Rx in Capricorn (Eighth House)

Being naturally suspicious of others can be a good thing in some regard. Eighth House is connected with the sign of Scorpio and the planet Pluto. It mainly deals with one on one transactions with others.

READ THE FINE PRINT. Neptune in Eighth House creates vast confusion and delusions around business dealings and contracts. He will get strokes of luck in this department simply because of the Sagittarius influence, but he definitely can’t rely on that to get him out of every situation. Accidental luck is accidental and isn’t predictable. He’s able to get himself out of tricky situations with strokes of luck, but he really should plan everything thoroughly before continuing forward with something drastic or life-changing.

✦ Midheaven and Saturn in Aquarius (Tenth House)

He is deeply aware of how others perceive him… Saturn placed here gives a stable career—albeit with a few bumps along the road with that Aquarian influence. Good sense of judgment. Once again very concerned with duty and his public persona is important to maintain. He needs meaning to his work, specifically meaning that would benefit others before himself in typical Aquarian fashion.

✦ Mercury and Mars in Aries (Eleventh House)

That Mars in 0° Aries makes him extremely determined, willing to be the first to try anything new. Driving, forward personality, very involved with whatever his friends or other groups of people are doing. He loves teamwork. He puts heart into everything he does, and it’s all or nothing.

I’ve already talked about Mercury a fair amount, but Mercury is a little goofy when placed here…he simply will not stop talking.

✦ Sun and Venus in Taurus (Twelfth House)

Sun in Twelfth House is interesting simply because of the unknowable nature of this House. Twelfth tends to scare people when talked about—Twelfth is the House of self-undoing. It’s concerned with the collective, the whole, the universe, and boundaries between the self and others are virtually nonexistent when the egotistic Sun is placed here. This, along with Moon in First House, creates the perfect situation of “I can be anyone you want me to be.” Whatever your ideal is, he will fit it. Whatever your perception of him is, he will be it. Though that IC in Leo craves that individuality, it can be difficult to supplant that with a shifting identity and sense of self. Sun trine Neptune exacerbates this, Sun trine Uranus helps to fight against this, all of these in earth signs creates a steadier sense of self.

Venus placed here creates a fair amount of delusion toward others, idealistically placing them on a pedestal and ignoring the warning signs. He does have Venus trine Jupiter in Virgo, though, which creates a romantic realist. He adores and idolizes others, but the critical Virgo will come through and give him a dose of reality every so often. Stability is important to him.

✦ Words of advice to him

It is okay to relax. Follow your own path. Despite the obstacles you face, you have the determination and the resources to follow through. Listen to that natural suspicion and gut instinct above all else because it will lead you where you need to go. Help will appear when you need it most.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed any insights this provided.

Cross-posted on Twitter.

[quack-quack-snacks]

Oh! I meant to say that Eunyu was Hyunsu's love interest in the series and Jiso was his love interest in the comics.. So it's never a good idea to reply to any messages right after I wake up because I didn't make a tiny bit of sense. That's my fault. I should've learned to never do that.

Yeah.. They only kept a few details the same? But everything else was completely changed. Apparently, the crew of the show said they were was only enough plot (from the comic) to make one season out of it. I still think they had to make a decently long enough series without the over the top changes. I understand, and even tolerate, some changes from the comic and show without having to change everything about the whole story. And I might have been fine with the storyline for Yisu and Yikyung if they gave them more story than that. In my opinion.

I know that the only reason why they had killed her character off was.. At least from what I know is because she's supposed to be in the new season of Squid Games. Because scheduling conflicts for production.

If I'm being honest. I am not someone who actually cares about ships in most media, it's rare for me to find ships I actually like, but that just might be me being that way. So If there's a rare chance that I do write any stories I have, it's usually canon characters being shipped with all the original characters. But it depends on the story. (I know not many people enjoy original characters, reader or even self insert characters though. So I know it's not gonna be for everyone. Everyone's different when it comes to those stories. But that's just usually what I prefer.)

Usually, when it comes to plot for writing a canonial story, I would try combining the plots of the written work and the live adaption work, if I can because might have enjoyed plot points in both versions as it is. Which might make me indecisive or even fickle when it comes to plot in my writing. But every adaption in fandoms have things that I might love and hate, some I might conflicted about and everything like that.

I don't necessarily hate Eunyu as a character. Well.. Maybe. So I really have to admit that I hated her character in season one, because there were many times that I thought she was annoying in my opinion. But, if I'm being honest, I actually liked how she never treated Hyunsu that differently when he transformed into a neohuman compared to every other character who mistreated him (minus a few people who didn't). But then she started being more tolerable as season one progressed, and she somewhat had more backstory in seasons two and three too. Though sometimes I have that "cunt" personality too, so maybe I may be thinking of her on how I might act and react in certain situations.

I feel that honestly.

I will admit i hated eun-yu all throughout season 1. It was nice how she treated HYun-su as an equal and whatnot but she made a terrible first impression when we met her on the roof as Hyunsu was about to off himself and whatever and i have hated her ever since tbh. I just feel like she's so insensitive and i know thats her character and whatever and like shes a softy deep down or something along those lines but i still really dislike her.

The only reason i kind of like her/tolerate her is because she's a badass in season 2 and 3 but other than that i don't really care for her character.

[firsttarotreader]

There was a reading you did on him being with someone and the sex being so good he thought he would never have it that good again, but what about the other way around? Has he ever left anyone thinking it was the best sex of their lives?

Hello! That’s an interesting question. 🤔 I asked the cards about it and the first pull was the 9 of Coins, Queen of Swords and The Lovers.

9 of Coins represents the feeling of having it all. They felt “complete” in a way, so fortunate. Queen of Swords means he was like an “onion” to the person, so independent and sharp and perceptive, but also caring and loyal in his own ways, and he knew exactly what to do sexually because he was fully paying attention. The Lovers points to the person feeling like they were so in harmony, they went so well together, and they seemed to hope he would choose to be with them, to stay with them.

The second pull was The World, 5 of Coins and Page of Wands reversed. Again, with The World, they thought they had it all, the full package, they found what they wanted. But 5 of Coins represents loss. He might have cut them off at some point, they felt abandoned, “left out in the cold”, he just left. Page of Wands reversed means they realized he was not suitable for a long-term thing, not suitable to commitment. This Page when reversed is a sign of fickleness and indecisiveness. He doesn’t have the energy to commit to anything, he’s wandering, he doesn’t know what he wants, he doesn’t allow things to progress.

Then I pulled two cards, one for women and one for men. I am obviously not claiming this to be the ultimate truth, but the possibility that it happened with at least one woman and at least one man. The cards were the Knight of Cups for women and 3 of Wands for men.

So for women the Knight of Cups means he might have come into someone’s life like a Knight of Love. He was charming, graceful, passionate, he knew how to flirt and how to pleasure someone sexually and emotionally. But you know, this Knight is a bit like a siren, he can be enchanting but there’s a catch. His flaws will eventually come up, he’s easy to fall in love with, but he is movement, as every Knight. So he can pass by you very fast in his horse. He might come, stay the night and leave. He’s a recipe for broken hearts. The 3 of Wands for the men is a card of longing. You know what you want, you have it all planned and figured out, but it lacks action. He probably went into someone’s life but he left them wanting more. It never went anywhere, they were left forever longing.

As you can see, it’s interesting because it looks like this was more about feelings and people who had feelings for him than just sex alone, right?

[cyberplex]

Howdy, Max, and welcome to the Cyberplex! Please submit your account to the main in the next 72 hours and look over the rest of our checklist here. We look forward to seeing Carmen Dantes, Casper Winston, Jasper Rowan, Katrina Claire, Miles Everett, and Nathaniel Dawson on the dash.

paris berelc / she/her ——— no way is that KATRINA CLAIRE.. they’re a 25-year-old SYNTH notoriously known for being COMPETATIVE & COCKY but there are some people who have seen them being COOPERATIVE & FEARLESS. if you ask me, they remind me a lot of glowing screens, daring to be overlooked and a soft yet commanding voice but that could just be because they’re considered the YOU GO, GIRL around town. just keep an eye on them & see if their true colors shine through..

john krasinski / he/him ——— no way is that NATHANIEL DAWSON.. they’re a 45-year-old HUMAN notoriously known for being DRUNKARD & HARMFUL but there are some people who have seen them being FLEXIBLE & SELFLESS if you ask me, they remind me a lot of thump of glass mugs onto tabletop, fingers around a glass of beer covered in condensation and watching your life pass you by as though through a window but that could just be because they’re considered the DRUNK around town. just keep an eye on them & see if their true colors shine through..

griffin gluck / he/him ——— no way is that MILES EVERETT.. they’re a 22-year-old HUMAN notoriously known for being GRIM & VENEMOUS but there are some people who have seen them being DETERMINED & EXPRESSIVE. if you ask me, they remind me a lot of hands stained with blood and heart with tears, leaving behind a token of ill will, and building walls around your very soul but that could just be because they’re considered the THE BULLY around town. just keep an eye on them & see if their true colors shine through..

finn wittrock / he/him ——— no way is that CASPER WINSTON.. they’re a 40-year-old SYNTH notoriously known for being FICKLE & INDECISIVE but there are some people who have seen them being ASSERTIVE & DISCIPLINED. if you ask me, they remind me a lot of not staying in one place for a long time, drowning in a sea of wilting roses and shooting for the stars because the earth is not enough but that could just be because they’re considered the NOMAD around town. just keep an eye on them & see if their true colors shine through..

yungblud / he/they ——— no way is that JASPER ROWAN.. they’re a 27-year-old SYNTH notoriously known for being AUTOCRATIC & CONTRARY but there are some people who have seen them being CREATIVE & MUSICALLY GIFTED. if you ask me, they remind me a lot of music blasting in your ears, microphones and cables lying around and late nights spent dancing under the moonlight but that could just be because they’re considered the MUSICIAN around town. just keep an eye on them & see if their true colors shine through..

melissa barrera / she/her ——— no way is that CARMEN DANTES.. they’re a 34-year-old HUMAN notoriously known for being DREADFUL & BLUNDERING but there are some people who have seen them being MOTIVATED & EMPATHETIC. if you ask me, they remind me a lot of fairy lights strung all over, the smell of vanilla candles, old jewelry boxes, and puppy dog eyes but that could just be because they’re considered the THE PRISTINE around town. just keep an eye on them & see if their true colors shine through.. (max, he/him, 26, pst)

[zayne00]

stats

BASICS

Full Name: Kang Zayne Nickname/Alias: tbd. Gender: Cismale Orientation: Bisexual Age: 24 Face Claim: Lee Heeseung Birthdate: April 13, 2000 Birthplace: Seoul, South Korea Astrological Sign: Aries Currently (Location): Seoul, South Korea Nationality: Korean Preferred Hand: Right Eye Color: Brown Hair Color: Black Makeup: None. not a fan of it on himself Height: 6'0'' Facial Hair: None. really wants to grow a mustache though. he thinks they look cool Birthmarks/scars: Knees from childhood mischief Allergies: none that he knows of

PERSONALITY

Virtues: Determined, Curious, Open-minded Weaknesses: Loquacious, Impulsive, Invasive Personality Type: ESTP | Fire | Chaotic Evil | Slytherin Hobbies/Interests: Pottery painting, collecting postcards Likes: Polaroids, scrapbooks, warm lights Dislikes: noise music, ugly clothes, not getting what he wants Pet Peeves: pen clicking Fears: being broke

CAREER

Occupation: Videographer at Infinite Entertainment, President of the Moon Jaemin Fanclub

HABITS

nail biting | throat clearing | lying | interrupting | chewing the ends of pens | smoking | swearing | knuckle cracking | thumb sucking | muttering under their breath | talking to themselves | nose picking | binge drinking | oversleeping | snacking between meals | skipping meals | picking at skin | impulse buying | talking with their mouth full | humming/singing to themselves | chewing gum | leg jiggling | foot tapping | hair twirling | whistling | eye rolling | licking lips | sniffing | squinting | rubbing hands together | jaw clenching | gesturing while talking | putting feet up on tables | tucking hair behind ears | chewing lips | crossing arms over chest | putting hands on hips | rubbing the back or their neck | being late | procrastinating | doodling | shredding paper | peeling off bottle labels | forgetfulness | running hands through hair | overreacting | teeth grinding | nostril flaring | slouching | pacing | drumming fingers | fist clenching | pinching bridge of nose | rubbing temples | rolling shoulders

CHARACTER FLAWS

absent-minded / abusive / addicted / aimless / alcoholic / aloof / anxious / arrogant / audacious / has bad habits / bigmouthed / bigoted / blunt / bold / callous / childish / cruel / cursed / dependent / dishonest / disloyal / disturbed / dubious / egotistical / envious / erratic / fanatical / fickle / fierce / finicky / flirty / gluttonous / gruff / gullible / hedonistic / humourless / hypocritical / idiotic / ignorant / illiterate / immature / impatient / impious / impish / incompetent / indecisive / indifferent / infamous / intolerant / judgemental / lazy / lewd / liar / lustful / masochistic / meddlesome / meek / megalomanic / naïve / nosey / obsessive / oppressive / overambitious / overemotional / overprotective / overzealous / paranoid / peevish / perfectionist / pessimistic / phobic / rebellious / reckless / remorseless / rigorous / sadistic / sarcastic / sceptic / seducer / selfish / self-martyr / self-righteous / senile / shallow / smart ass / solemn / spineless / spiteful / spoiled / squeamish / stubborn / superstitious / tactless / temperamental / theatrical / timid / tongue-tied / unlucky / unpredictable / untrustworthy / vain / weak-willed / withdrawn

STEREOTYPICAL MASCULINE SIDE

you love hoodies.   you love shorts.   dogs are better than cats.   it’s hilarious when people get hurt.   shopping is torture.   sad movies suck.   you own a car racing game.   you played with hot wheels cars as a kid.   at some point in time you wanted to be a fire fighter.   you owned a ds, ps2, n64, or sega.   you used to be obsessed with power rangers.   you have watched sports on tv.   gory movies are cool.   you go to your dad for advice.   you own like a trillion baseball caps.   you used to collect hockey or baseball cards.   baggy sweats are cool to wear.   it’s kinda weird to have sleepovers with a bunch of people.   green, black, red, blue, or silver are one of your favourite colours.   you love to go crazy and not care what people think.   sports are fun.   you talk with food in your mouth.   you sleep with your socks on at night.   you have fished at least once.

STEREOTYPICAL FEMININE SIDE

you love to shop.   you wear eyeliner.   you wear the color pink.   you go to your mom to talk.   you consider cheerleading a sport.   you hate wearing the color black.   you like going to the mall.   you like getting manicures and/or pedicures.   you like wearing jewelry.   you cried watching the notebook.   dresses are a big part of your wardrobe.   shopping is one of your favorite hobbies.   you don’t like the movie star wars.   you are/were in gymnastics.   it takes you around one hour to shower, get dressed, and make-up.   you smile a lot more than you should.   you have more than 10 pairs of shoes.   you care about what you look like.   you like wearing dresses when you can.   you like wearing high heel shoes.   you used to play with dolls as little kid.   you like putting make-up on others.   you like being the star of everything.

APPEARANCE

i am shorter than 5’5”.   i have scars.   i tan easily.   i wish my hair was a different color.   i have friends who have never seen my natural hair color.   i have a tattoo. i am self-conscious about my appearance.   i’ve had/have braces.   i’ve been told i’m attractive by a complete stranger.   i have more than two piercings.   i have/had piercings in places besides my ears.

EXPERIENCES

i’ve gotten lost in my city.   i’ve seen a shooting star.   i’ve wished on a shooting star.   i’ve seen a meteor shower.   i’ve gone out in public in my pajamas.   i’ve pushed all the buttons on an elevator.   i’ve kicked a guy where it hurts.   i’ve been to a casino.   i’ve been skydiving. i’ve gone skinny-dipping.   i’ve drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour. i’ve crashed a car. i’ve been skiing.   i’ve been in a musical.   i’ve caught a snowflake or snow on my tongue.   i’ve seen the northern lights.   i’ve sat on a rooftop at night.   i’ve played a prank on someone.   i’ve ridden in a taxi.   i’ve seen the rocky horror picture show.   i’ve eaten sushi.   i’ve been snowboarding.

HONESTY/CRIME

i’ve done something i promised someone else i wouldn’t.   i’ve done something i promised myself i wouldn’t.   i’ve snuck out.   i’ve lied to my parents about where i am.   i’ve cheated while playing a game.   i’ve ran a red light.   i’ve witnessed a crime.   i’ve been in a fist fight.   i’ve been arrested.

RANDOM

i can sing well.   stolen a tray from a fast food restaurant.   i open up to others easily.   i watch the news.   i don’t kill bugs.   i sing in the shower.   i am a morning person.   i paid for a cell phone ring tone.   i am a sports fanatic.   i twirl my hair.   i care about grammar.   i have “?”’s in my screen name.   i’ve copied more than 30 cds in a day.   i bake well.   my favorite color is either white, yellow, pink, red, blue, black, purple, or orange.   i would wear pajamas to school.   i like martha stewart.   i know how to shoot a gun.   i laugh at my own jokes.   i eat fast food weekly.   i’ve not turned anything in and still got an a in a certain class.   i can’t sleep if there is a spider/cockroach in the room.   i am ticklish.   i love white chocolate.   i bite my nails.   i’m good at remembering faces.   i’m good at remembering names.   i’m good at remembering dates.   i honestly have no idea what i want to do for the rest of my life.

PREFERENCES

indoor plants or gardens // cloud-watching or star-gazing // water or fire // paperback or hardcover // running or hiking // sleeping with socks or without socks // fruit or vegetables // hanging plants or succulents // dark wood or light wood // handwritten or typed // instagram or pinterest // dc or marvel // books or movies // oceans or meadows // forests or fields // sweet or salty  // ice cream or chocolate // hoodies or sweaters // piercings or tattoos // summer or winter // boots or sneakers // house or apartment // cars or motorcycles // curls or straight hair // castles or cottages // sunny days or storms // reptiles or birds // strawberries or watermelon // phones or laptops or desktop // glass or stone // dark or light // photos or paintings // circuses or theatres // reading or writing // dogs or cats // poetry or novels // monsters or ghosts // thrift shops or libraries // fiction or non-fiction

BOLD YOUR MUSE’S PREFERENCES! { FOOD EDITION }

Cake  or  Ice cream? Sweet  or  Spicy? Potato Chips  or  French Fries? Seasoned or Bland?  Cookies  or  Brownies? Salad  or  Pizza? Turkey  or  Chicken? Hamburger  or  Cheeseburger? Sour  or  Bitter? Homecooked  or  Takeout? Hot  or  Cold? Beef  or  Pork? Chocolate  or  White Chocolate? Fruit  or  Vegetables? Soft  or  Hard Shell Tacos? Tea  or  Coffee? Stuffing  or  Mashed Potatoes? Cake  or  Pie? Fresh Ingredients  or  From The Can?

[seeusuna]

‘DOVES IN THE WIND’ ; A CHARACTER STUDY ON 'SETSUNA "HIME" ISHIA'

HABITS

nail biting | throat clearing | lying | interrupting | chewing the ends of pens | smoking | swearing | knuckle cracking | thumb sucking | muttering under their breath | talking to themselves | nose picking | binge drinking | oversleeping | snacking between meals | skipping meals | picking at skin | impulse buying | talking with their mouth full | humming/singing to themselves | chewing gum | leg jiggling | foot tapping | hair twirling | whistling | eye rolling | licking lips | sniffing | squinting | rubbing hands together | jaw clenching | gesturing while talking | putting feet up on tables | tucking hair behind ears | chewing lips | crossing arms over chest | putting hands on hips | rubbing the back or their neck | being late | procrastinating | doodling | shredding paper | peeling off bottle labels | forgetfulness | running hands through hair | overreacting | teeth grinding | nostril flaring | slouching | pacing | drumming fingers | fist clenching | pinching bridge of nose | rubbing temples | rolling shoulders

FLAWS

absent-minded / abusive / addicted / aimless / alcoholic / aloof / anxious / arrogant / audacious / has bad habits / bigmouthed / bigoted / blunt / bold / callous / childish / cruel / cursed / dependent / dishonest / disloyal / disturbed / dubious / egotistical / envious / erratic / fanatical / fickle / fierce / finicky / flirty / gluttonous / gruff / gullible / hedonistic / humourless / hypocritical / idiotic / ignorant / illiterate / immature / impatient / impious / impish / incompetent / indecisive / indifferent / infamous / intolerant / judgmental / lazy / lewd / liar / lustful / masochistic / meddlesome / meek / megalomanic / naïve / nosey / obsessive / oppressive / overambitious / overemotional / overprotective / overzealous / paranoid / peevish / perfectionist / pessimistic / phobic / rebellious / reckless / remorseless / rigorous / sadistic / sarcastic / sceptic / seducer / selfish / self-martyr / self-righteous / senile / shallow / smart ass / solemn / spineless / spiteful / spoiled / squeamish / stubborn / superstitious / tactless / temperamental / theatrical / timid / tongue-tied / unlucky / unpredictable / untrustworthy / vain / weak-willed / withdrawn

YOUR STEREOTYPICAL MASCULINE SIDE

you love hoodies.  you love shorts.   dogs are better than cats.  it’s hilarious when people get hurt.   shopping is torture.   sad movies suck.  you own a car racing game.   you played with hot wheels cars as a kid.   at some point in time you wanted to be a fire fighter.   you owned a ds, ps2, n64, or sega.  you used to be obsessed with power rangers.   you have watched sports on tv.   gory movies are cool.   you go to your dad for advice.   you own like a trillion baseball caps.   you used to collect hockey or baseball cards.   baggy sweats are cool to wear.   it’s kinda weird to have sleepovers with a bunch of people.   green, black, red, blue, or silver are one of your favourite colours.   you love to go crazy and not care what people think.   sports are fun.   you talk with food in your mouth.   you sleep with your socks on at night.   you have fished at least once.

YOUR STEREOTYPICAL FEMININE SIDE

you love to shop.   you wear eyeliner.   you wear the color pink.   you go to your mom to talk.   you consider cheerleading a sport.   you hate wearing the color black.   you like going to the mall.   you like getting manicures and/or pedicures.   you like wearing jewelry.   you cried watching the notebook.   dresses are a big part of your wardrobe.   shopping is one of your favorite hobbies.  you don’t like the movie star wars.   you are/were in gymnastics.   it takes you around one hour to shower, get dressed, and make-up.   you smile a lot more than you should.   you have more than 10 pairs of shoes.   you care about what you look like.  you like wearing dresses when you can. you like wearing high heel shoes.  you used to play with dolls as little kid.   you like putting make-up on others.   you like being the star of everything.

APPEARANCE

i am shorter than 5’5”. i have scars. i tan easily. i wish my hair was a different color.   i have friends who have never seen my natural hair color.  i have a tattoo. i am self-conscious about my appearance. i’ve had/have braces. i’ve been told i’m attractive by a complete stranger. i have more than two piercings. i have/had piercings in places besides my ears.

EXPERIENCES

i’ve gotten lost in my city. i’ve seen a shooting star. i’ve wished on a shooting star.  i’ve seen a meteor shower. i’ve gone out in public in my pajamas. i’ve pushed all the buttons on an elevator. i’ve kicked a guy where it hurts. i’ve been to a casino. i’ve been skydiving. i’ve gone skinny-dipping. i’ve drank a whole gallon of milk in one hour. i’ve crashed a car. i’ve been skiing. i’ve been in a musical. i’ve caught a snowflake or snow on my tongue. i’ve seen the northern lights. i’ve sat on a rooftop at night. i’ve played a prank on someone.  i’ve ridden in a taxi. i’ve seen the rocky horror picture show. i’ve eaten sushi. i’ve been snowboarding.

HONESTY/CRIME

i’ve done something i promised someone else i wouldn’t. i’ve done something i promised myself i wouldn’t. i’ve snuck out. i’ve lied to my parents about where i am.  i’ve cheated while playing a game. i’ve ran a red light. i’ve witnessed a crime. i’ve been in a fist fight. i’ve been arrested.

RANDOM

i can sing well. stolen a tray from a fast food restaurant. i open up to others easily. i watch the news. i don’t kill bugs. i sing in the shower. i am a morning person. i paid for a cell phone ring tone. i am a sports fanatic. i twirl my hair. i care about grammar. i have “?”’s in my screen name. i’ve copied more than 30 cds in a day. i bake well. my favorite color is either white, yellow, pink, red, blue, black, purple, or orange. i would wear pajamas to school. i like martha stewart. i know how to shoot a gun. i laugh at my own jokes. i eat fast food weekly. i’ve not turned anything in and still got an a in a certain class. i can’t sleep if there is a spider/cockroach in the room. i am ticklish. i love white chocolate. i bite my nails. i’m good at remembering faces. i’m good at remembering names. i’m good at remembering dates. i honestly have no idea what i want to do for the rest of my life.

[shdwtouch]

What was the first muse that you’ve written? & How do you create an OC? What are your steps for developing an OC?

oh goodness, the first muse I wrote on tumblr was an alternate universe clint barton ! but first muse is general ? I don't remember. but considering I was roleplaying on a forum before I came here... it was most likely some sort of original character ?

I didn't write a lot of canon characters, since threads were usually organized around a central plot or location with multiple people playing one or more character, all of which were usually created specifically for the thread. however, I do remember two relatively clearly. one was some sort of... mutant ? he had been experimented on in a lab alongside a bunch of other kids, which ended up escaping and were basically being hunted as fugitives. the other was a professor at a magic school a la x-men, but he was actually like... secretly undercover investigating the school because there was some shady stuff going down ? I'm sure I could still find them on my account... but oh, the cringe. I did. and yes, it was very cringey. also the first guy was a vampire, not a mutant. all in the distant year of... 2011. I was eleven years old lmao

as for how I create an original character ? it kinda just... happens. at least, in regards to original / fandomless characters. others are a product of the fandom I made them in. Shade was created because I really liked the lore of the shadow-cursed lands and wanted to make a character that was involved in it. my (currently fandomless) original character Kaey started out as an antivan crow oc in drag-n age. my oldest original character, Lorence J Harving, started out as a team fortress 2 oc ! then I have muses like Zhu Dai and Yew, which were inspired by mythology and folklore. Wyn started out as a random picrew design I made ! Indi and Caoimhe were made for roleplay groups that were abandoned. it really just depends on what the inspiration is ! so I don't really have a tried and true method for original character creation. but trust me, if I did I would be bottling and selling it XD not to blow my own vertubenflugen, but I know people have expressed interest and envy towards my creative process... and I genuinely wish I could offer advice other than embrace the process !

as for developing an original character ? again, it kinda depends. with Shade just being able to talk about her to others and see how she interacts with other characters has done wonders for her development ! Zhu Dai was embracing different mythologies, cultures, and religious ideologies. if the muse is there then things will come somewhat naturally, but muse can also be fickle and wishy-washy so. it can definitely take time ! but I honestly believe that some of the best development does happen in the cooperative process that is roleplay. yet, I have other methods. music plays a lot into my muse and development, as does the media and content I consume ! I take inspiration from a lot of different places !

but if we want to talk nitty gritty... I don't know. I tend to walk my developments around quite a bit, feeling them out to make sure they're what I really envision / want for the character. I change my mind a lot, go back and forth on things. and tend to write very cryptic late night notes in my personal Discord server that awake and lucid me must then decipher for optimal impact. uwu; but in general... yeah I have no idea. it happens. sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't. Kaey in particular has been victim to that indecision and, dare I say, overabundance in ideas. lets just say I can't kill my darlings. I cannot. but I also hate recycling ideas, so. make it make sense.

idk but here are my general steps / points I like to hit

character name [ex. shade]

what is their basic story ? [ex. a fugitive assassin doing their best to survive]

appearance [ex. long black hair, gray eyes, short]

cultural heritage / identity [ex. jewish + indian ]

notable features or characteristics [ex. spooky eyes, always wears a hood]

general personality, defined by arc / period in life, i.e. how has this characters personality, habits, etc developed and evolved through their story up to their current point ? (asking questions like why is my character like this now ? etc can help you figure out important points in their history that may have influenced their current state, basically providing a skeleton to work a timeline off of)

asking random questions. whats their favorite ice cream ? do they listen to podcasts, if so what kind ? do they celebrate holidays ? etc. (knowing basic details can help you paint a better understanding of your muse, and help you find their voice, especially in terms of decision making !)

important relationships, whether they be past or present, or even the optimal / wishlist relationships you would want to explore. (this can really help set a foundation for creating meaningful dynamics through roleplay !)

what does your character want ? what is their goal ? what is their optimal ending ? is their optimal ending what they want / expect ? if the character doesn't have a perceivable ending then consider how this journey impacts them ! do they have a turning point ? etc

alternate universes. ask all the "what ifs" you can think of, silly or not ! (even if you don't use these for rp, they can help you find your characters voice !)

turn them around and around in your head until you are either obsessed with them or sick / frustrated. if you are obsessed then you have succeeded in making an original character, congrats ! if you are sick / frustrated take a step back and come back to it later; go through the steps again, rework things as needed, but if you still end up frustrated... keep the things you like the most, discard anything that makes you go eh or nah, take a step back, then return with inspiration !

hope that helps ! ; w ;

EDIT: I have had a very long day so I don't know why I thought answering this now would be a good idea owo; but I just want to say... the gist of my approach to writing any character is this: we are all a tapestry of what we have experienced, the people we have met, etc and a good, dynamic character will reflect that. humans are also flawed and full of contradictions, so don't be afraid to embrace those !

but yeah. if you're ever stuck developing a character, figure out what about them ticks, then find out why it ticks. your character is really gruff, certainly they weren't born that way. did they have a rough home life ? were they in the military ? did they get their heart broken, did they watch a loved one die ? how has that impacted other aspects of their life and story ? have other traits / experiences interacted with this gruffness ? is this gruffness a product of an interaction between traits / experiences ? are they aware they are gruff ? do they care ? do they secretly wish like they could be less gruff ? do they need to be gruff ? what would it look like if they weren't ? I could literally go on and on listing questions that could lead to a thousand different tangents. point being: cause and effect. explore it. your character is a product of what they have been through, of their world. embrace it.

[8bitsupervillain]

8bit reviews: Shining Song Starnova

I really don't understand why this game had an android idol. Maybe it's to do with the fact that Love in Space make sci-fi visual novels, and that's why they had an android idol in this game. Shining Song Starnova is a visual novel where you play as Mr. Producer (who has a name, but it comes up very infrequently, it's Kaoru Nishiyama by the way), the producer for a small-time idol group made up of former/disgraced idols and a few other girls who seem to have signed on to the group for a lark. It's up to you help these girls achieve their dreams of making the group a success despite the deck that is incredibly stacked against the girls. Whether you succeed depends entirely on which route you're on because in some of the routes the plot dictates the group breaks up.

The characters who make up your idol group are: Mariya Yamamoto, a twenty-five year old woman who used to belong to another idol group known as Quasar. Natsuki Tanabe, a girl from Osaka who has gumption and enthusiasm. Nemu Akimoto, she has boobs and a DARK SECRET(TM). Julie Watanabe, a half-American, half-Japanese girl who doesn't fit in neatly to japanese culture man. Mika Hashimoto, the obligatory anime nerd. Aki Kashiwagi, another former idol who will do anything to reclaim her former glory and become the number one idol in Japan. And lastly: Sasami Shimazaki, the main girl. The generally uninteresting girl who doesn't have the sheer force of personality of other characters, and has the sort of generic anime girl look that just says "there she is, the generic main love interest in every anime ever. The one the hero will inevitably wind up with in the end." This games Shiori Fujisaki, if you will.

I would like to introduce to you now the main two thesis statements of Shining Song Starnova. The idol industry is a cruel meat grinder where only the most cutthroat and duplicitous will survive. If you're not prepared to backstab and connive your way to victory you will inevitably be chewed up and spit out by the machine. Be it the cruel machinations of the higher ups in management, the vindictive pettiness of your fellow idols, or the cruelest of all: audience indifference and their fickle nature. Just to make sure you're perfectly aware of where the game stands it will go out of its way to repeat to you dozens of times during the various routes just what a deadly dire game idol fame is. By all that is holy and good in the universe does the game want you to know that the entertainment industry is a diabolical and loathsome machine.

The character Mariya will grab the plot by the neck, force it to stop just to reiterate what a dread beast the idol industry (and indeed all entertainment) truly truly is. Another way it loves to constantly berate you and shove the message in your face is with the constant and lengthy diatribes about the fickle nature of fandom.

Your fans will love you all the way to the gallows, and cheer when you suffer indignities that besmirch your name and leave your life a ruined mess. Your precious fans will turn on you on a dime just to chase after the newest latest and greatest, and lap up any and all drama they can bleed from you personally.

As the game puts it "uplifting messages are good and all, but what people really want is blood. Nothing excites people more than seeing a beautiful girl get torn down."

The second thesis statement is: holy shit blowjobs are awesome!

The thing is despite how thick the game lays it on about the media machine/idol industry if the game was actually about that I wouldn't have minded so much. There are times where it seems really indecisive about whether you're trying to lead the group to success or simply trying to navigate the minefield of each girls personality.

Three of the routes are largely about it, and incidentally those are the routes that actually feel like they have any real substance to them. At a certain point in the game you have to choose one of the seven girls to be "the center" of the group, the leader of this idol unit. Then the game goes on a largely disconnected plot centered on whichever girl you choose. The problem with the branching narrative is you can tell which ones are the important ones, and which ones really feel like they were written due to a sense of obligation. Which is really unfortunate, if you like the characters Mika, Natsuki, Nemu, or to a lesser extent Julie you get to see just how little they matter to the larger narrative. Which is doubly unfortunate because you would assume that the plot point of Nemu's mental illness, or Julie's brush with death would be fairly substantial plot points. Alas they don't really matter, except for a couple of mentions during Sasami's route whatever plot/drama that occurs in any of the other routes simply doesn't exist. Nemu's psychosis for instance is never brought up except to make one or two yandere jokes at her expense, and Julie's scandals just don't exist in every route that's not hers.

It's a shame because I feel that these routes could have felt more like something of substance rather than simply filler arcs meant to prolong the game until you get to the three routes that actually matter. The character Mika, for instance, her plot about overcoming her insecurities and feelings of being nothing more than a sex object has some strong narrative strings to it. Instead it amounts to very little, you make a rather unconvincing speech about sticking to your values instead of accepting that the entertainment industry is just sex sex sex. What makes it worse and feels like it was rushed to its finish is the fact that her story features a character who hates what Mika has become by turning into nothing but a whore and not living up to his personal ideas of what she should be. So her main character struggle is "no one values her except for as a sex object" but her main outside antagonistic force despises her for doing fan-service roles in an adaptation of an anime she likes.

Meanwhile Natsuki gets nothing, large swathes of time pass without anything really affecting the plot. But the larger plot point she has about the bank foreclosing on her family's farm gets mentioned in the main routes so I guess that's fine. You get two to three hours (depending on individual reading speed) of drama that doesn't actually do anything about her family losing the family farm, but they make a brief one sentence reference in Sasami's route so I guess that makes up for it! Again, this is a plot point that I feel could have been something rather than the damp squib it really is. Having to utilize your idol groups newfound fame and prestige in an effort to organize some sort of charity drive to save the farm? That could be something, there are plenty of movies about those scrappy youths banding together to save the rec center from those evil land surveyors. Plus you would get the benefit of at least one of the stories not being a depressing read all the way through.

Nemu's plot involves her having to deal with the fact she has some sort of heredity psychosis she got from her mother who was also an idol back in her youth. This makes her occasionally imagine scenarios where people are conniving to displace her or steal her loved ones away from her. The route reaches its inevitable conclusion where her mental issues causes her to lash out physically and ruin the life of another idol, and in her bad ending become a murderer. Again though, outside of this route nothing ever comes up of her mental issues. They make reference to her DARK SECRET(TM) about her birth, but it comes up once and just as quickly gets swept away. As with Mika and Natsuki's paths I feel this really could have been a decent arc, unfortunately it just gets wrapped up rather quickly and just feels like a waste. Also in the first chapter, before you select the individual paths of the girls, they all but say that Nemu is some sort of psychic. That's all they ever say about it. It never comes up at all, which is especially weird given the whole "gonna kill that bitch for trying to steal producer-kun" plot.

The character I feel that gets it the worst is Julie, her plot anyway. Since she's a half-American half-Japanese girl, she butts heads with Japanese culture, and is a walking scandal magnet. This comes to a head mid-way through her route. This one I felt really could have been a plot that could involve all of the girls because of the realness of the subject matter. However except for one other character all of the other girls in the group basically cease to exist until the ending. It's infuriating to me because this is the one arc outside of the main three that had the strongest core to it. However it wasn't to be, and it just sort of meandered around until it was over.

Arriving to the final three routes it becomes quite obvious these were the important routes. For one they are significantly longer than the other routes, get more unique CG scenes, and generally have a more complete feel to the writing (again, some more than others). Mariya's plotline has to do with the fact that Mariya is in her late twenties and is considered over the hill in the idol game. By god do they not want you to forget that once you hit twenty-five your life as an idol is basically done. But it's not just ageism in the entertainment industry you also get to find out what events forced Mariya out of the business years ago and why she became the heavy-drinking chainsmoker she was at the start of the game. It's because: points at paragraph three also because the former leader of Quasar was a stabilizing force for peace and when she got taken out and replaced with a new center Quasar become a ferocious den of monsters etc etc.

Aki Kashiwagi's plotline meanwhile has to deal with the fact that she is literally killing herself in her efforts to become the number one idol in Japan. And also! The entertainment industry is a terrible den of wolves and with chew you up and swallow you whole, and maybe your mother who's forcing you into it might just be an irredeemable shitbag. Until the plot decides she isn't anyway.

Sasami's route is one of the hardest to talk about because of the sheer amount of spoilers that have to be discussed. On the one hand this truly is the best of the routes because this is what I honestly thought the game was going to be mostly about, the day to day minutiae about the industry. The skullduggery, the frankly great writing on display. But I don't think it really saves the game because for one it takes well over twenty four hours to get to this point. Twenty four hours of misery porn, questionable writing, and some of the worst sex analogies I've read. Also despite the fact I find Sasami's route to be generally better written than the rest of the game it doesn't get away entirely unscathed and has some terrible writing throughout. The completely out of left field Tropic Thunder reference stands out to me as one such an example.

One of the larger issues I have with the game is the lack of choices that are on offer. Every path is a linear plotline until you are given one singular choice that will either almost instantly give you a bad ending, or the good ending. There are only three characters who get a section with a blistering TWO choice segments but the differences are minuscule at best and don't affect the plot in any real way. Two of the choices that I remember basically amount to the chosen girl saying bullshit to your choice, and the plot marches forward regardless. It's somewhat respectable to whittle the choices down to a binary "fail" and "don't fail" button, but isn't that why we're here? To see just how bad/miserable the paths can get? I suppose I was just expecting the bad endings to go slightly longer than clicking the bad answer and then a character immediately dies! At least with Mika and Aki's bad ending you get something before it abruptly ends. Also this is going to sound like the minorest of nitpicks, but I wish the game let you save when you have to choose which girl is going to be the center of the group. Two clicks isn't a major issue, but it was just a small annoyance. Very small, microscopically small.

I believe we've gone as far as we can without dipping into major spoilers. I know I gave away the entirety of Natsuki's plot and most of Mika's but honestly without what I had written there their plots would have been summarized as: They exist! If you're interested in Shining Song Starnova I wouldn't recommend playing the game (read the VN, whatever). It isn't a particularly good story, and the constant beating of the drums of "entertainment industry bad, all the fans are shit, den of wolves" really drags down the story. The art isn't particularly great, it took a while to get used to the western anime look of the characters, and honestly if it's anime porn (or anime style porn) you're after there is so much out there that there's really no need to endure this miserable miserable experience.

Spoilers for Shining Song Starnova

I do sort of wonder what this game is like in its non-18+ version. There are numerous scenes of sex and nudity that help move the plot along. I especially wonder what that version is like considering what a major role pedophilia and rape play during at least three of the routes. Of course there's no sex scenes involving minors, nor any nudity during said pedophilia moments, but it does play a pretty major factor during Aki and Sasami's routes.

Aki, Mariya, and Sasami's paths are the most important of the paths because of how deeply they dive into the behind the scenes nature of idol groups and the in-fighting between both the talent and the management of said groups. While the other four routes do feature some element about managing the talent it really feels like a small side thing that's unrelated to the larger narrative for whichever girl you choose. More so Nemu and Natuski's routes, because even though they're unimportant to the larger narrative Mika and Julie's routes do feature the entertainment industry to a larger degree.

One of the main problems I have with the game and its story is that in hindsight it makes every route except for Mariya, Aki and Sasami's just feel like a waste of time. Sure some terrible things can happen during these routes but it all feels rather weightless and inconsequential. It feels the worst during Julie's route because in today's terrible world a story about an idol being attacked by a crazed fan during one of their events is a surprisingly poignant and topical inclusion. It really feels like a missed opportunity to not examine the topic more than they did. Surely a crazed fan attacking one of the group would have had long lasting implications for the rest of the group, least of all Aki, who got injured during said attack. Instead the game just sort of shunts them off to the side to focus on Julie, and the fact she gets over the effects of the attack in a surprisingly quick pace. I'm not saying it needed to have Mika or whoever's woes on top of Julie's, because god knows I was getting really annoyed when during Mariya's story it kept focusing on Aki. It just feels like the game could have been entirely about an event like that instead of the disparate stories we did get.

Also I can't really think of a good place to put it, but the game also has some very unfortunate implications that all a girl needs to get over mental illness/trauma/crippling self doubts is a good dicking. Shortly after the attack Julie and Producer-san go on the run to get away from it all. The pair inevitably fuck, and within minutes of game time Julie seems to be largely over the incident. But this isn't the only time Producer-san's magical penis saves the day. During Mika's story when she's at her lowest point she has sex with Producer-san and regains her self confidence, and in the bad ending of her route it can also convince her to join the porn industry. The most mystifying and poorly thought out one though is the sex scene in Nemu's path. During her path Nemu is going through some dark times and the psychosis she's inherited from her mother starts to make her insanely paranoid that everyone is out against her. This ranges from her assuming Mika is out to steal Producer-san away, to believing her stepmother had attempted to kill her and her birth mother. But when she has sex with Producer-san in the good ending his magical penis seemingly cures her of whatever hereditary psychosis she has.

I would like to circle back to the girls' individual paths to talk about the bad endings in the routes. This is also a thinly veiled excuse to complain about some of the flimsy plot. During Natsuki's path there's a moment where the group films a segment for the local news to save the family farm. However, the company that owns Quasar, Golden Calf Entertainment uses their power to get the segment removed from the show they're set to debut on. During the only choice in the section if you beg to have the segment run Natsuki leaves you. Nothing prior to the leaving had implied that's the character she was, and it just comes out of left field. Mika's meanwhile if you tell her that indeed the entertainment industry is just sex the game gives you a sex scene and then Mika leaves your company to become a full-time porn star. In Mariya's bad ending you have her retire being an idol during the Idol Grand Prix. Mariya then slides back into her alcoholism, and disappears, never to be seen again.

I made mention during the relatively spoiler free section that there are bad endings that as soon as you click them a girl just immediately dies. One of which is sort of sign posted, during Aki's route a doctor tells Producer-kun that if Aki keeps going at the rate she's going she will die. Then shortly after this revelation you have to either tell Aki to keep going, or cool her jets for a minute (I'm paraphrasing). If you have her perform to the top of her ability in one instant Aki suffers a severe heart attack that kills her instantly. Which to be fair the game did warn you about ahead of time, but it's just so sudden that it comes across as little more than a game over screen. The other death is much more random than Aki's death. During Julie's route you're overseeing a fan meet and greet, where the game offers you the choice to see if the neurotic nerd girl who's prone to shutting down during times of social interaction is doing alright or not. If you opt to see how she's getting along Julie is stabbed to death instantly by a crazed fan. Nothing foreshadows it, it just abruptly happens, which to be fair happens if you check on Julie anyway, but the difference there is Julie escapes with her life.

This was written some time after I had wrote the preceding texts. But I'll be honest with you midway writing the review I just couldn't do it any more. The sheer scope of the pointlessness and irritation I felt from playing/reading this Visual Novel just drained me and I just gave up. And I've tried continuing this! Since April I have gone back to it at least once monthly to try to find a way to continue on and actually go over what happens in the routes. Perhaps some day I will, maybe by April 2024 I'll have re-edited this to get rid of this paragraph and make this fucking behemoth of a review actually be complete.

[xoteajays]

Is it easier to message this way?

Well.. Since I've seen what your potential face claim is for your character, I thought it would be fair you'd see a few of my face claims. Even though lots of the celebrities I use as face claims are famous in ways a lot people could recognize them - as actors, models and even musicians. I've rarely have seen or heard a single person mention them as face claims for their characters, which is why I say they're the more rare face claims. And why I'm always attached to them... So I tend to use them for more than one character a lot of the time. But that's just how I am though.

And I did tell you they were already coordinated in a way. Colors, appearances, personalities. And I know the red character might not have had red on her (at least in those pictures) but red is normally her main signature color in a lot of her pictures that she's in.

But I'm still figuring things about for any characters I have. In general.. Not just the H&L characters.

I'm still trying to figure out the relationships for the H&L story. Romantic, platonic and even kin if there is family relationships included. Not sure yet. And.. I can say I'm not completely sure who what ships will be in the story, especially since there are huge cast of characters to choose from. And also considering who you could imaging having chemistry between, well, whichever characters you'd want them with. Like traditionally... There leaders of SWORD district are options. Possibly Ryu, even Mighty Warriors are an option too. Mainly Jesse, Ice or even Pearl would be my choices from them. Depending on the ships. So I'm still a little fickle, indecisive, over which ones would be in a relationship. And with who and why.

So there's that.

I enjoy at my own pace. That's why I prefer not to be gathering another a new fandom, especially the fandoms that recently trend. Because the trend will end when the new trend begins... That mentality of hating trends, and sometimes even popular trends, because of this reason. And there's also the issue - a huge problem in my opinion - when there are a lot of people still in the fandom, but won't create much content anymore because other people are not into the fandom then. So that's a horrible situation too.

Yes! Me too. Well.. Occasionally I still binge most of songs, especially the songs stuck in my head to this day. It's a good and bad thing for me. I'm crazy now.

I know, I know... I know.. Most of the cast are actors and musicians. But seeing them dress and act a lot different in the music videos and the franchise is so funny to me. Maybe because I'm thinking like, "This character wouldn't do this!" Or also, "This character can't do that!" Like the singing and dancing. But I'm willing to admit that their costumes make me think of how their characters would look wearing many of those clothes. I don't know. But Keiji (Rocky) is able to pull off the silver and blond hair in the videos, the same with a lot of the other men too. Like Takanori (Cobra) and Naoto (Jesse). Oh! And have you really watched the Mighty Warriors videos too? Because.. In my opinion. The Mighty Warriors videos are like a short story in video form. So I might use that as the detailed backgrounds for their characters when I do write for them. Especially their lives as mercenaries and gangsters in the yakuza. So that will help me.

Really? That's funny. Because for me.. Out of all the SWORD leaders, Rocky and Hyuga were definitely a huge favorites for me. But I enjoy Cobra, Murayama and Smoky too. I love these characters for different reasons. But I can actually say that for just about all the characters in the cast, at least most characters.

I still think Niragi and Todoroki would have gotten along in some way. Maybe because they're similar.

If I decide to have the girls, the Strawberry Girls, in my story.. I'll make an attempt to flesh them out if I can. But I feel like I'm overestimating my abilities in writing though, so I'll try doing what I can with that.

I can say that my favorite costumes for that E-Girls video was definitely Rascals, Rude and Oya. I was a bit iffy about the Daruma costumes.. In my opinion.

Random question. An off track question for now.. Are you going to watch Pending Train? Yuki Yamada is the main actor. And his hair is dyed blond. So him as this pretty boy with dyed blond hair in dystopian world seems kinda interesting to me. I might watch the show because of him. That's the only reason.

yeule’s my oc’s fc, she’s so pretty! i’m so ready to go on a complete unfollowable nonsensical ramble about her.

i’m also still plotting out my oc. ive mainly just been imagining little scenes. i could probably write a few of them but haven’t gotten around to it yet. and i don’t know which ones to write. ive got her connections mostly plotted out, but the overarching plot? work in progress.

ships for me are kinda all over the place. bc i do love a random ship just because. it fun to just slap characters together and see what happens.

watching the music videos are so funny. the music is pretty good, but i am entirely watching for the actors doing a lil dancey-dance. i watched a lot of the jsb ones and im just ‘cobra would never’. takanori is just so smiley?? he’s so cute. it’s just a switch-up from broody cobra. watching all these videos got me smiling like an idiot.

ive got pending train on my watchlist! im not above watching a show just for pretty yuki yamada. ive got h&l the worst episodes and movies to finish up first tho.