#but i usually end up focusing on one to the complete detriment of the other

[headspace-hotel]

re: ohio chemical disaster

OP of the post I reblogged earlier regarding this turned off reblogs (understandable have a nice day) but I got a request to put the information in its own post, so here.

First thing: PLEASE be careful about claims that "The Media" is suppressing something as part of a malicious agenda, or that an event has been purposefully manufactured by "The Media" to distract from something else.

Not only is this a really common disinformation tactic (not only urging you to share/reblog quickly, but discouraging you from fact checking), treating "The Media" as a monolithic entity with purposeful agency and a specific, malicious agenda—particularly one that manufactures events to "distract" from other events—is a red flag for conspiracy theories.

There's already a post in the tag attributing the supposed lack of media coverage to "reptilians." Please connect the dots here.

Second—"the news isn't focusing on this as much as I think they should" is not a media blackout. Every major USA news source is reporting on the Ohio train derailment. Googling returns at least 4 pages of results from major news media sources. Even just googling "Ohio" gets you plenty of results about it.

This is an unusual amount of media attention for a U.S. environmental disaster.

Because this kind of thing happens all the damn time.

The "media blackout" narrative gives the impression that this is an unusual event that isn't receiving wall to wall coverage only because it's being suppressed—when the reality is that similar disasters happen a lot, and hardly ever get the attention the Ohio disaster is getting.

Consider this example, not too far from my local area: A few years ago, almost 2,000 tons of radioactive fracking waste were illegally dumped in an Eastern Kentucky municipal landfill, directly across from a middle school. Leachate from that landfill goes into the Kentucky River, which is where most of the central part of the state gets its drinking water. As far as we know, the radioactive waste isn't leaking yet, but it could start leaking at any time.

Zero national news sources covered this. Why? If I was to hazard a guess, I would say "because it's business as usual for the fossil fuel industry."

Consider also the case of Martin County, KY, which has had foul-smelling, contaminated drinking water for decades. Former coal country in Appalachia is poisoned and toxic, and laws have little power to punish the companies that created the destruction.

What happened in Ohio is just a little window into a whole world of horrors.

The Martin County coal slurry spill that is still poisoning the water 20 years later killed literally everything in the water for miles downstream (a book Mom read said 70 miles of the Ohio river were made completely lifeless). It was 30 times larger than the Exxon-Valdez oil spill, and it was in some sense "covered up"—in the sense that the Bush administration shut down the investigation because the Republicans are buddies with the fossil fuel industry, and proceeded to relax regulations even further.

Seriously, read that wiki article to get pissed enough to eat glass.

Hopefully the Ohio chemical spill will inspire real action to institute regulations to prevent shit like this from ever happening again. It's not the end of the world. It's not radically different from what industries have been causing the whole damn time. It is pretty bad.

I would urge everyone to actually search up information about it instead of getting news from Tiktok or Twitter, because the more false information gets distributed, the less momentum any effort to respond with improved regulations and changes to prevent future disasters will have. Plenty of facts here *are* public and being publicly discussed and pretending that they're not is actively detrimental.

[lanitalay]

Among Flames and Starlight Chapter 4

A/n: ok so THIS IS VERY FUN EXCITING CHAPTER FOR THIS STORY.

Warnings: slut shaming, a lil blood, beron

Word count: 3.4k

Other Chapters

His maroon sleeve brushed against her bare arm. As fast as she could, Irene clasped her hands together on her lap. Cassian grumbled, picking up his glass of wine and downing it in one gulp. He signaled for one of the servants to fill it again and asked them to “not let it get empty.” Cassian was the only one of the Night Court with her, Azriel had been instructed to accompany Victoria as she was assigned to a different table tonight and Rhysand was sitting with his mother.

“Good evening” he greeted. Gods, his voice. She had never heard him speak. Earlier he had remained silent and the group left before he had the chance to say anything. If Irene knew how melodic it was she would have lingered. Drops of blood gathered in her palms as she pierced her skin with her nails. That was a completely inappropriate thought. He was a monster. Cassian tipped the glass his way in lieu of speaking. Irene nodded in acknowledgement. 

“You’re not usually this civilized soldier,” Eris remarked. Irene reached for an embellished linen napkin and wiped her hands clean. Cassian leveled a look at him that promised hurt, vengeance. “It takes all of my self control to not rip your throat out” the Illyrian replied in a steady voice. 

“You’re not still upset about the ordeal with Morrigan are you? That was so long ago I’ve basically forgotten about it” Irene’s brows shot up and she looked to Cassian, who was sitting across from her. His hands balled up in fists, nostrils flaring and lips pulling back to reveal sharp canines. Before he could say-or do- anything Irene interjected.

“It’s disappointing that you are exactly what everyone says.” 

Eris turned his head to fully face her but Irene did not meet his gaze, focusing on the bread in front of her. She was spreading butter on a roll as Eris responded “you speak? I thought Rhysand had you as a muted little wh-” Cassian slammed his fist on the table causing the cutlery and porcelain to rattle. “That’s enough, Eris.” Irene’s face was red. Neck, cheeks and eyes burning. 

“You reek of him, you know? It 's nauseating.” 

Irene turned her head and looked directly into his honeyed eyes. Shame pulsing through her veins for having admired them hours before. “Rude, vulgar, hot headed, unintelligent and weak. Wasn’t your father considering his heir might be the youngest Vanserra? What’s his name? Lucien?” She picked her glass of wine and sipped, feigning nonchalance. “I suggest you don’t burn all the bridges you have with other courts, emissary might be the only position left for you after your kid-brother ascends the throne.”

“I don’t consider an exchange with an Illyrian bastard and a half-blood concubine to be detrimental to my diplomatic relations.” Cassian picked up the sharpest knife in front of him and made to lunge forward. His raised hand was stopped by his shadow who promptly dragged him out of the hall. Irene threw her napkin on the table and followed after them. 

“Cassian, you didn’t have to lose your cool like that, now Celene will hear about it and probably the High Lord and it will be a bigger mess” Irene reprimanded her friend while he watched her pace the length of the sitting room in the apartments. “He was running his mouth, Ire. He has no reason to insult you. It’s fine if it's just me, but he doesn’t even know you.” Irene squeezed between her brows, in an attempt to alleviate the tension then asked “how long is he going to be chained like that?” Cassian’s appointed babysitter had chained him to a column, instead of taking him to the dungeons, upon Irene’s insistence. 

“When the High Lord orders me to free him, he will be freed.” 

“Mother above,” Celene’s voice made Irene flinch. She would not want to be at the end of the glare Cassian was receiving. Beside her, Rhysand tried to suppress a shit eating grin, Azriel shook his head in disapproval and Victoria’s eyes bulged from her head.

“Explain, now” the Lady demanded. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Irene fanned her face white an artisanal fan that Victoria had insisted she pack. It was useful as they stood under the blaring sun. The new docks Tarquin had ordered were enormous. There was a ship docked at every bridge and even more littered across the turquoise bay. They were being inaugurated today. Six ships destined for each of the courts, excluding Summer, were lined up in the middle of the docks. Each High Lord stood behind their designated ship with a bottle of sparkling wine. It was a pristine day for a sail, the skies clear and a steady breeze was sweeping from the East. 

Tarquin was finishing up a speech about this new chapter for the Courts and how “prosperity will reign upon the land.” Irene was sweating, the fan not doing enough. It did not help that Eris was next to her and he seemed to radiate heat. She had tried her best to move to another spot but the crowds were packed tightly on the narrow bridge to the docks. It was not meant for holding such a large group of fae, it was built so merchants could anticipate which ships were rolling in. She was biting her tongue because something told her he was doing it on purpose. Manipulating the temperature so that she’d be miserable. 

Victoria had soothed her last night, saying that everyone had petty dramas with other courts “Rhys can’t stand Tamlin, he plays nice but only to keep the peace and Cassian has an enemy in probably every court.” But Irene wasn’t thrilled about having Eris for an enemy, if that’s what it was. 

She counted each flap of her fan, each mast on the ships, everytime Tarquin said the word “prosperity” and she counted the seconds that passed. Even if it seemed that time had stopped in this excruciating moment.

It was indeed passing, if ever so slowly. 

The six ships set off and the High Lords threw the bottles of sparkling wine until they collided on the wood, dousing the stern with the bubbly nectar. The crowd cheered and promptly left the bridge. Irene remained in her place since the person beside her refused to move. “Do you mind?” She asked him. “What’s the hurry?” Eris retorted, “can’t handle the heat?” Irene rolled her eyes and waited for the crowd to thin out before going around him and finding her friends. She walked until she reached the shade under a large tree and breathed in the summer air. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced. The salt opened her airways, it felt like breathing for the first time.

Velaris seemed cruel compared to Adriata. 

Sharp, familiar talons scraped along her mental shields and Rhysand told Irene where to meet him. “There you are, darling” he smiled as she neared him. He held out his hand, Irene looked to see if anyone else was around before taking it. “You don’t have to be so paranoid, even if people found out about us it wouldn’t be a big deal.” He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

 “You won’t get called a whore and concubine but I will, Rhys.” He stopped walking, turning to her “who said that to you?” She shook her head “I don’t feel like talking about it.” Realization flashed across his features “it was Eris, right? That’s why Cassian got locked up?”

“Can we not talk about it?” Irene pleaded.

“Why didn’t you just tell me? Why didn’t he?”

She took a deep breath. “I would have been mortified if he told your mother and your sister that Eris Vanserra said I reek of you, that I’m your plaything. So he omitted those details because it was embarrassing. Now, please let's just have a nice day at the beach.”

Rhysand relented and winnowed them the rest of the way. When Irene opened her eyes again she was in awe. They were in a small cove. It was just about the size of her bedroom in the town house. White and smooth sand, a coral reef protected the beach so there were no waves. It was a crystalline pool of pure blue. “This is where I wanted to take you, I found this beach years ago and it's always empty.” 

“It's breathtaking, Rhys.” She turned and stepped on her tiptoes to kiss him. He placed his hands on her thighs, signaling for her to jump and wrap her legs around him. She did and then the kiss deepened. Her fingers ran through his hair and she pulled his face away just a bit to say “thank you for bringing me here.” 

It was a scene she would have loved to freeze. To live in forever. They swam in the water, lounged on the sand, made love under the shade of a palm tree without the worry of someone seeing them. She wanted this forever.

Him, forever. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Irene stared at her reflection yet again. Tonight was the grand ball,  signaling the end of the celebrations. Her gown tonight was a dark violet color, the fabric weaved with reflective fibers that made it shimmer. The fabric was silky and it cascaded around her curves beautifully. The top covered her chest and wrapped around her neck like a halter. Her back was fully exposed down to just above her underwear. Victoria insisted she put her hair up to show the dress off. So she pinned her locks into a tight bun, adorning it with a silver hair piece to match the bracelets and earrings she wore. She lined her eyes with kohl and tinted her lips in a deep berry shade. 

When Rhysand saw her walking into the sitting room he knew it was over for him. He wanted to cage her against the wall and draw out all of the little noises he loved so much. Wanted to kiss every inch of her exposed skin. Wanted to see her only in the bracelets and earrings. He maintained his composure and with gritted teeth watched as she looped her arm with Azriel’s. He would be her escort tonight, since Cassian was freed from the chains but forbidden to attend the ball, or any other event. And, since Rhys would be dancing with a list of prearranged matches, all with females who could offer potentially advantageous connections.

His father had made that list and one for Victoria as well. 

When the entourage entered the Grand Ballroom the party was in full swing. Dancing, drinking, eating and a fair bit of laughing transformed the marble lined room into a paradise of indulgence. Rhysand was quickly ordered to dance with a female from Winter. She was gorgeous but he could not help the way his eyes searched for Irene in the crowd. He relaxed when he saw her drinking wine and chatting with Azriel near the spread of food. 

“Do you want to dance?” Azriel asked, pointing to the whirl of revelers. “I do, there’s this one dance I’m dying to do. Hopefully they play it tonight.” He takes her hand and they join in the dancing. They are two songs in when the band starts playing a familiar intro. “This is it, Az!” He grimaces “I don’t know this one.” 

Irene frowns and says “oh, that’s fine, let’s just get something to drink instea-” Rhysand steps in front of them “I know this dance” and offers a hand. He knew it because she had taught him the basic movements of it on the beach. Irene beams and takes it, he swiftly leads her back to the dance floor where everyone else has positioned themselves. Right on queue the song moves into the first verse. All of the couples dance in a waltz around the room. 

“You’re doing great,” Irene reassures Rhys, who is leading her carefully to not crash into anyone else. Mind to mind he says “you’re making me crazy tonight, I’ve never seen a more beautiful creature” and smiles when he notices the blush staining her cheeks. “Now you spin me and dance with the person behind you, one, two, three-” he spins her and she lands in the arms of Varian, the High Lord of Summer's cousin. “Good evening, Lady Irene.” She quirks a brow, “how do you know my name?” He spins her once but brings her back to him and answers “I sent out your invitation, upon the insistence of Victoria.”  They separate but their hands remain clasped as they circle each other “oh! Thank you so much, she never mentioned who she had to bribe.” He places his hand on her waist again “it’s no problem, only next time leave Cassian at home.” Irene laughs “will do.” He spins her one more time and she reaches her final partner.

Rhysand clenched his jaw so hard he thought he might chip a tooth when he saw who Irene was dancing with. 

She suppressed a groan and an insult when Eris placed his hand on her back and grabbed her right hand with his own. Stay silent. Don’t engage. Look anywhere but him. “Your lordling seems to be unhappy with your current dance partner.” Eris is smirking when she meets his gaze. “So am I.”

He spins her once, not missing a beat. “He doesn’t like to share his toys, never has.” His lips graze her ear. Irene hisses. He spins her again, but instead of having her return to face him, he presses his chest against her back in a new variation of the dance. This makes her have a clear view of Rhys and his obvious scowl. “What was your name again?”

His voice brings her back to the moment. “Irene,” she answers flatly. 

“I meant your last name,” he spins her and they are face to face again. “Vallier.”

“I thought you looked familiar, I knew a Vallier during the war. Sad old male. Never understood what he was doing on a battlefield.” On instinct Irene dug her nails into Eris’ hand, deep enough to draw blood, and snapped “say one word about my father and I’ll have your head.” 

He chuckles, “it’s funny that you think you have some sort of upper hand.” They separated except their hands, now smeared in blood, circling each other. “You’re an ass,” Irene spits at him. She flinches as his palm becomes scolding. Her own searing in pain. She curses loudly. Eris leads her through the final movements in a blur of precision. She centers herself to the music. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. She returns to Rhys, enraged. 

“What happened?” He asked through her mind. Irene shook her head, not wanting to relive the last few moments so soon. What he said about her, about her father. It crossed a line. “Let’s just finish the dance” he nodded and continued to spin her through the final movements of the song. When it was over Rhysand held onto Irene’s right hand and inspected it. It felt rougher now, when he saw the burns on her fingers he tensed and when he saw the blood under her nails he stopped in his tracks. “He did this to you?” 

“Yes, now let’s get something to drink-” before she could finish her thought he was storming through the crowd, aiming straight towards Eris. Azriel, who had been observing the whole scene, intercepted him and dragged him out of the ballroom. Irene was right behind them when Victoria saw her and began telling her about how well a member of the Winter Court dances and how he never missed a beat. Irene concluded that Azriel could handle Rhysand; she would speak with him later that night. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

“I’ll kill him for this, Irene.” He said her hand in his, as he pressed a kiss to each of her scorched fingers. “It’s basically healed and I’m not a reason for another war. But I appreciate the sentiment.” 

“It wasn’t a joke, his days have been numbered since he left Mor for dead.” Irene pursed her lips, “hey, tomorrow we go back home and we can forget this happened. Let’s just say that for us, the trip ended this afternoon at the beach.” She leaned in and kissed his lips, then his cheeks and then she kissed down his neck. Rhysand groaned and Irene could feel the vibrations as she continued to kiss his chest, unbuttoning his shirt along the way. 

He stopped her, putting his hand on her chin and lifting her face to meet his gaze. “I swear to you, if he ever hurts you again, I will kill him.” Irene furrowed her brows as she felt a tingle along her ribs. “Why would you swear something like that?” Her heart sped up.

A bargain was not unimportant and Rhsyand had just chosen to mark both of their bodies with the promise of retribution. If he was willing to leave a mark so permanent… maybe her feelings were not as one sided as she thought. Maybe he loved her too. 

“Because I can’t stand to see him getting away with hurting the people I care about.” A pang in her chest brought her back to reality. He cared about her, she adored him. It was not the same. 

“Right, well, hopefully for him he never sees me again,” she forced a laugh, then a yawn. “It’s been a long day, Rhys, I should get some sleep.” He nodded, stood from her bed and left with a kiss goodnight. 

Irene finished packing the trunks she had barely riffled through and went to the apartment dining room for breakfast. She was the last one to sit down, everyone else was already halfway done with their food. “Good morning,” she greeted. While it was thrilling to be out of Velaris for the first time, she missed her home dearly. She missed the stables, the horses, the libraries, the priestesses, the dance lessons, her room... She did not miss the biting cold however, and would be sad to say goodbye to the warm weather. Even if she did not enjoy sweating, it was better than being halfway frozen anytime she stepped outside.

The table grumbled a collective “morning.” Irene made herself a plate and sat down. She stiffened when the High Lord walked in, he did not usually join them for meals. “Vallier,” he said her name in a way that made her cringe. “Yes, sir?” 

He remained standing. “Are you ready to go?” She scrunched her brows and answered “I just finished packing everything.” 

“Very well, take her away.” Irene’s eyes bulged as two guards dressed in orange and green uniforms rushed into the dining room. 

“What is going on?” Celene asked, standing from her chair. The High Lord motioned with his hand for the guards to go on. They grabbed each of Irene’s arms, yanking her from her seat. “Beron has been pestering me about a bride ever since Morrigan soiled herself. So I’m getting him-” he pointed to Irene now “and her off my back.” 

“What?” This time it was Victoria, “you can’t just sell her off. It 's not right-”  He silenced her with a snap of his fingers and she scratched against her throat as she attempted to fight back, but her powers were no match against a High Lord’s. 

Rhysand and his mother shared a look “she’s a member of this court-” but then he was silenced too. “She is not a member of the court, she is property of it and I have determined this is the best use of her.” 

Celene asked, “Who is her betrothed?” 

“I believe it is the oldest Vanserra.”

Irene had no words. None. Nothing she could say to stop it from happening. Nothing she could say to encapsulate the way her heart had sunk to her stomach. How Cassian and Azriel had paled. How Victoria’s eyes were red and watery as she watched Irene be dragged from the table. How Rhysand seemed to be paralyzed, only his erratic blinking an indication of distress. 

She remained silent all the way from the apartments to the landing balcony, where nine fae, all with red hair, were waiting.

 Waiting for her. 

Beron looked her up and down, assessing.

“She’ll do,” he said. Eris strode over to her and grabbed her arm with a too warm hand. She made to pull away, to run and scream for help. But his grasp was firm. 

Before she could shout they were already in Autumn. 

taglist: @sidthedollface2 @acourtofbatboydreams 

[cosmos-dot-semicolon]

what exactly about inscryption do you like, I don't remember asking

Inscryption has many, many good individual ideas in it. It has many ideas in it in general; every time I think about it I come up with another essay on the spot. They were perhaps accidental, but they're still there, and the dev's willingness to commit to the (usually kind of gauche) concept of sentient video game characters creates a story that you couldn't find anywhere else.

Act 1 (along with the demo) has an atmosphere that's unmatched by any other card game I've seen. It's this beautiful yet ominous chiaroscuro world with nothing but you, your playing pieces, and your captor sitting in a log den. And with how small it is, your imagination gets to run wild with the tales of the woods you're told, the sound design, and the lighting, as you die over and over again trying to find a way out. It's so good at building up mystery and suspense as you the mechanics start to shift and the cards in your deck change, and you prepare for the world to change.

The demo, Sacrifices Must Be Made, has an entirely different story and nails it. It has the same atmosphere as act 1, but because it's shorter and was made as a complete entry for Ludum Dare, its got a much steeper difficulty curve which really weaves into your desperation to survive and not starve. The self-mutilation mechanics that it has are so much more impactful than the main game because the matches are so rigged that you have to use them. There's so many small yet hard-hitting implications in each piece of dialogue. And the ending is a cruel but fitting one.

The Scrybes are compelling characters. They don't have much dialogue, but you can deduce a lot about them by their gameplay styles, and the way they treat their subordinates and/or the players. None of them are truly good or evil; even Leshy and Grimora are driven by selfishness and the belief that everything needs to burn respectively. It's a level of moral greyness that I never would've expected out of the guy who made Pony Island of all things.

The Scrybes also double as really interesting commentary on game design. P03 is basically a personification of the guy who won't stop min-maxing to everybody's detriment, Leshy values lore above balance, Magnificus loves spectacle but his deck is godawful to set up unless you have a super-mega plan in action. And even when one Scrybe takes over, they always have a secondary mechanic from one of the others in their campaign. I think it's accidental, but it's an amazing example of ludo-narrative assonance.

The post-game DLC has a small but heartfelt story about a game developer's work accidentally coming to life, and her finding a lot of solace in pouring her time into this new world in her computer even as her company threatens to burn all the work. It's far less intrusive than the lore-dumps in the main game, and the character Kaycee Hobbes is written as a much more realistic audience stand-in than the previous guy.

One of the last entries (which I haven't gotten to yet but have seen amazing art for) is just a wish from Kaycee that somebody out in the world will find her work and enjoy it. It's a poignant story about a creative field which isn't usually discussed in popular media, with uncomfortably real parallels to how the game industry works today. It doesn't entirely condemn getting obsessed with your work either, since it's clear that the disc is a sort of evil artefact and Kaycee continues to isolate herself as she works harder on it.

It's done in like. 12 paragraphs.

After playing one of the creator's most recent works, Voir Dire, it's clear that the guy works really well when he's focusing on a single concept and not trying to recreate that one creepypasta game of his that got big. The problem is that he seems to prefer to trying to tie everything together into an ARG/mystery multiverse thing above all else.

But that doesn't mean Inscryption doesn't have other parts of it to enjoy. Sometimes you just stumble into brilliance by total accident ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[s7arcr0sser]

I have to get this off my chest because I've seen these two get misunderstood a lot already, and with the little attention the pairing is given, maybe it's time to contribute some. If you're willing to read this please just keep an open mind, i understand that Buzz and Ozma aren't the fandom's favorite pairing especially because of the appeal some other non canon ships have (even i see it - i don't blame anyone for it) but it really makes me sad when bias influences people's ability to enjoy things outside of their main interest.

***i should also emphasize that this is just how i interpret it - the beauty of art is that it's subjective***

It always tics me off whenever someone says that Buzz is arrogant or anything of the type. The creators of the show describe his character as "...his biggest flaw is that he believes in his own legend." He's confident. He's overconfident even, which isn't without reason considering he has nearly 100% success rate. It's easy to confuse the two but the difference is in that, he does not belittle anyone and doesn't feel threatened by someone being as good as him or even better. There are times when he has joked at other people's expense (notably - Opposites attract, Speed trap and Plasma monster) but here's the catch - he always learns and by the end makes up for it. It's because he's not the stoic emotionless type of hero, he has personality and sometimes says things he doesn't fully think through. His whole team, Buzz included, loves throwing jabs at each other all the time, their goal never is to genuinely offend.

That leads to my next point. He always means well. Again, he never belittles ON PURPOSE. It's more or less confirmed he's introverted - before Team Lightyear, he worked alone and still loves spending time on his own. That means he likely spent most of his time around Warp and not much of anyone else, his communication skills aren't great because he focuses on his job too much and hasn't spent much time developing them. Sometimes he misses social cues and misunderstands situations or how people feel. He wasn't a jerk to Ty on purpose, everyone is constantly outdoing each other in praising his achievements so he had no idea it annoys Ty to pieces. The moment Buzz found out how he truthly feels he did everything he could to make up for it.

It's a recurring theme that Buzz isn't crazy about wildlife, it's not just his interactions with Ozma but the whole episode Dirty work is about that very topic. He's stubborn and because that's so far removed from his usual line of work he tries everything he can to use his old methods rather than to try something newer. Little by little he gives into it once he starts to allow himself to understand.

That character only cares about their working field, is willing to completely disregard anything that's outside of it, no matter how that may seem unethical to everyone else, and because they haven't gotten enough perspective from the other side they don't see why that's wrong, but is slowly learning throughout the show and could have gotten more development if the show continued.

I'm talking about Ozma this time. See how that can apply to both of them? Ozma is just as wrong as Buzz and they both can get across as irrational, but they actually are trying to protect what they believe in. Buzz doesn't care about nature and Ozma doesn't care about people - directly opposing fields, they are fighting for what the other would sacrifice. That's why their clash is so interesting, they have EVERYTHING in common, with just one difference that's so detrimental that it completely overwhelms their relationship.

Just like how Buzz is misunderstood to be arrogant, Ozma is misunderstood to be cold. She so isn't in the slightest. She treats the ugliest, most dangerous and scariest beast with utmost care and admiration, she gets excited at the sight of a rare specimen even if it could bite her head off in a second, and would risk her safety just to study or help it.

It's people where her enthusiasm dissolves, she is presented as introverted as well which is why sometimes she says things that don't come across all that great. Sure, sometimes she doesn't care because she's not interested in socializing, but she sometimes just doesn't know (example - the bloody water and floating guts comment in Beasts for Karn).

I gotta admit, it also confuses me how Buzz could come off as misogynistic towards Ozma - dammit that guy went in and memorized the most boring stuff in the universe (in his opinion) just to go in and try to impress her. He respects her work greatly - it's just in a field he's never cared for until now. Ozma could've been a male character and it would've been the same thing, because it's not Ozma herself that Buzz doesn't understand, but it's her cause.

He frankly just doesn't know how to act towards people he's interested in or that are interested in him. That's why he gives her unwanted validation - he's just genuinely impressed with her, which is why he's interested in the first place, but has no idea how to express it. He doesn't think any less of her.

Ozma was willing to team up with Zurg to protect the millennial bugs, Buzz was willing to kill Karnian beasts to get back on track with his mission. Both are just as bad, we gotta admit that. But throughout the three episodes we see them together, we see them learn to make more and more compromises for each other. They learn to see the other's perspective, and in their last chronological episode Return to Karn, they barely have fights at all (sure, there's a bit of banter, but it's nowhere near as agressive as it was before). I would kill to see how it would have progressed further.

She just reminds him of himself too much. Remember Good Ol' Buzz? He could barely stand himself because of how stubborn, abrupt and close minded he can be. It's the same thing with Ozma! She has the same traits, and so does he, and it turns into a screaming match until it turns into something else. Because that's just how they are.

So how the hell could this ever work for them? Simple - they are the only ones that could understand each other. With any other partner it would be "you chose your career over me!". If Buzz wasn't an awkward mess he could pull anyone he wants - he wants Ozma because she doesn't care who he is. Because she's brilliant, assertive, a badass and fearless. Because he has to prove himself and it doesn't come easy for him. If she doesn't care for his reputation, why is she interested? For the same reasons - he's just an awesome and determined person. He doesn't give up and believes in everything that is good, to the point of naivete. Because if anyone can give you hope in humanity's goodness, it's him.

And as much as I want to add the darker layer that Ozma might also be subconsciously reminding Buzz of Zurg but from a safe distance, that's a bit too much of a biased interpretation, and we might not be ready for that talk yet.

If you've read all of this, you're crazy, and thank you for coming to my ted talk

[finniestoncrane]

❓️(Dano!Riddler), 👀 (Stuck together in a small space), 🟤("Is it wrong that I'm enjoying this?", 🟠("I want to know how you taste."), 🟢("You better not fuck this up"). All 3 of these circles are his inner thoughts.

Dano!Riddler x Shy!Busty!Reader where they're both stuck on a crowded train and pressed up against each other. Reader's apologizing profusely about squishing him with their heavenly soft and huge rack, and Edward is trying his damndest to keep his cool about it (he is turned on like crazy and this is also the first time someone's touched him in like, years). But at the same time, he's also trying to use this as an oppurtunity to possibly segue into becoming friends with Reader. Whether he not he succeeds will be up to you. 😋

Bump

dano!riddler x gn!reader/stuck together in a small space oh ho this is...*clap clap clap* because this is got me blushing ;-; minors DNI!! 🔞 500 words, cw: awkward touching, flirting, cutie send me a request • kofi link • minors DNI • tag: finnie500

He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t been staring at your breasts the moment the train pulled into the station and he had caught a glimpse of you. Completely distracted, forgetting all social conventions and politeness, watching them bounce as you stepped onto the carriage. The unfortunate but blessed luck of you having to stand next to him, crushed closer and closer as the passengers continued to pile on.

Trying your best to avoid bumping into anyone, from taking up more than your fair share of the space, but one big rush from a final person had everyone surging together, and you were slammed directly into him, chest first, pressing him back to the wall with your breasts alone.

Entirely embarrassed, you looked up at him to apologise and saw he was evidently equally flustered by your encounter. His sweet, green eyes were wide, focused on the view he had from his height, his cheeks a ruddy pink, flushed and warm.

“I’m so sorry!”

“No, it’s nice…I mean it’s…fine…I mean…it’s not a problem.”

You giggled a little, offering your hands, crushed between your bodies, and your name.

“Oh, I’m…Edward.”

He tried to shake your hand, but brushed against your side, snatching his hand away and accidentally ending up hitting the underside of your chest.

“Ah! I’m…sorry.”

“Don’t worry, you can practically taste each other in the carriages at rush hour!”

“Oh god, I want to know how you taste.” He snapped himself away from that thought before it lingered too long. It would be detrimental to be literally drooling as he tried to speak to you.

“I wouldn’t know, I don’t usually take the train.”

His voice cracked on the last word as the train jostled, sending you into him, your breasts pressed into his body, the first time he had felt someone against him in years, soft, warm, comforting. He dug his fingers into his thighs within his pockets, trying to distract himself with something, anything.

“Is it wrong that I’m enjoying this? Better not enjoy it too much or…” His eyes drifted to your cleavage again, as the familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach gave warning of the worst-case scenario. He looked to the ceiling, trying desperately to think of anything else, as he felt himself twitch within his trousers.

“Oh, well, at least you’re stuck with me, I’m not some weird creep trying to feel you up!”

“Ha…yeah, that would be terrible!”

“That would be wonderful.”

You smiled at him. He was cute, sweet, definitely interested in you, or at least certain parts of you. When he noticed you looking, he blushed, clearing his throat and averting his gaze. When the train came to a stop, you were separated briefly, only spotting each other again as the throngs of passengers dissipated and left the station. He waved, awkwardly, and you walked over to him.

“Which way are you heading?”

He pointed.

“Same! Wanna…walk together?”

He nodded, mouth open slightly, unsure of how to speak.

“You better not fuck this up.”

Both of you, thinking the same thing as you left the station together.

[unma]

The Heretics - An Undertale AU

The Heretics AU is an AU I came up with mid-October while thinking up a Halloween fic. I never did post the Halloween fic (I posted a preview and the first draft was 90% done by Halloween) because I got busy, but that doesn't mean I'll just let it collect dust (like 90% of all my other wips). I've spent a bit more time thinking about it, and while a lot still isn't final, here's the premise.

The Heretics AU takes place in sorta medieval times (I am not the best at writing that period so there will be inconsistencies. Also, magic) and is centered around Frisk and Sans. It's Frans, of course.

Frisk is a nun (not really) isolated in a nunnery while Sans is a curious demon who stumbles onto her while bored one day. Frisk can't leave (for reasons that will become apparent once I finally post the goddamn fic) the town surrounding the nunnery while Sans sees this as an opportunity to laze around and cause mischief.

Frisk, Sans, and Ivan (a character unique to this au) are the main characters of the fic I was working on, as the rest of UT's cast doesn't show up. I planned for them too, but that would leave the oneshot even bigger than it was. Then again, I might split said oneshot. It's grown far too large.

More about the mechanics of the world under the cut.

In this AU, monsters are known as demons or devils, both are interchangeable here and will be used as such, though I prefer devils. I tend to slip into saying demons cause I called them that at first. They, of course, aren't malicious. They act as devils do, and get summoned to earth to perform wishes to the best of their ability. They aren't godlike or anything and more difficult wishes (or those out of the realm of possibility for normal humans) get sent to high-ranking demons. There isn't a hierarchy, ranks for demons determine how difficult the requests they take can be.

The payment for a wish varies wildly depending on both the difficulty of the wish and the devil's whims. For example, Sans can and will overcharge or undercharge depending on how he feels (or so he says, but it tends to do with his feelings on the task). Payment is decided before the wish is completed, and devils can always just pop back to hell if they decide against it taking the job.

While devils can and often will refuse jobs they deem morally evil, such as killing the vulnerable for reasons of greed and such, some devils will take the jobs anyway and go ahead with it. There is no rule against performing tasks of this kind, though it is frowned upon. Those who do it tend to with a catch; for example, Sans (yes, most of my examples will involve Sans as I by far focused the most on him) rarely takes the tasks but always puts a twist in them, to the detriment of his summoner. Perhaps overcharging to the point it isn't worth it or causing a riot that gets the people they wanted dead, but leaves them with much worse problems to worry about (like surviving).

Humans who die are brought to hell through reapers, two being the Sans and Undyne. Papyrus is a Reaper in training and Undyne acts as the leader of the Reapers. Reapers don't take humans directly to hell however, they gather their souls and bring them to the River Person, who ferries them to hell.

Most demons (Sans is one of the exceptions to this) tend to stay in hell. While it is possible and open to any with a good reason to roam the earth as a devil, appearing in front of a highly religious group is a surefire way to get hunted down, so many avoid it. Those that do, tend to hide their appearance using disguises, whether magical or non-magical.

Devils don't (usually) claim the soul of their summoner, as at the end of the day it brings about the same results as just straight-up killing them. Instead, they extract some of the traits and determination from a soul, for use back in hell.

When humans die, they are (whether immediately or eventually) reincarnated. More despicable humans may suffer in hell for their actions, but it's temporary and eventually, they too become reincarnated. Devils are quasi-immortal and live for extremely long periods of time. Falling down is still a thing, but it simply means the demon will be gone for a century or two before reforming, which is only a fraction of their lifespan. Devils usually retain the same form between lifetimes. Boss monsters, or rather, boss devils have never been recorded to fall down and seem to age even slower than normal devils. They do begin to age normally once they have children, just like in classic Undertale. Asgore and Toriel remain the only adult boss monsters, while Asriel is still alive.

A note here: Asriel is another monster who remains on Earth, for the single reason of travelling around with Chara. It's not impossible or unheard of for demons to extend the lifespans of humans, so yes, they have been together for a few hundred years or so.

The cycle of reincarnation is powered by determination and the other traits. As for how or why this works, not even Asgore knows. Gaster, who is at this point Schrodinger's devil, is still unsure of this. And who God is. The devils were created and put in place by something, they just don't know who or what. Angels are simply a thing of theory, even to the most knowledgeable. The prophecy remains, though it speaks of the queue of reincarnation and judgement, rather than Hell itself. While Frisk is the angel, how the prophecy comes to pass is still undecided (And the contents of said prophecy, because little old me forgot about it till now).

While magic is something that all of monsterkind shares, it isn't impossible for humans to learn magic. Witches and Wizards exist, though revealing oneself to be one is a surefire way to get hunted down for blasphemy.

To end it off, the abbey (or nunnery, I don't think there's much of a difference) that Frisk stays in has been abandoned for a good while. It fell into disrepair due to a certain man constantly fighting to get rid of it and finding ways to drain its funds and cause problems for the nuns till it was simply too much trouble for the nuns there to stay anymore. It was abandoned and no one bothered to meddle with it, either due to the fear of God or other, more troubling matters to deal with.

Sans is allowed to roam around Earth because he fulfils his quota swiftly and efficiently, as well as being skilled at disguises, stealth, and escaping from dire situations. He does show himself as a demon to people for fun occasionally, but it often doesn't harm him (due to his skill as a good judge of character).

A lot of this is subject to change and additions, but I thought I would put this out there. And yes, feel free to do whatever you want with this concept if you want, as long as ya credit me for it.

[violinsxsong]

An army lieutenant neglects to file a report on a civilian killing done by his troops because he knows it was an accident. War isn't fair for anyone, but if it wasn't malicious... I guess it's okay.

Tina promises her dying mother that she'll visit her grave once a month. After the mother has passed away, Tina finds it hard to squeeze in the time, and her visits drop to about once a year. I think yearly is completely okay. In fact, I think it's the usual for most people who mourn someone after years. It's okay.

A man orders a custom-built sex doll designed to look just like his neighbor. SO WRONG!

Sarah's dog has four puppies. She can only find a home for two of them, so she kills the other two with a stone to the head. Sarah is a psychopath.

A doctor has been preforming consensual yet illegal procedures one someone in hopes of finding a cure for his ill sister. As long as it's not at the detriment of anyone else, then I guess it's okay.

A neglectful husband pushes his wife to an affair. When the affair ends, the wife's partner nearly kills her and her unborn daughter. The husband kills the affair partner. Good for him, honestly.

September has run out of food and is facing death by starvation. She begins to cannibalize her family's loyal staff. They do not fight back. I thought it was the rich who were supposed to be the ones getting eaten? No, no, I jest. If they agree to it, then I guess it's okay? I think? I don't judge those plane crash guys for what they had to do.

A mother gives birth to identical twins. One follows their ambitions and the other becomes a shut in. The family make it clear which child they prefer. I mean it's sad, but I've seen it a lot. It's not okay, per say, but it is pretty normalized.

Natalie is so focused on survival she fires a shot without thinking. She did not intend to kill her elderly neighbor, but she hides the body regardless. She denies knowing what happened to the now missing resident. Murder is murder. Not okay.

A woman is facing a lifetime of medical issues. She continues to put her family and those around her in emotional and medical debt. She lives a hollow life and continues leaching off of those who support her. I think it's a lose/lose situation no matter what. It's grey space.

Please provide a response to each of the following prompts. Leaving a prompt blank will also be considered a response, and you will be assessed for refusal to answer.

In the event of a life or death situation, would you put yourself or others first? The group. What is surviving if it's all alone?

How far would you be willing to go to ensure your own survival throughout this ordeal? I honestly don't know and I really hope to not have to find out.

Is there anyone in the building you have developed strong attachments to? Well Zach is my neighbor and my oldest friend in the building. Ria is my best friend in the entire world. Charlie is really sweet and I see her more often than anyone else because I can't live without coffee. Nat is super cool and I look up to her confidence a lot. There's definitely more but writing everyone down would take forever and this pen is hurting my fingers.

Do you think it is possible to survive infection through alternative means such as removing the infected limb? Would you be willing to undergo this procedure to ensure your own survival? I guess... if it was between life and death, I'd lose a limb. As for surviving, I don't know, but there is a vaccine for normal rabies. Maybe they'll find one for this rabies, too.

Will following the general consensus lead to improved odds of survival, or would you have a better chance following an assigned leader? I do best with someone to look to for guidance. I'm really good at follow the leader.

What is the appropriate response to the following situation?

Your daughter falls ill and needs a specific, uncommon kind of antibiotic that will be hard to find; without the full course, the pathogen will survive, regroup, and kill her anyway. You are scavenging a pharmacy, where you find another group, and manage to not shoot each other. You ask them about the antibiotic, and they have it, but they also need the antibiotic, for the wife of someone in their group. You cannot share the antibiotic because it would just kill both people, and they have the antibiotic in their pack. This is likely the only complete dose set you will find, as the other stores have been picked totally clean and there are no friendly groups in the area. I don't have kids, but I think if I did, I'd become a Mama bear. Nothing would stop me from getting it, though I might have to be sneaky. I'm not much of a fighter.

[kiroonsmoon]

🍕 🍀 🧠 🍩 fae siblings and luci..

(This is so fucking LONG)

🍕 - What is their favorite food?

Oh god I don’t know. This is honestly something I don’t think a lot of for my ocs. I feel like Fate’s and Calamity’s favorite food would be something that was originally from their homeworld. What is that? I don’t know! I haven’t thought about it much other than fae cuisine has a lot of fruit and vegetables in it and is usually very sweet.

It also something they cant probably ever have again. Aevium is a very different world from their homeworld and have very different plant life that doesn’t exist in the other so yeah. Sad moment there.

Lucifer’s is a lot less deep. He probably likes something simple like Dino Chicken Nuggies lmao.

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

For Fate, the ending of V13 lmao. I usually like to play as the canon MC. Yes they’re usually blank slates but I find enjoyment in taking the canon playable character (or one of them) and seeing how I end up perceiving them and creating my own interpretation. It’s why I don’t have MC ocs for Reborn/Desolation and Decibel/Robin with my own interpretations are the canon main characters of Reborn/Deso of my own personal oc verse. Originally I was doing the same with Alain, then the whole Chapter 15 ending came and threw that out the window. I got really really interested and invested in the relationship between the interceptor and the host which slowly led to me creating Fate! So yeah Fate, and by extension Calamity, wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for Rejvu’s crazy twist lmao.

Calamity came from the random thought I had. Does the interceptor have any family? Yes I get they’re meant to be a player insert but like, we have our own family. How would they feel if they suddenly disappeared from their family? How would the family members be affected? So yeah, Calamity was inspired by this thought I had lol.

Lucifer was just inspired by the Renegade route existing. I like evil paths, but I can’t really see Fate going down Renegade unless she was physically forced into it. I also wanted to explore a different way canon pokemon games insanely young protags could be shaped by their experiences.

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC?

My favorite thing about Fate is probably the fact she remembers her past along with being a completely different creature from a human and coming from an entirety different world. I absolutely love to explore that part of her and how she interacts with Rejvu’s characters and the world and compares it to her own. She’s adjusted a lot by this point in the story but she will always feel like an outsider. Her in act 1 more focuses on her desire to try to get home to her world and Calamity and reactions to the world but after her death in Valor Mountain she began to believe she was truly stuck and just try to find her way to live in this new world.

Calamity same as above, I like to explore his reactions to a world completely different from his home world. But I also like how extreme his reactions can be when it comes to something he cares about (in the case of the story Fate). He can get very much tunnel-visioned if he sees/perceives her being in danger. When Fate first went missing Calamity instantly was on trying to find her, much to his detriment. He rarely slept, was much more snappy and just wasn’t taking care of himself. Once it was discovered it was most likely she got caught in a portal he goes on to open a dimensional portal despite it being a federal crime in his world, can cause insane amount of damage, and has a very high chance of death on the OFF chance he could find Fate again. This also leaves him extremely susceptible to manipulation from Clear and Kieran. He’s not a bad guy by any means, but he doesn’t see how his actions hurt both himself and the one he’s trying to protect.

Hmmm I don’t really know about Luci? I like a lot about him don’t get me wrong but I have a hard time to pin down a favorite for me to talk about. I like it all, I will vibrate extremely no matter what you ask me about him. He’s a brat, he’s a villain, he wants to destroy the world, he believes life is nothing but suffering, he is in no way kind to those who aren’t his pokemon but he’s also just a 12 year old kid, he loves dragon types, he loves to talk about them, he’s smart, he loves to play and just be a kid, but he can’t do that, he’s the interceptor, he was abused, he had his childhood taken from him, he’ll never get that back, he believes he was betrayed by the only people who cared, he’s scared of opening up because he believes he’ll just be betrayed again, he believes everyone is using him, he’s died multiple times in excruciating ways, he just wants to rest, he genuinely thinks what he’s doing is right for the world. Even after the reset his actions as the Interceptor before will still forever haunt him too his grave. HE MAKES ME SIFNSJBDJEBFJENWA.

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

Hmm Fate is hard to say, probably at this point Team Xen in general. They are actively trying to do something dangerous that they need to stop. She does got personal beef with Aurora though lmao. Aurora always likes to jump in and absolutely CRUSH Fate with her birds. Along with being the Deathwing to actually kidnapped Fate and Aelita, yeah her and Aurora got a bit of a rivalry going on. I wouldn’t say Fate has an arch-nemesis yet though…well….not yet anyways.

Calamity’s arch-nemesis at this point is just- Fate’s entire friend group in general. Like I said he’s being manipulated by Clear and Kieran to think that they are harmful to Fate, and Calamity is in no mental state to pick out truth through lies, he just wants his sister back. He’s had the most interaction with Ren though, as he joins Kieran in tag teaming Ren when Fate is unconscious at the house in the past. Calamity being unable to get Fate just made him extremely upset and frustrated. So yeah, I’d say at this point Calamity hates Ren the most of everyone which is…ironic given Ren is Fate’s best friend.

For Luci I’d say anyone against his goal in destroying the world. I would’ve said Madame X but after learning Nancy was a black box and created just to love him Luci felt really betrayed and has very complicated feelings in Nancy. He doesn’t like Madame X by any means but he’s willing to work with her right now. Not gonna stop him from being a brat though.

[rootisms]

Cats vs Rats

Welcome to a small series of posts I wanted to do where I analyse certain match-ups. In these posts, I will go on the assumption of a 4-player game where the other two factions are variables. I will focus on what each faction needs to protect and how the other faction can be sabotaged. In this first post, I wanted to tackle a difficult match-up, that being cats vs rats.

This match-up heavily favours the rats, but the cats are not at a complete loss with some table talk. Your existence already slows down the rats and you have the warriors count that allows you to block off Warlord from certain chokepoints. Contradictory to what military factions usually like I think the Marquise has the best chances on a map with many chokepoints like Winter or Lake instead of Autumn or Mountain. This way you can block of the Warlord from expanding further by putting recruiters on chokepoints or even the keep there.

As usual, you will want to protect your buildings, spreading them out is even more important now than ever as the warlord has the tools to fully take out a single clearing, but would have difficulty if it was more spread out. 6 warriors and two sawmills in one clearing are easier than 3 warriors and a sawmill in two different clearings, maybe even 2 warriors and a sawmill are already annoying enough.

For other factions to look out for, definitely keep an eye on other military factions in the mix and hope they can deal with the Warlord while keeping you alone, you need the building slots for points to deter both from attacking you. Also, encourage factions like the crows and lizards to recruit inside warlord territory, that’ll keep the warlord busy and away from your buildings, you can do the same with a march but it is less than advised as your warriors are precious and field hospitals is not always an option.

As for Rats, you should think about a high-prowess track. This way you can move through the map easily taking out as many buildings as possible and taking as many clearings as possible. Command is less than useful here as cats have difficulty getting to your backline without using up a lot of actions, still if you build some stronghold don’t leave them undefended. Also constantly pressure chokepoints cats have set up, when the time is right you can break through.

Cats aren’t a point thread to you and you’re not to them, you score at about the same pace with cats being a bit more reliantly explosive at the end with 4 VP sawmills whereas you may still only get 2-3 VP for oppress, so cardboard eating is essential in the last stretch and cats provide enough of that. Punish any stray wood tokens and destroy sawmills as usual but also focus on recruiters as they are the main way cats can rival your recruits and warrior count early on, in the late game this shifts to field hospitals so try and slow that process down as much as possible.

Also, Cats are a great rowdy abuser, you can get that extra card draw by parking your warlord in a clearing with a sawmill. You’re killing two birds with one stone, you get the extra card draw and deny the cats wood for one turn which is detrimental in the early game. Cats also don’t have the actions to deal with a ball of rats immediately.

Racy factions are still your main enemy as rats and you should focus on stopping them but don’t leave the clearings empty as that just invites the cats to head in there, leave some warriors that contest for rule or perhaps a stronghold if possible, or even just eliminate a close by cat clearing, this way they are still only even when they claim a clearing.

I hope these tips help both rat and cat players but never forget that Root is a 4-player game and the other two players are eager to capitalise on a war between rats and cats, so don’t catch yourself lacking by focusing too much on rats/cats.

[timbrrwolfe]

Alright well in my ongoing quest to find a tcg/ccg that can hold my attention I've downloaded Marvel Snap and given it a try. It being Marvel focused is both a boon and a detriment (i.e. Disney has too much already. But I do enjoy Marvel and other superhero things in general), but the thing that really caught my eye is that the gameplay...

Well, yesterday I described it as "more board game-like" than most tcg/ccgs. But then today I was talking about board games (unrelated to this) and described a difference between board games as "direct pvp" vs. "indirect pvp". Where direct pvp is your Yugioh, MtG, Legends of Runeterra, etc. where you start from a certain point and try to lower your opponent's points to nothing. And indirect is more the board game style that I was thinking of where you try to gain points through a game an win by having the most points at the end.

But I digress. The gameplay caught my eye. You're basically placing units strategically at 3 different locations in a game (that each usually have their own effect and vary from game to game) to try to have the most points of "power" at each location to win them. And I guess I won my first game against another person (which, annoyingly, they shove you into immediately after clearing the first two bots in the tutorial. Unless the one I thought was against a real person was just another bot). (I have been informed that you get bot games until you're further into the game. Which makes sense, since most games do that). And in that game I completely ignored one location, tied at another location, and ended up winning because the location I won I won by more than my opponent won the location I ignored. So I learned that's how ties work.

And then I played a bunch more games and won every time (even if it's against bots that's not too bad unless they're specifically programmed to figure out how to lose in the last turn).

I could see this being an interesting game. I guess it depends on what kinds of decks I can make and how quickly I can build my collection to make those decks.

[mockturtletale]

a question for fic writers: how do you manage responding to comments? do you have a system you use that helps you keep up, do you set yourself a daily or weekly goal etc.? what works best for you, if you don’t mind sharing that please? 

[crellanstein]

Prodigious

I find it odd how the fandom focuses so much on Aang’s childhood being ruined when he learned he was the Avatar at 12, but there’s very little talk about how discovering she was the Avatar as a toddler affected Korra’s life and how she was raised.

But we’ll circle back to that...

Because this is a good starting point to talk about one of the most prevalent themes in the story, which the mainstream discussion of tends to only focus on a few characters -- That is the Child Prodigy. 

We’ll start with the two most obvious. The ones we always talk about.

Azula.

The clearest example of your typical child prodigy (if there is anything typical about a prodigy). Azula showed early mastery of very advanced Fire-Bending techniques, and is the only Fire-Bender to use blue flames, which was intended to make her stand out amongst the other villains but is also indicative that her Fire-Bending is more pure and powerful (blue flame is produced when burning pure O2 or fuel without contaminant at a very high temperature). 

All this lead to her being praised and favored by Ozai as a child, but as double-edged swords go, this also meant she had a lot of pressure on her shoulders to never fail, and she rarely did. Her ego matched her talent, and let’s be honest she was the baddest bitch the show had ever seen. Conquering Ba Sing Se, defeating the Avatar in combat, and dropping some of the most devastating lines of dialogue in villain history; she was a force nobody wanted to reckon with. 

And that become a problem for one asshole in particular...

Being jealous of his own child is just one item on a laundry list of reasons why this guy is the worst father in the history of fathers. Azula had begun to outshine him with her victories, and Ozai’s maniacal ego couldn’t handle that, so he left her behind to babysit the Fire Nation while he went out to burn/conquer the world, which also was her idea.

And while this wasn’t the only thing that aided in her demise, it certainly was the final straw which sent her spiraling down into this...

In the end Azula is a sad example of how certain unfair expectations are placed upon talented children, and the more they succeed, the more these expectations grow and weigh on the them until they either disappoint those looking down on them or surpass and embarrass their elders.

It is a lose-lose situation which inevitably destroys them.

There is a similar example of the child prodigy, but his story goes a little different.

Aang.

Even as a twelve/thirteen year-old boy Aang by far has the most impressive stats among any character in the Avatar universe.

Basically mastering 3 of the 4 Elements in less than a year, after mastering Air by the time he is twelve (not to mention inventing his own Air-bending move, the Air scooter). 

Aang is an example of a child prodigy who had too much thrust onto him at too young an age because of the talent he showed; because of this he panicked and ran away, and the world was worse off for it. 

Aang/Sokka/Katara’s story is all about how in times of War, responsibilities normally handled by adults are pushed onto kids who then have to grow up very fast in order to deal with it all.

The message is clear. War robs the young of their childhoods. 

Now, let’s talk about a different kind of child prodigy.

The Unacknowledged. 

Yes, of course I’m talking about Toph, the greatest Earth-Bender to ever live.

Because of her blindness, Toph’s family tried to keep her sheltered and safe by hiding her from the world. Refusing to believe she could ever be more than helpless. Anyone who has seen the show knows that is far from the truth.

But because her potential went unseen, there were some negative effects to her personality. Initially, she resented her parents, and rebelled; which established a certain level of independence, a bad attitude, and a hot-headed streak. Over time spent with the Gaang these behaviors subsided because she finally had friends and they accepted her for who she was. By the end of the series she was fully willing to accept aid from them when she needed it, like holding on to Sokka’s arm in environment where her bending couldn’t help her “see”. 

Toph’s story is a foil to Azula’s, both showed immense talent and badassery, but while recognition of Azula lead to ever-mounting pressure for her to succeed; the lack of recognition for Toph created a need for her to be acknowledged and set an undercurrent of frustration which leads to her acting out in the ways she does.

The lesson to take from Toph’s story is not to shelter your kid from the world out of fear for their safety, and to be open to recognizing their talents, not shun them.

Next are two more Unacknowledged.

Katara and Sokka.       

Their story, and the reason behind their circumstances, is one of the more complicated and nuanced ones in the series, so here we’ll focus on how it fits into the subject of discussion.

Because of the War, Katara was robbed not only of her mother but also of any Southern Masters to train her, and any role models Sokka could have looked up to left with his father to fight. Because of this Katara’s potential and Sokka’s genius went unacknowledged not due to neglect but rather due to circumstance. (Yes, I think Sokka is a genius, how many 15 yr olds do you know that can plan an invasion, design submarines, and spit poetry off the cuff?).

This is a further example of how War robs kids of necessary childhood experiences, and these two robberies had particular effects on both Katara and Sokka’s character developments.

Sokka had the responsibility of protecting his home put upon him at a young age. The men of his tribe leaving prevented him from completing his rite of manhood until the Gaang ran into Bato of the Water Tribe, and early on Sokka was constantly trying to prove himself as a man and a leader. Sokka is one of the smarter characters of the series, but he rarely got credit for it until the third season. Not to mention that because he wasn’t a bender he often seemed less useful than the others. The circumstances of war made his talent go unnoticed and because of that he often was unsure of himself and overcompensated to prove something.

Speaking of talent going unnoticed.

Katara is definitely one of the more talented benders of the series. After training herself for years with little progress, she essentially mastered Water-Bending in a few weeks under Master Pakku. While her anger towards the Fire-Nation mostly centers around the loss of her mother, it can’t be ignored that the delay in her training was a direct result of the Fire-Nations’ actions.  Toph’s anger and frustration vented itself as rebellion. However, the same frustration and anger is within Katara, but because she wasn’t as natural a bender as Toph she sought to learn and be respected, and when that was denied to her is when that anger bubbled to the surface in some terrifying ways. 

While Toph’s talent went unnoticed because of her families neglect, Katara and Sokka’s wasn’t acknowledged because there was nobody to acknowledge it. Because of that both brother and sister wanted to prove themselves to the world.

And then there is Zuko.

I know what you’re thinking. Zuko wasn’t a prodigy, his Fire-Bending skill didn’t catch up with Azula’s until the finale and he never mastered Lightning-Bending, but this section is about the Unacknowledged.

Zuko had many other talents besides Fire-Bending, he was a master swordsmen, and was able to successfully break into every secure facility he attempted in the show (which was almost every secure facility the show featured).  Unfortunately, these talents were never recognized, because the only thing the royal family cared about was bending ability (It’s possible the reason he learned the sword was because he lacked skill in Fire-Bending). 

As per usual with Zuko, this part of his tale is quite sad. Many can relate to being outshined by a sibling, and when it becomes all too clear that one cannot match another’s talent it’s quite understandable to focus on what they do excel at, but even then there is no promise of recognition for their own talent. Zuko was even mocked by his father during the solar eclipse when Ozai tried baiting him into attacking with his swords. 

This lack of recognition is one of many sad aspects of Zuko’s early life, but it is a definitive example of one of the hardest unacknowledged prodigy’s cross to bear. The Outshone prodigy, one whose talents are never noticed because a bigger and brighter star stands in the way of such recognition, and arguably the most frustrating type mentioned here. Toph/Sokka/Katara all came from situations were there was no recognition being given to them or anyone, but Zuko had to bear watching massive amounts of praise be piled on to his sister while he and his accomplishments went by the way side.

Ozai summed up the situation best.

“Azula was born lucky, Zuko was lucky to be born”

Alright now where have I been going with all this?

So, far we’ve covered a lot of wrong ways to treat a child, whether they show talent or not, and how the circumstances of war can also take many things from children.

But what happened to Korra?

(Before we get into to this I should state that I like Korra, and the purpose of this is not to bash her as a character or her arc, but rather to give a little of my insight into it.)

It’s well established that Aang was told of his heritage too young, and that was a detriment on his development into an adult, but what would have happened if he realized his powers himself not long after he could walk? We’ll never know, but we do get to see the effects it had on Korra. 

When she revealed herself as the Avatar, Korra set her entire life in a new direction, and because Aang tasked the White Lotus with finding and training her that direction was out of her control. There are two key differences between Korras’ and other Avatars’ lives.

1. She grew up in isolation on a White Lotus compound.

Every Avatar before Korra we know of spent a portion of their early lives traveling the world in order to master the elements; along this journey they not only learned how to bend the other 3 elements, buy also many things about the 3 other nations and the world they are tasked to protect as a whole. By confining Korra in safety and bringing the masters to her the White Lotus deprived Korra of this opportunity to learn and grow and understand the world and the people within in. It also deprived her of learning modern bending styles until she reached Republic City.

While this might have kept Korra safe from the Red Lotus, it grew within her a naiveté about how the world worked, and because of this when she actually did venture out into the world she was terribly unprepared for it.

2.  She was trained and mastered 3 of the elements by the time she was 16.

Most Avatars don’t know they have this power until they reach 16 and then they spend several years learning to control it. Korra’s natural talent in the bending lead to her training being expedited not by necessity like Aang’s, but due to her talent and eagerness. Korra excelled at the physical part of being the Avatar and because of this by the time she reached maturity she had become over-confident in her abilities and true to what her Fire-Bending master said in Ep.1 she lacked restraint.

I’m not saying her bending isn’t great, but rather because it is so great it’s her go-to solution to anything, and she enjoys that so she uses it with enthusiastic gusto and not a lot of thinking before striking.

This overconfidence coupled with her naiveté of the world is what lead to many of her rash decisions and actions, most of which had negative consequences, and I believe are the reason behind some fan are dissatisfied with her. Aang had been almost the complete opposite, even by the age of twelve he was an experienced world traveler and an incredibly humble guy. 

Some may have been dissatisfied by these character decisions, but they served a purpose, they are only the beginning of her arc. The internal challenge Korra must overcome through 4 seasons is to humble herself before the world, and learn from it. This was finally achieved in the 4th season when the metal poisoning in her body forces her to face others in the world as equals, only then had she completed her journey.

And why did it all go this way?

Because she is a very unique child prodigy, what she demonstrates in the first episode of LOK would be akin to a toddler playing the violin or hitting a three-pointer; she could bend 3 elements close to just after learning to walk. That is the kind of prodigious talent rarely seen because it is mostly impossible. How does a rational person handle a child like that? 

It’s a tough question, and something this essay has been circling around the whole time. Each example here is the wrong way to handle talented and different children, but what is the right way?

As always look to Iroh.

Who treated his surrogate son Zuko with both respect and compassion. 

Unlike Toph’s parents, Iroh worried over Zuko’s well being, but also allowed him to be independent, make his own decisions, and take his own risks.

Unlike the Nomad Leaders, he didn’t want Zuko weighed down by his position in the world and the responsibility that came with, and always encouraged him relax and take advantage of the moment.

Unlike Ozai, Iroh would always be there to support Zuko in his victories and his failures. Iroh shows him the right path but does not force him down it.

And even after Zuko betrayed and abandoned him.

Iroh was never angry with him, and embraced him upon his return.

He wanted Zuko to grow and be a better man. Even if Zuko wasn’t a prodigy like his sister. 

And that is the answer here. The way to raise a prodigy is the same way anyone should raise any child. Love, Support, a Guiding Hand rather than a Forceful Shove, Recognition of What Makes Them Unique, and Forgiveness When They Falter. The problem comes along when you start treating children differently because you see them as different or special. All children are different, all children are special.

Kids are kids, and they all deserve a proper childhood.  

[raifenlf]

Why Loki’s Sylvie Is A Mary Sue

So I am firmly in the camp that Sylvie on the Loki series was/is a Mary Sue.  The last episode made me feel better and like maybe the show was doing a thing where they were faking you out that she was a Mary Sue only to show she was actually sort of a bad guy and I liked that.  But all the recent interviews make me think the show wants to go back to her being a Mary Sue.

But I feel like when I call her out for being a Mary Sue people tell me what are you talking about, she’s not a Mary Sue, bad things happen to her, etc.  But that doesn’t actually make her not a Mary Sue.  

Also, before we start, I know some people find Mary Sue sexist.  But I personally use the term for guys and girls. I don’t use the term to belittle women.  I use the term to criticize a poorly written character.

And I know Mary Sue is often used to describe fanfic characters.  But to me, this series is kind of like a fanfic because the writers took a character who had been in canon MCU material for ten years and then created characters around that character.  So, I kind of review it like I would a fanfic.  It’s very different than if the writers had created a brand new show with all of their own new characters.

Anyway, if you are not totally familiar with the Mary Sue term, then check this out:

I know the term Mary Sue probably means different things to different people.  But I have always used these guidelines when I write my own fanfic to make sure my characters never come off as a Mary Sue.

This article really gives you a full scale of what a Mary Sue is.  If you start reading it, you’ll immediately see why Sylvie is.  But I’m going to take out the parts that most fit Sylvie just to highlight why I believe she is a Mary Sue.  I apologize for this being so long.

Mary Sue Character Traits

Personality

Erm... what personality? The typical Mary Sue doesn't have one per se, because she isn't meant to be a character; rather, she's an entity by which the author makes cool stuff happen.

I feel like that is Sylvie in a nutshell.  She doesn’t have a personality.  I feel like even though she ate screentime, I still don’t really know her at all.  The writers love to say she’s badass.  That’s not a personality.  

Sometimes when I am writing stories for fun and creating new characters, I like to take surveys as my fictional characters.  Like the kind of surveys you’d see in a magazine, like personality types, what’s your dating style, etc.  I figure if I don’t know what my character would do in any of those situations, then I need to keep working on my character.  And if I was trying to fill out a survey pretending I was Sylvie I would have no idea what to answer because she doesn’t have a personality.  She’s just “cool”.

What little personality a Mary Sue has isn't as important as how other characters react to it. No matter how shy or socially awkward Mary Sue is supposed to be, other characters will be inexplicably drawn to her

This is so Sylvie.  Loki falls in love with her...why, exactly?  He falls in love with her in the big Nexus event moment...why?  Because she had a tough childhood?  Mobius spends like two seconds with her in a car and goes from hating her to saying she’s his favorite Loki.  For. No. Particular. Reason.

She's extremely persuasive; everyone finds her opinions to be better than their own

She enchants Hunter B-15 and then immediately Hunter B-15 makes it her whole entire life mission to back Sylvie up.  

And occasionally she'll be a complete asshole...This can manifest itself in several ways...The author wants to write a badass but doesn't know how. This leads to a character who mistreats everyone around her and is never called out on her abrasive, casually abusive behavior.

Sylvie talked down to Loki and treated him like garbage for all of episode three, but it was never portrayed as a bad thing and we never got any impression Sylvie later felt bad for the way she treated Loki

The author doesn't know how to hold back the character, meaning that she will succeed at practically everything. This means that when she encounters rules or authority figures who would otherwise prevent her from doing what she wants to do, she rolls right through them (and they praise her for her "boldness" in defying regulations). If a bad guy is violent and aggressive, she can beat him by being more violent and aggressive (with all that entails). It's impossible for her to go overboard because she's protected by Protagonist-Centered Morality.

Sylvie is shown as a kid to immediately be able to grab a Tempad and run away.  And she can kick ass way better than Loki, for no known reason.  She is always able to fight back against the TVA when they attack her.  And she can kill lots of innocent TVA agents but it’s okay because TVA bad, Sylvie good.

Skills

She will always be superior to the canon characters, regardless of what canon has established they can do or whether it makes any sense.

Whose skill was needed to defeat Alioth?  Sylvie’s.  Of course.  Sylvie needed to teach Loki her skills in order for him to succeed (!).  And again, she is literally called the superior Loki.

Relatedly, there's no effort to her skills. She never actually trains or learns anything to become more powerful; she just wins the Super Power Lottery, or is a freakish natural learner, or is just Inexplicably Awesome

We’re told Sylvie literally taught herself magic.  She literally taught herself to enchant people.  That. Makes. No. Sense.  Like, I have so many questions.  Like, why would it even occur to her to teach herself that?  And how????????????  This is really lazy writing.

Canon Character Relationships

Mary Sue is often designed to hook up with another character, often as a form of Wish Fulfillment. This isn't that bad in and of itself (okay, it is kinda weird), but Mary Sue accomplishes this without any sense of realism. She just grabs her lover's attention straight away, and their relationship will never face any obstacles or tension; it's true love from the start and nothing else. The biggest giveaway is if the love interest is explicitly the author's favorite character, and she essentially "cures" him of all the angst that ails him (at the expense of his characterization).

Yeah, so...this one should be pretty obvious to anyone who watched the show.  Loki literally falls in love with Sylvie immediately, and then he suddenly turns from “villain” to “hero” just because of loving her.  And this was definitely at the expense of his characterization.  And Loki just knows he falls in love with her.  There’s not even any moments of hmm what do I feel for this person?  It’s just true love, immediately.

She will be related to a canon character in some way. This (marginally) helps explain such phenomena as her being a Copy Cat Sue and other characters accepting her so easily.

Sylvie is a Loki variant.  They use this to help explain why Loki is drawn to her and why their falling in love immediately “makes sense”.

Most characters give her more heed than they normally would. The good guys never stop praising her

Seriously, it was so over the top and OOC for Loki to gush over her.  He literally tells her she’s amazing.  They don’t even make it subtle.

Characters' previously established personalities change in reaction to her. Proud, arrogant gimps suddenly acknowledge her superiority in everything. Reckless youths will listen to all her advice. Responsible leaders will defer to her instead. Villains will obsess with her to the detriment of all else. Extremely competent characters will become stumbling buffoons who require her help to do anything. Sweet, mild-mannered characters whom the author doesn't like turn evil and insult her. They all become unnaturally focused on her in some way.

Again, Loki’s whole personality changed in reaction to her.  He became a buffoon who needed her help to enchant the Alioth because of course he couldn’t do anything without her!  Hunter B-15 goes from doing whatever the TVA said to fighting the TVA just because of Sylvie.

Story Elements

Mary Sue is without exception a single-person Spotlight-Stealing Squad. The entire story hinges on her existence; if you removed her, there would be no story. 

Sylvie undoubtedly drove the whole story this season.  It all became about HER meeting the TVA heads because of HER trauma.  Loki’s life was only saved at the beginning because the TVA was trying to capture HER.  And SHE was the one who started the whole multiverse (!).

Mary Sue is The Chosen One, even if the setting already has one. There are many ways she can accomplish this: she can be a Sailor Earth type who "shares" the position with the canon hero; she may be vaguely "destined to help the destined one fulfill their destiny" (i.e. do all the work except the final blow so that the prophecy is still technically correct); or the canon hero may be revealed to be a Fake Ultimate Hero all along. Being the Chosen One doesn't necessarily involve her being a God-Mode Sue, especially as authors become aware of the phenomenon and try to avoid it, but it does make her critically important to the world and allows her to continue stealing the spotlight without the "god mode" label.

HWR wanted Sylvie to come with Loki in the end, like she was chosen all along right alongside Loki.  Like one of the most important characters in the entire MCU is now this character who we only met a few episodes ago.

Most Sues have an unusually Dark and Troubled Past. It's often used to create a Sympathetic Sue, but any type of Sue can have one

They tell us, over and over, how hard Sylvie’s life was because she was kidnapped by the TVA in order to create sympathy for her.

She almost never does anything wrong. In the rare instance that she does, it's usually; (a) a way for the author to disclaim her being a Mary Sue by introducing a single imperfection (that has no bearing on anything anyway), and (b) designed to show her smarts by making her feel instant remorse, and she'll be Easily Forgiven anyway:

So this one hopefully will not come true, as a lot can change between now and when the show is taped. But if the show goes on the way the behind the scenes team is talking, Sylvie immediately felt remorse for betraying Loki, and Loki has already forgiven her and is desperately looking for her.  Ugh.

Alternatively, she is more than capable of doing something wrong, be it in general moral terms or something that goes against whatever code she abides by, and she maybe even frequently does so, but don't expect the other characters or the narrative to ever acknowledge or comment on it in any real capacity. If the other characters do call her out, expect them to be treated like they're the problem for daring to criticize her at all.

Mobius calls her out for killing people, but Sylvie immediately says he’s a bad person and then Mobius agrees, because, of course.

She will often suffer from Special Snowflake Syndrome; i.e., she has a trait or backstory that sets her apart from her group or race.

She is the only female Loki, thus making her the special one among all the Lokis in episode five.

Presentation

In visual media, the camera just can't stop staring at her.

The camera would follow her in fight scenes rather than Loki.

Mary Sue Tropes

Okay, so there are specific Mary Sue tropes that Sylvie is.  One of those is Copy Cat Sue, which I think was referenced before.

Copy Cat Sue

A lot of fanfic writers...start to write something because of their passion for this character, but they find something about the character that doesn't mesh well. Maybe they're the wrong gender or are otherwise not close enough to the author's expectations...In any case, rather than put them through the Possession Sue process, they just get a Clone-O-Matic™ and out pops a Copy Cat Sue...the character might be intended as a replacement for the canon character, but without whatever icky traits the author hates. They'll then rob the spotlight, prove the canon character to be unworthy of his/her position, and either relegate the character to obsolescence or, perhaps, even remove them entirely.

Sylvie is basically a clone of Loki, she is a variant.  But she absolutely robbed the spotlight of Loki’s, and they literally call her the superior Loki.  I mean, they are literally not even being subtle about this.  And there was a feeling by myself (and a lot of other viewers) that Sylvie might ultimately replace Loki in the MCU. 

Black Hole Sue

Much like a black hole, this is a Mary Sue who "sucks in" the plot and characters to her. Characters will behave outside their personalities, logic will be defied, and rules will be broken for her sake.

Sylvie really does suck up all the plot and Loki definitely behaves outside of his personality just to fit the Sylvie show.

Jerk Sue

A Mary Sue who is mean or maybe even cruel, but are still treated as an ideal person.

Once again, Sylvie is basically a jerk all of episode three, but you’ve got Loki falling over himself to call her amazing in just the next episode.

Relationship Sue

A Mary Sue who exists to be the perfect mate for a specific character...this character has everything in the plot conspiring to enforce this One True Pairing...in Fanfiction, they are the perfect beloved of a canon character.

They literally have Mobius speculate that Loki falling in love with Sylvie is so extraordinary that it causes an entire Nexus event, that’s how huge this One True Pairing is (!).  And Sylvie is the love interest of Loki, the only character who had been around before the beginning of the series

TLDR: Sylvie has all the tropes of a classic Mary Sue character.  So calling Sylvie a Mary Sue isn’t being sexist or just randomly hating on the character.  If you use common Mary Sue characteristics to examine the character, she just has too many of these characteristics to ignore.

[astrobydalia]

Indicators of divorce, multiple marriages and delay in marriage in natal chart

@astrobydalia Tumblr and Instagram

Disclaimer #1: marriage can also refer to any commited long-term relationship

Disclaimer #2: If you find one of these in your chart don't freak out. Remember that these are the energies that make multiple marriages/divorce/delay in marriage more probable but these energies can manifest in many others ways

These are very simple indicators, when I find more I’ll make a part 2!

@astrobydalia Tumblr and Instagram

Juno in Gemini or in Gemini degree

Gemini energy tends to bring multiplicity as well as doubts in the native as to what they want in a partner.

Alternative meaning: spouse has gemini qualities or could meet spouse in Mercurial circumstances

Ruler of the 7th falling in the 3rd house or Gemini ruling the 7th house

Same concept explained before

Heavily populated 7th house

Same concept explained before only slightly different. Heavily populated 7th house brings an abundance of energies to that area of life and can possibly indicate a very eventful relationship life specially if Jupiter and/or Mercury are involved.

Alternative meaning: very eventful marriage depending on the planets, life is focused on learning to connect with others

Retrograde planets in the 7th house/conjunct the DSC or ruler of the 7th house retrograde

indicates karmic lessons when it comes to relationships. The native may need to clear karma with some people before being with their person.

Alternative meaning: spouse was married before, spouse is someone from your past, karmic bond with spouse

Retrograde Venus/Jupiter

same concept as before

7th house ruler in its sign of detriment or fall

Pretty self-explanatory, indicates struggles finding the right person or struggles with marriage although out of all of the indicators this one’s not that grave cus other things need to be considered. Very similar thing can happen when 7th house ruler is very afflicted

Alternative meaning: marriage may face some struggles and lessons but rest of the chart needs to be considered to see if those struggles will be overcome or not

Venus in Gemini or in Gemini degree

Same concept as Juno in Gemini. I’ve noticed these native may not be too bothered by the idea of marrying multiple times unless chart says otherwise

Alternative meaning: native always has many dating options

Uranus in the 7th house or ruling the 7th house

Uranus/Aquarius energy can be very karmic and not in the best way. People with this energy could have very brief marriages

Alternative meaning: may marry suddenly with someone they didn’t expect, spouse can have Aquarius qualities

ruler of the 7th in the 8th or 12th house

indicates big changes or karmic lessons in relationships. 8th house usually causes delay in commitment due to native’s hesitance and also indicates lots of struggles like attracting the wrong people etc. 12th house can indicate cheating, secrets, very distant relationship with spouse or spouse has health issues. Very common to have “complicated” relationships with spouse/partners in both cases

Alternative meanings: spouse could come after a big change in life, marriage will completely change native’s life, spouse is “far away” in some way, deep emotional connection with spouse, etc These houses are very complex so the results may vary a lot or be just as complex

Sun conjunct 7th house ruler or Venus/Juno

This causes either divorce or delay in marriage in the native. I honestly don’t know why but it’s a pattern I’ve noticed

(Direct) Uranus harshly aspecting Venus or Juno

Same concept I explained before with Uranus

North Node in the 7th house

This one’s one of the biggest indicators. The native has come to this life to learn what a real commitment and relationship is, what it’s like to come into union and harmony with another. So it’s natural and common for them to face at least one failed marriage as a form of learning this life’s lesson

Alternative meaning: native’s destined to marry and if they learn the lesson they’ll end up with their person

Chiron in the 7th house

Indicates big wounds in the relationship realm. Native may feel like they can’t find anyone suitable for them and they could have felt abandoned by a partner/crush at some point or they could easily settle for whoever they feel won’t abandon them

Alternative meaning: native needs to heal their fear of being alone so they don’t choose the wrong person

Saturn in the 7th house

We all know this one. Usually causes delay in marriage. Could have issues with extreme emotional detachment in connections and it’s very common for them to experience sudden abandonment from a partner or they are the ones doing this, specially if the planet is rx. Another placement indicative of karmic lessons in relationships

Alternative meanings: native started a commitment very early in life and that’s all they’ve known (depending on the culture can indicate arranged marriage), native doesn’t have many dating experience, spouse has Saturn qualities

Jupiter Square Uranus

literally the n1 divorce aspect specially for females

Planets or angles in Aquarius degrees (11°, 23°) specially if Venus, Moon or 7th house ruler are in these degrees or conjunct a planet that is in these degrees.

this one is also a big indicator and it tends to cause very harsh and difficult divorces as I’ve explained once. Like I said Uranus/Aquarius energy can be very karmic in a not-very-pleasant way

Neptune in the 7th house

the native may see marriage as something they can't understand or something they can't fully wrap their head around and they often feel unsatisfied with their partners cause they can never fulfill the "fantasy" they need in a relationship or reality always gets in the way of them finding what they wish or often times they stay for a long time unsure of they want. This one usually results in delay in marriage and other times the native has multiple unfulfilling relationships until they find that true soul connection

Alternative meaning: Native ends up with their real soulmate and it will be very beautiful but this placement is complicated and native has to be developed

10th house ruler in the 7th house

This one I’m not entirely sure why but it’s another pattern I’ve noticed. Usually the native doesn’t marry at all

Alternative meaning: native works with spouse, native works in a job where they establish one-on-one connections

Afflicted 4th house (Pluto, Uranus, Chiron, Saturn, North Node or Lilith in the 4th house or 4th house ruler afflicted)

This is more of an influencing factor than a divorce indicator per se. It indicates issues with home life, native may struggle to find stability, comfort and happiness in a home which can be very detrimental in a marriage/long-term commitment. It’s possible the native is hesitant towards the idea of marriage because they don’t have a good concept of home-life. Similarly, they could attract partners that bring this type of instability or there’s some home-wrecker energy

Alternative meaning: this instability may not affect the marriage if chart says otherwise, could be some drama in your marriage or around your marriage

Lilith in Libra or in the 7th house

The native can be skeptical towards the idea of marriage. The type to think marriage is a social construct or that soulmates don’t exist

Juno Square or opposition Jupiter

Native may not take marriage seriously at least when young or they “procrastinate” commitment. Can attract non-committed partners

Vedic astrology!!! -> Upapada lagna in the sign of Aquarius or in the sign of Gemini

I’m currently learning Vedic astrology so take this one with a grain of salt. I’ve noticed for people with Upapada lagna falling in any of these two signs their first marriage ends up breaking

@astrobydalia on Tumblr and Instagram

[hexpea]

Ch. 9 - Reconciliation

The "date" had been completely ruined by your little spat. Suguru immediately got out of the carriage and sped away into the castle, leaving you in the dust.  But you couldn't complain. You were just as angry.

You continued your studies throughout the next few days. You worked hard to ensure you absorbed as much information as you could to keep your mind busy. Being stuck in such a place, you didn't want to let it get to you. Suguru had also kept his distance. You had only saw him for meals, which you sat on the other end of the elongated table to do so. No words were shared. 

"Where's Suguru?" You asked your attendant as she styled your hair for the day.

"He's usually in a meeting with the nobles around this hour," she mumbled, tugging on the braid she was working on. "It's usually over in the afternoon. They hold it in the main throne room."

"Got it," you nodded with a sigh and allowed her to continue.

Hoping time would ease the tension between you both, you were focused on seeing your horse - the thing was, you didn't know where the stables were. He had only given you a tour of the inside of the castle. 

As soon as your hair was finished, you stormed straight for the throne room. You could already hear the nobles discussing whatever royal duty needed tending to from the other side of the large double doors. But you paid no mind. 

"Suguru!" You opened the doors and sang his name out. The seated nobles were surprised by your presence, gasping as if they were offended you had stormed in. "I need to know where the stables are." 

His eyes were wide as he tried to hide a smile. Your sudden appearance would be a good out from the current meeting he was trapped in, whether you were still mad at him or not. 

"Absolutely," he stood from his throne. "Allow me to show you."

"But sire," one of the nobles urgently spoke up, "this meeting is of utmost importance."

"It can wait," he reassured them as he walked toward you.

"Sir," another noble with a serious expression stood. You were completely thrown off by his insistence, the smile you had from getting what you wanted now fading. "The issue of..." he hesitated, clearly not wanting to reveal the real issue, "a certain R.S. is detrimental to the survival of...our...towns." It was clear he was about to say "of humanity" but he quickly corrected himself, despite it being obvious.

"R.S.," Suguru rolled his eyes and laughed, "he's waited this long. He can wait longer. Certainly if there was imminent danger we'd already be in the thick of it." The noble that stood held a tight frown but sat back down. 

"Something I can't know about, I presume?" You asked while on the way to the stables. The temperature was comfortable and the sky was a bright blue. It was the perfect day for riding.

"Bingo," he sighed. "A lot of the dangers all come from one person, a person banned from this realm who somehow managed to return."

"He...creates them?" You wondered, assuming these dangers were specifically a noun of their own, like a creature of some kind.

"Close," he shook a pointed finger, "he draws them to himself. The more of them that are around means that he's close."

"Have...there been more?" You asked cautiously. With such secrecy, you were worried just how dangerous this person could be. 

"Unfortunately," he muttered, the color slightly draining from his face. "I thought we'd have more time. It was known he'd make his return eventually; I just hoped it wouldn't be during my lifetime. But I guess it's to be expected, hell, there's a reason Satoru has such immense power, too. It's like the universe was gearing up for this..."

"Power?" You mumbled. "Like...magic?" 

Suguru sighed angrily at himself. "I've been sharing too much. Let's change the subject."

"No! No, no, no," you chuckled, waving your hands in front of you in an 'x' motion. "You can't just drop the idea of magic and not talk about it."

"Magic's not real," Suguru muttered. 

"Are you magic?" You asked with sparkles in your eyes, leaning against his arm as if you were some kind of excited little kid. "Can I learn magic?"

"It's not magic!" He quickly corrected you, coming off a bit angrier than he would've liked. 

"Sorry, geez," you put your hands up in defense, pausing your walking for a moment to do so. "No magic," you caught up with him. 

"Here we are up ahead," he changed the subject himself as you approached a few shacks that stood alone in a meadow just outside the first set of castle walls. "All animals are cared for here. We've got standard farm animals, a few dogs, even a stray barn cat or two that make their appearance when they want to."

"Wow," you smiled at the large structures. It was much better than the stables in town. You were happy to know that they'd be well cared for. You loved that creature like it was a part of the family. 

As the two of you approached, you came across an enclosed area where a few dogs scampered about. Upon first glance, they looked mean - as if they were like guard dogs of some sort. Their teeth looked incredibly sharp and they looked unafraid to use them, even while playing. They had collars with metal spikes that glistened in the late afternoon sun. 

"Whoa," you stared at them as they fought over what appeared to be tough rope. A few others remained laying in the sun, happily panting away. 

"They provide extra protection," Suguru stopped with you to admire the pups. "Their collars are just in case a wild animal, or even one of them, goes for the neck. But overall, they're good pups."

"That's so cool," you whispered to yourself before looking up at him. "I always wanted a pet in the house, but...money. We could only afford our horse, which helped us pick up supplies from other towns." As soon as you finished speaking, your attention went back to the dogs. 

"Well, consider them yours," he sighed, trying to sound happy. Truthfully, he still felt as if he were in a funk from your previous argument. "Are you in love with him, Y/N?" 

"What?" You snapped you head back in his direction. "Are you bringing up the Kento thing again?" He remained silent. "You're the one willing to be a kidnapper," you grumbled.

"I'm not kidnapping you," he whined, absolutely hating that accusation. "We have an arrangement that you can back out of!"

You rolled your eyes at him and opted for staring at the dogs instead. "You know, you'd look better in a collar," you grumbled sarcastically, meaning that Suguru needed to be put in his place.

"That," he chuckled lowly with a knowing tone in his voice, "can be arranged."

"Suguru!" You nearly screeched, turning away from the fenced in area to give attention to the horses behind you - the actual reason you came here. He laughed at your offense and joined you.

You busily grabbed the reins and adjusted the bit into the horse's mouth. "I got what I needed, you don't need to stay," you said without giving him any other attention. You began to lead your horse from the stable.

"Don't you need a saddle?" He asked, watching as you walked the creature out into the pasture. 

"Nope," you answered quickly before launching your body over it's back, looking like some kind of fish flopping onto land. Once you were completely hung over, you launched your right leg over and sat up straight, your dress completely scrunched up and disorganized. "All I need are these," you motioned the reins in your hands.

"Impressive," Suguru's cheeks lightly blushed. You looked to be in your element, where you were most beautiful to him. 

"I guess," you shrugged and looked down at him. Getting on and off your horse was something that was so natural to you and the others in your town - seeing as a saddle was considered a luxury item.  You smirked when you realized you were looking down at him. "Heh," you chuckled, "I'm taller than you now."

He rolled his eyes and smirked. "We'll see if you say that when you're done riding."

"You know," you looked at him seriously, "I'm serious about that collar thing. Real handsome. Maybe a power shift will teach you not to kidnap girls by buying them into marriage." You gave a sarcastic, flat-lipped smile, winked, and squeezed your legs gently to signal the horse to run. 

You left him standing there. He extended his arms out and shook his head as he watched you ride off into the distance. "I'm in love," he scoffed to himself with a grin. 

[frenchtipacrylics]

My Routine for Doll Skin✨

i absolutely love having a thorough skincare routine. it makes me feel like a scientist, haha. i unfortunately have bad genetics when it comes to skin, so no amount of “drink water”, “cut out dairy and sugar”, or “manage what you eat” will ever help improve my skin. i simply need an effective routine, and here’s what works best for me.

the morning

in the mornings, i usually prep my skin for the day. this means i use products that protect my skin from the UV rays, pollution, makeup, and other nasty stuff that it’ll come in contact with. 

cleansing: in the morning, i do not use a cleanser. i just rinse my face with warm water.

toner: i don’t use witch hazel or any other astringents; instead, i use toners that hydrate my skin instead of drying it out. i love the kikumasamune sake high moisture toner and the pyukang yul essence toner.

serums: during the day i need serums that will adequately prepare my skin for makeup. because i’m oily, i use the ordinary’s niacinamide + zinc serum since it is great at oil control. i also have a 1% salicylic acid serum that helps with oil control as well as lightly exfoliates my skin, making it smooth and clearing my pores so my makeup has a great base. if i have recently had any acne, i use either a vitamin c serum or an alpha arbutin serum to clear up any dark spots. for those, i like the ordinary and the inkey list. 

moisturizer: finally, to lock in everything i put on my face i like to use a moisturizer. even if i have oily skin, i use a moisturizer or else i’m just drying out my skin. i use light creams or gels. my favorites are the ordinary’s natural moisturizing factors, the primera watery cream, and the iunik centella gel cream.

spf: every morning, my skincare routine ends with me putting on sunscreen. when using chemical exfoliation, it’s pertinent that you use an spf afterwards because if not then it undoes all your hard work; however, even when you aren’t using chemical exfoliants you always need to wear spf because sun damage makes your skin tone uneven and you obviously don’t want skin cancer. yes, even if you are darkskinned, when you’re inside if you have sun coming in through your windows, during the winter, when it’s raining. it’s also important to use spf 30 or above and be sure to reapply every two hours. for the initial application, my favorite sunscreen is the purito green level if i’m not going to be in the sun all day. for reapplication over my makeup, i use the supergoop spf spray.

at night

my skincare routine for the nighttime is focused on barrier repair and hydration. this is when i use products like chemical exfoliants because using them makes the skin more sensitive to harmful uv rays from the sun. i like to layer hydration here in order to balance out my morning routine which isn’t very hydrating. 

oil cleansing: i make sure to double cleanse by using an oil cleanser first and then following up with a traditional cleanser. if you wear makeup, have oily skin, or wear spf (and you’re supposed to wear spf every single day!!!), you need to double cleanse or you’re still leaving some makeup and spf on your face, which can cause acne. i like to use the farmacy cherry balm, but i also like the oat balm from inkey list.

traditional cleansing: for my traditional cleanser, i use gel cleansers because i have really oily skin. i like to dry cleanse, which is basically rubbing the cleanser onto your skin without water for about 30 seconds before wetting my hands and continuing to cleanse my face with water for the remaining 30 seconds. yes, i wash my face for 60 seconds and so should you. we’re supposed to wash our hands for at least 30 seconds to truly clean them, so why should our faces be any different? my favorite is the glow recipe blueberry bounce gentle cleanser, but i also like the simple micellar gel wash. i remove all my cleansers with a warm, wet cloth.

chemical exfoliation: this is truly how i get my skin together. i’m a bit advanced when it comes to chemical exfoliation, so unless you’re used to it do not copy me. your skin will hate you. bha 2 days a week, retinol/differin once a week, and azelaic acid on alternating days = doll skin, period. this combo gets rid of my skin congestion, clears my pores, smooths out my skin, and gets rid of any pimples with the quickness. i use the paula’s choice 2% bha, differin, and the ordinary’s azelaic acid (or paula’s choice if i want to splurge a little).

toner: again! i’ll admit it, i put my skin through a lot as someone who wears a full face of makeup everyday and has oily skin. however, it’s important to not be constantly stripping your skin of moisture. every other product in my nighttime routine is focused on keeping my skin barrier in tact and healthy. some people like putting their toner on a cotton round and wiping it over their face to get off excess dirt, but i cleanse my skin thoroughly so that isn’t needed. i always pour a bit of toner into my hands and press it into my damp skin like a serum.

essences: this is literally just for extra hydration. essences are like toners, but they can be thicker and are always hydrating, so they feel more luxurious. my favorites are the hadalabo premium hyaluronic solution and the cosrx snail mucin essence.

serums: at night, i only use hydrating serums. i love the ordinary’s niacinamide + zinc serum at night because niacinamide not only helps with oil control but it also helps with barrier repair. i also like to use their marine hyaluronics serum. my favorite barrier repair serum is the purito centella buffet serum; as soon as i put that on, any irritation is immediately soothed. krave’s great barrier relief and paula’s choice omega complex serum are both great if you’re willing to spend a little more.

moisturizer: because i don’t have to worry about keeping my makeup on all day, i tend to go for heavier moisturizers at night. during this time, i only use moisturizers that have ingredients formulated for barrier repair, such as ceramides, centella extract, and squalane oil. i use the one kind dream cream and the cerave moisturizer in a tub.

occlusive: an occlusive is what i put on my face during the night so i wake up with soft, plump skin and don’t suffer from tewl, or trans-epidermic water loss. if you wake up with skin on the dry side, you should probably put on an occlusive at night. i used to use a facial oil, but i found that it wasn’t occlusive enough for me. now i use the cerave healing ointment, but plain vaseline works well, too.

weekly

here are the things that aren’t needed more than once a week for me. these are all either addressing issues that i don’t have as often, for special occasions, or could even be detrimental if done too often.

face shaving: i do not do at-home dermaplaning, but i do use an eyebrow razor to tackle my mustache area and in-between my brows. i also shape/tweeze my eyebrows and tweeze wherever else needed at this step.

masks: depending on where i’m going or what my goal is, i usually use either a sheet mask, a hydrogel mask, or a clay mask. sheet masks are honestly just hydrating serums, and i like to do these in the winter when i’m feeling especially dry. i use hydrogel masks tend to target certain areas such as the under eyes or lips. when i need my makeup to last a very long time or i’m about to go on a really important event, i use clay masks to completely mattify my face. when removing clay masks, i like to use a hydrating spray (my toner in a spray bottle) to make the mask wet again so i don’t tug on my skin as much during the removal process. 

spot treating: i don’t get pimples often anymore, but when i do i like to get rid of them asap. i don’t pop my pimples because it’s unsanitary for a number of reasons, but i do understand the urge to pick at them. that’s why i put a spot treatment on them. i use zapzyt which is a 10% benzoyl peroxide acne treatment gel or the sulfur spot treatment from face reality. if my pimple accidentally does “pop”, i clean the area and quickly put an acne patch on it. i love the peace out acne dots with salicylic acid and the hydro-stars from star-face. 

lip care: especially now that winter is coming up, it is important to not have dry, nasty, cracked lips. i use a lip scrub to exfoliate all the dead skin off, then apply an overnight lip mask. the lip scrub i use is the seraphine botanicals orange + cream lip polish. my favorite lip masks are the tarte sea jelly glaze lip masks and the laneige lip sleeping masks. obviously, throughout the day i wear lip balm and while i really love the jack black intense therapy lip balm and the dior lip glow balm, i only use vaseline now for medical reasons.