#but I’d love to see them playing more challenging and complex roles

[pigglepiephi]

ForceBook managed to deliver one of the best BL GMMTV storylines this year with only about 10 minutes of screen time 👏👏👏

Imagine what they could do if they led a series with a good script, and got to play more complex characters with this kind of depth!

[roguerevieweradl]

Heathers Review (Pelican Productions) - 12/09/2024

Stepping into Heathers, I knew we were in for a wild ride, but I wasn’t prepared for the sheer power and presence of this cast. 

Tayla Prime as Heather Chandler was an absolute force of nature. She dominated the stage with so much authority that I found myself genuinely intimidated from the audience! I wouldn’t dare cross her Chandler—if I were in Westerberg High, I’d be running for the hills. It was a performance that oozed confidence and power, embodying the iconic ‘mythic b****’ perfectly.

Teagan Garvey as JD had some great moments, especially in the beginning where he played up JD’s charm to a T. His descent into madness was compelling, with Garvey really showcasing the complexity of the role. There were a few moments where his vocals fell a little flat, but overall, he was stellar and brought a lot to the table.

Then there’s Samantha Keough as Veronica—wow. I have never been so in awe of a voice. She didn’t just deliver; she owned the character, adding her unique vocal flair rather than just doing a by-the-numbers version of Veronica. I’d go so far as to say she’s one of the best Veronicas I’ve seen in Adelaide!

Caitlin Laventure as Heather Duke was a standout for me. Talk about a triple threat—the dancing, the singing, the acting, all flawlessly executed. I honestly can’t believe she isn’t already a staple in the professional scene. It was hard to keep my eyes off her whenever she was on stage.

Lily Horton-Stewarts Heather McNamara was another highlight. "Lifeboat" was a real emotional journey, and she took the audience right along with her. I could feel her anxiety bubbling under the surface, and when it broke, it was powerful. A beautifully crafted performance.

And then, Darcie Yelland as Martha—my heart. She brought so much warmth and life to Martha that you just wanted to give her a hug. By the time "Kindergarten Boyfriend" hit, I was a complete mess. It’s a challenging role to pull off, but Yelland absolutely nailed it.

I have to mention my favorite duo of the night: Zach Bartlett and Freddie Windle as Kurt and Ram. These two bounced off each other perfectly, delivering the humor and energy the roles require. They’re an iconic duo, and I truly hope to see them working together in the future!

Hannah Brown as Ms. Fleming brought so much life to the ditzy teacher role. You could really sense how much she cared about her News Crew… which made for a lot of laughs. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her performance!

The song of the night had to be ‘My Dead Gay Son’. The dads, Leo Sage and Hanno de Klerk, absolutely nailed it! The audience couldn’t stop clapping, and we just wanted more. Well done to both actors for a standout performance.

The ensemble deserves massive credit as well. The choreography and vocals were tight and well-constructed, with each piece fitting together like a perfectly synchronized puzzle. You could just feel the joy radiating off the entire cast, which gave the performance an extra spark of magic.

As for the set design, it was nothing short of spectacular. I loved the concept—especially how the brick wall split apart, and the two-story levels made the stage feel dynamic and immersive. I found myself wondering how long it took to build because it was just so beautifully crafted.

The lighting was also brilliantly executed. I loved how they played within the scheme. My favorite moment had to be during the bomb sequence, where the stage transformed into what looked like a disco ball for just a moment, symbolizing the explosion—it was an inventive and effective choice.

Sound was mostly on point. While there were a few minor issues with mics not being turned on in time or some effects coming in late, the sound mix overall was fantastic. Missing a couple of lines didn’t take away from how well everything sounded.

Big shoutout to the creative team. You’ve put on an amazing rendition of Heathers, and I’m excited to see what you all work on next. Overall, this cast for Heathers knocked it out of the park. From powerhouse performances to stellar ensemble work, this show was a treat from start to finish.

[libracorpvs]

"I urge you to think very carefully, not sloppily, on this issue. Lives are at stake.

Yes, social isolation is one risk factor for suicide. We agree on that; we disagree on how this should be interpreted and applied.

The typical trans narrative looks like this: because social isolation is a risk factor for suicide, we must all rearrange society and bypass our instincts to make sure trans people feel included everywhere, even at the expense of safeguarding women and children, and other human rights issues.

But how far can this be carried out? Some trans rights activists (TRAs) would take this so far as to say that lesbians should accept males as partners. Is this what we’re willing to give up in the name of “inclusion” so this special class of victims doesn’t die of suicide?

And how can this be compared to parallel issues? In therapy, when we have patients struggling to feel accepted and loved, do we always hold their social environment accountable and reinforce the narrative everyone else is to blame for their feelings of rejection? Or, do we hold our patients at least somewhat responsible for how their choices affect their social lives? Are there times when we must challenge or temper their expectations of others, or help them discover ways to make themselves more appealing as potential friends, partners, or employees?

The truth is, trans people do face social isolation, and higher rates of singleness and childlessness. Their dating pool is substantially narrower, and comprised in large part by people with fetishes. Their capacity for sexual functioning or pleasure is often altered or destroyed by the medical procedures they’ve endured. Many have lost their fertility and are therefore not eligible partners for those looking for someone to have children with naturally. Oftentimes, according to the current models of healthcare I object to, this fertility was sacrificed at young ages, despite the fact we have zero evidence base for the assumption that people can accurately predict in youth whether they will want children by midlife. All of these are reasons that I take the stance I do. Why should we allow doctors to give drugs and surgeries to people that limit their relationship and family potentials when we know relationships and family play such a huge role in wellbeing and reduce the lifetime risk of suicide?

I am simply unwilling to accept the sloppy, daft thinking behind the idea that the social isolation trans people face is (a) everyone else’s fault or responsibility, (b) not a reason to think twice about promoting transition, and c) a reason we should all be celebrating trans-ness. I argue that the latter creates a social incentive for identifying trans, and encourages more people to put themselves in this same exact position, with these same risk factors. I am more concerned that the social isolation factor needs the sort of complex analysis I’ve given it here. It should not be weaponized to silence critics like myself.

The long term suicide risk of postoperative transsexuals has been found to be upwards of 19 times higher than age matched peers. If social isolation as a suicide risk factor could really be reduced to matters of identity-based intolerance, then we’d see similar suicide rates amongst all marginalized, oppressed, or persecuted peoples. But we don’t see that. We see resilience. Throughout history humans have endured much greater hardships, and not on the basis of belonging to a category one could simply choose to opt in to, and use the latest first-world medical technologies to inflict upon themselves. If “trans” as an identity is really so persecuted, why are people choosing it anyway? When Jews were persecuted in WW2, they hid their identities to survive. I’d be curious to see the suicide rates amongst people facing such levels of historical hardship. Can we really truly attribute suicidality to oppression, and make a sound case that the solution is to push acceptance, no matter the cost to other human rights, and even if “trans” is glamorized in the process, leading to more people opting into this permanently medicalized category of synthetic sex identities?

Social isolation is just one risk factor, though a big one. We need to also factor in the role of illness, injury, and incapacity in increasing the risk of suicide. Trans related medical “care” is full of iatrogenic harms. I argue it is incredibly irresponsible to inflict optional, medically unnecessary, iatrogenically harmful procedures on people with young, healthy bodies, whose young minds cannot possibly grasp what this entails for their futures. Try living with chronic pelvic pain, chest pain or numbness from lost breasts, bladder infections, an exposed and enlarged clitoris that rubs against your pants all day, being forced to do painful dilations daily in order to keep a wound open, the flesh of your arm missing, or peeing through a plastic tube that keeps getting infected… trust me this is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s painful, costly, debilitating, and humiliating. It leads to increased risk of opiate addiction, starting with prescribed post-surgical painkillers. I believe doctors have stepped way outside of the bounds of medicine and should not be doing these things to anyone.

So don’t blame the likes of me for the social isolation trans people face, or the higher lifetime risk of suicide in those who’ve followed through with these supposedly “life saving” procedures. Don’t try to force males on lesbians and into women’s sports, locker rooms, bathrooms and prisons. Think honestly about human nature and what most people want in terms of love, partnership, family, life, and health. Think about the fragile mental state of the young and vulnerable, and how long life is, and how little capacity we have at age 12 or 20 to anticipate our futures. Consider whether we should really be normalizing or glamorizing such a novel and debilitating lifestyle, given what’s at stake."

- Stephanie Winn

[sophiaannecarusos]

Sophia Anne Caruso Interviewed by Irvin Rivera for THE BOOK OF

Caruso is also a well-rounded creative who also does painting, poetry and music aside from acting. 

In this exclusive interview, Sophia Anne Caruso talks about her complex character in the film The School for Good and Evil, the production journey to the release, her physical transformations to her stunts, working with Director Paul Feig, inspirations, music and more.

I: How have you been since the release of The School for Good and Evil?

S: I'm doing well! It is so surreal with The School For Good And Evil soaring. Our fandom is wild... I'm so proud that our film has found space in the hearts of people all over the world, so I've been trying to take it all in.  

I: What’s the best part about that entire journey of creating the film?

S: Every part... If I had to pick...I think any day where I had the opportunity for a stunt was a day I was excited about. I have savored every part of this process. From pre-production and stunt training to the premiere in LA, I have loved it all.

I: What do you love the most about Sophie? What drew you to her character?

S: I’d never seen this version of a fairytale “princess”. I was really drawn to the idea of showing not just the good - but the bad and ugly, so that little girls like my nieces can see that even princesses are imperfect. It’s okay if they are, too. And the overall message about beauty coming from goodness of the heart and the opportunity to share that with women and young girls really swept me off my feet.

I: Have you read Soman Chainani’s book prior to booking the role?

S: I hadn't read the books but when Paul Feig mentioned to me he was adapting them I knew it sounded familiar...  Soman and I met in the summer of 2017 and that was when I first found out about the books. I read them as soon as I was cast.

I: Let’s talk about the challenges and the highs that you experienced during filming.

S: I love a good challenge. Tough moments became the highs. The physical transformation I have is a good example! I was in the makeup chair for 7 hours I think and that alone tested my patience and stillness. I'd never worked with such intense makeup and I hadn't had a chance to test it before going on set. I had to jump in the cold, but it was so much fun.

I: How did you manage to rise above the challenges?

S: For me, seeing a challenge as an opportunity is everything! As long as you're having fun and working hard I think challenges sort themselves out.

I: What’s the most memorable moment for you throughout the whole process of making the film?  

S: I will always remember the way I felt. I was so happy to be on set doing what I love and the cherry on top is that everybody around me was excited to be making the film, too. With a director like Paul Feig, every moment is a joy.

I: Out of all the roles that you’ve played, is there any role/character that resonated with you the most and why?

S: I think that every role I've played resonates with something in me. I played "The Girl" in David Bowie's Lazarus and I think of her way of knowing nothing and everything, her childlike wonder, and hope, paired with confusion and sadness, really touches me.

I: What inspires you?

S: The everyday. Leaves and nature...  Meeting new people.

I: As a well-rounded creative who does painting, poetry, acting and music, What’s your creative process like?

S: As it comes! If I'm not inspired visually to be painting or sewing I'm probably off writing lyrics. If I can't find the words I'm humming a melody. I live in a creative brain and my process depends on whatever medium I'm lingering in at the time.

I: Congrats on your music. From Broadway to having over 900,000 listeners on Spotify. Tell us more about your recent singles “Thing Like That” and “Snow and Ice.” What can your fans expect more about your music journey?

S: I'm really happy to be sharing some of my music. "Snow & Ice" and "Thing Like That" both dropped in 2022, but have been alive since 2018. I take my time when it comes to releasing songs. My music is very personal and I like that I'm able to share it when I'm inspired to/ it feels right vs. pumping out songs for quantity over quality. I have more songs I'm excited to release and I will be recording some new songs this December.

I: You’ve been a creative artist throughout your life and you started really early. What was that like? How did your immersion in the arts contribute to your present self?

S: I think it's a great privilege to be exposed to the arts at a young age. I can't thank my parents enough for indulging my desire to be creative.  They let me paint and draw on the walls of the house, and they put the PBS arts channel on instead of cartoons. They encouraged me to sing and express myself always. Being artistic makes up a big part of me and I attribute a lot of the success I have found in it to my parents nurturing my odd sides instead of drowning me in normalcy.

I: What’s a valuable lesson that you’ve learned that you always carry with you?

S: Never give up on yourself or your dreams. Never.

I: If you were a book, what book would you be and why?

S: I'm staring at my bookshelf trying to find the answer to this and I'm stumped! Maggie Nelson is one of my favorite writers, so I suppose I'd like to be something by her.

[rosesnbooks]

Hello kate, nice to meet you!! I would like to learn how to read natal charts but I just dont understand😭😭😭 Its really beautiful that you can read it!! I love your don so much!!

free (brief) natal chart reading

hi sweetie! here’s my reading for you, and i hope something resonates with you <3. so, you appear to people as a very emotional and sensitive soul, and you look at life through an emotional lens, but there are more layers to you. i can tell that you care a lot about the people you love, and humanity in general. you are a unique person, and possibly a great romantic. my fellow moon in pisces, i understand your struggles lol. you are quite imaginative, with your head in the clouds, and very intuitive. you can find ways to express emotions with words beautifully and successfully. i’m guessing it’s easier for you to understand other people’s feelings, rather than your own. you feel these emotions intensely, i’d say even a bit more than an average pisces moon (sending hugs). there may be an opposing side in you when you feel like you try to be as analytical as possible with attention to detail, and in other times you try to follow your gut feeling and emotions. you are passionate btw! i think you are also quite responsible and reasonable, organized even with clashes with some of the previously mentioned traits, but that just means you’re a complex being (at least that’s what i see in your natal chart). changes don’t come easily to you sometimes, i may be wrong, and it also feels like you’ve had a lot of transformative periods in your life. you are pleasant when you communicate with others, you’re quite charming and especially to your romantic partners. at first glance, people don’t even realize just how mature you can be when you speak, and you provide good advice. in love, you are really idealistic and you want a partner who can be just as gentle and intuitive as you, but you also want someone to have assertive and passionate traits. ugh, i love your natal chart. you attract good things in life, you’ll have lots of luck! no matter all these challenging transformative experiences, i can tell that you’ve risen above them like a champion. i think you are passionate about achieving your goals! watch out for your temper though, i know how it feels to have such intense emotions and even rage at times. you’ll have the most luck in life when you nurture your traits similar to earth signs such as being practical, down-to-earth, organized, disciplined, objective, etc. but also, and don’t forget this, don’t be ashamed of your emotions hun. you’re not weak because of them, and use them to your advantage. lastly, family may be important to you or you have some tension with them..either way, they play a significant role in your life. hang in there love, and i can’t wait to hear your feedback<3

[caffernnn]

Let me just add something my makoto-rin ask.

A similar trend actually appears in fics where if rin seems to be in awe of makoto's mind-bending abilities, sousuke almost always notices makoto's physical prowess and unpleasant??? emotions. This is usually present in old soumako fics, where sousuke is almost always the target of makoto's contempt, disdain, or anger; or is always subjected to makoto's accidental physical attacks, like a punch here, or a kick there, or an elbow. It is also usually sousuke who seems to discover makoto's competitiveness, particularly in video games, or stubbornness, when they bicker whether to adapt a dog or a cat. I think this is what soumako fans see about the appeal of the ship- aside from their similarity as the caring and nurturing friend, they also get to showcase a different personality towards each other from the one they show to their other friends, namely makoto abandoning his levelheaded nature and sousuke his stoic, grumpy nature, since they have no established role yet in each other's life. Also, i like how this is an extension of the idea that no one can resist tachibana makoto when he puts his foot down, that event the yamazaki sousuke relents to his wishes. Also, sousuke seems to compliment makoto's physical strength, such as when he refuted rei's claim that makoto is gentle, and sousuke says that a makoto seems more power-hungry (or smth like that), or when he commended makoto's wrestling, or even when he complimented makoto's marksmanship in the ova, along with his hidden personality in rw. He even expressed shock that makoto could crush napa cabbage with his bare hands (or was that rin? I'm not sure). It's fun to see how makoto and sousuke are presented as a challenge to each other's physical strength, and how in fics they are portrayed to be roughhousing each other without anyone complaining about their ridiculous strength, as described by haru.

Which, as much as i don't want to, opens to another discussion. How strong is makoto??? if he can crush vegetables just by handling them. I mean, he threw an experienced sumo wrestler who seems more heavily built than him down to the floor. So yeah...how much raw strength is tachibana makoto possessing???

Makoto getting hit by a car in Final Stroke: “call an ambulance!! but not for me 😈”

Jokes aside, that’s one of the cool things about seeing Makoto and Sousuke interact, especially in fics. Both of them are used to being the biggest ones in the room, drawing attention to themselves without meaning to, and have subtly found ways to minimize themselves for their own comfort (Makoto tries to soften his edges; Sousuke is often aloof). I don’t usually read romantic soumako content, but one of the things I enjoy about their dynamic (familiar, platonic, otherwise) is that Makoto gets a unique opportunity around Sousuke to lean into his stubbornness, competitive nature, or physical strength with less restraint because he knows Sousuke 1) is strong enough to deal with it, and 2) can understand the complicated relationship Makoto has with those parts of himself. It’s cool to hear that that’s further explored in soumako stories: the mutual understanding that they both are more complex than the gruff expectations forced onto them, being larger men, and that remains true even when they have parts of them that do lean into those expectations. I’m excited to see more of their friendship bloom in the movies now that it sounds like they’re spending more time together, because it’s a unique avenue of mutual understanding we haven’t seen fully explored.

I’d love if we could see more interactions between Makoto, Sousuke, Hiyori, and Nao, for similar reasons. I wouldn’t play into the whole “Makoto and inferior copies of Makoto” generalizations I’ve seen circulate in the past, but they do all share similar motivations and character traits that make their interactions hold more weight and potential for character growth. Like, there’s a reason that Nao can cut straight into Makoto’s repressed internal conflicts at a moment’s notice. They’re all people-watchers who put all of their energy into analyzing and reacting to their environments, so one of the only ways you’ll get them to slow down and lend some time/effort to their own issues is to throw a mirror character in their way that’s just a little too much like them.

Aaanyways, I love strong Makoto and want to see him become more comfortable with that side of himself. He’s jacked and underestimates his physical strength on so many occasions (leading to those conversations about him having clumsy/careless/ridiculous strength), but he deserves to celebrate it more?? He can be a force that demands attention in the water, powerful, but he can also throw around his siblings or carry extra bags or give the biggest all-encompassing hugs -- just as powerful.

[jypbae7]

Im Changkyun - Natal Chart

- requested by @jookyunz

Can’t remember if you wanted the 18+ section so I included it at the bottom and marked it incase you wanna skip it ❤️

(Not claiming to be an expert this is just for fun please don’t take anything too seriously!) Hope this is helpful and that you enjoy it 🥰❤️

Personality: Aquarius Sun, Aries Moon, Capricorn Mercury, Aquarius Mars

Aquarius Sun comes with lots of intrigue and lots of complexity - like the other air signs Aquarius is very adaptable and tends to prefer an “exciting life” (though earth signs tend to see this lifestyle as pure chaos lmao)

Aquarians tend to be intrigued by mystical things due to their very logical view of the world, this logical side can often lend to them coming off as cold or aloof but it’s less about that and more about their need to rule with the head and not the heart in order to avoid being thrown off the balance that they like (Aqua is a fixed sign) also they do NOT want to be hurt by people so the guard they have up towards the world is basically an iron curtain till they develop enough trust with you

Aries Moon is equally as spontaneous and adaptable but for a different motivation - Aries is bold and wants the most out of life and you can bet your bottom dollars they’ll do WHATEVER necessary to gain the lifestyle and goals they set for themselves.

But since they are naturally social butterflies and genuinely just want to have fun and encourage the people they love to reach for their dreams and have fun doing it, they tend to succeed rather easily since people are drawn to them. - All about confidence, bold styles, working hard because they NEED to be the best at whatever they do, but they definitely play hard too (as does every fire sign lmao)

As much as Aries and Aquarius like change and excitement - Capricorn Mercury does NOT. This adds a LOT of grounding and “tradition” to quick moving Aries and unconventional Asquarius.

Capricorn Mercurys are known to speak slow, quite monotonous and precise which I definitely have always felt about Changkyun. You’re not getting too much fluff or extra words from them because Capricorn finds it a waste of energy. They say what they mean when they mean it and not much else more. But this means they are good listeners and are very comfortable and unreliant on “attention” or “being in the spotlight” giving them added levels of independence. I also feel that this is why they are sooooo unbothered by other people’s opinions and friendship.

Aquarians straight up rather be alone than around fake people. They don’t care if they “fit in” with general norms because they don’t want to be like anyone else anyway lmao and they are interesting enough to keep themselves entertained. While Capricorn and Aries have places to go, people to see, and goals to crush so why the hell be worried about others???

Mixed with the other 2 placements it’s likely that his home is a serious sanctuary for him that he takes seriously. When he’s out in the world doing his busy schedules and chaotic traveling and work he’s happy and really feeding into the air and fire energy. But when he gets home it’s his Capricorn Mercury that is being nurtured and stimulated. He’s going to wanna hibernate there for a while without leaving especially if he’s been gone a long time. Could be either unbelievably messy or unbelievably neat but likely no inbetween with these placements lmao.

Aquarius Mars.... reminder that Aquarius is a fixed sign so this in Mars could mean one HELL of a temper or at least rage once he’s set off. But thankfully the Airy nature of Aqua means you’d really have to mess with him to get that kind of reaction because they generally really dislike being upset. They prefer staying content and neutral rather than having extreme feelings of any kind or it makes them veryyyyy edgy. If you can disagree with respect and if you provide logic instead of ego as your argument you’re likely to get a much better reaction from Aquarius

Relationships:

Non-Romantic Relationships & overall communication style: Aquarius Sun, Aries Moon, Capricorn Mercury, Aquarius Mars

Boy oh boyyyyyy he takes a LONG time to open up to people - 2 Aquarius placements and a Capricorn placement screamssssss trust issues and vulnerability issues

Capricorn doesn’t wanna sulk and talk about their problems so IF they trust you enough to come to you with an issue they want solutions and practical help and support

Is really cheered up by acts of service and quality time - watching a great movie even in complete silence just near each other on the couch in sweats tucked under cozy blankets or getting surprised with their favorite dinner can boost their mood instantly

Aries Moon as I said before is a natural in social situations and tends to draw attention even when they aren’t trying so he’s bound to come off a lot more open and friendly than he actually is. The deep stuff won’t come out till he REALLY knows and trusts you and even then… in SMALL increments

That said he’s a super fun friend to have - down for adventures, actually thinks about and puts effort into doing cool stuff with friends and loved ones

When it comes to friendships he shows care through quality time and acts of service

When he buys gifts for people he cares about they are BOMB - cool as fuck and either one or a combination of the following: one of a kind, meaningful as fuck, and/ or super expensive - most likely fashion, jewelry, something music related, or super cool stuff from his travels

Romantic relationships and preferences : Pisces Venus, Aquarius Mars, Aquarius Juno, Aries Eros

Lmao even MORE Aquarius and Aries energy

Ok into the main meat - these four placements are particularly interesting combo: 2 fixed air (Aqua), 1 mutable water (Pisces) and 1 Cardinal Fire (Aries)

Aqua Juno - generally hints at a pretty unconventional relationship and this can come in manyyyyy forms for the very unique and varied Aquarians (partnership without legal marriage, mixed race/culture couple, could even mean choosing a bachelor lifestyle over any normal type of relationship, etc.) - given that Changkyun seems quite close with his parents and his interest in kids I’d say he’s unlikely to choose the bachelor route.

For a lot of Aquarians unconventional can also come in the form of a very stimulating partner, they enjoy learning and expanding their minds and experiences which is why they tend to run towards challenges that others would run from. I think someone who shares similar passions but varied skills and/or background would fulfil that for him. Aquarius, Pisces and Aries like to be stimulated A LOT.

Pisces in Venus is a tricky placement - can be pretty hot and cold, lots of mixed signals, you should be ready to be stood up or flaked on atleast once in the beginning🙄) BUT if you actually manage to earn their trust and dedication they make very caring partners.

Pisces in Venus is art gallery and museum dates, binge watching documentaries especially murder mystery, and spending most of the summer near the closest body of water.

Aries Eros fantasizes about being in a partnership that others look at as a power couple but they’ll never admit it - they dream of a partner who is in awe of them and their accomplishments but has their own big goals and successes to cater to as well. They like people they can grow with as individuals and as a couple. Push and pull works really well with Aries (and the other two fire signs too honestly) they like the cat and mouse thing and they like to have time to miss & yearn for their partner especially the men - absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Love languages in order from most to least: quality time, physical touch, acts of service, gift giving

Aries is a strong sign and they want and need a real partner who respects and supports their independence and boss energy but also can nurture their softer more vulnerable side and be the strong one for them when they need it

***** 18+ Preferences ****

Ooof this should honestly come as a surprise to NO ONE but damn placements do NOT lie...Im Changkyun is one freaky ass boy

I mean ARIES EROS???? Let me spell that out for y’all: fucks you like he absolutely fucking hates you or ties you up like a present and edges you for hours till you’re crying

LOVES, let me repeat LOVES jealousy sex - whether it’s you being jealous of all the screaming thirsting fans he has or him being jealous of guys getting too close too you for his comfort - he is allllllllll about taking that energy directly into the bedroom ASAP (or a bathroom or even closet if it locks 🤐)

Could and WOULD makeout for hours on end - especially if he’s been drinking

The more you switch it up the more excited he is - with all them Aquarius placements it should be pretttyyyyyy often

Different positions, lingerie, role play - any and all of it excite him

With a partner he actually trusts and has feelings for I can see him being extremely open minded to trying things (though obviously EVERYONE has limits and boundaries)

Toys, blindfolds, handcuffs, whip cream, hot wax, spanking - all a STRONG yes

Get the strong feeling he has strong preference to use his mouth often - lots of kissing (passionate, needy, messy - sometimes more aggressive) , likes to give and receive hickeys, wants to kiss all over his partner’s body and LOVES oral both receiving and giving (and I get the feeling he’s TOO good at that 👀)

More willing to let his partner take control than you might think - he’s not a switch but he just doesn’t think you initiating or “being in control” makes him any less dominant. In fact it’s probably the opposite; you showing your desire to that point actually makes him feel MORE dominant and masculine

Literally could find anyone and everyone beautiful - is more attracted to people’s minds, spirit and energy than physical looks (BIG Pisces and Aquarian thing)

Gets turned on every single time he sees you in the crowd at one of his shows - makes him feel like you are the only two people in the world (drives his Aries Eros INSANE - gets a kick out of the slight power play of being on stage in front of so many people, as well as the secrecy and raw passionate energy of it all)

Tattoos, piercings, colorful wigs, or even just interesting jewelry paired with the right lingerie or outfit will have him 🤯- think short black see-through lace robe with nothing on underneath except a sparkling body chain dripping from your body....yep he’ll eat you like a main dish in .00000000023 seconds

Hope you enjoyed! 💕

[bonesbuckleup]

Lord, this answer got long. I’m a little embarrassed about it, but I wrote it, so it’s getting posted. It’s a literal essay. Sorry but also not?

TLDR: Yes, the show is arguably unfair to Sokka about Kya, but it also follows a pattern where Sokka stays quiet about Bad Feelings and plays by the rules established for his character. Katara, meanwhile, grieves loudly and often, and appears to be under the impression that because Sokka’s grief is silent it doesn’t exist, which also fits her character/interactions completely. Neither of them are right or wrong, but it sets them up on inevitable collisions.

Now. If you want to join me on a cactus-juice fueled descent into madness, proceed below the cut.

Number one. We’re referring to this exchange in “The Southern Raiders,” where the Gaang is talking about Zuko and Katara going after the man who killed Kya, which is vicious and brutal and never reflected on:

Aang: You sound like Jet. Katara: It's not the same! Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he's a monster. Sokka: Katara, she was my mother, too, but I think Aang might be right. Katara (angry, yelling): Then you didn't love her the way I did! Sokka (visibly hurt, softly): Katara.

And that’s it. Upon returning, Katara apologizes to Aang and not, as Anon is absolutely correct in pointing out, to Sokka, who is 100% the more injured party. Now. Is it possible this is one of the rare missteps from the atla writers? Yes. Absolutely. Is that the answer I’m about to write a literal fucking essay about? No. Because it’s more painful fun to take it as face value and talk subtext.

First, a reminder that this show is fucking good at what it does. It teaches you how each character grieves as we go: Aang explodes, often triggering the Avatar state, usually crying or angry, and when he does try to repress his Bad Feelings it rarely lasts longer than a day; Toph either shuts down or gets mad, but either way she doesn’t like people seeing her having Bad Feelings and often storms away, knowing that she can’t control it no matter how much she might want to; Zuko yells at the sky in a rainstorm or yells at his dad in an underground tunnel or challenges Zhao to an Agni Kai or yells at his uncle in a jail cell and generally is an emotive nuclear bomb because the boy has feelings and if he keeps them inside for more than three seconds he might explode okay.

Then we have Katara and Sokka.

Let’s start with Katara, since she has the most textual and straightforward displays of grief. She’s really the only one to talk about Kya’s death in Book 1. If Sokka mentions it, it’s barely in passing. I don’t think we hear Hakoda address her death at all (which I’ll return to in a moment.) Katara’s grief is loud. It’s angry. It’s still very much a living thing for her. She thinks she sees Kya in the swamp and breaks down crying, and tells Aang and Sokka about it with no hesitation. When she’s angry and sad at Hakoda for leaving, she acts out and is visibly upset with him, yells at him, cries at him. She out-loud hates Zuko when she comes to the conclusion that he told her about Ursa and got her to talk about Kya to manipulate her. It isn’t that her grief is performative, because it’s a very real and terrible thing, but it’s a grief that’s to be witnessed.

Then, Sokka. Sokka’s grief is more complicated because it exists almost entirely in subtext, especially in regard to Kya. We really only hear him talk about Kya twice, both in Book 3. First, to Toph, when he tells her that he can’t remember what Kya looks like. Worth noting, however, that even though it is Sokka talking, this is still centered on Katara and Katara’s grief. The next time is when Zuko asks what happened to Kya, and Sokka tells the story that leads into the initial flashback. Sokka doesn’t talk about his mom. This is a fact of the show. It’s such a fact of the show that, in “Southern Raiders,” after the exchange at the start of this post, while Katara and Zuko are on the hunt, Sokka doesn’t bring up Kya again and is messing around with Aang. Like nothing has happened or is currently happening--which I’ll come back to in a moment.

So while we can use Kya as a perfect example of how Katara grieves, we can’t really use her for Sokka. So let’s use Yue instead. Moments we see (or don’t see) Sokka grieving Yue:

In the opening to Book 2, we briefly have a shot of Sokka with the moon imposed behind him.

“The Swamp,” where Sokka’s vision is of Yue accusing him of not protecting her. This one is one of the more textual moments of grief--”I think about Yue all the time”--but what’s awful great about it is how Sokka tells Aang and Katara. Aang, obviously, has no qualms about sharing his vision. Katara openly talks about seeing Kya. Sokka only tells them about Yue when explicitly asked. Even then, he doesn’t mention what she said to him. From this, we can assume that Sokka is still holding onto a lot of guilt over her death--guilt that he won’t let Aang and Katara see. Anyway. Moving on.

“The Serpent’s Pass.” After spending all day panic protecting Suki, he tells her that he lost someone, but doesn’t go much further into detail, just saying that he can’t when she tries to kiss him. Of course, this is all happening in front of the moon. Again, though, Sokka stays vague. He doesn’t tell her any details.

“The Puppetmaster,” Toph posits that maybe the moon spirit has gone mean and is kidnapping people. Sokka snaps at her, in a moment definitely meant for laughs, saying, “The Moon Spirit is a gentle, loving lady. She rules the sky with compassion and ... lunar goodness!” It is a funny moment, but here’s what we can take from it: Toph doesn’t know about Yue. Toph is a Feral Bastard a lot of the time, but she also knows where the line is, and I don’t think she’d’ve said that if she’d known.

“Boiling Rock,” in arguably the most quoted (and well deservedly so!) line in the entire show. “My first girlfriend turned into the moon.” “...that’s rough, buddy.” COMEDIC GOLD. Also, weirdly, the literal only time that Sokka explicitly tells someone about Yue in the course of the show.

“Ember Island Players” which I haven’t hit in my rewatch yet, but I definitely remember a moment where Suki asks Sokka when he was gonna tell her he made out with the moon, and he tearfully shushes her. Again, played for laughs, but the implication is that he still hasn’t told Suki about what happened.

This plays perfectly into the same way that Sokka (doesn’t) talks about his mom. When the Bad Feelings come, Sokka either avoids them and finds a distraction (Goofs with Aang--see, told ya we’d come back to that) or stays silent. When someone explicitly asks him about the Bad Feelings--what he saw in the swamp, what’s eating at him in “Sokka’s Master,” why he’s panic-protecting Suki--he’ll answer, but often talks around the actual issue. (Interestingly, it’s in regard to Suki we see the most explicit manifestation of Sokka grieving as Azula taunts him during the invasion: he cries, he attacks Azula, he yells and questions her despite the fact he knows she’s wasting their time. I think this one hits him because, as this beautiful post points out, Suki’s the protector in the relationship, and Sokka can actually chill out for 2 seconds. But he let his guard down, and Azula got Suki. Anyway. That’s probably a different essay: back to the matter at hand.) We even see this in “Boiling Rock.” There’s a moment where they think Hakoda is not with the other political prisoners. Sokka’s tense, drawn tight, but the only thing he says is, “No.”

Basically, we’ve got Katara, who grieves loudly and rages and is kinda like white-water rapids that churn and churn and churn. And we’ve got Sokka, who, to quote John Mulaney, looks at his grief and says, “I’ll just keep all my emotions right here and then one day I’ll die.” Iceberg grief, to keep the water metaphor going.

And where did these come from? Yup! Water Tribe gender roles! What we know from the show is that, while the South is typically more progressive (women can train as benders and marry who they want, at least) than the North, it’s still very rigid: the men are warriors/hunters/protectors, the women stay home to cook/clean/child-rear.

Now: subtext! And why I think they are this way!

We’ll start with Katara. The last waterbender in the South Pole. She no doubt grew up doted on. If I say she’s most likely a little spoiled, I don’t mean it in a bad way--I mean it in a she’s the last living remnant of this aspect of their culture kind of way. When raiders come, she’s probably the first priority to protect. Kya dies to keep her safe. Her needs are generally put before the community as a whole. (This isn’t to say that Katara doesn’t contribute or care about her community, because she 100% does). But! Especially in Book 1, we see Katara often considering her opinions as facts (trusting Jet, the waterbending scroll) and doesn’t always pause to consider the larger impact that her actions will have (scroll and Jet again, challenging Pakku, dressing up as the Painted Lady despite the fact the factory will hold the village responsible). And many of these actions are good! But we see a lot of Katara being pretty self-centered--what can I do, how does this impact me, how do I feel about this? And this isn’t a bad thing! This aspect of her character makes her complicated and complex! Katara loves her family and protecting people and caring for them! She’s extremely empathetic! But she also struggles to meet people where they’re at when they emote in a different way than she does (see: her clashes with Toph, her initial problems with Zuko joining the group, the above interaction with Sokka). It’s also worth talking about how Katara witnessed her mother’s death, which no doubt makes her grief about it a sharper thing.

Then, again, Sokka. Also loved in his community! But a normal kind of love, I’d assume. He probably was raised on stories of the Fire Nation dragging waterbenders away. No one exemplifies the Water Tribe ride-or-die mentality quite as well as Sokka, or the gender roles of the man as the warrior/protector, so you gotta believe Hakoda raised that kid to look after his sister at all costs, which we see throughout the show (already preparing to go after Aang in the South Pole because he know Katara’s going anyway, “You burned my sister!”) And he isn’t there when his mom dies. He finds out later. He goes from feeling like a victor who helped chased the raiders away to the worst realization of his life. I have to imagine he’s ashamed by the fact that he thought everything was going to be okay, which leads into his worldview of assuming that nothing is okay ever in any circumstance.

Finally, Hakoda. Who never, unless I’ve forgotten something, talks about Kya. All we know is that their family fell apart after her death (per Sokka in “The Runaway,” learning how Katara stepped up to hold everything together) and sometime after he took the warriors and straight up left. He apologizes for leaving but doesn’t address the fact that he left Katara and Sokka with no parents at all, only the war. This is, uh, not exactly echoing a healthy coping mechanism?

My theory: Kya dies. Since the Water Tribe is so embedded in gender roles, Hakoda probably shut down and/or checked out emotionally for a while. This leaves his kids on their own to deal with their shit, and we learn Katara does everything she can to keep her family going. As the most protected individual in the South, Katara’s probably been taught that emotions equal attention, and uses her temper/caring/sadness to help bring her community closer. Meanwhile, Sokka, who hero worships his dad, watches Hakoda go stoic and learns that “real men” shove their shit down. Additionally, Katara’s grief is deafeningly loud, and Sokka’s number 1 role is to keep Katara safe. He’s taught that the Bad Feelings only get in the way and make things worse, and so he learns to be fine no matter what kind of terrible is going down around him.  Basically, Katara learns to use grief as a needle and thread, and Sokka learns to bury it as deep as he can and avoid it at all costs. Opposite reactions to the same trauma. Katara gets mad and demands to be heard and listened to and seen, and Sokka gets sarcastic and prepares himself for the day the Fire Nation ships come back for his sister.

So. Back to those above lines from “Southern Raiders.”

From a writing standpoint, I do wish the final moment was between Katara and Sokka versus Katara and Aang. They could’ve had an almost identical interaction, but it would’ve been more nuanced. I don’t think that Katara needed to apologize, but I think we needed some acknowledgement from both of them: Katara continuing the lesson she’s learned about how her pain doesn’t entitle her to hurt other people (including Sokka, who is there no matter what she says or does), and Sokka that Katara’s process of grieving had to involve this catharsis.

Or. Maybe not. Because again--subtext. Their grief works in such different ways that I have to imagine this isn’t a new fight. It was probably brutal and vicious for a very long time. Maybe that’s part of what made Sokka try and go with the warriors. Maybe that’s part of why Katara gets mad so quickly in the first episode of the show. But eventually, unable to find an answer, they just...stop talking about it. Because the two of them don’t talk about it. Katara only talks about her mom with people who aren’t Sokka, and Sokka does exclusively to Toph and Zuko.

The only time I can think of Katara and Sokka talking about it together is the exchange at the top of this post, and it gets ugly fast, and it isn’t brought up again. It’s a fight that will never be resolved, because they fundamentally can’t react to one another in a way that can be universally understood.

“You didn’t love her the way I did!” Katara yells, loudly, because if Sokka loved her then why isn’t he raging? Why isn’t he getting his sword and coming to help her? Why doesn’t Sokka want to burn this firebender to the ground and make him see and hear and look at what he’s done to the world? To their family? He must not understand. He must not care as much or he’d be screaming with her.

“Katara,” Sokka says, much quieter, and adds nothing else. Not because there isn’t anything else to say, but because Sokka can’t talk about this kind of thing. Not doesn’t want to, but can’t, because it’s his job to protect people, protect Katara, and if he lets all those old hurts come boiling up he can’t do that, because that ends with losing focus and losing control and people getting hurt or going away. Why can’t she understand that?

And then they do what they always do. They don’t bring it up again.

[dwlrmoon]

Astrological Analysis: I.M "Duality"

An astrological analysis of I.M's solo album "Duality" & how his astrological placements manifest through the songs. Changkyun said that he poured his entire soul into this album, so I thought it'll be really cool to dissect the songs in the astrological lens because I'm in love with his artistry.

REMINDER

Observed & analyzed through western tropical astrology; we are missing information due to lack of confirmed birth time, so I can only deliver using the traditional 7 planets (mainly the personal chart) without a house system.

DUALITY

Having the album entitled "Duality" with songs expressing this topic (esp. the title track) reminds me of his Aquarius placements, mainly the Sun. I.M has his Sun in detriment, meaning that his Sun is "weak" or uncomfortable in that sign. As the sister sign of Leo, Aquarius symbolizes celebrities, fame, the star in tarot, as well as hopes & dreams. Aquarius can represent notoriety & infamy while simultaneously having the stereotype of the loner or outsider, not wanting to be perceived or "understood."

Using traditional rulership, Aquarius is ruled by Saturn who also rules Capricorn. If Capricorn rules authorities & conformities, Aquarius is the rebellious younger sibling refusing to conform & rather revolt, deviating from the norm. I.M placed his artistry in precedence; convincing SSE to use God Damn as the title track despite the profanity requiring him to release this album digitally in addition to him creating the tracks in his own style that may or may not be in line with k-pop or Monsta X.

GOD DAMN

In true I.M fashion the song & MV are very concupiscent, & since I already talked about the duality that is expressed through this song, let's talk about the MV specifically. Pisces rules escapism & addiction & his Pisces Venus was very on brand to go with alcohol as the imagery of getting high to hide from his frustrations. This piece is highly self-reflective & he encourages listeners to read between the lines, it's quite Saturnian in nature. I also love how the lyrics have that duality of hating & loving whoever/whatever that is ruining/comforting him—I really associate this with his Martian Moon (him assigning Misbehave as the song that represents him is so... Aries Moon).

HOWLIN'

No more taming 'bout my color I swing 'till I get, what’s the problem? Problem I ain't follow simply what I see I go follow what I need 'Cause I see that I'm loyal Imma go on my speed, even I'm slow

The 1st verse reminds me a lot of his Saturnian + Martian energy—no more wanting to be someone he's not, doing his own thing without care of what others may think. However, the last 2 lines really highlight the fixed modality of his Aquarius: I love that he says he's loyal even if he goes on his speed which can be slow; he doesn't care as long as he gets there.

I don't celebrate 'till I make it till the end Ain't time for the 'hol up' You want me be a shade but I'm made for a big wave Ain't time for the 'hol up'

This song has a lot of Saturnian themes esp. the chorus. It reminds us that Saturn rules time—he doesn't succumb to the challenges & distractions or "hold ups," rather focusing on his goal & only celebrating once he reaches the mountaintop. Saturn is karmic, it takes its sweet time to give you your rewards that you must work laboriously for. He knows he's made for something bigger (Aquarius), & with his perseverance (fixed), determination & passion (Aquarius Mars + Aries Moon), he will be rewarded despite all the struggles (Saturn).

Don't call me, I'm drivin' I just wanna keep on ballin’ Even though when you are hatin’ Woah Grab me when I'm fallin’ 'Cause I make myself so lonely You know that I'm howlin'

However, Saturn can be extremely isolating & Aquarius is akin to the underdog. Of course we don't know where his placements are, but his Pisces Venus contributes to that isolation. He feels lonely & he knows that, but he inevitable makes himself lonely which Aquarius natives can do when they develop that mentality of me v.s. the world sometimes. Keep in mind that Aquarius rules community yet the outsider, showcasing that wanting to be alone while wanting someone to be there for him. Saturn is burden & he's a lone wolf used to being alone carrying all that burden himself.

BURN

The night has become cold and now it's a meaningless fight I don't wanna waste my time on the past time Endless shot, let me head to the top I don't wanna waste my time on the past time Burn the accumulated emotions, burn Burn everything without leaving anything, burn

An Aries Moon anthem? I find that Aries placements love having fire/burning imagery if not in their songs then in their MVs. Aries is Martian, cardinal & fire by nature, which means that Aries Moons may get irritated fairly quickly—a quick temper? But they get over it super quickly, kind of like blowing off steam & then letting it go right after. The Moon rules our emotions, & I think the lyrics speak for itself here. The allusion to the fight is very Martian as well.

I'm mixed and complex, yeah I don't know myself well, eh Yesterday I couldn't empty it out, yeah I'd rather burn it, yeah The tears that fell are oil Make the flame burn higher Pour it out, no more regrets Burn it all up and high, yeah

I really enjoy I.M's introspective & intrapersonal nature; he always says he doesn't know himself well & accepts that rather than fighting it. He accepts all facets of himself, & that's very refreshing. The 2nd verse made me chuckle a little bit because the first 2 lines look Aquarius while the rest is Aries. Not to mention he has an Aquarius Mars conjunct Sun, so, more Martian energy there. Cardinal + Martian give me that attitude he portrays very well in this song—throw some more oil, let it burn more so that there'll be no regrets. Another Aries placement who wrote something like this? Yoongi.

HAPPY TO DIE

I could die right now, yeah I can never lie, yeah You bring me to sky Let me be yours till I die When you say goodbye, yeah Bury me on your heart, yeah Don't you say that word Could you keep it till I die? You brought me back to the real love I wanna get lost here forever

There is so much to unpack in this little song... The chorus is a mixture of Saturnian commitment & Aries headstrong, passionate reckless energy motivated by his romanticist Pisces Venus. The title itself, the whole concept of this song, is fundamentally Pisces (his DSC would be really cool to talk about here, if we had the birth time, but we don't, so).

We're childish like we were when we used to play back then I let go of rationality as if I'm drawn by the wind I don't know what this feeling is Even if I try to pretend I don't know, everything seems to be obvious, yeah I don't know, I like it the way it is I don't know me well, I don't know I guess it's not a lie that I really like you I'm happy to die right now

Verse 1 truly has my heart in a grip. He has a rational & intellectually-minded Saturnian Mercury & Sun, yet once he's in love he gets enamoured & childish, rendered completely irrational. It's giving me Aries meets Pisces—of the moment, idealistic, just overwhelming emotions taking control of his Saturnian mind, which I find funny because he has Moon square Mercury.

Things of mine might go away and shape Will just change, but don't you change When I'm low, could you make me not alone? I could die right now if we were just this crazy about each other

Pisces is sentimental & can represent past lives, that feeling of being stuck in the past? Pisces Venus is visionary & idealistic, they're more in love with the idea of love than love itself sometimes. Here we see that theme of isolation again, his Aquarius could play a role here, but his Pisces placements are also desperate to be loved. The last line, like said before, is utterly Pisces because Romeo & Juliet is known to be a Pisces type of relationship, plus with that Aries Moon... it just makes sense since Aries Moons love the rush & passion.

시든 꽃 FLOWER-ED

Somehow I have no strength to resist I stay right where I am It's not like I'm longing for someone But I'm standing there

Personally loving how his songs gradually grow more & more Piscean? The overwhelming emotion of yearning with no one to long for is so Pisces/Jupiterian Venus in general. Like I said, they're idealistic & in love with the idea of love more than anything—not the happy kind of love either. I notice that Jupiterian Venuses play with the theme of wanting a lot, mainly because they are ruled by the planet of expansion. Distance is a huge theme in Jupiterian signs, & they idealize that.

When you step on me like it's nothing I desperately want you to come back and hug mе I deeply remember your smilе that laughed at me While I was being illuminated by you

Because Pisces placements love the idea of love & the feeling of longing for someone they can get into the habit of sacrificing themselves, hence their association with the hanged man in tarot. They are too focused on the fantasy of love to take off their rose tinted glasses.

I don't really blame you I know your days by my side Have faded away Please don't disappear, oh

The hand that held me, the eyes that captured me are all blind The scattered hands, the shining eyes are gone

I don't know what else to say here, like, I think you guys understand how these verses really depicts his Pisces Venus very well... With a Venus conjunct Saturn it can really emphasize isolation & rejection as well—this aspect feels like they are deprived of love, so they crave it desperately even if it hurts them which is a theme of Pisces. Him titling this track "withered flower" in Korean is so Pisces Venus of him overall.

[nerdygaymormon]

Letter to a Friend

I have a friend who’s grandchild has come out a genderqueer, has a new name and pronouns, and it’s hard for my friend. I sent him a letter to help reframe things, hoping it would help him better accept the changes. I’d like to share that letter here. There’s probably better ways to say some of what I said, but I hope you find these words affirming and useful.

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I know this will be far more liberal than you're used to, but I have some thoughts which I hope are useful as you think about and interact with your grandchild.

You may not be happy. You may be scared. You may be uncomfortable. This may challenge your worldview. 

You're entitled to, and allowed to feel whatever way you feel. Don’t belittle your own feelings, but certainly don’t belittle theirs. You can’t change who they are. You never could. 

You can be a part of their life.  You can bear witness to the person they will become. 

You can care about them and be there for them no matter whether you agree with what they’re doing or not. 

Studies show that accepting your grandchild is a form of suicide prevention. Much of the world is going to challenge them, they need to be affirmed, told they're loved and welcome and wanted. 

You can make trans people happy or miserable but you cannot make trans people cis In the end, everyone is different but they are still people. They are still the person that you knew before they came out to you. The only difference is that now you know, and are privy to, a more authentic and more real version of them than you were before.

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There is no one scientific test that can unambiguously determine sex, let alone gender

There's the outer reproductive organs, the part we see. Most people have a penis or vulva, and there are intersex whose genitals are ambiguous 

There's inner reproductive organs. Some people with a vulva do not have a uterus. Some people with a penis have a uterus.

There's chromosomes. Most people are XX or XY. Some people are born with XXX, XXY, XYY chromosomes. Some people with XY have a key part that's been knocked off the Y and they physically develop as a woman

There's hormones. There are women who produce high levels of testosterone and are forbidden from women's athletics because they're too masculine. Women with high levels of testosterone may experience deepening of the voice, increased muscle mass, enlarged clitoris, or frontal balding similar to men, and it's associated with infertility. Their hormonal variance can play a significant role in how they experience gender.

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Gender is more complex than biological sex. Instead of being about body parts, it’s more about how you’re expected to act because of your sex. It’s a social and legal status, and set of expectations from society, about behaviors, characteristics, and thoughts. Each culture has standards about the way that people should behave based on their gender. Gender identity is how you feel inside and how you express your gender through clothing, behavior, and personal appearance.

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Our Church Handbook says "Members and nonmembers who identify as transgender--and their family and friends--should be treated with sensitivity, kindness, compassion, and an abundance of Christlike love. All are welcome to attend Sacrament Meeting, other Sunday meetings, and social events of the Church."

Elder Renlund teaches that "doctrine can never be used to justify treating others with anything less than respect and dignity."

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My trans friends say the experience isn't choosing to be a girl or a boy. There's an identity in our head. Transitioning doesn't make someone a girl. Being a girl might make someone transition.

You identify as male, even if there were a horrible accident and you lost your genitals, your identity would still be male. Imagine feeling like you're a man, but everyone insists you're a girl, and must wear girl clothes, and have a girl name, and play with dolls and be in groups with the girls.

As a trans person grows up and physically matures, it feels like their body is betraying them, in the case of a trans man by growing breasts, rounder hips, and menstruating. This can cause mental discomfort or distress every time they look in the mirror and are reminded their body doesn't fit their self-image. This is called body dysphoria and it usually has serious co-occuring mental health issues.

Attempts to alleviate gender dysphoria by changing the patient's gender identity to reflect assigned sex (what their birth certificate says) have been ineffective, the standard treatment now is helping the person to adapt to their gender incongruence and also biological interventions.

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I think part of religion is to get us to participate in Jesus’ passion for the transformation of this world into a world of justice and peace. How we treat other people, especially those who are not in the mainstream & widely accepted, who are fiscally, mentally, or physically challenged, it's as if we did it to Jesus.  

Whether or not we understand the trans experience, we can be respectful, call them by their name, allow them to use the bathroom without investigating if they're in the 'right' room, fight discrimination they face in employment and housing. Trans people face levels of violence and murder rates higher than any other population in the USA, we need to fix this. At a minimum, we can choose not to make their life more challenging. They deserve decent lives.

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You mentioned it's hard to call your grandchild by their new name. Think of a name as a gift given by the parents. Gifts are not obligations. We often find a gift is not as useful to us as the giver hoped.

In our society, it's traditional for women to change their surnames when they get married. We usually don't ask what is her maiden name and insist on calling her by her 'real' name, we call her by her married name. Many celebrities have chosen a new name for show business, heck, for years Prince went by an unpronounceable symbol and everyone called him 'the artist formerly known as Prince.'

We can do the same for trans people. We each should be called by the name we want, whether it's a nickname, our given name, our middle name, a name we chose. 

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Some people get upset that using they/them pronouns for a person isn’t grammatically correct.

English doesn’t have a gender neutral third person singular pronoun that can politely be used to refer to a human being, which is a deficit that because gender neutral humans do in fact exist

Grammatical or not, people use 'they' when a person’s gender isn’t specified because it’s much easier to say than “he or she”

A person’s comfort is more important than being grammatically correct

Language evolves. Singular "they" is now in the dictionary

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Being attracted to someone is not a sin. Feeling that you’re in the wrong sort of body is not a sin. These feelings are not right or wrong, they just are. I don’t know why these things occur, but I do know that gay/trans are both natural variants of human beings.

We are all made in God's image. Being gay or trans is part of the image of God. If we look at God's creations, it seems obvious that God loves diversity. It's hard for me to believe that God makes someone trans and then doesn't want them to express their gender. 

My trans friends view every step forward as becoming closer to what God meant for them to be in His image. They are in partnership with God in creating themselves, sort of like while we were given a loaf of bread, they were given flour and yeast and they get to participate in the act of creation. There are a lot of different kinds of bread that can be made. It’s an opportunity to collaborate with God that most of us don’t get. If this is actually missteps, God is forgiving and recognizes our heart and intentions and understanding.

People regularly make changes to their bodies. Women get breast augmentation. My brother-in-law had lasik surgery on his eyes, my friend has had a knee replacement. Many people get tattoos. Lots have face lifts or tummy tucks or hair follicle transplants. We don't condemn cis people for altering their bodies whether for medical, cosmetic, or mental well being.

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Think about Adam & Eve. God creates the first person from the earth and calls it adam, which is Hebrew for "human" or "mankind." God takes a side of the human and creates another human, which sounds like they must have identical DNA, which would mean they're identical twins. No wonder they couldn't reproduce while in the Garden of Eden. 

The adam calls itself ish which is Hebrew for "man" and calls the second person ishshah meaning "woman," not for their genitals but because the woman came out of the man. 

As a result of the Fall, death is introduced and reproduction becomes necessary. The second human is told she will become pregnant and bear children. Her name now is changed to Eve, which is the Hebrew word for "living." This emphasizes that prior to the Fall she wasn't able to create life and be a mother. Perhaps the Fall is when Eve was transformed to biologically be able to reproduce with Adam. This story can be used to support trans people.

Many people read the Genesis account and think "male and female" are the only two options. Another way to look at it is that these are two ends of a spectrum and there's everything in between, similar to when we say "A to Z" or "Alpha and Omega"

Regardless of whether this interpretation of the creation & Fall of Adam & Eve makes sense to you, we learn that every single person has inherent value as being in the image of God. We're all sacred and we're expected to love each other. 

----------------

Deuteronomy 23:1 banned men with damaged genitals from taking part in Israel’s worshipping community. Eunuchs were loathed and considered unacceptable for admission to the “assembly of the Lord.”  At the time, eunuchs were seen as “other,” they were gender non-binary and a sexual minority.

In Isaiah 56 the Lord says: “Do not let the eunuch say, ‘I am just a dry tree.’…I will give them a name better than sons and daughters…for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.” This is reversing Deut. 23:1 and inviting all eunuchs who love God to join the worshiping community.

It’s not just that eunuchs would be allowed, but that they’ll have a place greater than sons or daughters. It’s a radical inclusiveness, there is no one who is marginalized in God’s eyes.

Who are these Jewish eunuchs that Isaiah speaks of? In Isaiah 39 it’s predicted that certain sons of Judah would one day be made into eunuchs. The king’s sons “shall be taken away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon” (2 Kings 20:18). The prophecy came true when Nebuchadnezzar sieges Jerusalem, destroys the temple, and most of the people of Judah are carried into Babylon. It was standard practice to castrate captives for royal court service, especially conquered nobles.

In the Book of Daniel we meet Ashpenaz, chief of the Babylonian eunuchs. He was put in charge of the new eunuchs brought in from Judah, the princes and chief young men who had been castrated in fulfillment of prophecy (2 Kings 20:18; Isaiah 39:7). Among these were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednedgo. They are likely teenagers or possibly in their early twenties. These four were castrated after puberty, which would leave them sexual function and a sex drive, but not the ability to impregnate. Typically such persons weren’t permitted relationships with women, but were allowed with men.

Daniel 1:9 “Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.” Here we find a relationship exists between Daniel and Ashpenaz. Ashepenaz is the only romantic interest or sexual partner mentioned with Daniel in the Bible.  And notice who was responsible for Daniel and Ashpenaz having this physical relationship—God.

Daniel is one of the most honored and respected figures in the Bible. In speaking to the prophet Ezekiel, God associated Daniel with Noah and Job, that’s pretty good company. And Jesus honored Daniel as a prophet and spoke of his visions being fulfilled.

In family-focused denominations like the LDS Church, Daniel reminds us that people without children, for whatever reason, aren’t to be treated as second-class citizens and should be provided opportunities to fully participate in religious life.

Continuing the idea of radical inclusion, Jesus later declares that eunuchs (including men who don't have desires for women) are exempt from male/female marriage. One of the very first non-Jewish Christian converts is the Ethiopian Eunuch in the book of Acts.

Queer people don't need to ask to be let into God's Kingdom, they're already in.

----------------

[niji-translated]

“Hold Your Breath” – tst-movie Interview

Translation by me (niji-translated)

[If you wish to use any of my translations, please ask]

Link to original interview:

Hulu Original ‘Hold Your Breath’ Episode 3, Murakami Nijiro Interview

The one thing that cannot be missing when getting married.

Reporter A: Shinpei and yourself seem to be people very different from each other to me, but were you aware of any similarities?

Nijiro: I’ve known Director Nakagawa Ryutarou a long time, so he know a lot about me. I thought “you know me, and you’re making a parody”. Therefore, him and myself are not that different, I feel that just the world changed. Even if it’s like I’m playing myself, if it didn’t look like that, I feel that we succeeded.

Reporter A: Shinpei isn’t accepted by society, but aren’t you accepted by society?

Nijiro: I rarely think I’m accepted by society. I’ve always been a social misfit, everyday I live with this thinking. When I can have a normal conversation with you like this, I think I’m doing well, and yet when I get home I’ll think “I knew it,  I'm still not doing this right" And I’ll go right back. (laughs). It’s a fleeting feeling.

Reporter A: That’s unexpected.

Nijiro: Is it really? When I’m home alone, I can’t help thinking ‘where are your social skills?’ I can have a conversation like this, but I’ll keep thinking ‘what was I doing then?’

Myson (main interviewer): I thought it was interesting that it was a short story this time. Do you have a different approach when you play a role that starts off with a lot of information compared to a role where you can let your imagination run wild?

Nijiro: Pain, suffering, crying and so on, of course there is always a lot of space, meaning to them and the amount of time you put in doesn’t change. I think it’s less difficult for me to show bigger emotions, that’s been with me from the start. I don’t think I’m very good at it now, but when I look at my early works, I think I’m more like myself when I say something like “Ahhhh!!”

(laughs). “Good morning” and “by the way”, and so on, those are the most difficult. Since this work is the latter, it was a challenge for me (laughs). Especially from where I was a few years ago, I couldn't have done this, I’m not changing my approach at all, but for me this kind of work has a higher level of difficulty.

Myson: Performing the everyday is more difficult, did you start with the "what is natural?" approach, then?

Nijiro: I think there is also that, because you’re depicting something the norm, I think performing something universal is difficult. Universal, I mean, by majority, which means it’s the majority that will be observing and judging, there’s a feeling that it’s more demanding. (laughs)

Myson: Certainly! (laughs). However, during the quarrel scene, when you’re very angry, it’s like there’s a half smile, I could see the excitement in your eyes. I thought it was very realistic

Nijiro: Is it? But, I also have a huge complex about the universal. I may be completely misunderstanding this, but when I’m talking to people, eating meals, when going out on site with new people, sometimes it’s like there’s some kind of tension and pressure points are very different, mostly they don’t match. This is my own experiences and feelings, I often feel that I enjoy things differently to everyone else, I have a huge complex about others (laughs). I don’t mean that in a bad way, you saying ‘ it was realistic’, that makes me happy.

Myson: This work is about people who live along the Tama-gawa, but if work and corona have nothing to do with it, what city or what kind of place would you want to live in?

Nijiro: I really like the city, but I want to live with animals. I was born in Tokyo, and I believe my roots are in Tokyo, but I grew up in the countryside, I was in the wilderness for a lot of my time, especially during my adolescence. At that time I lived with goats and birds, cats and so on, therefore there’s a feeling that living with animals is natural. It’s not like ‘Princess Mononoke’ but I love big animals, I want to live with something extreme, like bears or something.

Myson & Reporter A: Ehhh!???

Nijiro: Looking at social media, aren’t there a lot of animal videos? Overseas you can see men playing with bears, and I really like when fierce animals like tigers or something are cute when they’re babies. I also like squirrel monkeys and cats, birds and other small animals, they’re cute, I want to live with all of them. But, I love Tokyo and I love the city therefore, seeking the two extremes you’d definitely need a lot of money, right. I’m an actor who films away from home, so I’m not really suited to that kind of life. Desires and work don’t match, what can I do? (laughs). It’s not like I’d have a sitter raise them. If I’m not there, then there’s no point.

Myson: Certainly! (laughs)

Nijiro: Like learning asset management, I think it’s not that easy (laughs). This might be a bad way of putting it but, in my mind, I think of marriage as a contract that the partner will keep animals as well. It’s not a contract with a woman, it’s a ‘contract to raise animals together’.

Myson: Hahahaha!

Nijiro: If not that, then I won’t get married, or at least have a de-facto marriage.

Myson: That’s the most important thing in order to marry!

Nijiro: It is important, isn’t it. How did we get talking about this? (laughs)

Myson: We were talking about where you want to live. (laughs)

Nijiro: Where I want to live, well I'm not wrong then!

Everyone: Hahahaha!

As a child I felt a distance from the entertainment industry

Myson: As a small child I guess the entertainment industry felt close to home, but how did you become interested in actors and the job itself? Did it feel natural that you would become an actor?

Nijiro: Maybe it was the reverse. By my school and my parents I was banned from all media, so my intake of drama and movies, compared to people who grow up in a world with normal TV, it was about a tenth of that. I used to watch “Rookies” in secret, but I knew very little about it, so I couldn’t admire it. I did have manga and games though. So instead this world was rather far away. I have opportunities to meet various people close to my parents, but those kind of people are so over the top, there are a lot of people who look the opposite of celebrity (laughs). In that sense, my generation, and the generation below my parents is still fresh. Because I was born during my parents busiest time, I was raised by my grandmother, and even though I was small, I had a vague thought of “why ain’t ya around?”. In that sense, I vaguely didn’t like it. When I was still a small child I didn’t know how great my dads performance is, but before I realised it, I started to understand. Now that I’m an actor I think I understand it more.

Myson: I don’t know if this is the right way to ask, but,  do you enjoy being an actor?

Nijiro: I don’t know anything else, in that way it’s painful because it’s the only thing I know. Makes me wonder if there’s something more fun than this, you know. Because we want what we don’t have. Therefore, I don’t know how fun it is as an average, but I think I’m still continuing because I’m still enjoying it.

Myson: How about acting overseas? Do you have any interest?

Nijiro: Not that it isn’t possible at all, but I don’t think it’s possible to speak slang like a native in a film. I’d be happy to have those kinds of opportunities, like voice acting in Wes Anderson’s films, like Nagase’s role in Jim Jarmunsch’s ‘Patterson’, of course I’m interested. But, if I was going to spend all that time on English, I think I’d sooner be reborn. Of course, I’d study more if I had if i get that kind of opportunity.

Myson: I see. How do you usually choose the films you watch?

Nijiro: What is it, huh, it has a shine, doesn’t it? All the information I want to get now.. That’s a bit of a sparkly statement. (laughs).

Myson: No, no, no, hahaha! Do you watch both Western and Japanese films?

Nijiro: That doesn’t matter at all, I’ll watch anything including dramas and documentaries.

Myson: It’s like buying the jacket visuals and watching it.

Nijiro: In other words, I’m very influenced by the visuals. No matter how good the cast is, if I’m not attracted to the poster I’ll put off watching it. The visuals are the most important. I think this is good and bad though. After I started acting, I always had a natural appetite to watch things, even if it wasn’t something I needed to know or feel right away, if it may or may not be useful right now, lately that’s changed little by little. That’s not a good part of it, since there’s no guarantees, and there’s a feeling that you can’t afford to spend too much time on something that you get nothing from. It’s right to get what you need most, but I haven’t surprised myself much recently, it’s like I’m not surprised at all anymore, I think the reason is because I don’t touch anything I’m not sure of. Right now it’s not easy to go for a drink but, for example, when I go out of a drink and I think ‘I’m 80% likely to not enjoy myself if I go there’, then I won’t go, but the remaining 20% is very important, isn’t it? There’s the possibility of that roughly 20% could make me think ‘that was really fun!” I think I need to do more with that small percent.

Myson: Thank you very much!

[paulinedorchester]

Mercury Pictures Presents, by Anthony Marra. New York: Hogarth, 2022.

Before I became a Chicagoan, I was a fourth-generation Californian. My father and I were both born there, and my grandparents and great-grandparents lived there after immigrating from what are now Moldova and Ukraine early in the last century. My uncle and other relatives served in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. It’s thus rather embarrassing that I know so little about the West Coast home front. One should really read a non-fiction book on the subject, of course; but until I get around to doing that, I can at least say that I know a good deal more than I used to after reading this thoroughly enjoyable novel.

(Okay, thoroughly enjoyable? I spent a lot of time laughing as I read Mercury Pictures Presents, but its underlying historical events, of course, aren’t funny at all. With that in mind, here are some trigger warnings: fascism in Europe and its consequences; disguised fascism in the United States and its consequences; period-typical sexism and racism; parent-child tensions; a suicide. And I should add that almost everybody could, potentially, be offended, disappointed, or both by some element or other of this novel. In theory, that includes me. I read it anyway.)

Mercury Pictures is a fictional “poverty row” movie studio. (I specify that it’s an invention because many real-life persons, institutions and events are part of the story.) By mid-1941, a significant part of its workforce is made up of people who speak English as a second language. Among them are the studio’s owners, Artie and Ned Feldman, identical twin brothers born in Silesia, who can barely conceal their mutual loathing. (Unlike most of the others, they immigrated as children.) Artie, Mercury’s head of production, is an idealist whose insistence on putting out interventionist films warning the public about events in Europe has brought Mercury Pictures into the sights of the Senate Investigation into Motion Picture War Propaganda. Ned, the closest thing the story has to an on-the-page villain, is a bean-counter whose divorce from morality includes contributions to the election or re-election campaigns of any number of isolationist (read: Republican) politicians. (And then there’s his string of gentile ex-wives.)

They’re only one part of a big, complicated story, though. This novel has at least half a dozen protagonists. Through extensive flashbacks, we learn in detail what brought each of them to where they are in the late summer of 1941. (Marra also includes flash-forwards that tell us what becomes of some of them after the war. Some of the endings are happy; others, less so.) With this in mind, I’m going to stop summarizing now; if I don’t, I’ll end up with something like my previous book review (albeit with much less personal ruminating). Instead, I’ll just say that I highly recommend Mercury Pictures Presents, and then I’ll talk about another aspect of it, one that I’m sure is of burning interest to many people reading this: its adaptability!

It’s a highly cinematic novel, and I could see it being played out as I read it — high praise coming from me! It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that the rights have already been sold. It would be quite disappointing as a feature film, I suspect: the story’s length and complexity would require drastic cutting. We are fortunate to be living in a new golden age of television, but even as a mini-series it would be challenging (and costly) to do this really well. There’s plenty of excellent dialogue, but a great deal of the plot, including most of the jokes, is contained in narration or interior monologue. Substantial parts of the story take place in Germany or Italy, before, during, and after the war; those scenes would need to be filmed on location, in German or Italian. Several leading roles would have to be played by actors equally comfortable with dialogue in (accented) English and the character’s native language. So I’d be anxious about the results of any attempt — but I’d love to see it attempted!

[uponrightful]

So, I love possessive, jealous Crosshair 🥵 Tell me about this scene (please?):

“Trouble doesn’t suit you, doll.” He murmured lowly, soft voice contrasting the slight pressure over her pulse point and the swell of her hip. Crosshair was all-consuming and Dutch was weak to do anything but try to stay silent under his pressing weight and commanding presence at her back.

Also, I’d love to know what Echo was thinking once Cross went to the fresher after Dutch.

You’re the best! 😘

Commentary Track for Coriolis Effect

Copy 500 words -or more- of any of my fics and I'll give you my thoughts/rambles on what was going through my head -or the character's- when I wrote it!

*send one in here anytime!*

My oh my! 😍 What spicy scene we have here. I'll start with what's going on with Crosshair first, then I'll come back for Echo and the rest of the Batch. haha

***

Crosshair is fuming with rage during his conversation with Echo: It's that kind of bodily energy you get after watching a action-movie, where your whole body feels tired, but it's twitching with adrenaline that can't be spent or released. That kind of feeling you can't get rid of no matter what you do to ignore it, or work through it. Your mind feels like it working so fast that it's in slow-motion, overanalyzing the smallest details until your grinding your teeth because there's nothing else that helps relieve the pressure.

But the second he enters the refresher all of that energy snaps from anger and fear for Duchess, into dead calm. His inner voice stops screaming and evens out in tone and his hands stop shaking. His breathing slows and the second Cross sees her standing there, it's like he's been meditating deeply for hours. This kind of concentration is only present in Crosshair one other time... And you guessed it. When he's shooting.

Note: This is the epitome of Crosshair's ability to manage impulse-control in unfamiliar -and stressful- situations. Key-word here being "unfamiliar." I firmly believe that Cross is painfully terrible at monitoring and expressing his emotions. He has so many of them all the time that from a young age he had to learn how to turn them off in a moments notice, simply so he could survive. Think about it... How can a sniper worry about his brothers dying right before his eyes and still make clean shots? Not even Crosshair can do that. So the second he's certain Dutch is safe -by visually proving her health- that well-trained nature takes over to protect him like it always does.

Crosshair -at this point- isn't sure what he wants. He needs to touch her though, remind himself that she's tangible and within reach. Not that he isn't aware of his effect on her, but this moment isn't about sexual appeal or attraction. This is desperation, and Crosshair knows that; He's just banking on the hope that she'll let him, because she's always done so. He feels safe with Duchess, and even though this feels/looks sexy, Crosshair feels completely vulnerable right now.

Note: I will say it now; Once and for all. I have never subscribed to the idea that Crosshair is a typical Dominant/BDSM/Sadisim kind of guy. And the distinction is all to do with motivation. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out why he acts the way he does, and how that manifests itself. So when I planned this scene, I wanted to focus on just how strong his desire to have security is. Not prowess, or control. It's all to do with the desperate need he has to prove how he feels about her. That kind of vulnerability just comes easier to him physically than it does emotionally. Duchess gives him a sense of stability -in and out of the sexual sense- that makes his characterization insanely complex and difficult to balance.

The moment he finds his words, it's a compulsory need to cover his own jealousy. Crosshair is undoubtedly unhappy knowing she went out with Regs... but what's really bothering him is how easy it is to feel so strongly for Duchess. Every time he speaks, it's intentionally driving attention towards someone else, and away from his own desire to be the focus of her attention. Cross uses his fear of her being unsafe to mask the jealousy that constantly compares himself to the others who can give her attention more freely than he can personally. Duchess sees his calm nature as patience and precision, but it's really Crosshair planning out what he's going to say because he knows one wrong move will reveal just how desperate he is to have her acceptance of him.

Note: I've never struggled to balance possessiveness and love like I have with Crosshair. He's so intense that if I'm not careful, he comes off like a walking red-flag. Word choice is essential when getting Cross' character and reactions right. Whether it be the way he talks to her, or the way he naturally falls into a protector role. That's why when I'm writing for him, it takes double the time it does to write anything else. Every movement, every word he says, needs to be written like he says it in the moment. That's the only way to show his softness... because the love that he gives is best felt in person. You can't describe Crosshair's love with words easily.

Now for sweet, sweet, Echo.

Let me preface this by saying: Echo is his brother's keeper. There is a relationship there that goes far deeper than the ones Crosshair holds for his other brothers. It happened slowly, but it wasn't until the two of them were too far into it that either recognized what had happened. Their personalities are something that wouldn't really mix on first glance, but for some reason or another, they just get each other. It's natural, and they gravitate towards each other.

That being said, Duchess and Echo are their own kind of dynamic. I see them as the "platonic-soulmate" kind. She has an intensity that Echo marvels at, and Dutch knows she could take any problem to him and he would do anything to help her. They both see something in the other that they wish they still had, or could develop. It's probably the purest friendship Duchess has ever had, and Echo can't help but harken back to Fives when he sees her attitude -in future chapters.

Note: From the first moment I created Duchess, I just knew in my heart she was meant to be something special to Echo. To me, it was only right that Crosshair's doll would feel strongly connected to Echo as well. Add in their common feeling of loss for brothers, and that just made their relationship that much stronger. She's such a force, and the ARC trooper can't help but find a enamorment with people who have such a strong will and fiery personality. (See Fives)

The moment Echo sees Crosshair, he's already preparing to do anything necessary to protect Duchess from incurring another possible hit to her bruised emotions. Echo trusts Crosshair, but he's highly attentive to Cross and how raw his emotions are. Their interaction is based in Echo's desire to save the couple from losing the chance to do things the right way. Intuition and experience guide Echo through the whole conversation; He really is flying by the seat of his blacks here... But he's so well-versed in reading Crosshair that none of the other Batcher's even think about offering to be the first one Crosshair faces when he comes in the bunk hall. Echo has unmatched faith in Cross, and this was something both of them knew would happen.

Note: Writing this scene was challenging for a number of reasons. For one, neither Echo or Crosshair really talk a whole lot. They say what they need to, and that's the end of it. So I spent days watching Echo and Crosshair's interactions. Trying to figure out what I could based off the -very little- examples I was given. In that, I found that the two of them hardly ever stand next to each other, but they're constantly sharing glances and looking at each other. Echo and Crosshair have silent conversations all. the. time.

Had Echo not allowed Crosshair to go and see Duchess, their sexy scene would have never happened. (And I played around with that idea very seriously...) Ultimately, Echo's intuition was the deciding factor. That conversation, and Crosshair's attempt at honesty was the reason Echo felt confident in letting him speak to her. And although Echo could sense Crosshair's patience running thin, he'd already told the rest of the Batch to be prepared for any fight. Echo wouldn't put it past Cross to stun him, but a gut-feeling kept him from mentally preparing to do the same thing.

Additionally, it was Echo who made everyone leave the bunk hall. The second Crosshair and himself reached an agreement, Echo was the first to step away. His next move was to shove the rest of the Batch out the doors and give Duchess and Crosshair the privacy needed to work through their shit. And although he expected it to end in sex, the desire to keep their business between them alone was Echo's main motivation to empty the bunk room. Neither Crosshair or Duchess really trust the Batch at this moment -in Echo's mind at least- and risking their privacy wasn't something the ARC would stand for. In the back of his mind though, Echo was terrified that Crosshair would fuck her and leave it at that. He's seen the sniper at his best and his worst, and although his best is wonderful, his worst can be miserable to endure. Echo was praying that Crosshair wouldn't be too harsh -physically and mentally- on Duchess.

When Hunter finally decided enough time had passed, Echo was on edge to see just where the two of them would be. The image of them sleeping in separate bunks: Crosshair pretending to sleep -like always- and Duchess laying quietly and pretending like nothing happened shook Echo to his core. But the second he saw her bunk in a disarray, and her not in it, Echo couldn't help but fucking grin. He was proud of his brother for doing the right thing. For doing something for himself, and not worrying about how it would make him look for once. Add in the way Crosshair reprimanded Tech, and how deathly serious he looked with her sleeping peacefully against him...?

That was the moment Echo knew for certain that Crosshair was never coming back from this. He saw a visible change in his brother, in the way his attitude changed. The way Crosshair wasn't worried about himself, or attempting to hide behind sneers and sarcastic comments. Echo noticed how attuned he was to her in that moment, putting her comfort above all else. For a man who pretended to not care about anything, Crosshair did a terrible job of hiding his true personality when Duchess was curled up into him. And Echo couldn't be happier, knowing that his trust in Crosshair hadn't been for nothing. Not only was his brother experiencing love in a way that all of them desired, but Duchess was never going to live with the question of whether or not someone truly cared for her.

***

I hope this was what you were looking for in-terms of answers 😅. I had a great time writing this for you, and I hope you'll feel comfortable doing this again whenever you feel like it! I love sharing the behind-the-scenes stuff with you! It makes the cuts and editing feel a little less sad knowing I might be able to share some of it with you anyways!

[zuzuslastbraincell]

☕ atla comics

been a while since i read them very closely but they’re largely trash imo.

they mostly serve as a springboard to LoK’s setting, something i’m not particularly interested in and prefer to ignore, since it’s informed greatly by western-style imperialism and liberal perspectives on modernity and politics. since ATLA is set in a late feudal / early industrial period, with at best clearly flawed and short-sighted leaders (at worst rampant imperialists), the show writers are not as invested in defending the 'status quo’ and while there are moments (e.g. Jet, Hama) where the writers’ political leanings end up manifesting in ham-fisted ways that condemn certain types of anti-imperialist resistance that do not agree with their liberal perspectives, ATLA largely serves as a decent, serviceable critique of imperialism and imperialistic war.

The comics, however, have the heroes in the driving seat of political power, with the end goal of setting up LoK’s worldstate, and that means they do some bafflingly irritating things especially r.e. Yu Dao / Republic City. IMO, I would actually be fine with Zuko, who has only recently challenged his own imperialistic upbringings, on receiving the crown and basically being left to rule a nation who at its very core is driven by an imperialist, hierarchical understanding of the world, and backsliding somewhat on those principles. Like, he is living in a palace, no longer surrounded by ardent anti-imperialists, most probably surrounded by advisors and officials with imperialistic mindsets, while he is trying to draw a line somewhere between a vision of the Fire Nation that rejects the core principles of imperialism and a Fire Nation that could be palatable to his people, not understanding the ‘people’ he is listening to right now are the elite who are able to get anywhere near close to the palace. I don’t think that Zuko being wrong is actually out of the question. What frustrates me is that this isn’t challenged and deconstructed, Zuko doesn’t realise he’s out of touch, what frustrates me is that they reach a ‘compromise’ on an issue that shouldn’t be compromised on, that Aang & co. don’t push back and say ‘nah this land belongs to the EK you’re in the wrong here’. That can’t happen, obviously, as Republic City needs to exist, and Republic City needs to be Aang and Zuko’s pet project (nevermind it’s not their land! not their people! not their business!). The conclusion reached doesn’t have anything meaningful to say about imperialism and doesn’t see the fact that the heroes are in positions of political power as an interesting opportunity to examine what being in power means and how your perspectives can shift due to your elevated position.

My other main issue is that pretty much every character is flattened, simplified, and is lacking in depth.

Katara largely just follows Aang around. She doesn’t have many meaningful arcs of her own, doesn’t develop as a character or contribute much to the plot. I recall one arc in particular showing Katara being ignored / neglected by Aang while he’s getting a load of attention and it’s frustrating how that could have been a good moment of character conflict that doesn’t.... go anywhere. Ugh.

Sokka is largely reduced to dumb comic relief, ironically, the very role that the show took pains to avoid Sokka being exactly that.

Azula I could write an essay on, but largely I hate that she was thrown in an institution without that idea ever being considered cruel or hurtful (like, incarceration isn’t fun!) and just turns her into a flat, spiteful villain and implies there’s no hope for her. Bad!

Ursa shifts from a complex character who loved her family & committed treason for them even though it’s implied she was otherwise loyal and committed to the nation before then, and is portrayed as an “uncomplicated” victim. Furthermore, despite abandoning her children, despite erasing her memory of them and replacing them, this is never treated as morally complicated decision, as a failing.

There’s more honestly. I could go on. Why are the Kyoshi warriors serving the Fire Lord? The Fire Lord who 1. who burnt down their island 2. leads the nation the world was at war with? (I love the fact that we see more Suki, and Suki & Zuko interaction, but this is not how I want to see it). Then there’s the whole way Toph & her parents are handled..... ugh. Lots of bad.

The new art style in ‘Imbalance’ is lovely, imo, but the plot of that comic is predicated on a lot of worldbuilding r.e. Yu Dao / Republic City, as well as Toph’s relationship with her parents, and contrived conflicts between benders and non-benders which don’t speak true to the actual axis of oppression (ie. between fire nation colonials and earth nation citizens) that was at play not too long ago.

I liked Katara & the Pirate’s Silver, it was a fun, sweet story, and IMO I’d definitely be interested in more side-stories that don’t touch the mess that is ATLA’s post-canon situation.

[imthepunchlord]

so I recently read through your "Always a hero"-works. And now I am hooked on LfM. And while Adrien Seems so much different from canon, he really isn't? Marinette not being in his "friends-folder" means he sees no reason believing her over Chloe. (I cannot recall situations like that in canon but when does canon explore sidecharas much other than to akumatize them)

It essentially is canon Adrien, though been focusing on his worst aspects as we’re going into 4 seasons, and those issues have yet to be addressed and I’m a tad salty and LfM is a salt fic response fic. And Adrien for a while will have that salty focus. Largely because

And yeah, canon won’t put focus on side characters (or even truly focus on our lead herself) as those characters have to circle around the love square, their akumas, or 

Actually the most we got is Chloe. 

She got focus outside Adrien and the love square. Unfortunately, all her focus was a big waste of our time and essentially another tease of “is she going to be redeemed or not”. Ultimately not and its like, why even bother spending two seasons focusing on will she won’t she be better. That could’ve been shortened down to one. Now she’s a very irritating character and canon wise, I don’t want to see her with another miraculous ever again. 

Which is a shame as I was one of many up to see Chloe redeemed, especially since I’m fed up with the idea that 14 yos girls are irredeemable but Gabriel will probably be redeemed. It shouldn’t be like that for Chloe or Lila. But they want to push that these girls are absolutely evil, more so than the active terrorist who is a neglectful father and by Chat Blanc abusive so... 

It’s also a big shame cause there was so much potential in the side characters outside love square and Adrien. 

Putting this under cut cause I just go off and it gets lenthy. 

Alya could’ve had an amazing arc if she was a full time hero. Could’ve had a struggle of balancing her hero and civilian lives, as one she is essentially living her dream. Another option is learning, hey, being a hero isn’t all glory and glamour. And depending on the miraculous, there was more to learn, especially since I myself am not big on her having Fox anymore and there are better alternatives, both in matching her but also teaching her things she needs to learn. She could learn to be more of a team player and to be more conscious of her friends as when she gets going in her goals, she can be quite inconsiderate. She can also learn to be more self conscious of her own security as she can rival Adrien in reckless behavior around akumas. And in truth, any miraculous can teach her the importance of secrecy, not Fox exclusively. 

Honestly, Alya and Nino should’ve had their miraculous swapped (most characters actually don’t have a miraculous that suits them in terms of kwami,  powers, or/and symbolism).  Alya at the core is meant to be a supportive friend that is supposed to have her friends’ back, but also prefers to be on the front lines. Turtle would allow this, and teach her to be more aware of the danger she and her friends are in. It won’t essentially stop her reactive behavior, but she can learn to be more smart about it. 

And with Nino, it was always weird to me how popular it was for him to get Turtle. And then it happened in canon and I’m just put off by the assignment. Nino at the core isn’t a character that wants to be on the front lines, but Turtle is a miraculous that is meant to be on the front lines as a protector. Nino is a support role, but not in that sense. Fox would’ve been better as its more designed to help from the shadows. It won’t be as aesthetically pleasing still as Nino is so color coded for Peafowl, but would fit better as it allows Nino to be a background support. It would also help him learn to be more observant and aware of others, and wanting to be a director, you need to learn to put on a good show that draws your audience in. Mirage can give him a chance to truly practice this. Mindful, Fox still isn’t my top pick for Nino (I think Fox would be more fitting with Marinette or Felix), Peafowl still is as that’s what he is coded for, and even canon wise, it would be a more fitting miraculous for him than Turtle. But of what Fu has, Fox would’ve been the better pick for Nino. 

And speaking of Nino, it’s revealed from a tweet from Thomas that Nino had lost an older brother and that his hat belonged to him. That actually gives Nino an emotional tie in to the plot as, while he wants his brother back, he wouldn’t go to the extent that Gabriel is. 

Classmate wise, there’s potential too. 

Origins shows that everyone was afraid of Ivan and assumed the worst of him, he could’ve had an arc of changing those views. Go from being feared to being seen as a hero to trust. A source of protection and security. 

Juleka wants to shine out more. But she struggles in that spotlight and to even be heard. She could have an arc about being heard, and building her confidence. 

Rose is a girl ruled by her heart and is full of love and trust for others. It could be interesting seeing her have a miraculous and struggling with the factor that fighting is involved, but she herself is a pacifist (at least I get that impression). And that can be an interesting thing to explore, as she’s not wrong, but sometimes fighting is the only way. She can also learn to be more conscious that there are those who will take advantage of her and will have active malicious intents to her and others. 

Kim actually states that he wants to be a hero. Not only could him as a hero be fun, it could help him mature as a character and be more serious, as akumas demand focus and be treated as serious. Copycat shows that he can be an observant character, I’d be intrigue to see ML’s residential himbo be surprisingly observant and offer up advise to his friends. 

And of alternative love interests... 

Well, this is more Kagami than Luka, at least in terms of character potential and an arc to see. Though, as of now, if all the predictions are correct SPOILER ALERT, Lies will break up Adrien and Kagami, to me its going to make them another Chloe. More specifically, why did we spend two seasons building up and teasing these alternative love interests only to immediately break them up at the start of s4. 

To me, that sets them up as pointless inclusions who ultimately didn’t bring anything to the narrative. 

Either way, this is about character potentials and I see more potential to explore with Kagami than Luka, and that’s more on the writers and how they handle Luka as most Luka episodes wound up more about Adrien than him. So he is largely a character I just don’t know what to do with. 

Kagami though, she’s an aggressive character that could learn to cool it, she wants to branch out/rebel from her mother, she wants to make friends but struggles with it, and can learn to be more conscious of others and step up into the hero role, of helping others. 

Honestly, working solely off Riptose, she would’ve been a better rival for Adrien than Marinette. Not just as a love rival, which he truly has yet to have, but a rival in general. While she wants to branch out from her mother’s influence, fencing is still her passion and her goal, something Adrien himself lacks. Outside being romantically involved with LB, he has no passion or goal for himself. Kagami can challenge this, why is he here when he doesn’t truly care about fencing? 

And as a romantic rival, she’s one of the few who doesn’t need a miraculous to join fights, she can vigilante to assist LB and pay her back for her helping in cleansing her, but could end showing that she’s a better partner to LB as she takes things more seriously and is more battle smart in fights. Which ultimately would force Adrien to step up his game, take things more seriously, and wise up for throwing a tantrum will only take you so far. Especially when there’s a 3rd party member that’s judging you for your immaturity and shows LB she doesn’t have to bow to his whims just because he’s having a tantrum. 

...You know, maybe Luka then would’ve been better as Marinette’s rival. Not a love rival, Marinette has enough between Chloe, Lila, and Adrien’s fanclub. But more of a rival for Ladybug. Though, it won’t so much be an arc for Luka himself but one for Marinette. If Kagami and Luka are supposed to help Adrien and Marinette grow, then this at least keeps in that theme. 

With the show taking a turn that Marinette is feeling overwhelmed and stressed with her role as a hero and now Guardian, and slightly playing off Origins and her doubts of whether she’s a good hero; Luka could’ve been an interesting character for her to come across and consider. Ultimately, he is set up to be a very solid hero: he is calm, mature, shown to be a planner, and considerate and aware of others. Only thing he has against him is that he’s a removed character and is mostly seen sitting on that boat. 

Romance between them I’d leave as optional, but it could be intriguing to see Marinette considering the possibility of retiring as Ladybug and passing it on to Luka so she can fully embrace her Guardian duties and not be so overwhelmed. And in general, it is a big wonder, who would take over as the Ladybug if Marinette has to leave and not come back, or that she can’t balance between being a hero and being the Guardian (and in truth, Tikki is no longer a good kwami for Marinette to have as she’s developing an Atlas complex through her and she hasn’t been helpful as a guide and adviser in a long time). 

Now the show writers would butcher this, but it could’ve been interesting to see. Maybe Luka could’ve been a means to help her learn to manage things better if she has to stay LB and Guardian. 

But yeah, it’s a shame that this show won’t delve past the LS which has long since gotten stale and quite toxic. There’s a lot of potential, but they won’t touch it. Won’t care to. 

[doctortwhohiddles]

Tom is the only one who has a say on how he wants his career to go. - exactly. If you don’t like it, stan someone else. I became a fan of Tom because of his acting and I think he chooses really interesting roles. They aren’t always huge hits (HR, OLLA) but I love the films and find the roles a bit off the beaten path and can see how he’d find them interesting and challenging. Even something like TES, while not a huge hit was well received and I absolutely loved it and him in it. If I didn’t like what he was doing I’d leave. I did that for another actor. That person is still a good actor, I was just bored by what I considered the same role over and over. But I didn’t complain about him. I just moved on. As for Tom, I can’t wait for Loki s2 and The White Darkness. He’s not just doing Loki. People like to use that as an excuse. If you don’t want to see him in Marvel, but you also don’t want to see him in complex prestige drama, well, you are stanning the wrong actor. That had been his career for over a decade and he seems perfectly satisfied.

Loki is an interesting character with lots of layers and they did a really good job with him on the show. Also, it's pretty clear that Tom still has fun playing him so why should he stop? Most of us could retire with the money he made with season 1. It does offer him financial security, which in turn allows him to be more picky with his other projects.

You're absolutely right about leaving a fandom. If you're not interested in an actor anymore (for whatever reason), you can just walk away. I honestly don't get the point of starting a hate blog about an actor you don't care about anymore. Just move on, it's not that complicated.