#and sometimes its not very good for anticipating future changes

[housedyke]

(flirtatiously) yeah I've been reading a lot about excel's sumproduct function

[sweetlady555]

QUICK SYNASTRY OBSERVATIONS^_^

Venus 1H Synastry is nooo joke aside from the strong very obvious chemistry and attraction, if you or them identify as straight yall could literally turn gay for each other 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩🤣

Moon 1H Synastry is NAWTTT for the avoidants 😔!!! House person could really depend on moon person for validation and theres so much hidden things in this relationship like secrets and resentment </3 this could depend on the entire chart though!!! the good cute side though is that you both could lowkey have feelings for each but never telling each other because you both just know…

Mars 1H Synastry is lowkey so attractive like aside from the strong physical attraction, mars will literally do anything to please or meet house persons needs or desires 😭 i told this guy who had his mars in my 1h that i really liked his paintings and if he could make one for me and that boy had his gloves and canvas out the next hour😭🤣

Mars 8H Synastry not gonna lie i know some of yall be loving mars in the 8h synastry but this synastry placement irked me ouwwttttt overtime😭 as house person in this situation mars person was FEINING for me he was a real freakazoid like the freakiest of them all he was basically FERAL and i was chill with it for a few months but it seemed like thats all he wanted to do and its like can we just talk tonight❤️? Mars will not understand this because theyll percieve almost anything house person does as provocative and sexually enticing but this could go for both of you guys so idk🥴

Pluto 7H Synastry is cute at first because pluto will be so infatuated and interested in house person, youll notice pluto person will be the first to look at your stories without even following you sometimes and its like aw they must rly like me imma let them be :) but behind the scenes theyre checking your social media almost 24/7 looking at all your interactions online and probably will lowkey start stalking all of ur friends too 😭 the pluto person will do this without house person knowing (if theyre sneaky enough) feeling the need to anticipate the house persons actions or feelings … “i just wanna talk and conversate cause I usually just stalk and yk masturbate and I finally got the courage to ask you on a date so if you say yes, let the future fall into place, cunt” (she by tyler the creator resembling pluto 7h synastry👀👁️)

North Node 2H Synastry is lowkey cute in a way bc this is a “i gotta get rich” after looking at house person once😭! north node will literally see house person as this rare beautiful diamond that they wont wanna lose and they will let house person know about this too! but this is just the good side of this placement bc this could also lead to self worth issues feeling like u guys arent worth each other leading to insecurities showing out in this relationship🤬

Uranus 10H Synastry is lowkey a shocker to house person from my experience when it came to a certain career path, in my case fashion, uranus really changed my perception on it 😭 showing me the true reality of the fashion world and its like uhhh idk if i wanna do this anymore☺️! but at the same time uranus person could really be inspiring to house person because of how unconventional and unique they are! i also noticed uranus person could really influence house person to be unconventional and unique aswell! house person could go thru a lot of sudden changes with uranus person when it comes to their career and how they end up being percieved in person or online if this relationship ends up being public.

Sun 2H Synastry is nice to have with someone because sun person will motivate house person to improve in any area of their life they will be on you too (for good obviously)😖😩 Sun person will wanna see house person thrive financially and just in general giving house person opportunities for this. There is potential jealousy on both sides mostly house person because of achievements, wealth and values literally can be anything 😣

[sigyns-drafts]

Hi, Thea. Thanks again for responding to my request! When I saw Nostradamus in Ror, it seemed to me that he probably likes love predictions… May I ask for a scenario in which Nostradamus makes a prediction to the fem reader about who her lover will be? (with Buddha, Hermes, Loki, Beelzebub).

A/N: Of course, how could i not!! I totally agree, Nostradamus would so enjoy helping others find potential love. Something he too deserves sometimes hehe!! <33

Nostradamus's love predictions 💕

➩ Y/N after hearing words of Nostradamus's talent in predicting ones future love life, becomes curious and decided to pay him a visit! There she learns of the gods she could end up with and even, how many children they would get. But of course not without its secrets that even Nostradumus cant tell.

Reader type: Fem!reader with Nostradamus, Buddha, Hermes, Loki and Beelzebub.

⚠: Love predictions, future possible outcomes, future relationships, future children, Intersex child, Keeping secrets from partner, secrets in general!

Where gods and humans collide in epic battles to determine the fate of humanity, there exists a young woman named Y/N. 

She was an ordinary human, yet her destiny was intertwined with the most extraordinary beings in existence. 

Little did she know that her life would be forever changed by a prophecy foretold by none other than the legendary prophet of the century, Nostradamus.

One fateful day, Y/N found herself seeking guidance from the most obnoxious man in all of human history, hoping to unravel the mysteries of her future. 

As she stood before the smaller man, his eyes glowed with an otherworldly light, and he spoke in an excited, soft yet mysterious tone. 

“Why hello Y/N, it's certainly good to see you! Say, what brings you here today~?”

"Nostradamus, please tell me of my future, I've grown curious after hearing what you're capable of!" Y/N implored, her heart pounding with anticipation. 

She couldn't believe she was really going through with this! 

Nostradamus's eyes widened at how direct the woman had been, eventually calming himself and nodded, his gaze piercing right through the woman. 

Sending shivers up her spine, the man would just smile in response. 

“Oh dear! Very well then, let us get into it already shall we, what will it be?”

“A love prediction please! Who will I end up with or fall in love with..?”

With a wave of his hand, he conjured images of four powerful beings before them. 

Buddha, Hermes, Loki, and Beelzebub.

"You are destined to find love amidst chaos and turmoil," Nostradamus intoned, his voice echoing in the chamber they stood in, spacey but so empty. 

"Four potential lovers shall cross your path, each offering a different path of destiny. Now isn't that interesting~"

Y/N's breath caught in her throat as she listened intently to the prophecy that would shape her future. 

She looks upon the chosen gods, she had met them before.. 

"First, there is Buddha, the embodiment of serenity and enlightenment.." 

Nostradamus smirked to himself and looked at Y/N, his eyes sparkling with mischief. 

“Would you also like to know the offspring count you'll have with them too~?”

Y/N tensed up and found herself almost speechless at this, who did this guy think he was! 

Y/n felt herself start to get all flustered. Her face probably looks like a tomato ready to be plucked.

“Excuse me-! What kind of question is that!?”

Nostradamus lifts up his hand in defence, acting like he didn't know what he had done wrong! 

“Hey! I'm simply just asking..So what will it be?”

Y/n thought about it for a moment, glaring at Nostradamus. 

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to see, after all the curiosity in who she would eventually get with was already eating her up inside! 

“Fine! Tell me that too I suppose..ugh.”

Nostradamus chuckled to himself seeing Y/N’s expression and continued. 

"With him, you shall bear him a son and find peace and spiritual awakening, but your path will be one of sacrifice."

Y/N imagined herself walking alongside the serene figure of Buddha, a little boy on her hip and finding solace in his wisdom and compassion.

Yet, she knew that such a path would demand great sacrifices, testing her resolve and strength.

"Next, there is Hermes, the messenger of the gods," Nostradamus continued, his voice taking on a mysterious tone. 

"With him, you shall bear 6 sons and 2 daughters, one child being that of both sexses.

"You'll embark on a journey of adventure and discovery, but beware, for his path is fraught with danger and unpredictability.."

Y/N envisioned herself at Hermes' side with their many children and the possible struggles, aiding him in serving the gods and his father Zeus. 

Exploring whatever secrets he was obviously hiding and being a part of it all. 

The thought thrilled her adventurous spirit, yet she also felt a twinge of apprehension at the unknown dangers that lay ahead.

"Then, there is Loki, the trickster god," Nostradamus said, his eyes gleaming with mischief. He seemed familiar with the god. 

"With him, you shall experience passion and excitement, but be wary, for his love is as unpredictable as the shifting winds.."

“What about the children we could have?”

“Well.. Let's just say you'll have 2 for now”

Y/N shivered at the thought of what Nostradamus could be hiding, what did he mean but for now? 

Y/N also thought about entangling herself with the enigmatic god, knowing all too well the chaos and mischief that followed in his wake. 

Yet, she couldn't deny the allure of his magnetic charm and mischievous grin. Maybe it would be worth it? 

"Finally, there is Beelzebub, the prince of darkness," Nostradamus concluded, his voice heavy with foreboding. 

"With him, you'll have a daughter and you'll be aiding him at the ward with his..patients. But beware, for his love comes at a great cost and he will be hiding something from you.."

Y/N recoiled at the thought of being ensnared by the dark allure of Beelzebub, knowing the perilous path that awaited her should she succumb to his temptations. 

Yet, she couldn't deny the forbidden thrill that stirred within her at the thought of embracing the darkness surrounding him.

As the visions faded and Nostradamus' prophecy came to an end, Y/N nodded and bowed respectfully. 

“Thank you for your assistance Nostradamus! I'm grateful for the information, I'll use it wisely..”

“You better Y/n, ta-ta~!”

With that Y/n left with a choice that would shape the course of her destiny. 

Would she choose the path of serenity with Buddha, the path of adventure with Hermes, the path of passion with Loki, or the path of darkness with Beelzebub?

With her heart torn between love and destiny, Y/N knew that her choice would not only determine her own fate but the fate of her love interests and future children as well. 

And so, with a heavy heart and a determined spirit, she set out on her journey, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead!

[lorei-writes]

... Just some ramblings.

It happened several times that I've been told that I'm an optimist or an otherwise very positive person. There are certain things I don't complain about much, which I presume can give off the wrong idea that nothing goes too askew in my life. In that case, not despairing would be easy.

But that's not real. The time I spent being bedridden in 2022 & 2023 combined exceeds half a year. My day starts with 10+ pills. I've had to start the same degree three times now, despite never failing any exam. I got discarded on the basis of being ill. The list goes on -- I struggle like most people do... And I don't dislike my life. I enjoy being alive, even though some days I wonder why.

[Directed more so at myself than anybody else -- I wanted to organise them in my head a little, but I suppose it doesn't hurt to share it either.]

>> Contentment is everywhere. Enjoy the smallest things.

At one point it felt like settling for less, but now I think that was rather misguided. It's increasing your sensitivity to pleasure more than anything. It can help you stay present in the moment.

I can't have many treats, but I can still drink black tea. The feeling of the hot mug against my hands, the texture of the ceramic. The smell of the tea. Its taste. Being warmed from the inside. The way the loose leafs float in the water... Previously I'd just overlook it, but now it's more pleasurable than any cakes I would have had it with before.

It isn't to say that cakes don't taste good anymore. They're something "extra"... and now I just don't need that "extra" to be content.

>> Your life is the only one you have.

Wondering about "what ifs" is a waste of energy. You live only in the present and cannot rewrite your past. You can know a lot of answers to your "whys", but... if you don't live, don't move on, does that change much?

I cried about things being unfair, but that never made them fair. It's a pointless effort. The reality still is that I have to deal with a certain set of limitations (and a certain set of advantages), and that I can only try my best to work with that.

>> Humour helps. Not the self-depreciating one.

Some days you need to cry, and then, by all means, cry. Some things you may never want to laugh about... But some? Meh. They become so mundane they get funny, and at the end of the day, laughter's good for you. There are no brownie points for always being serious.

(I shall not talk about shitting with ghosts.)

>> Bitter? In tears? Live through it.

Putting on a front doesn't do anybody any favours. We're only humans. If you feel bitter or sad about something, you are bitter or sad about it. Allowing yourself to experience the negative emotion is... fine. I'd say it's only reasonable to sit with it and let it wash over you -- without spiralling and going into negative "nothing is ever going to be okay, everybody is bad, that person is rotten, yada yada" loops. Sometimes you just need to observe the mind.

>> Nobody can predict the future.

When everything goes askew, it is tempting to say that things will always be this way. Our brains like patterns. They love searching for them... at the same time, they're full of biases and a couple years hardly define the entire rest of your life. Things can fall apart in a week. They can also be brought back together... and ultimately, when you live in the future, you forget about the present, which is the only time you really have.

>> Nobody thinks about you as much as you do. In most cases it's not malice, it's just ignorance. (And everybody will be guilty of this.)

>> Everybody has hard days.

>> The you of today lives only today. Make the most use out of your time. Anticipate the internal reward you will get.

Do you have to start studying early for your exam? No. But... Think about the you from the future. Will they be happy to be able to just revise on the day before it? Or would you rather leave them with still having to work through a portion of the material? It may seem it's all "you", but "you" of today is not living with the same consequences as the "you" of tomorrow or two months from now. Help the "you" from the future! Anticipate the feeling of relief you'll get then! It's a team effort!

Lorei of the good days is constantly working so that Lorei of the bad days can be at ease.

>> Agency matters.

There are things that are outside of your control. Sometimes I can't sit up by myself. It's frustrating. However, I can also pick what book I'm going to read next, I can choose to take my medicine on time, I can choose to continue on studying. No matter how insignificant it seems, there's always a choice I can make, even if it's something as small as choosing to eat even though it hurts.

Some things I can't control. I'm not giving away the choices that are in my hands.

>> You control only yourself and your reactions.

Don't give power to other people. It's impossible to control how they feel or what they think about you. It's impossible to make people stay. It's all up to them, and yes, sometimes they will be hurtful, sometimes you will be misjudged. But whether you care about that is only up to you.

>> Forgive, but don't forget.

Holding onto grudges and feeding old emotion only wastes energy. Letting those control me or influence my actions would only give away the power I have. I can choose to move on and to be unaffected. And I can choose not to allow somebody close again, even though I don't feel anything about them.

>> You are not entitled to the consequences of your actions.

You can work your ass off and it can still not pay off. The only thing you can affect is what's within your grasp -- as such, worrying about outcomes becomes irrelevant.

>> One goal at a time. (Even if you have multiple of them: if you're working on thing A, you're working on thing A only.)

Separate goals within your mind. The more things you have to do and the more you mix them, the lower the satisfaction from progressing any of them.

>> If you're in pain and can't avoid it, accept it and feel it.

I can't take painkillers. Avoidance of inevitable pain only prolongs it. It's easier to take it when I accept it as bad as it is, and let it go through my system.

>> You may not be ready to do something. It doesn't mean you shouldn't do it.

>> Learn to fail. Failure is a feedback.

>> Discomfort is not danger.

It is good to learn to sit with your discomfort. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable makes learning, conflict resolution, and growth overall easier. You then don't have to appease emotion.

>> The self is fluid. Don't cling.

We all change. We're not marketable products with branding. Let yourself change... and even if you're stripped from all the things you've thought you were, it's not as scary. You are more than them.

There was a time when I was neither dexterous, nor smart, nor hard-working, nor useful, all against my will. I was none of the things I'd previously call myself... But I still was. It's not as scary to lose any of them anymore. I just am and that's enough.

>> Try to understand. You don't have to agree, but try to understand.

>> Be wary of your own arrogance. Don't assume you're absolved of ignorance.

>> You have more to give than you realise. And honestly? Giving to the right people is awesome.

... and there could be a couple more, but I've rambled my heart out, so I'm good now.

[devsgames]

Dragon's Dogma Primer + Tips

I've been spending tons of time with Dragon's Dogma 2. I loved the first game and was shocked they chose to make a sequel. Legitimately Dragon's Dogma is like, the only franchise that actually has the power to make me genuinely enjoy video games again like when I was a kid.

I also noticed that a lot of people new to the franchise have picked it up this time around and are bumping their heads against it, which is great! Now I'll actually have people to talk to about Dragon's Dogma :')

I wanted to write a little primer and 'beginners tips' to help people learn how to approach the series. Here's some pointers:

Dragon's Dogma gets a lot of comparisons to Dark Souls. I wouldn't say it's because it's a hard game, but it does expect you to approach it on its own terms and won't make many concessions to you if you try to fight it.

DD is a management game masquerading as an open-world RPG. What it expects of you is to move slowly and take your time. It wants you to plan your journey, anticipate challenges, pace yourself, and prepare accordingly. You'll find much less friction if you keep this in mind.

'Fast Travel' as a concept is hard to come by in DD, and you will find yourself walking most places. The ability to instantly teleport yourself anywhere is limited to Ferrystones and Portcrystals, which are both in very limited supply. DD2 has Oxcarts from major settlements, but these are also imperfect by-design as they are time-dependent and prone to attacks, which may leave you stranded. Remember: DD is by and large about preparation and long journeys. Try shortening your routes by exploring for shortcuts, or treating every trip like an opportunity to explore a new area on the way.

DD LOVES rare and consumable items. Some of the best and most useful items in the game are often unique and can only be used once or in a limited capacity. This helps make the items feel more exclusive, while also encouraging you to be doubly sure of your intention before using them. If an item seems like it could be rare, it probably is.

Explore everywhere. In my opinion, DD's level design is unmatched in terms of open-world games. There are things hidden absolutely everywhere in every nook and cranny. If you comb every location you will constantly find new things, and it goes out of its way to ensure exploration is rewarded. I don't think any video game does open world exploration quite as good as DD does.

The quest design is cryptic (and often questionable) and likes to challenge you. The game will say 'find [x] item' and not tell you where it is. Sometimes pawn knowledge may help, but expect to find it through exploring the world and digging around hidden corners. While some quests let you know where to go, don't always expect it.

Some side quests are gated by story progression and will become locked off when advancing the story. Make sure you finish all your side quests before advancing the story!

Don't jump in and accept every quest you see, as some quests are timed and some quests require a lot of preparation. For example, in DD1 escort quests involved escorting someone across the whole world. Read a quest carefully and know the terms before accepting it.

Timed quests are a thing, and usually act as a way to keep you on your toes and force you to prove your ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Expect to receive timed quests at any given moment, and adapt accordingly. They can be stressful.

New Game + is a major part of the game in the DD franchise. Things will happen in the game that will block you out of content. You will fail quests, make choices that block future content, consume items you didn't mean to, etc. NG+ is where you get to experience these all again, so don't worry too much if you weren't able to do it the first time around.

Per above, I personally avoid Googling stuff about the game or quests before doing them. Usually there are things you are going to miss, and reading about them sometimes feels worse than just discovering them later does!

There are two types of saves: "Hard" saves which occur when sleeping at an inn, and "Soft" saves done manually or via auto-save. Sometimes it's prudent to rest at an Inn before attempting major quest beats in case something goes awry.

DD loves consequences for your actions, and while every NPC in the game can be killed it is rarely ever worth it. In DD1, killing an NPC means they're gone forever, which can lock you out of new quests or progression and rewards related to that character. In DD2 there are resources costs to resurrect someone, which mitigates it slightly but still makes it not worth it.

'Forgeries' are a very cool mechanic that allow you to pay an NPC to make a copy of an item. The copy usually just looks identical, but this often allows you to keep quest items for yourself and turn in the forgery to a quest NPC. As with anything else, sometimes this may have future consequences!

Without spoiling anything: DD loves to radically change the open world. Watch out!

The Vocation system is worth exploring. For a cheap fee you can try out every class and find what works best for you, so if you start as a Fighter and hate being a Fighter you're never locked into it.

Levelling a vocation allows you to unlock passive abilities called 'augments' that can carry over between classes, and can help build your favourite vocation further.

Some Vocations have mobility skills (Levitate and Double-Vault). If you like exploring everywhere these are absolutely essential because they let you reach places some classes cannot.

Combining materials makes new items. Experiment to find new recipes.

In DD1 combining items often makes them heavier. In DD2 combining items often makes them lighter.

Every character in the game has an 'affinity' towards you, that changes with how you treat them. This has implications.

Anyway I'm just glad people are finally playing and talking about the franchise. Hope you have fun! :)

[tis-the-marmot]

Just some of my thoughts on The Bad Batch finale or, well, The Bad Batch in general under the cut

You know, I can still vividly picture my old self back in 2020, awaiting Ahsoka's return when Season 7 of The Clone Wars had just been released. Then I began watching, and The Bad Batch made their very first appearance. I was like "who the hell are these soldiers, I couldn't care less about their arc. where's Ahsoka. Oh is she coming later? Fine, I guess I can put up with these clones for a few more episodes."

And as I kept watching I could feel myself gradually warming up to them. "Hm. I guess they're not so bad after all. The sniper is kinda cool. And they all have their interesting little dynamics with each other. Echo's back yippiee!! And he's joining the Bad Batch, good for him, good for him."

Still, that wasn't enough to shake my initial indifference, and I quickly went back to wanting them gone. "Okay seriously you guys have stolen too much screentime, I'm ready to see Ahsoka kick Maul's ass now, so byeee"

Who. Would've. Known. Who would've thought I was talking about the same clone squad that would reduce me to a crying mess four years later.

Would 2020 Marmot believe present-day Marmot if I told her that snarky sniper would become one of her favourite Star Wars characters? Would she nod along with uncertainty if I advised her not to get too attached to that guy with the goggles, only for her to grow fond of him anyway?

Would she laugh in my face if I counted all the occasions she would've rewatched those four TCW episodes in the future - the same ones she couldn't wait to get over with the first time - just to recall the simpler days of Clone Force 99?

How would she react if I described her excitement when they first announced that The Bad Batch was going to have its own show, and her absurd feeling of emptiness now that everything's over after three seasons?

I really wish I could delve into a deeper analysis of the last episode and comment on everything that happened, I'd really love to. But I just can't. Not while I'm still trying to process the fact that this series has officially ended.

And what a bittersweet ending to an equally bittersweet story. I've always recognised The Bad Batch for what it is, with all of its strengths and flaws, and I admit there are some narrative choices I still don't fully agree with. But despite everything this show means the world to me. The characters mean the world to me. I've seen Omega grow, change her brothers for the better and let herself be changed by them as well. I've seen how the presence, or rather the absence of certain Bad Batch members affected and shaped the rest of the squad. I laughed with them, cried with them, got frustrated alongside them and sometimes WITH them too. I will forever treasure every single moment I spent with the Bad Batch in mind, from the anticipation and the cryptic tweets the day before every airing, to reading all the different theories and admiring the fanart right after finishing the episode of the week.

Saying goodbye is unbelievably difficult, but I'm so, so grateful for the experience. The Bad Batch will always hold a special place in my heart. A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in creating this wonderful show, and to the fellow fans who shared this unforgettable journey with me from beginning to end. ❤️🖤

[lo1k-diamonds]

Carnation 💜 Chapter 1

PAIRING: idol!Jin x OC

SUMMARY: In early 2018, BTS were at a crossroads: after working so hard to set foot in the music industry of South Korea, their sudden jump into stardom became something they never anticipated. Jin believed in his dongsaengs but was just as lost as them when his soulmate entered the picture.

WORD COUNT: 3.3k (Total: 25.3k)

GENRE: Soulmate AU, s2l

RATING: Teen (for drinking, cussing and tension)

WARNINGS: mild angst for talks of disbanding and burnout

(You can also read it on AO3, originally posted June 2023)

A.N. I have this poll I've been meaning to do about my soulmate series and to do so, I thought I should probably introduce those stories first 😅😋Jin's story is the first of the Soul Palette Series though it serves as a prequel to Call You Mine. I'm thinking of uploading each story's 1st chapter to give you all a taste 😋

Masterlist | Masterpost | Scroll my stories on Tumblr | Schedule and WIPs

“ARMY! I remember early this year. We were mentally struggling at the beginning of the year. While talking amongst ourselves, we even considered disbanding. I’m relieved that we got ourselves together and were able to bring good outcomes. I want to thank our members who helped me get myself together and the ARMYs who love us. Thank you so much. ” Jin, MAMA, 2018

January 3rd 2018

“It’s hard… It’s really hard.”

Jimin’s words were lost in the silence of the room as the seven Bangtan members looked either at the floor or at nowhere in particular while they went over everything that had been said.

Jungkook never knew anything else but that life with his brothers and had stated very clearly that he wanted to fight until he couldn’t breathe or move anymore. His passion was only matched by his perseverance because they all knew how hard he had it, how tough it was, and the sacrifices he had to make growing up totally lined up for that life only. It didn’t make the others feel particularly better, but they understood his feelings.

Taehyung was teary-eyed and looking at a random place on the wall. He was quiet, he had the tendency to turn inwards when he was facing something extremely difficult. He admitted he was unhappy with the constant pressure that sometimes felt like a gag, with the continual invasion of privacy, with the lack of control over what the future looked like.

Jimin understood his feelings and agreed. He pointed out the only silver lining — the ARMYs who supported them unconditionally and had done so from the start.

“It feels somehow… like a failure, to disappoint them like this,” Yoongi had quietly answered then. “Because we fought so desperately to be worthy of their love, and now that it’s getting so big… it risks being too much.”

“I feel so ungrateful, seriously,” Hoseok had said in contempt of himself, hiding his face.

“They would understand,” Namjoon said. 

Their leader was sitting on a table, stiff body clearly physically fighting that difficult topic with all its might. He would usually give them the stability they needed but at the expense of his own insecurities and doubts.

Yoongi had expressed he wanted to make music, purely and simply. “After all this time… I can’t see myself without BTS. We’re family, you are family to me.”

“Ah seriously,” Hoseok complained, cleaning his tears as were all others, to one degree or another.

“Hyung,” Taehyung complained.

“You choose to tell us your heart right now?” Jimin added, cleaning his eyes.

“Of course right now, keep going Yoongi,” Jin enthused, and Yoongi nodded with a small smile.

“My heart… would be incomplete without you guys. It would get lonely, in the studio too. My music… would get quiet without you guys. But I won't pressure you, because you’re so precious to me. I just want you to be happy.”

“Hyung—” Jungkook’s voice vanished in tears.

“We’re happy by your side,” Taehyung cried, hiding his face.

“We’re family, that will never change,” Namjoon declared, sniffling right after.

“But can we keep giving a perfect performance?” Hobi’s jaw was a firm line as he suppressed his emotions to be able to ask them clearly. “Can we keep this up? Because I’m not sure what I fear most: disappointing ARMYs, or disappointing ourselves.”

“It’s hard… It’s really hard.”

And now, there they were, staring at each other quietly. Until Jin decided to smile and say something, seeing that even Namjoon was stumped in his own thoughts.

“We should all sleep on it and not decide anything immediately. We started this together, we can decide this together. Tomorrow we can talk better about this.”

“But… we’re not disbanding, right?” Jungkook asked, voice shaking as he eyed his hyungs anxiously.

“No.”

“No, we’re not,” Hobi smiled.

“We’re talking and we should think about this. Jin-hyung is right,” Namjoon said, getting up. “We can think of ways that could make this work and of how to better ourselves. If we decide to disband, it won't be for lack of trying to figure this out.”

Every member got up except for Jin, who stayed behind sitting on a chair while everyone passed by him, and Namjoon, who heaved a deep breath and hid his face, the pressure finally cracking through. Jin could read his tension and stress like one reads the time on a clock, and as usual, he felt for Namjoon. He was the leader and felt like he was failing them at a deeply personal level, and it was so hard for him. He could act tough and provide everyone with the smarts needed, but deep down he was hurting and doubtful.

Jin got up and placed his hand on Namjoon’s shoulder, who then raised his head. 

“This is not your fault. If anything, you guided us well thus far. You’re also a member of BTS, so go and think about yourself as an individual, as an artist. We’ll talk about this again tomorrow.”

Namjoon rubbed his watering eyes and sucked it all in before nodding. “Thank you, hyung.”

“Of course,” Jin smiled reassuringly. “I’m going for a walk, don't wait up for me.”

“Now?” Namjoon frowned in confusion and Jin scoffed.

“It’s like ten pm, it’s not that late. I’ll be right back.”

He waved Namjoon goodbye quickly after getting ready and rushed out. He needed to breathe as well and the cold new year air would do him some good.

It was hard, it was really hard. However, he felt sort of stuck in a position where he couldn’t say much. Yes, it was hard, but it had always been hard for him. 

He was the oldest, not the leader but definitely the one that looked after them from the day he joined. From making sure Namjoon and Yoongi sorted their differences, to scolding Jungkook for staying in his room by himself, to reminding Tae and Jimin to do their homework, to ordering Hoseok to rest or else, to cooking for all of them— He had become the hyung they needed and he was very thankful he did. He would have never become who he was today otherwise.

But giving and taking care of them was a responsibility, not a chore. What really made it difficult was, well, all the ways he was lacking. He was scouted for his looks, what the heck was that worth?

He chuckled as he made his way down the street to his favorite park. His freaking looks when the others were rappers, lyricists, producers, dancers, and singers. Sure he thought he could act, but that didn't measure up to the others.

So he was always behind and that was really hard. He was the hyung, he had to set an example, but he was lacking in every single aspect of what would make a valuable member. But he tried. That was it, that's all he did. He heard the hate, the harsh comments, the criticism, and he agreed. He was behind, he was slower, he wasn't sharp, he had less vocal range, he—

He sighed, it was hard. But for them, he tried. He wasn't perfect, he was still lacking, but he had worked hard to improve in every way. He had to do it to be able to even show his face to his precious dongsaengs.

So now what?

He didn't want to yell at them for giving up when he had tried so hard, but a minuscule part of him wanted to. Not because his own work would go to waste, he was a better man now than he could have ever hoped to become, but because if they didn't deserve the hype, the praise, and love, then who the hell did?

No one deserved it more than them, absolutely no one! That was what truly made him mad — for all the bullshit they had to take, they deserved every fan, praise, award, and gentleness. They were incredibly talented and kind human beings, he believed they had so much more to do still. So why not stay together?

Was that selfish of him? Sure, every single one of them individually could achieve greatness, be it as musicians, artists, actors, what have you. But he… he loved being with them, being in the group. That life, that family, he didn't want to let it go. He didn't want it to end.

The end was… suffocating. He knew it would come one day, whether now or later, and in many ways it was healthy to debate the end and choose to continue. Only then could everyone be on the same page and happy with the future. But damn was it suffocating. It was worse than letting go of a first love, it was like cutting off a limb. He couldn’t live without them.

They had all done so much. He had managed to graduate from university while shooting and promoting and it had been the most draining experience yet. But he couldn’t hold them back, 2017 was the year of breakthroughs, of pioneering and his degree was in many instances not a priority at all. 

They finished the Wings tour while already preparing for the Love Yourself phase, where they finally had nearly full control of the full artistic process. He was so looking forward to it, it spoke of their fears and wishes to a visceral level. It was their message, ideology, and the footprint they would leave behind. Hopefully, if it was worth it, their legacy. They had to go through with it, the world had to see it.

But in order to go through with it, they had to decide. If the company was to schedule the world tour for the second half of the year then they had to commit. They couldn’t announce projects and concerts and then fall through. And that was where all problems started.

It was just too hard. They had fought so hard to have a spot in the limelight, but now they were basically being thrust into it successively and carelessly. 

Of course they never knew it would get this big, so at first it just sounded good, a worthwhile opportunity to do more, to reach further, to spread their positive message. UNICEF heard of the ‘Love Yourself’ message and one domino pushed the other. They just couldn’t refuse to use their voice for the greater good. They dedicated themselves to spreading the message, creating merch to donate to the cause, and to making ARMY proud. And in return, ARMY helped them reach new heights.

With every award, from Best in Music at the 9th annual Shorty Awards to Top Social Artist at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, they had hoped to bring someone closer to peace, fend off loneliness, and have more people enjoying their vibe. They were the first K-pop group to enter the Billboard Hot 100 with a single, 'DNA', and album, 'Love Yourself: Her'. They were thankful to their fans, who gave BTS the opportunity to be at the Billboard Music Awards in what was their first television appearance in the US, so later when they were asked to perform, they said yes. BTS was the first K-pop act to perform at the American Music Awards with DNA, and from then on the ball kept rolling. They filmed so many shows, Jin wasn’t quite sure what was what and when. And now they were just back from performing at Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in Times Square, New York, and they couldn’t stop. The next phase was here, not even a week of rest and they were back in the company deciding things and planning. It was exhausting, hallucinating, frightening and that was why they were at the rope’s end.

The company wanted to profit from the wave, the producers wanted recognition, the fans wanted them to achieve new unsurmountable records every day and meanwhile, BTS was just left exhausted, trying to not bite off more than they could chew. Now the opportunity had turned into a heavy constant pressure on their neck that they couldn't shake off. They couldn’t say no, that would be spitting back at ARMYs, that could never be. It was just… hard.

He knew it was, he could see how draining it was but… he still wanted to push through. He didn’t know how exactly and that was what he needed to figure out, because as their hyung—

He suddenly stopped his thoughts and looked around, confused. Yes, he was there at Yeouido Hangang Park as was normal for him when he strolled. It was maybe ten thirty in the evening now, but the street lights made it look almost like daytime. There was no crowd at that hour, but there were still a fair amount of people either coming off work or going to work, or drunk after dinner or going to have dinner. He looked at those people passing him by from where he was seated on a bench and he wondered what was wrong with him. Clearly, everything else seemed normal.

Then what the hell was that hum? He looked down at his own chest and laughed in disbelief at himself. His chest was buzzing, almost vibrating. It was so comical, was he finally losing it with the stress? Was he sitting there, wondering about ways to help the members while his own body was calling it quits?

Tears came to his eyes, he was touched so deeply the hairs on his neck stood on end. He was definitely not above crying, that was not an issue for him if that would release his stress, but that was when he realized he didn’t feel stressed. No, the buzzing hum was warm and soft and gentle, like perfume, and he got up from the bench and started looking around.

Why was he looking around when everything looked absolutely normal and that feeling was deeply sprouting out from his chest? No idea. He just had to go, there was something he needed to find. If there was a perfume, there had to be a flower, right?

There was this unmistaken breeze guiding him somewhere, he felt like a paper wind vane being blown on in a specific direction, but he couldn’t see anything that—

He froze with wide eyes just looking at the woman rushing towards him like a gust of wind. He was standing right in her way, they were on a collision course, but she was looking down while utterly absorbed in the phone call she was having. That’s when he thought, Jin you idiot, you should have been listening, not looking.

The corners of his lips rose the second he predicted she would crash into him, which he absolutely wanted for some reason, but she subverted his expectations. His features went from cheeky to slumped when she dodged him expertly and just walked right past him without even looking up.

He turned to widen his eyes at her in a complaint, but she was walking steadily and quickly away without looking back. Well, he scoffed, how could she just focus so hard on her call or whatever that she didn’t see him standing right in her way? One should pay attention to their surroundings instead of—

He gasped, Wait!

It had to be her, there was no mistaking the happiness in his heart making it bounce around inside his chest. The wind was blowing him in her direction, it was her. Her, huh? He grinned widely in the last meters to get to her, he couldn’t believe he had found her.

He grabbed her hand and she immediately turned around with shock on her face. She had been saying something on the phone, but she was now muted just staring at him with big wide eyes.

He could tell her eyes were big and expressive just at that moment, but he wondered how they would look when she smiled. Her cheeks were pink from the start of the year cold, and the little cloud of steam in front of her small heart-shaped mouth as she breathed was freakishly cute. Her long brown hair was tied in a ponytail and her jacket covered her almost to her knees, not letting him actually see much of her.

He caressed her hand with his thumb gently as he smiled at her, giving her time to come to the same realization as him — this was it. Meanwhile, a tingly sensation was shooting up his arm and filling him with an indescribable euphoria that just confirmed his belief. His eyes were shining as his lips curved in a smile full of endearment.

Yet she was just shocked, staring at him. She had felt the breeze playing with her feelings, but she thought it was the stress, the burnout, so she just focused on getting home. But that tingly sensation… it had to be, right?

But how could it be him?! He was gorgeous, what the heck was that? It was hard enough to believe they had just crossed paths like that at Yeouido Hangang Park (what were the chances?!), but how could he be so… beautiful? Symmetrical? Proportional? Flawless?

Was he real? Was he a painting? A doll? Was he just a dream? Was she dreaming?

“What’s your name?”

Her brain short-circuited. “I’ll call you back,” she murmured without thinking, putting the phone down instantly.

His voice was beautiful too, but that wasn’t possible. None of that could be happening to her, how could destiny do that to her?

“Jaehwa,” she breathed, still quite unsure if she was dreaming, and kind of hoping she was.

He smiled but looked down, he was seemingly shy yet meanwhile she could only focus on his pouty lips. He looked so adorab— 

What the hell was she thinking?!

“My name is Jin. Kim Seokjin.”

She nodded, still with wide eyes though now they were staring at his chest as if she couldn’t face him.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said, raising their hands still clasped together in between them.

She blinked, a deep shade of crimson spreading on her cheeks. She could barely breathe, this wasn’t natural. What was he, a reincarnated prince?!

She stammered, “I’m… I’m not sure about what’s happening.”

“I think we’re soulmates,” he told her calmly, like a summer breeze whispering a secret. She felt a shudder, that was not possible. How could he feel so… intimate with her, like they had no secrets, when she just met him. “You know, tingling sensation and all.”

She swallowed hard, refusing to blush even more, then she bit her lip. Right. She couldn’t even bring herself to walk away, no matter how incredulous she was. She couldn’t rationalize her way around that feeling, and her skin was still humming all the way to her chest now. Her heart was reveling in the feeling as if she had been waiting all along. Well, maybe he was right. It was absolutely impossible and ridiculous but… maybe?

She took a deep breath and adjusted her coat around her neck, preventing the cold from slipping in, and to do so she had to let go of his hand.

“This will sound weird but… would it be okay if I just gave you my number?” She asked and he blinked his long eyelashes in surprise. “I’m sorry, I’m just really tired and I fear I’m just hallucinating this whole thing.”

He chuckled, “I see, I understand. We’re both quite tired, I think.”

She looked up at him — he did look tired with dark circles around his eyes, despite his smile. 

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, “How about you give me your number and I message you in the morning? Then you know if you got a message, it’s because it’s real and this really happened.”

Her eyebrows furrowed for a second before she nodded curtly, “Fine, that sounds good.”

You can go here to keep reading [ao3] (this story is finished) 💜

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Live Action - OP Fan Review

So it's finally time.

We waited on bated breath and anticipation to see if Oda's masterwork could in fact translate to live action, much less Netflix live action. Titles such as Death Note and Cowboy Bebop have caused sincere fears that it would not go so well, but with Oda in the production there was hope, and now we see if it's rewarded.

Knowing that this is an adaptation and they were covering most of East Blue's saga in 8 episodes there will of course be differences. But whether or not they work remained to be seen, so let's talk about it.

Spoilers for One Piece, both Live Action and manga/anime because there will be overlap to discuss

First and foremost we will need to pour one out for those who didn't make the cut; Woop Slap, Ripper, Ritchie (referenced but not seen), Gaimon, Django (he had a poster but not a presence), the Usopp pirates, Johnny and Yosaku, Carne, that fly in Fullbody's soup, Pearl, Moocy, and most surprisingly Hachi. It's a shame to not see them (also 3 future-warlords in the audience of Roger's execution) but I can understand them...minus Hachi he's kinda an important connective piece in the long run. Also no Usopp Hammer or Usopp Rubber Band, the sacrilege!

So as far as adaptations go though this was really good. Opinions are of course subjective, so a lot of fans are welcome to say that Live Action has done arcs better than the manga/anime, but I'd say it's either as good or a little less, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. A lot of people who haven't watched or read One Piece get a nice introduction of almost the first 100 chapters/45 episodes, which contrary to the memes of 'yeah One Piece gets good at episode 629' should be enough to whet people's appetites to see if they wanna take the plunge.

Of course, change is scary and sometimes not accepted, so not all the changes made were ones I liked, at least as much as the original source. I kinda feel like we did a few characters dirty; Makino (no flirtatious chemistry with Shanks? come on), the Orange Town Mayor, Mohji, Chouchou (again, I get it, can't really get animals to act so easily), Fullbody, Gin, Krieg, Genzo, and Nojiko did have a bit more to do in the source material but often only got one scene or lacked the same spark they had. Also the amount of death was surprising, I get most of it but at the same time killing off Merry (and recontextualizing how the Going Merry was named by not having Merry be its creator even with the lore change that Syrup village makes ships) does kinda leave Kaya even more alone, in the original at least she had him and the Usopp pirates for company. While Buggy as a character is awaiting praise later down the line I will have to say that his role beyond episode 2 was a bit lackluster, he was never gonna help the crew for sure but it was weird for him to just saunter away from Arlong Park, I also feel like we could've better explained Devil Fruits and water's effect on DF users, because it is a very big misconception by those on the outside that Luffy simply loses his powers when hit by a splash of water, rather than his strength being sapped when more than half-submerged; rain, splashing waves, that doesn't effect DF users that way, and it's not like it's an off switch Luffy could still stretch while in water it's just harder to do so. It was also a shame not to have Shanks and Buggy's backstory shown. The CGI did have some rough moments too, I was not too much of a fan of how they did Kuro's pussyfooting (no you don't understand it's literally called the pussy foot technique) in episode 3, episode 4 was better, I felt that Luffy vs Arlong relied a bit too much on it too. Zoro's flashback was oddly placed in episode 4, given how it's more fitting as a build up to Zoro vs Mihawk, also felt like the context of Zoro losing to Kuina 2001 times in a row was sorely missed in that flashback. I will also have to admit that while the costuming is great, there is a very glaring case of it being very easy to spot the important characters from the crowd.

Some changes I was more than fine with, Alvida changing her call to most powerful makes sense since insulting her appearance wouldn't really go down too well, Zoro could've been a bit more mellow but he still played the edgy deadpan guy well...at least until Luffy eventually wears down his brain cells, and as cool as the Mr. 7 fight was it does not help debunk those 'minority hunter' memes. Changing Sham's gender worked pretty well too, the actress wore the look very well, and though people were a little let down that Benn Beckman is not super handsome I didn't have a problem with his look.

Of the changes I liked more it's probably that we saw more of Nami growing vulnerable to the crew, sure in turn we lost her fake-stabbing Usopp and grabbing a lit fuse but we got her bonding with Kaya and staunchly try to convince Zoro not to fight Mihawk - whereas in the anime/manga she had already ran off with the Merry - plus I feel like we got more friendship between her and Zoro at this stage, it's not that they didn't get along but I do feel like Zoro's dismissal in the live action is almost tied to feeling a little hurt by her betrayal. I enjoyed and was surprised with how much Garp we got, and how much he and Koby interacted with Luffy this early, since while we get the cover story of Koby-Meppo it's more it's own thing and we don't even learn of Garp's relation to Luffy until about 3 more sagas (sagas, not arcs, sagas), but it did help flesh out Koby's character more and his own character growth in parallel to Luffy. Think the change I was most approving of was confirming Kaya x Usopp, like she loves that liar so much so it was sweet to see a kiss in there, no romance my ass Oda, I also liked that they made it that Kuro was poisoning Kaya, since her original illness suddenly going away was a bit strange.

Every major character in this show translated very well to their characters in the source, even if they are a little different in some traits. Inaki as Luffy is a perfect fit, being equal parts charismatic, serious when necessary and aloof, he handled the big pressure that would've come with a character of Luffy's character in fantastic stride. The other crewmates were of course very well casted too, having wonderful chemistry with each other, as were their child counterparts, but I found myself most impressed by the villains; Morgan, Helmeppo and Kuro especially surprised me by how well they came across, Jeff Ward as Buggy was always gonna be a perfect fit in my mind too, given how much I saw of him in Agents of SHIELD. Arlong did take a bit of time to grow, but I can't deny he does the laugh perfectly. Side characters such as Kaya and Zeff also impressed me, having been given a bit more content to chew on in their stories, and Shanks did soothe my worries I had from the trailer by being jovial and true to character.

The biggest positive impression I got from One Piece was the sense of wonder and vibrancy, the settings were all wonderfully crafted with care and style fitting to Oda's vision, I particularly liked the added carnival entertainment stands in Arlong Park to better reflect its homage to Sabaody Park, the same can be said with costuming - referencing previous colour spreads - and motifs like the bounty poster introductions and the leitmotifs of characters like Buggy, Arlong and the Straw Hats, plus the instrumental of 'We Are' is wonderful. Most important is that the moments landed, especially Shanks giving the Straw Hat, the barrel scene, and Nami asking for help, but we also crafted some newer subtle moments, such as Luffy being drawn to the Merry and pitching to Kaya regarding it, and Zeff and Garp's conversation. Easter eggs were also hidden well enough to not be blatant to non-fans but rewarding to those who know.

So yeah, it was very much a huge success, one I hope will be translated in its positive reviews and viewership. If there's a second season I'd anticipate that we'd cover Loguetown and the Alabasta saga, but with that comes more castings I do not envy the team to find, because outside of campaigns for Jamie Lee-Curtis to play Kureha there are a ton of big and iconic players in those arcs that'll need perfect casting to pull off; Ace, Crocodile, Vivi, Bon Clay, and Tashigi (since you'll have to have a comparison with Kuina's actress) is tough enough but we're also gonna have to make the 'puppet or CGI' decision with Chopper and somehow cast the most beautiful woman on the planet to play Nico Robin. Then perhaps Season 4 (providing they do the Skypeia saga all in Season 3, only needing to cast one to three properly big players depending on whether they have Shanks meet a certain someone) they'll have to struggle with even more casting difficulties.

Still, if they're up for the challenge go ahead and do it, I'll be there for Season 2 if they're willing to make it.

[lavenderjewels]

Rewatched the latest jjk ep 18 so going to throw my random thoughts about this season here with manga spoilers

I didn’t want to rewatch this episode, but my family hadn’t watched it yet, so I went along with it. Didn’t have anything to worry about, since I didn’t get emotional this time and mostly just had fun with Mahito

Something I loved about JJK when I started it is how it set up some of its death scenes—With Junpei, Nanami, even Jogo, it’s obvious at a certain point they’re not going to survive. Junpei when he realizes Mahito isn’t a good person, Nanami the second the scene shows Mahito in the photobooth, Sukuna being Sukuna, etc. This isn’t going to work for everyone watching, especially if you don’t care for the character(s), but that anticipation for their deaths always made the scenes more tragic for me.

Mahito being a great villain also helps for those scenes. His personality and ability makes him some of the most fun to read and watch, and he’s incredibly smart, or, at least, perceptive in a way that’s sometimes hidden by how chaotic and childish he can be. I can’t wait to see the rest of his fight with Yuuji and his final words towards Kenjaku. I never noticed this in the manga, but in the anime, the look that Mahito gives Kenjaku the last time they met makes it clearer that Mahito had some understanding of Kenjaku.

Mahito and Nobara’s confrontation was gorgeous with the colors and lighting. It’s devastating knowing this is just. it for her. It’s too short and I’m still hoping for her return, but it’s been a long time with nothing

This season has been an interesting watch, since it’s changed a lot of my feelings on the shibuya arc and some characters. Had an opposite situation than with csm (spoilers for s1) where I was surprised after watching season 1 because I thought power was way more prominent than she actually was in the manga, except this jjk season was me being surprised at how much Megumi was here. It wasn’t an overwhelming amount, but he was involved in the background and at the focus more than I remembered. That and how his expressions/body language was animated with the voice acting made me like his character more

Somehow I ended up liking the shibuya arc a little less—also like with the csm anime, although these aren’t animation faults, only seeing the series in a new light and in a different medium. I was never huge on the grasshopper, seance curse users, miracle curse user (haruta??) fights, which take up a good portion. The toji fights were great, although I’ve always been neutral-ish about his character. The Mei Mei fight was surprisingly better, mostly since the comedy gag aspects with her brother were toned down (its still evident she’s grooming him to die for her but it’s not framed as comedic as the manga) and the atmosphere was unnerving and dark. Nanami is also a character I’ve always been neutral-ish on, so overall not the most interesting parts of the series for me. Love the kenjaku and curses team though.

But on the positive side, it made me appreciate what’s to come more. I didn’t care as much for some of the fights and most of my personal favorite characters (yuuji, choso, maki, kenjaku) get explored more after this arc, minus yuuji who gets time near the very end. I’m very curious to see if I’ll end up enjoying the Culling Games colonies more and less when they’re animated. A part of that will likely depend on how the future chapters handle things set up or continuing in this arc.

As of now, Hidden Inventory/Premature Death and the stretch of chapters from the end of shibuya to the Higuruma scenes are my favorite parts of jjk. For the latter, I honestly love when the characters have long talks, whether it’s about themselves, lore, or anything. The power system is fun, but when the chapters focus too much on that technical side, that’s really the only time I’m bored by dialogue or narration heavy chapters. Thinking mainly of the Gojo and Sukuna fight with that, but there’s a few minor instances in the series.

Choso and Yuuji episode is still my favorite! I am incredibly biased

Part of me wishes I watched this show first without ever reading it, but the manga is still more impactful for me, probably because I got to read at my own pace/digest what was happening and read it without expectations coming in

[aboutyoutoo]

♥️ Red: Do you ever feel anxious or scared while writing? If so, why?

💛 Yellow: Do you ever alter, highlight, or de-emphasize certain canonical traits in a character? If so, why and describe how.

❤️ i feel anxious and scared all the time, hope that helps <3

akdkshs no sorry but yes I do, often x) I know it kind of contradicts my last answer but I sometimes feel anxious when other people know I'm writing xD it does help motivate me when someone else is anticipating what I'm working on, but it also makes me anxious because then someone actually expects something of me and I worry that what I deliver won't be as good as what they're hoping for 😅 in general it also took me a very long time to be comfortable sharing my writing, and that self-consciousness does still creep in sometimes.

💛 uhh. I thought really hard about this one and I'm actually not sure. I feel like I forget sometimes which todolf ideas I have are perfectly logical conclusions from reading between the lines of canon and which are just things I completely made up in my head xD I guess it doesn't help that they have very limited canonical interactions so it necessitates a lot of reading between the lines as well as applying historical context that isn't explicitly referenced in elisabeth but can be implicitly understood to be at play...

I guess I emphasise Rudolf's personal neuroses a lot more, and probably de-emphasise his political ones? xD considering most of his canonical stagetime is focused on his political thinking, I tend to write more about his emotional state and mental instability. maybe in the future that will change, because I really just like to pick out random neuroses to focus on in each fic, so perhaps one day the political turmoil will get its time in the sun (or shadows I guess...)

[lilacdreamerart]

Not All That Glitters Is Gold

Summary: A retelling of the 'Fern Flower' legend (a story widely known in slavic countries - or at least it used to be when I was a child) in the James Cameron's Avatar setting.

Word count: 1475

Warnings: death mention, environmental destruction

Author's Note: Please bear with me, as it's the first written work I've ever published to tumblr and I have no idea what I should put here. I haven't written fanfics a lot either. Written originally around ~1yr ago, but I don't think any new lore made it even less canon than it already was - if anything the opposite, as Onutxe is now implied to be Sarentu (which probably doesn't make sense in the timeline, but shh), even though she wasn't originally.

The fire was getting dimmer and flickered, moved by the subtle gusts of wind traveling through the trees. Onutxe was sitting right next to it, watching the flames dance, as she gathered her thoughts. In front of her, on the opposite side, three smaller figures looked at her, eyes filled with anticipation and curiosity.

Finally, she looked at the Na’vi youth gathered around and spoke:

“I hope you’re comfortable and warm, as this will be a long story…”

***

…Ages ago, around the time of The First Songs, there used to be a Clan living nearby. They shared the same Wilderness as the one you call your home, but were also bound to the plains on its border, using the best of both worlds to their advantage.

And in that Clan, there was a boy. Young hunter, not much older than some of you. They called him Atawi. Atawi was well-known for his skills, but was also very curious, sometimes a bit too much for his own good. He often got himself into trouble, but he was good-intentioned. But above all, he was also known to believe in everything he heard, regardless of how abstract that could be. That’s why, when he heard about Brightflower, it was not a surprise to anyone that he decided he will be the one to find it. Now, a Brightflower was an old story even then. It was said that on the ‘shortest night’  of the year, during a Festival of Broken Lights, a mysterious flower blooms deep in the Wilderness. And whoever finds it and bonds with it will be gifted a forbidden knowledge that could change our world forever.

You would think that one would wonder if maybe there was a reason why the knowledge was forbidden. But curiosity sometimes gets the best of us. And none of the Clan elders really believed Brightflower could be real, so no one tried to stop Atawi from searching for it.

Atawi himself got very excited about the idea. So when the Festival time came, he went into the Wilderness with a clear goal in mind.

He wandered around the forest for hours, surrounded by natural wonders. Hundreds of plants glowing with all colors imaginable, filling the space with light so bright as if it wasn’t an eclipse time at all. Animal chatter filled the air; short barks of the nantang pack hunting somewhere nearby; ikran calling each other in the trees. But it was as if Atawi was blind to it all, so focused on his one objective.

Finally, when the eclipse was coming to an end, he saw it. A weird, plant-like being, unlike any he has seen before. It indeed looked like a blooming flower, with big but delicate, strongly glowing gold petals. Fiery, flame-looking Kuru tendrils were sprouting from its middle. Atawi almost tripped, running towards it. But there he was, standing in front of his long-sought-after goal.

He hesitated for a second. Maybe that was Eywa trying to change his mind, knowing the future results of his decisions. Or maybe that was his own subconsciousness pointing out that if he goes too far there won’t be a way back.

Regardless, the sun was slowly coming from behind the Polyphemus and there wasn’t much time to think it over. Atawi knew if he didn’t do it now, he would regret it for the whole next year, if not his whole life. And besides, getting knowledge doesn't equal using it, right?

Young hunter took his own Kuru and lifted it to the flower. Orange tendrils met him quickly, hungrily, bonding both beings together.

Glittering rock broken apart by a crude tool. Molten substance flowing through a carved tunnel. Weapons shining in the sun, so sharp they could cut through any animal’s skin. Iridescent trinkets adorned with silver and golden pieces. Light dancing on tools, weapons and jewelry made with materials never before seen.

Atawi’s eyes were open wide as he took in the vision given to him by the Brightflower. At the very end a message shaped into words appeared in his mind. “You can have it all, but be warned - not all that glitters is gold”.

The next day Atawi gathered all people in his Clan and talked in detail about what he saw. He insisted they should try following the vision, as it would make them the best hunters and warriors among the Na’vi Clans. And the only thing they should be worried about was the use of the right materials, as that was the warning he got, right?

The Clan’s elders were skeptical. While they lived their whole lives not believing in Brightflower, they didn’t think Atawi could come up with these ideas by himself. On the other hand a lot of younger members were very enthusiastic about the whole thing. The Clan was getting somewhat torn by the discussion and it looked like the final decision was to be made by the tsahík. But the Clan’s spiritual leader was relatively young and inexperienced, so instead of searching for guidance within Eywa, under the pressure of majority, she decided to embrace the vision Atawi received, regardless of its source.

And so the Clan started to mine rocks in the mountains, brought them home and melted them until they became liquid and could be easily reshaped into a variety of things. They built structures, ‘furnaces’ as they were called, to make that work more effective.

And they indeed gained better weapons that made hunting and skinning animals easier. Their adornments were the most unique among the nearby Clans, catching attention and bringing some jealousy, that made them all the more attractive to wear. And the new tools they were able to make helped them create clothes, houses and other objects much faster and with less effort.

On the surface it seemed that the Clan was never better and it truly was a good decision to follow the vision. But what they didn’t notice themselves was that all these changes slowly made them less and less connected to the Wilderness and even to the Great Mother herself. They no longer felt the need to thank for every hunt, now that they were almost effortless. They started to cut parts of the forest to feed the ‘furnaces’. They were focused on what they could gain and use for themselves, with no thought left about giving back.

And finally the inevitable happened. The mining parties were less and less careful about where they mine and how much they take. They made it dangerously close to one of the sacred sites, where the Spirit Tree was located. On that day, someone made a mistake, a wrong rock was struck and a mass of rocks cascaded down, burying the Tree. When they finally managed to uncover it, it was broken and lifeless, and they were to blame.

The news traveled fast and the whole Clan turned to chaos. Some blamed the miners for direct action, others blamed the tsahík for allowing the whole operation. And to protect his mate, the olo’eyktan put the blame on Atawi’s shoulders. It wasn’t hard to convince others, after all he was the one that came up with the whole idea or bonded with Brightflower as he claimed.

Atawi became an outcast by the Clan’s decision, but it wasn’t the end of this tragedy. While destroying the ‘furnaces’ they created, flames from one of them jumped to the forest floor and started spreading rapidly. Despite everyone’s best efforts, the fire swallowed not only the Clan’s home, but all of the Clan’s members with it. Atawi was the only survivor, cursed with the weight of what happened until his death.

***

Onutxe looked at the youth’s faces, their emotions painted over them clearly.

“As is the case with every story, this one too teaches us an important lesson.” She spoke once again, now her eyes focused on the fire in front of her. “Not every opportunity is worth taking. Not every gift should be accepted. As the flower itself said, not all that glitters is gold. Remember that.”

Kids nodded, clearly moved by the story. She smiled at them kindly.

“And now, I believe it’s time for you to sleep.” She stood up and made a shooing gesture towards them. “Come on, we don’t want your parents to be worried about you!”

“Buuut-” A choir of voices tried to protest.

“No buts if you want more stories in the future!”

She kept smiling as young Na’vi slowly moved towards their marui. She hoped they would take this story to heart. She wasn’t particularly worried about any of them finding Brightflower, regardless if it was real or not, but with Sky People trying to claim more and more of their world for themselves and sending Dreamwalkers to scout around, it was crucial to know not everyone could be trusted.

[dwollsadventures]

Magnus Chase Project Idea

The next thing for my list of projects is something a little closer to home and achievable, but also perhaps less anticipated. 

Percy Jackson was the first series of novels that I ever read of my own volition. It instilled a love of reading and appreciation of mythology that continues to this very day. When I heard that Riordan was going to be writing a series based on Norse mythology in 2014, I was ecstatic. Unlike before, I had a basis of knowledge to draw from to prepare for the books. When the books were released and I read them though, I felt a little disappointed. I actually have a large document that I wrote back in 2017 detailing all of my criticisms, but I’ll summarize them here: 

Magnus Chase as the protagonist goes through a very well defined and meaningful character arc in the first book. It’s probably one of the only things that make him stand out from Percy Jackson, who he can sometimes read as a carbon copy of. In the subsequent two books, however, he loses everything that made him special. His identity as a peacemaker and healer, and his choice to not use Jack the sword as a weapon are all forgotten about. 

Rick Riordan’s passion for Greek and Roman history oozes out of everything he wrote for his previous books. And while he did make an attempt, the mythology presented in Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is one of its greatest flaws. The gods of the stories are shallow, one-joke cut-outs compared to the complex parents and power players in PJO. Heimdall is the worst example. Rather than echoing themes and remixing myths, oftentimes the characters play out recreations of Norse myths word for word during the course of the story. Norse mythology has a lot of large gaps in its content, meaning that an author will almost certainly have to bridge them with their own creations at some point. Riordan chooses to do this by mixing in modern culture and folklore from the 1800’s of Scandinavia. 

This book was not the first to feature cross-overs from other Riordan books, but it is the one that leaned the most heavily on them. Annabeth’s inclusion in the first book was appropriate, but it seemed like pandering to include Percy in the last one. When reading reviews to refresh myself for writing this, a good percentage of them cried out about their insufficient screen time. 

Slavery. The mythology point above makes me the most peeved, but this one baffled me as I read the books. One of the first einherjar characters introduced is Hunding, from the Volsung Saga. In the Saga, another of the characters, Helgi, kills Hunding, and his reward for the victory is that Hunding becomes his slave in Valhalla, commanded to “of every hero / Wash the feet, | and kindle the fire, / Tie up dogs, | and tend the horses, / And feed the swine | ere to sleep thou goest”. This is present in the books, but couched in PG13 language, so that Hunding is Helgi’s “servant”. One of the main cast of characters is Thomas Jefferson (TJ) Jr., a runaway slave that died fighting in the Civil war. In the third book, one of the other main characters replays a scene from mythology where she gets a bunch of jotunn slaves to accidentally kill each other. This character then apologizes to TJ for killing the slaves and they make up off-screen. Hunding is never rescued from eternal slavery, the existence of slavery in Valhalla is never acknowledged, the end. 

So what? Why did I list all of my gripes with the series and put it under the future projects title? Well, after I wrote my laundry list in 2017, I capped it off with a “what I would do” section. I’ve never been able to get into the realm of fan fiction. But what about fan rewrites? Rewriting the book chapter by chapter with my own changes? 

The reason I haven’t done this is because, again, I don’t have a foot in the fan fiction world, and for most of my time I’ve thought that spending so much time and effort working on something like that would be a waste of my time when I could be working on my own stuff. But recently I’ve been rethinking that. Finding the motivation to work on my own Acronym Pending series is conflicting with my anxiety about perfecting it so that I don’t tear it down a month afterwards. What if working on fan fiction doesn’t trigger this response? After all, the hard work’s already been done. If I end up doing this, it will be because I can’t bring myself to work on the TDG, which is bad, but it would mean something is still getting done, even if it’s something I cannot claim as 100% my own. 

What would I do differently? Here’s a few examples:

Magnus is not a demigod. Demigods are not a big thing in Norse sagas or myths, and it links the series too much to the previous ones. 

Samirah would not be a valkyrie, but another of the einherjar. 

Valhalla and the Norse elements would not be modernized, at all. 

Hearthstone’s father would be Volundr. 

Overall, the story would be closer to a runaway tale rather than a hero’s journey. The overarching mythological theme would be focused on breaking the cycle. 

[funkymbtifiction]

Hi, Charity! I’m not sure if it’s an intuitive (or having a 4 fix) thing, but what is the best way to deal with high expectations? I usually spend a huge amount of time idealizing experiences and their potential, but once they happen I can’t avoid feeling at least a little disappointed.

I think for any intuitive or anyone with a frustration core/wing, life is never quite wonderful enough. I relate. A couple of weeks ago, I planned an outing with two friends that I hoped would hit it off. I looked forward to it and expected to have fun and... it was not, and they did not (they disliked each other, lol), and then I was rather cross the next day because the fun I anticipated never materialized.

It's okay to think about things that are coming up and feel excited for them, but to try and set realistic expectations -- to catch yourself envisioning the perfect wonderful outcome and then asking if this is being realistic or not. The less time you spend envisioning things in your mind, the more of a chance reality has to be interesting. Try not to live it out in your imagination first too much or leap ahead in a relationship and fantasize about your futures together.

You can also remember that your response to a situation is optional. Instead of looking at it like "that wasn't amazing," ask what it has taught you or where you went wrong in envisioning it.

I see people simply enjoying things, appreciating moments for what they are, meanwhile I’m just frustrated.

Are you catching yourself being frustrated the minute it's happening? If so, take a beat. Take a breath. Get out of your mind and into your body. Be present in the moment. If you can't do that, change your thoughts. Look for something to be happy about in the moment. Look for the beauty in reality, the butterfly in the bushes, the way the light plays across your curtains. Make it a habit to challenge and alter your own thinking and look for something to rejoice in. It will seem stupid and awkward at first, and then get easier.

To worsen the situation, once the moment/special event is gone, I start to think about what could’ve been (“if it wasn’t raining that day, it would’ve been perfect”, “i should’ve gone with the flow instead of overthinking everything!”) and to idealize how next experience WILL be different (“I’m doing everything right next time!”),

Is there perfection to be found in the rain? Without rain, the earth would dry up and deprive us of its beauty and sustenance for life. It feeds the trees that create the oxygen we breathe.

Is there something wonderful in over-thinking? Or, can you learn next time to catch yourself over-thinking, take a breath, and decide to GO WITH THE FLOW? What if for one day you just said yes, and chose not to over-think? Would everything turn out surprisingly good?

What is the beauty in an imperfect experience? What joy could you find in it? Rather than idealizing next time, what was great about this time? Maybe it rained, but were the fries any good? Does the rain produce rainbows? The answer to impossible expectations is to learn to experience the joy out of an imperfect situation. Borrow some of the re-framing of 7 and choose to think about the situation, searching for something good instead. Make a practice of it.

but, when next time comes, I repeat the same process, searching for perfection when reality will never match the high expectations created by my own mind.

It's hard, I agree.

I can’t avoid feeling childish when talking to other people about this because they always say things like: “what did you expect? something out of the world, a fairytale?”, so I try to keep it to myself. It generates “are you not having fun?” questions, since I can’t pretend to feel something I’m not feeling (and I certainly expected to feel something very specific during that situation), but no one seems to fully understand what I wanted and, specially, why am I so upset (sometimes I even snap at people unnecessarily just because I’m frustrated).

You can't force yourself to feel things, unfortunately. So maybe just accept that whatever you are feeling is valid. That you are going to have off days. Learn to process these feelings and learn to put what you want into words and then think about whether they are realistic or not (realism -- I cannot control other people or what they do, I cannot control the weather, I cannot control my feelings or XYZ).

I find that writing things down helps me see what's possible and what's unrealistic thinking, in the same way journaling can diminish the level of "scare" present in fearful thoughts. Write down what you expect before an event and read it over. Sometimes how idealistic it is might leap out at you and shock you; and if nothing else, at least you will get your ideas/expectations clarified and less abstract.

If things disappoint you, dig into it. What did I want specifically from this interaction or experience? What I am searching for? Does it have a name or a shape or is it just that "... it wasn't THIS"?

I guess that it all comes from a desire to control things, to make all the puzzle pieces fit perfectly and exactly how you thought they would, but life doesn’t work that way and these situations only make me wish to stay in my own head even more, because “it’s better there anyway”. I know that I shouldn’t focus on the negative side of things, we’ve got to deal with reality even if we wish things were different. Is there anything that could make this easier, though? Thanks, I really appreciate your work and dedication to this blog!

Are you an INJ? If so, becoming more in touch with Se will help you -- learn to get in your body, focus on the world around you rather than in your mind, learn to see the beauty that exists in nature, etc. Real life is amazing, but you have to separate from your expectations in order to see the wonders it holds.

[digital170cm]

before i leave,

a (personal) retrospective on leaving.

about 8 months ago, i was telling one of my close friends that i would definitely be setting up a blog to document and share thoughts on my exchange. well, i’m 8 months into an 11 month exchange program and i decided it would be a good time to start.

tomorrow marks the beginning of semester 1- which is my second and final semester abroad in Singapore. time goes by so quickly once classes start and i already feel like my exchange period is coming to an end. i feel a little sentimental as i try to recall the decisions that put me where i am now- in a 4×3 dorm room on the west side of such an interesting city-state island. truthfully, this wasn’t exactly what i had intended.

when i decided to go back into education after a brief stint of living in in another state and working my ‘admin assistant’ (customer service) job for a few years- i had a single goal: to live and study abroad. of course, if you know me, you know the intention was not to land in Singapore, but another island a little north-west of Singapore called Japan. i even delayed going on exchange, declining an offer to go to Hong Kong University in favour of entering into another round of exchange applications. sometimes it’s nice to imagine what it would have been like if i had accepted that first offer- i hope i get to go and see what life would have been like there one day.

i could barely bring myself to tell anyone when i received my second exchange nomination for my current exchange university. when i saw it was not for the university i thought i had a decent chance at getting into, i felt embarrassed after 3 years of being so steadfast about exchanging to Japan and so open with my family and friends about what i had planned for myself. it was my only goal and motivation through some very difficult periods. it was the reason why i could wake up at 5am every week day and head into a job that occasionally set me crying on the train home after a 13 hour day. yet, there are some things, namely university admin processes, that are out of our hands and eventually, i felt comfortable enough to tell my family and coworkers about the change of plans. they were all supportive and expressed to me that despite not really knowing anything about Singapore, but they were sure that I’d have a great time. I couldn’t say I knew much more than them either. my friends, of course, were great.

while almost everyone was supportive, i remember when i told my partner at the time, i could hear the disappointment in his voice. i speculate that is when he decided that we weren’t going to work out long-term. one of his own goals at the time was to work in Japan while I was studying there, but from that point on, there was no mention of him visiting me on my exchange. my plans for the future were no longer valuable for him, i guess. from what i recall, it was all down-hill from there.

yuck.

a few months later, after a break-up, i began to think about (and hold out for) my future in Singapore in a different way. whenever i would talk to my sister or friends about the place i was in at the time (not so good!) i would say “well, it doesn’t matter, i’m moving to Singapore anyway.”. everything became irrelevant and temporary. i was leaving and more importantly, i would be gone for so long that nothing in that moment would matter by the time i got back. suddenly, by way of circumstance, Singapore became a saving grace for me. (if you couldn’t already guess, this should confirm that i’m a bit emotionally avoidant). the disappointment i had felt in myself began to subside and in its place was anticipation for relief, a change of environment, new people, new food, academic focus.

anyway,

that was around a year ago now, if i had to guess. my old perspective has changed a little, luckily. though, i can’t be certain that it’s just not me trying to make myself feel better about the (perceived?) failure to attain my goal, i do think it worked out for the better. after all, English is widely spoken in Singapore and Singapore is a lot more culturally similar with Australia than Australia is with Japan. while it’s still a little hard to think and talk about, and it definitely remains a sore subject for me, there is still a lifetime of opportunity to make up for it. i think Japan would have been a hard place to study in, anyway. (probably copium but probably true). while i will save some insights for future posts, there are a few things i know i will miss greatly when i leave Singapore. i would not have grown to understand this country or the way of life here had i not come here for academic purposes. i would not have come to know the people i know, or have tried kaya toast with raw egg and kopi o.

there are ways of living here that i hope that Australia comes to incorporate, as well as things that I’m grateful are not issues carried over to Australia as they are here. i’m looking forward to writing these thoughts out, if only to have a record of my perspective before i forget.

there is a lot, a lot, i have chosen to omit about the period of time before i left my home city as this is public. it was a difficult time, all in all. i say all this to share the frame of mind i began my exchange in- the background and the long-build up, i think these things are important if i’m aiming to be sincere and share my thoughts, experiences, opinions and perspectives about my exchange experience transparently. while i wish my blog could be observational commentary in the workings of Singaporean culture and society- and there will surely be some of that- but i’m nothing but a water sign, so i hope you can understand why i’m deciding to write what i am deciding to write.

please leave me a lil message in my guestbook here!

[almaqead]

"The Remarks." From Surah 16, Surah An Nahl, the Bee.

The greatest indicator that man does not understand his predicament is found in news from the Holy Land which is being starved and scorched to death by the international community.

The failure of Palestinian statehood, the staggering of Israeli statehood and the catastrophic failure of American statehood are to blame.

Unpassable election years in America and Palestine have impacted this planet for decades. George W. Bush's and Donald Trump's unprosecuted election frauds and their subsequent assaults on Middle Eastern assets and their future plans to do so are proving to be lethal to the climate, politics, and outlook of the entire planet earth.

The most recent of these, the attacks on Israel by Hamas and the Latter Day Saints, prededitated and hatched by Donald Trump and his friends in anticipation of another election day are the latest in a series of attempts at dictatorship about which the US Gov shows not a care in the world. One arrest warrant for the siege attempt on January 6 could soothe the planet from further failures at statecraft and nationhood but that printer is out of ink, it seems.

This very scene is the reason God gave Muslims the Quran, a Clear Book for those who speak Arabic. States fail because they lack the ability to engage in long-term strategic planning. Every four to six years, things become subject to radical change, disrupting the ability of the good things the state was planning to come to term. Short-term disruptions like an unelected dictator like Donald Trump must be dealt with like a hammer on a flea. Allowing the flea to jump away and save its life costs others their lives and livelihoods as we have seen after October 7.

Nothing bad will happen to the US Gov or its Administration if it cleans up its act and its houses and puts this unbelievably uncouth situation behind us. The government is supposed to guarantee the general welfare and pursuit of happiness of its citizens all their lives. It is trying to dabble at doing this, sometimes yes, sometimes not, and this violates the legal contract between the two.

Right now, the White House needs to put nearly eight billion lives ahead of the lives of the criminals who are being allowed to plan more evil against and that is what is expected of it, now today. Donald Trump is not legally allowed to be considered ever again for public office . This is written in English, plain to see, it is a law that was given to protect the United States of America and its neighbors. If it is to be viable state, organization and trusted ally of its partners ever again, today is definitely the day we must decide to enforce it.

Now for the Surah:

16: 33-35:

Are they only awaiting the coming of the angels or the command of your Lord ˹O Prophet˺? So were those before them. And Allah never wronged them, but it was they who wronged themselves.

Then the evil ��consequences˺ of their deeds overtook them, and they were overwhelmed by what they used to ridicule.

The polytheists argue, “Had Allah willed, neither we nor our forefathers would have worshipped anything other than Him, nor prohibited anything without His command.” So did those before them. Is not the messengers’ duty only to deliver ˹the message˺ clearly?

Commentary:

Donald Trump and those filthy Mormons and Republicans make fun and hate everyone, and it is the rest that are trying to do right by the world. Joe Biden and his Administration will not wrong themselves if they address the evil done by the former. The entire planet will benefit by such a bold statement of right standing.

We have to put a stop of election year dynamics and lean on what is timeless instead. History must remark this is what we did and why. Then we must attend to the needs of the Sacred Precinct and the blasphemy it is enduring. These are the things God wants us to do, the Verses have confirmed this.

Except it just seems all we want to do is shoot at each other. The names of the people that agree to this will change, but human nature it appears is not to change. This is why Allah said in Al Araf:

˹Imagine˺ how many societies We have destroyed! Our torment took them by surprise ˹while sleeping˺ at night or midday. Their only cry—when overwhelmed by Our torment—was, “We have indeed been wrongdoers.” We will surely question those who received messengers and We will question the messengers ˹themselves˺. Then We will give them a full account with sure knowledge—for We were never absent. The weighing on that Day will be just. As for those whose scale will be heavy ˹with good deeds˺, ˹only˺ they will be successful. But those whose scale is light, they have doomed themselves for wrongfully denying Our signs. We have indeed established you on earth and provided you with a means of livelihood. ˹Yet˺ you seldom give any thanks.

History and tradition, called upon by this Book say we must put the weapons down and go back to the field, the meadow, the orchard, and the vineyard. It's a good plan, we know it works, and why have we not chosen it? We are like the bees, it is as much in our nature to do these things as those of the destructive like the former owners of this land. The choice depends on which flower one chooses to visit. Consider these words as you review the world of today.

[jodybensonsharp]

Jody Benson Sharp  Some  Words  About  FOREX,  New  Traders  Listen  Up!

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Understand how commodity prices can affect the forex market. When commodity prices are rising, the economy is generally getting stronger and inflationary pressure is rising. When commodity prices start to drop, it usually means inflation and the economy overall are starting to slow down. These conditions both affect the volume and price pressures in the forex market.

When measuring success in the foreign exchange market, do not count success by single trades. You should measure success by end time periods, such as by the end of the day, week, month, and even year. Measuring long-term results in trading is better for tracking your overall profit growth and trend information for future plans.

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