#every single member I can relate to it is not fair!!!

[hana-bobo-finch]

[deus-ex-mona]

little brothers and their will to #slay, man </3

[shorthaltsjester]

okay but i am very confused about the energy regarding the weavemind as. bells hells specific enemies? like sure they’re on ruidus and have been introduced in campaign 3 but none of bells hells have expressed a specific interest in taking them down, the weave mind has committed no specific crimes against bells hells that would equate it to being Justice™ for bh to fight them. even if you want to make the tenuous connection that like imogen and fearne are ruidusborn: both of them have focused much more on the consequences and revelations about their families that have come about from their ruidusborn existence than the authoritarian leaders of ruidus itself. so, uh, it is profoundly more interesting to have the party go after the person in charge of the army cult that contextualizes both of their existences and the trauma of the entirety of their party than a obscure group of villains that bh has no actual tangible relation to. like this was literally laid out in the conversation. bh get the cage and ludinus because that’s Their Fight that they’ve been fighting since imogen started dreaming and since orym’s family got killed. vox machina is taking the bridge because of the vax of it all. and mighty nein got the third less prevalent thing, because they’re experienced with psychic threats and manipulation (and also because of course the mighty nein are the ones dealing with the assignment less likely to be seen or heard about).

like the in-character reactions to the breakup of activities were only really considered anything close to negative by braius and dorian who while certainly now members of bells hells aren’t the ones upon which people are claiming to build their “this story is an injustice to the bells hells” sure it is. like ignoring the fact that being unable to get closure on every single issue and potential villain is a long-standing tradition in cr campaigns, i thought the thing everyone loved so much about bells hells is that they’re the npc party? and for better or worse c3 has been about being fast paced and it would be extraordinarily out of character for matt to say “oh these two high stakes and powerful groups have decided to fulfil their plans one at a time so that bells hells can sufficiently take them out.” like the only way that bells hells — the lowest level party — getting to take out One Of The Most Powerful Exandrian Mages is an injustice is if you’ve ignored the entire campaign and its context. like seeing the complaint that “it’s not bells hells story” yes, that has been made clear time and time again in the past 100 episodes. it’s completely fair to not like this, it’s extremely odd to see this as some sort of surprise wrecking ball that has come about in the decision to have more than one party of eight fuck ups trying to stop the unavoidably obvious world ending threat that exandria currently faces and not as something that has been made repeatedly clear by the themes and position of bells hells. like, throughout, unlike vm or mn, they have been handed their missions rather than choosing them (even if between 2 or 3 choices as was often the case with mn), they have explicitly discussed being the npcs or little guys, they have consistently gone to the bigger guys for help with things that previous parties either managed themselves or suffered without or had allies to help them (versus the like. Leaders that bh look to), even the dynamics of the parties express that bells hells are people stuck saving the world due to a bunch of personal moral codes rather than a specific decision to save the world because they’re the only ones who can, they’re expendable. that has made this campaign different throughout, it has made the characters less explored because they don’t have the time or means or desire to do so. and again it’s a matter of taste whether that’s something you enjoy, but it shouldn’t be a matter of “why would they do this” this far into the Bells Hells Aren’t Special They’re Just There campaign (which isn’t to say the characters aren’t special or whatever like they’re a bunch of weirdos but as a party they’re just a party)

[ephemeral-cryptid]

why some gods are more commonly worshiped than others

So, we all know that some deities are much more commonly worked with and worshiped than others, and most of us have our own ideas as to why. I think there’s a multitude of reasons, including the unsavory myths surrounding them, cultural bias, and lack of pop culture fame. However, the factor I want to talk about in this post is this: a lot of the less popular deities are deities with less obvious/direct impacts on our lives. 

I’m going to go through each of the 12 Olympians (plus Hestia) and explain how I believe this impacts our view of them and how we can recognize and get closer to them in our everyday lives. I’m only doing the 12 Olympians because I am most familiar with the Hellenic pantheon and if I did every single deity in this post, it would take a million years. I might do other deities in the future if anyone is interested or I feel called to.

Zeus:

So, I have to address the elephant in the room on this one. The big reason that people are wary of working with/worshiping Zeus is because of the popular myths surrounding him. With that out of the way, another thing influencing his worship, or lack thereof, is the fact that many people only think of him as the god of thunder, lightning, and rain. So, for the people that live in very dry areas, especially areas in a drought, it might feel unimportant to worship him. 

However, that is silly, as Zeus is not only the god of rainstorms. He also rules over the sky as a whole, all forms of weather, law and order, destiny and fate, and leadership.

Some ways to connect to Zeus in your day-to-day life are admiring and appreciating the sky and the weather, being thankful for nice weather, following fair rules and laws, acknowledging their importance, and being appreciative of them, taking initiative when necessary, and being a good leader if you’re in a leadership role. Zeus affects everyone in a very direct way, but a lot of us fail to realize it.

Hera:

Another deity whose worship is negatively impacted by her mythology is Hera. She is also affected by the common misconceptions about her dominion. For lots of people, when they think of Hera, they think of weddings. Everyone knows she’s the goddess of marriage, but a lot of people ignore the part that comes after the wedding, and weddings aren’t exactly an everyday occurrence, so this means a lot of people skimp out on their worship of her. 

She is not only the ruler of weddings though. She also rules marital harmony (the part that comes after the wedding), family, women, and a protector of women during childbirth/some say the goddess of birth itself. 

Some ways to connect with her in daily life are spending time with your family and/or partner, showing appreciation to your family and/or partner, setting healthy boundaries and having an open line of communication with your family and/or partner, researching parenthood/childbirth before you have kids or if you already have kids, expressing your femininity (this goes for men to, everyone has different levels of femininity and masculinity, no matter the gender) if you feel comfortable doing so, celebrating/appreciating the miracle of birth and fertility, and just in general being a good family member, partner, and parent. 

Poseidon:

Poseidon also has negative connotations due to his myths, though to a lesser extent than Hera and Zeus. Many people also choose not to worship him because they live inland far from the ocean. They feel disconnected from him because they’re so far from his domain (or so they think). Many of us don’t take into consideration his other aspects besides being the lord of the sea.

However, he also lords over earthquakes, any ocean-related storms (such as hurricanes and tsunamis), horses, droughts, and floods. If you have a connection to horses or experience a lot of floods, earthquakes, and/or ocean-related storms, you probably have a deeper connection with Poseidon than you think.

Some ways to involve him in your everyday life include being aware of and prepared for any incoming storms, possible floods, droughts, and earthquakes, getting involved with horses if that’s something you are interested in and capable of doing, conserve water, support foundations dedicated to cleaning the ocean, hurricane/drought/flood relief, and horse rescues if you are able, staying hydrated, doing what you can to reduce pollution (like not littering and picking up garbage off the ground), learning about geology/the ocean and the creatures in it/horses, and just appreciating water, horses, and the earth.

Demeter:

Demeter is an interesting case because I feel like a lot of us know how directly she impacts us but don’t feel close to her because of how uninvolved most people in first world countries are from the harvest. Most people inhabiting developed nations don’t grow our own food, so we aren’t knowledgeable about planting and harvesting, therefore we don’t feel connected enough to Demeter to worship her, much less devote ourselves to her.

She is primarily the goddess of the harvest and agriculture, but she also presides over fertility, plants in general but specifically grain, the life cycle, sacred law, and soil.

Some ways you can include her in your daily routine are planting a garden or even just a few flowers, appreciating and being grateful for the food you eat, educating yourself on what types of plants grow in your area and how to grow/harvest them, growing your own food when possible, learning about the life cycle, acknowledging the beauty of life and death, enjoying nature, and grounding yourself with the earth. 

Athena:

Athena is perhaps the most popular deity on this list so far, but she is still underappreciated in the modern era. I’m not exactly sure why she is worshiped so little. Perhaps it is because many people find her primary domain (wisdom) to be boring or maybe they just don’t think they’re “smart” enough or “good” enough to worship a goddess so revered as Athena (which I personally think is likely in a lot of cases). 

Athena is not only the goddess of wisdom but also war, good council, weaving and sewing, handicraft of any form (pottery, arts and crafts, etc.), and practical reasoning. You don’t have to have a certain “level of intelligence” in order to connect with her, only the desire to gain wisdom and knowledge.

Some ways to honor and connect with Athena in your everyday are learning about what you’re passionate about, reading, doing any form of crafts or handiwork, sewing or weaving, using your reasoning skills when you need to, making well-informed decisions, asking for and listening to advice from people more knowledgeable than you (if the advice is good), controlling your temper and impulses, learning how to channel your anger into something productive, standing up for yourself when necessary, and just in general pursuing wisdom and knowledge. 

Ares:

Ares is also a victim of unfavorable myths and representation in pop culture, which makes him less popular to worship. Unlike many of the other deities on this list who are unpopular only in the modern era, Ares was never popular, even in Ancient Greece. He suffers from having a domain that not many individuals like and most people nowadays will never directly experience. Most people in most developed countries will never go to war and a lot won’t even know anybody directly impacted by war, so they don’t think worshiping Ares is important. Seeing the Russia-Ukraine war is not enough for a lot of people because they’re just not there. In reality, everybody is impacted by war all the time, but I think a lot of people just don’t really consider how deeply it affects them. War is a core foundation of the human experience, but a lot of us fail to realize it.

Ares is the god of war (particularly brutal war), courage, battlelust, civil order, and the spirit of war personified. For this reason, I believe a lot of people are also afraid to worship him, but war is a constant in the human experience, whether we like it or not (which most of us obviously don’t), and Ares is much more important than people give him credit for.

Some ways to connect with Ares on the daily are being as courageous as you possibly can (without being stupid, of course), educating yourself on wars of the past, why they occurred, how they went down, etc., educating yourself on and perhaps getting involved in ongoing wars (what I mean by this is just spreading awareness and donating money if you can), being an activist for causes that are important to you, standing up for yourself, learning how wars from the past and ongoing wars are still affecting people in the modern day, acknowledging both the positive and negative aspects of war, and channeling your anger in a productive way.

Hephaestus:

Hephaestus is unpopular, in my opinion, mostly because people either think he’s unattractive and wrongfully judge him for it and/or they don’t do metalwork themselves, so they think that he has little impact on their lives. Of course, that’s not the only thing he rules over, but that’s what he’s most known for, so people tend to forget him.

Hephaestus is not only the god of metalwork and blacksmithing, but also fire, volcanoes, carpentry, the art of sculpture, metallurgy, artisans, and technology in general. (I personally also see him as a protector of people with disabilities, but that’s just a UPG.) The device you’re using to read this post right now is a blessing of Hephaestus.

Some things you can do to include him in your daily life are acknowledging and appreciating all the ways technology helps you everyday, building and putting together things (this can be as simple as building with legos or doing a jigsaw puzzle), building a fire in a fireplace or creating a bonfire if possible, appreciating the beauty of fire and acknowledging how it benefits you, sculpting if that’s something you enjoy, and creating new things (even doing art falls under Hephaestus’s sphere of influence). Anytime you are creating something new, you are honoring Hephaestus.

Aphrodite:

Aphrodite is the first deity on this list that I feel doesn’t suffer from a lack of popularity, likely because love is something almost everyone has some form of experience with. Aphrodite impacts us all in a very obvious, direct way, which makes approaching her easy and desirable. It’s crazy how much of our lives revolve around love.

Aphrodite is the goddess of all forms of love, beauty, sexuality, desire, lust, fertility, and procreation. 

Some ways you can honor Aphrodite are by being a good friend, family member, and partner, seeing the beauty in everything, setting boundaries and having healthy communication in your relationships, loving the little things in life, being kind and loving to others, seeing the beauty in yourself and others, having confidence in yourself, not feeling shame over lustful feelings, educating yourself on reproduction and healthy relationships, not judging others for their physical appearance, and appreciating the beauty of life and fertility

Artemis:

Artemis is less popular than Aphrodite, but she doesn’t have the lack of popularity that the other deities on this list do. She has a very direct impact on people’s lives as well. The moon is something everybody has experience with and it comes out everyday and nature is everywhere, which makes her sphere of influence very noticeable, hence the popularity. Nature and wildlife is also everywhere and has a very easily observable effect on our lives. She is also a very empowering protector of women, which adds to her popularity. 

She is the goddess of the moon, the hunt, nature, wildlife, young women, animals, virginity, archery, sudden death of women and girls, and childbirth.

Some ways to get closer to Artemis everyday are appreciating the beauty of nature and the moon, treating all animals with kindness (unless they’re endangering you or something), volunteering or donating to animal shelters if possible, not littering, cleaning up litter, learning archery if you are able and want to, getting involved with feminist movements and other movements you’re interested in, help hurt animals or women that need it, if you go hunting, thank your prey after you kill it and use all parts of the body that you can, thank all the meat that you eat for their sacrifice and don’t take it for granted, get educated on reproductive health, treat  all people, but specifically women, nature, and wildlife with respect and kindness, learn about the wildlife and nature in your area, and learn about moon cycles and how the moon affects the earth

Apollo:

Apollo is arguably the most popular deity among modern day polytheists, which makes sense given the sheer amount of domains he rules over. Health, the sun, art, prophecy, and archery are probably the first things that come to mind for most of us, but that only begins to cover the things that he rules over.

Apollo is the god of health, archery, prophecy and oracles, music, all forms of art, plague and disease, protection of the young, the sun, knowledge, herds and flocks, light, truth, guilt, poetry, protection of cities, and more (if I listed everything, we’d be here for days). So you can probably see why he’s so popular.

There are so many things you could do to honor him in your daily life. You can make art, music, or poetry, you can listen to music, read poetry, or look at art, you can keep yourself as healthy as you can, you can learn archery if you’re able, you can help the sick and the young in any way you can, you can sit outside and enjoy the sunlight when it’s out or just open your curtains, you can learn about things you’re interested in, you can try to be as honest as possible, you can work through your guilt and overcome it, you can protect children if you see they’re in danger, you can learn an instrument, you could share your knowledge with other people, and I’m sure you could think of much more given his wide sphere of influence.

Hermes:

Hermes is probably the second most popular deity in modern days after Apollo. Again, this makes sense given how many things he has dominion over. His realm of influence is also very important and easy to see the direct influence of in your real life, which also boosts his popularity. He’s also said to be the “most human” god because he interacted with them the most often through his messages and being a psychopomp, and he’s known to be quite easy-going and easy to work with, which definitely helps. 

He is the god of communication, herds and flocks, travelers, hospitality, trade, thievery, cunning, heralds, diplomacy, language, writing, athleticism and competitions, astronomy, astrology, merchants, wit, speed, commerce, and he was a psychopomp and messenger of the gods. Like Apollo, I’m sure there’s some things that I’ve missed, but if I covered everything it would take forever.

There are soooo many things you can do to connect with Hermes, more than I could ever list, but some things you can do are improving your communication skills, setting boundaries in your relationships, travelling if you want to and are able, learning a new language, journalling, working on your writing skills, being kind and hospitable to strangers, talking to people, doing sports/taking a walk/anything athletic, participating in competitions if that’s something you enjoy, learning  about astronomy and/or astrology, and being diplomatic in your conversations with others (unless you have a good reason not to). Again, I’m sure there’s much more, but these are just some ideas.

Dionysus:

Dionysus is another fairly commonly worshiped deity among current polytheists. Unsurprising considering how popular alcohol and theater is in most cultures. Dionysus has always been and will always be popular due to his fun, chaotic nature and how popular his sphere of rule is. 

He is the god of alcohol (specifically wine), theater, madness, ecstasy, festivity, insanity, orchards and fruit,  vegetation, fertility, and wild frenzy. 

Some things you can due to get closer to Dionysus in the day-to-day are drinking alcohol if you are of age (responsibly), watching live theater and movies/tv, doing things you enjoy, dancing (bonus points if you’re dancing erratically), eating fruit or drinking fruit juice (especially grapes), taking care of your mental health, educating yourself on mental health, learning about the history of theater, and just enjoying life.

Hestia: 

Hestia is another deity that does not get enough appreciation. She used to be one of, if not, the most universally worshiped deity, but now it’s very rare to find someone that regularly worships her. I think maybe a part of it is that she’s considered more “boring,” but I also think lots of polytheists are uneducated on what she actually has influence on. I think people hear that she’s the goddess of the “hearth” and think that she must be outdated since we don’t have hearths anymore. Meals also aren’t as valued as they were back in Ancient Greece because they are so much easier to access, so she just isn’t quite as relevant as in the past. 

Hestia is the goddess of the hearth, the home, sacred and sacrificial fire, virginity, family, and the state. She has some very important influence in our life, but a lot of people just don’t know what she’s really the goddess of.

Some things you can do to honor Hestia are cooking, cleaning, burning a fire in your fireplace or starting a bonfire if you’re able, being kind to people, being good to your family, and being a contributing member of the state.

I hope some of you found this useful. If you disagree with me on anything, that’s alright. My word isn’t law. This is just my opinion, and you’re free to leave yours in the comments. There are many nuances and details that are left out of this post because it’s not comprehensive, so just know there’s a lot I left out. If you got this far, thanks for reading, and I hope you got something out of this :)

[omghallucinations]

charts that made me go "oh boy": stray kids lee know

ok. well. i've been on a journey.

i was innocently inputting idols with known birth times into my astro software as i do and i put this guy in and said "oh... oh boy..." out loud so obviously i decided to do a write-up

i finished this write-up. realized i was bias wrecked all to hell. so. there u go. let this be a warning to you all. be careful whose chart you analyze because you could end up with a Problem!!

unrelated (related) i just love a sagittarius moon. my favorite moon there is. some people love a taurus moon, fair, valid (also lee know has his moon in the 2nd which is basically a layer of taurusy vibe) but i love a sagittarius moon most of all. those guys are crazy (affectionate). you cannot kill them in any way that matters. truly understand the inherent hilariousness of life... .. somehow can always see through the illusions of capitalism... i love them.

who is this anaretic degree ass

girl how many important degrees... do u need... ... i have two 29s and one 0 in my chart and i thought that was a lot...

lee know has both venus and neptune at 29 (and venus at 29.59 which is, wow old soul ready to get the hell off this lawn much?). the anaretic degree is the "fated degree"--it's like, your soul has just about mastered this energy and is about to take it somewhere else (bc the next degree is not 30, it's 0 of the next sign) so it's time for some TESTS. it's crises and gifts. often you're naturally good at this energy in whatever form that takes, but it's gonna fuck with you on and off throughout your life. more during the first half to be fair. especially with that 0 degree saturn, he'll probably be in way better shape after his saturn return.

venus at 29(.59?!?!) in libra -- ok i also have venus at 29 (.09!), so i can tell you that he never has to be single if he doesn't want to be, but it is not gonna go right for a long ass time and he's gonna be weird and intense about relationships and it will not feel good. he might think it is going right. he is wrong. get ready for some gifts but ALSO some crises with love and creativity and beauty and shit--especially with venus at home in libra and his scorpio rising. he's definitely captivating, and can probably bamboozle whoever he wants with his beauty and charm, but his crisis and urgency feeling in love is probably a Whole Lot both for him and for his partners. and it's in the 12th house like.. .. . oh boy honey. he's gonna hide his need for love and validation and his sensitivity so hard. also literally his relationships (and they'll probably be undefined for a long time) despite the fact that every one is gonna be so intense.

it's also opposite his 0 degree saturn????? girl!! and conjunct his sun also in the 12th... .. . . . well at least you are so beautiful and charming and generous, lee know, and everyone really likes you. i know u issues and tremendous sensitivity that you hide like crazy and probably a judgmental family member (who probably means well, unfortunately!) whose influence burdens u even now as u feel like there are somehow always Forces Working Against You for no reason! even tho u just gotta Believe In Yourself dot mp3.....

bright side! when he works through some of this stuff he's very likely gonna have a very solid and mature marriage and he already has sort of a maturity leg-up, thank u saturn in taurus and juno conjunct sun. eventually you will look back on the many unhinged texts you sent at 2am and laugh... . .. more than you already do, you sagittarius moon, you!!

neptune at 29 capricorn in the 3rd house -- hahahaha welcome to crises and gifts around dreams, illusions, secrets, delusions, etc. and make it capricorn: old soul vibes, anxiety, not gonna settle until later in life. in the 3rd house: dreams and illusions with gemini vibes, unending curiosity, brain running at 300 all day all night, so many Thoughts. hm. does he have adhd (inattentive subtype)???he's super creative and iconoclastic but he may be doing a lot of talking and not a lot of... doing. it's also a weird mood to have the fanciful dreams planet in the harsh reality sign, there's conflict inherent there. (oh lord, neptune is square venus and saturn with a 0 orb??? t-square??? bro??? lee know did ur parents or teachers or society crush ur dreams??? do you now crush your own dreams urself in advance to avoid disappointment??? do u think you can either have love or success and not both???)

(i can fix him!! wait.)

lunar nodes at 29 (NN in Leo in the 10th, SN in Aquarius in the 4th) -- lol this plus his 29.59 venus, his soul is Ready to Move On from these lessons hahaha, luckily his career really reflects his soul growth shit--moving away from his comfort zone of being a semi-reclusive iconoclastic weirdo with depressive tendencies who stays at home and moving towards self expression, celebration of himself and creativity in his career/a public space. he is gonna have a lot of crises about this though, since the south node is still really important and you shouldn't abandon it, it's ur foundation. he's gonna have questions like what does "be yourself" even mean??? how public is too public? how private is too private? what if i Fail, Publicly??? what if i don't put myself out there enough???

(he probably does not put himself out there enough, because of the relationship between his nodes, saturn, venus and his 12th house sun--but he should!! fight for your opportunities king!!)

(if u do not already have a therapist, lee know, please... get a therapist... it will help u.... i swear....)

we're still not done with degrees for some reason

saturn at 0 degrees taurus in the 6th house: another #same, my saturn is also at 0 degrees!! ateez jongho is another one with a 0 degree saturn, it's a very strong aura no matter what. any planet at 0 is fresh and new and EXCITED TO BE THERE and depending on aspects etc it will almost always express the energy of the planet in that sign real... loud... and real... vibrantly... ... .. without much nuance... for better or worse. this doesn't have to be a straightforward manifestation of the sign, sometimes it's wonky, but either way it's just a lot of Pure Sign and Planet Energy.

saturn is a more outer planet, so normally the sign its in is more of a light flavor and the much more important thing is the aspects and the house its in. if saturn is at 0, scratch that whole sentence

saturn in taurus is really. really clear in lee know's personality, tbh even to someone who only knows him from his professional activities. like. startlingly. i see her. saturn is a force for maturity, lessons, responsibility, discipline, structure, practicality, actual real physical life not the idea of life, and in taurus it's going. home. bye. the taurus jumps out. he's not too fussed about how much attention he's getting, or how much center time, he never jumps in ego-first. in the sixth house of work daily life and virgo vibes he's just gonna do what he's gotta do and get it done. solid, mature, grounded, no celebrity disease in sight, really a nice counterpoint to the kinda manic romance he's got going on in the 12th that would unhinge him from reality in many ways if it weren't for saturn

sixth house also gives some health stuff, some virgo vibes, can be critical. he might have or have had some health probs, or he may have them in future if he isn't super careful

taurus in the sixth to me gives apartment rooftop garden, beloved pets (6th house is the small animals house :)), dependable cornerstone at work but leaves at 5pm sharp because he wants to GO HOME. he's not gonna do more than he has to do because that's #stupid and he's not #stupid. he's not lazy at all he uses exactly the amount of energy he needs to and no more, again, because he's not dumb. vibes. icon. comfort. ease. chilling out.

he probably can really cut you deep if he wants to (especially with his chart ruler being his super specific and critical virgo mars in the 10th), luckily he doesn't care enough most of the time

(being mean in a funny way does not count, because of his aforementioned sagittarius moon and various gemini/virgo influences, it's the way he expresses affection!)

party (?) in his first house

idk i think a lot of idols have stuff in their first house, more proportionally than most people, which makes sense for their whole...situation. anyway. his first house has:

scorpio mercury: fun!! anything in your first house is gonna color the rest of your chart, almost like another layer to your rising. for example ateez hongjoong and (g)idle soyeon are both capricorn risings with uranus and neptune in the first house, so they're not regular capricorn risings, they're capricorn-aquarius-pisces risings. with mercury in there lee know gets a fun gemini/virgo flavor to his life path/vibe. he's gonna be chattier, funnier, externally wittier than most scorpio risings, more similar to a gemini or virgo rising in that way. it really is his cross of Sexy Intense Head Bitch You Shouldn't Cross but also Head Silly Yapper. his mercury is widely conjunct his ascendant, so the gemini/virgo/communication focus comes across strongly.

he's smart and curious and can talk anyone into anything at any time. it's another thing in his chart that chills out the sort of. self-serious Drama of scorpio placements (she said, scorpio moonly). mercury is zany!! and can really think itself into all sorts of interesting places (anxiety vortex? deluluville? why not both???)

scorpio chiron: well ya can't have it all. he has some pain and wounds around his own identity and place in the world as well as his soul-need for independence and self-assertion. it's complicated for him to Be Himself and with scorpio he probably has some past life shit here (in addition to his many heavily karmic 29 degree placements, let's all say thank you god for giving him a sagittarius moon and mercury in the 1st house)

sagittarius pluto: power. magnetism. take the usual power of a scorpio rising and crank it up to 20. also he has a temper under the calm, methodical taurus saturn and also thinks he's right 100% of the time. and he has some deep feelings and can empathize with the suffering of others! most importantly his past life stuff has been rooted in the search for identity and place in the world and he finds unconscious security in independence and his ability to assert himself, probably extra complicated for his 29 degree libra venus who craves union with another! lol!

this is honestly only just scratching the surface (just like any chart interpretation) but i gotta stop!! unfortunately i've been bias wrecked by an astrological chart. embarrassing as hell!!

[roo-bastmoon]

IMPORTANT INFO: issues around Jimin’s album

I have an ARMY friend (who shall remain safely anonymous) who works in film production for the music and entertainment industry here in the US. They offered me some valuable insights today into production limitations and possible issues related to Jimin’s solo album.

Below the cut is a transcript of their messages to me. I share this in the hopes it better informs our discussions around fair treatment of BTS members’ releases. It is by no means a definitive account of Jimin’s situation—simply an insider’s ideas on what likely happened around a few things.

I understand there are very big feelings about this topic, especially with the apparent differences around JK’s single, and I appreciate everyone’s viewpoints. However, if you choose to interact with this post, you will be respectful to others (including members) or you will be blocked. You are always welcome to DM me privately if you need to vent—we are all human and we all need a bit of grace, so you’ll always have that with me.

Sending you guys so much love, Roo

Anonymous Insider

Some “light reading” while you’re resting up and recovering, lol. This is all just based on what I’ve been watching and seen. Of course, I don’t have access to their production budget sheet and Korea works very differently than the US when it comes to production, but this what I’ve been seeing when it comes to their videos and particularly the promotions for FACE.

(I’m sending in sections, lol)

Alrighty - I’m still like deep in edit-land (still am two days later 😭) but I started typing this on the train between meetings, ha ha. (And am still on the train doing this, lol.) Also this rambles a bit I’m sorry! So the first thing I did was go back to the interview where Jimin talked about the music videos — it was a Japanese TV show and he’s talking with a host in Korean.

He’s talking about “wanting to do it all,” laughs and says, “I wanted all the music videos” and that “they” (the company assuming) said “무리다” which has its roots in the word 무리 which means a herd, a party, a group — basically “it’s too much,” “it’s unreasonable,” and “it’s impossible” are decent translations as it refers to something or an idea being “too much” — then the host and Jimin burst out laughing and the host goes “서리와 무리다” which I read as “sorry (in konglish) but we can’t” and they continue to laugh. So based on that —it sounds very understandable.

We can imagine Jimin sitting down with his team and planning out SMFP2 and LC videos, with the 30 dancers and all the party scene extras, and then Jimin saying he wants to do the music shows with 6 different sets in rented locations so they could have total control. And if Jimin in that process went “what if we made official music videos for all of them?” the team would understandably go “that’s just not reasonable!” 1) because it would give Jimin a budget no other member had gotten and 2) there aren’t that many production houses in Korea. It’s a very small scene — it may just logistically not been possible. There aren’t enough DPs and crew and editors. Sometimes, as a producer, you have to tell your creative talent “I’m sorry, but no.” — I say it every week!

So what about the music videos? Well, here’s what I know from meticulously watching all the behind the scenes for BTS videos over the years. They work with a small team. They likely own a good deal of the gear — they shoot mainly on RED cameras and heavy expensive Cooke lenses (which you can’t get this stuff easily in Korea. I lost a lens cap for a Canon CINÉ Lens in Seoul and it was like this whole big deal because getting gear there is an import challenge but anyways) they use MOVI and Ronin gimbal stabilizers and Jimmy Rigs a lot.

Recently they’ve been using technocranes but I wonder how many technocranes there are in Seoul. As I said, they likely own a lot of this gear which can help with costs. But we’ve also been told — and I’ve heard through my industry friends — that Hybe PAYS. And in Korea there’s no unions in the entertainment world, and often the rates are shit (hence Netflix investing so much there - blerg) their standard work week is also already 12 hours longer than the US. It’s a whole thing. and they spend so much money on sets. It’s incredible.

They rent these huge spaces outside Seoul and BUILD — I mean the build out for SMFP2 was astounding. They easily dropped 1million on that video. The rigging, the build-out, the custom set and the custom camera rigs to achieve the 360 shots - the drone shots. They’re astounding videos. No US label is spending that money on videos these day. Absolutely none of them are — my friend recently produced a video for John Legend. They were trying to pull the whole thing off for $100K which is ridiculous. It’s really almost impossible.  

But on the Big videos they spend a lot of money, but they also produce a lot of other stuff too (and these are often looked at as Performance Videos vs all-caps MUSIC VIDEOS) -— like RM’s video shoot at DIA Beacon… that was a much smaller, fairly single camera shoot — all shot on drones or a MOVI handheld rig. No set, they also didn’t like pay for the set because DIA: Beacon is an art museum — and similar a little bit to Letter for Jimin, which was much smaller set and easy in-house gear.

(And it was also released on Bangtan TV channel vs Hybe Labels Channel, which is a good indicator of how they categorize these shoots.) But the big videos, they go for broke. I mean they spend so much money and again they may own a lot of the equipment but there’s still so much people-power and labor involved. Take the dancers’ rehearsals. You have to pay people for all that — you have to pay them for the weeks of rehearsal, you have to pay them to be in a video. It is so expensive — like, I would not be able to budget that video for under 1 million, that’s how much it costs.  

So then Jimin wanted to do music shows —- and so because he’s Jimin and it’s BTS, Hybe rented larger venues and locations for all of the shoots. None of them use the actual Broadcast spaces or were provided by the broadcast studios. The smaller companies do though — remember when BTS first started out they went to SBS to film on the day? — but they don’t do that anymore. They rent huge facilities so that they could be a mini concerts for ARMYs to visit with Jimin and see him.

They also have to do this kind of outside of the city and they built huge sets because they’re going to want to show off if they’re gonna be on TV but that is so expensive. (I don’t think you were an ARMY then, but when ON was released, at the time it was the “biggest broadcast performance ever” and they keep upping that ante for sure!) It’s possible the broadcast companies spend some money but what BTS is doing is so outside the usual budget and given the tension with the broadcasters and HYBE — they (Hybe) wants control of their products, and so I think they pay for that control.

I can’t imagine they got out of any of those days for under $500K; I mean, there were two different sets, all the crew; they’re paying for all of it. We add it up and they probably spent close to $3-5 million between Jimin’s music videos and his music show performances, and I would be understandably like: “That’s it!” Like, that’s the budget for an EP, you know.

I don’t think Jimin could have it all because that wasn’t the case for the other members. RM got to lead videos and J Hope had pyrotechnics, which definitely costs money and safety and insurance. You know he had visual effects his first video (a lotta visual effects) and again a lot of challenging technocrane work, but I haven’t really seen them build something on the scale of what they built for SMFP2 in a very long time (or ever?).

We heard from the Art Dept that Jimin did not want to shoot on blue screen, so they built the set for him. This cannot be the same label that is shafting him — that allows him to spend that amount of money just because the artist said “I want to shoot in a real space!” because I’m gonna be completely honest— he could’ve done that on a blue screen — I’m glad they built a real world because BTS almost always shoots on Blue/Green Screen. They build him a huge set like that. It’s absolutely incredible.

I was also reminded this morning that people are talking about radio for Like Crazy and not supporting the song — and I just keep thinking that they did exact rollout for Butter, Dynamite, and Permission to Dance. They released Like Crazy. It had both a Korean version and English version. (Obviously that wasn’t the case for the English BTS songs.) They released two additional remixes. Then they kept releasing, like, alternate cover versions — alternate covers of the main remix, alternate cover the other remix. They were trying to maximize the direct-to-consumer store and exact same way they had tried to maximize it with Dynamite and Butter and Permission to Dance.

The way you were buying Like Crazy was the same process I took on Dynamite. They did the exact same playbook. So the fact that they were unable to get the kind of radio play they wanted or maybe they weren’t prioritizing radio because they knew that they were gonna have a better chance at direct to consumer sales... Maybe they didn’t want to fight radio. Maybe Geffen was like “We don’t have the right ‘Ins’ yet!” — I’m not sure, but the fact that they got completely screwed over by Billboard doesn’t mean that they weren’t actually rolling it out in that way, because as soon as they started doing the whole alternate cover thing, I was like: “Well, they clearly want us to try to go for number one!” You know, “They clearly think that they are going to be able to get number one on the hot 100 and we’re gonna use these sales to do that!” And clearly that’s all changed now.

They keep changing the rules on us, so — with JK, they’re obviously trying to, you know, use whatever tools they have available to them at this point.

Finally, when it comes to restocking the digital single CD. There are still albums available in the store. So why would they manufacture and ship more (likely thrown away) plastic that’s just for one song, when those CD singles only serve to raise sales for the charts? All of the other member’s CD singles are out of stock except The Astronaut, which they treated more like a proper album a bit (kinda like the Butter CD releases). Because they still have both versions of his full albums in stock, so if I were Hybe, I’d be like “No,you need to buy the album, we still have albums, we’re not going to sell you a single song when you can buy the album!” That makes more sense to me. The albums cost more.

TL:DR, haha — so I feel like this narrative around Jimin’s release has been ramped up because, from my professional opinion, he’s had the most expensive release so far (by far) and if we want to compare him to, say, Beyoncé — well she owns her own production company (Parkwood Entertainment), so she can funnel her own money into a Visual Album, I don’t know if Jimin has considered that at this point in his career, but in the future, he might!

((Not including costs for Suga’s tour because that’s a whole other thing, and the tour probably made money I would expect to balance out the cost of the tour itself))

Anonymous Insider

This isn’t to say that the other things, the part where he didn’t get the cake celebration, or the posts, the issues with the linking and this general feeling that Jimin was short-changed in these things isn’t valid and understandable. I think Hybe relied too much on D2C sales and I don’t think they leveraged their might as much as could have for JM. They could have risked more for him.

{This is an end of Anonymous Insider’s messages to me. They noted that they are an intermediate non-native Korean speaker so please excuse any translation errors. They translated things themselves using Naver tools that aligned with the video subtitles.}

So, listen, I still don’t think Like Crazy was sent/promoted to radio (which was a mistake and still is a mistake) and I am furious at the shady articles and lack of celebration for Jimin…

But after reading the way the members approach their work in the Beyond the Story book and now hearing from someone who produces these works for a living, I have to wonder if the company was doing everything they knew how to do for Jimin, but the second it didn’t work out because of the western music industry culling streams and sales, they pulled back all their resources and pivoted for Yoongi and JK. (I also wonder if leadership shut up about it all due to liability issues, or not to cause bad blood with the music industry for future releases.)

Again, I’ll never forgive the lack of celebration and the split streams (not without a great explanation), but at least now I think there’s a good chance no one was actively trying to sabotage Jimin on purpose. They seemed to have wanted that #1 and then it all went to shit because Billboard and radio want to get paid. Maybe leadership decided not to put any more resources into Face but instead pivot for all the future music coming out (including PJM2.)

Perhaps I'm a cockeyed optimist. I’m just hoping like hell they never engage in payola. I want all our boys to win, but I want us to win fairly. And even if everyone cannot have the same investment every time on every project, I hope when they come back together in 2025 that everyone feels good about their solo works and each other. This is my prayer. Love, Roo

[sincerely-sofie]

Chapter 8 of Sofie Plays "Slay the Princess": The Hero and the Princess (Round 3) + The Damsel

This is a love story, but it's a love story that I wrote at thirteen during my Warrior Cats phase.

[ Beginning ] - [ Previous Part ] - [ Next Part ]

... Hopefully she doesn't mind the flesh rotting off of my avian visage?

This run is going exactly like the one where I was forced to kill her by the Narrator--- I'm hoping I can change it by not alluding to her gnawing off her own limbs and just checking upstairs for a key.

FRICK.

Interestingly, the option to slay the Princess is no longer available here. The run is a bit different, despite being very similar.

I can't select any of the options. Am I stuck like this?

IF YOU SCROLL DOWN YOU CAN WARN HER. OH MY WORD. THE ANGST IN THIS SCREENSHOT.

Can I please chuck the blade away so that she can defend herself with it. Please. Pretty please. Narrator pleeeeeeeease---

Huzzah! Okay new game title: Slay the Borb.

... I didn't think that was actually going to be the route we took, but alright. Fair. Knowing the way the writing in this game has gone, she's going to miss anything vital and just make it hurt.

This is probably the single game I hate having so many predictions about prove to be correct.

Oh, shoot, it's a new chapter? I couldn't see through my tears.

New party member: Now introducing the Voice of the Simp! ... Smitten. Voice of the Smitten. Yes. That's what I said.

Mirror check! The Smitten is a dork. Moving on.

Once again, I didn't take the knife. I really gotta see what happens when I enter the basement with it in hand.

The Smitten ranting about how much he loves the Princess to the Narrator and Hero's utter dismay like:

I don't have any comments to make on this exchange other than how hilarious it is and how relatable it feels for someone who's had hallucinations try to talk to real people in the past.

The Hero was pulling out a squirt bottle for the Smitten two minutes ago, but the second the Princess calls him a hero he's competing for the Smitten's title. Peak character right there.

The idea of the Princess having a sort of Narrator instructing her on how to behave and what actions to take / things to say is INSANE and a question I had the second the Narrator told me to go down into that first basement. The immediate deconfirmation is a little saddening, but the Smitten's comment makes me wonder if the one who has reality warping powers here isn't the Princess, but us.

Hear me out. The way we interact with the Princess in the first chapter of every loop seems to dictate what the next Princess will be. It's like our opinion of her shapes what she becomes. She savaged our player character in that very first interaction, and then in the next, she was a wild animal that swallowed us whole. In the chapter preceding the Stranger, we never entered the cabin in the first place. We never met. And when we finally did, she was a fractal of possibilities--- almost as if because we hadn't formed an opinion of her yet.

GIRL HUH. Yeah no she's not real. This is a cardboard cut out with a speaker behind it.

NOPE DON'T LIKE THE FACT THAT THE MUSIC IS VERY MUCH CHANGING.

Hey wait her eyes look different. Am I crazy?

Yeah no a lot more than her eyes are different! The gal is having a crisis of identity that is represented by the art style and that is VERY COOL and also VERY DISTRESSING

Chickened out and didn't press the issue of her having her own wants beyond leaving the cabin beyond a second question. I said that if she wants to leave, then we'll leave, and she was abruptly back to normal. Sweetie you need therapy.

The Smitten just said "We have each other. We don't need the world for our happy ending." and that COULD just be his mushy romanticism showing... but what if it's not?

Turns out the Narrator is the one who's been locking us in the basement 90% of the time, not the cabin itself, or the Princess. When we were locked in, I asked the Princess if she thought she could open the door, and said I believed in her when she asked if I thought she could.

THE POWER OF DATING A MARY SUE Y'ALL

Ultra Princess I'm genuinely so thrilled to hear your terrifying ambience again this princess scares me infinitely more than the ones who gnaw off their arms or eat me please take her away ;w;

FINALLY GOT A SCREENSHOT OF THE ARMS. THIS TIME I WAS READY, HECKERS!!!

Continuing this in the next post. Can't wait to take my next mirror selfie! I'm not scared whatsoever :,D

[rayssyscourse]

bit of an origins-discourse take + mild rant: I get the wish for separate communities, and sure, to some degree it's possible and healthy to do. however, the idea that endogenic plurality and non-endogenic plurality are totally and completely separate and should never touch, is, practically speaking, both impossible and potentially pretty harmful.

-> the systems who start out thinking they're endogenic, but actually just don't remember their trauma and/or don't think it could have "counted": if endogenic communities aren't connected to CDD spaces, those systems are going to have a hell of a lot harder of a time trying to get appropriate and accurate resources, or even recognize disordered symptoms in the first place. "they should just go to CDD spaces" how?? if they've always ID'd as endogenic, and all CDD spaces all have "endos keep out" plastered over the front doors, why would they ever feel welcome?

-> the systems who are traumagenic, but also genuinely relate to many endogenic system experiences: these people exist. not all traumagenic systems find endogenic experiences relatable, but plenty of them actually do. also, sometimes traumagenic systems participate in practices (spiritual traditions, daemonism, intentional system member creation, etc) that overlap with endogenic plurality. -> endogenic systems with post-system-origins trauma, mixed origin systems, systems who "maybe fit CDD criteria but maybe don't, it's a gray area": even if they aren't experiencing 100% exactly the same thing as a textbook traumagenic CDD system, they still likely have a whole lot in common, and might benefit a ton from CDD resources and recovery-oriented system spaces. it's not like CDD experiences are a single homogeneous thing anyways.

-> advocating for awareness and acceptance of systems and CDDs in society: we're all on the same team on that front, and the more that different parts of the system community are willing to work together, the more leverage we have to actually change things--and the more we can make sure that no one gets thrown under the bus. a society that's okay with systems only in the context of a disorder isn't going to be accepting of functional multiplicity, and invites a ton of gatekeeping as to who 'actually' is disordered enough; a society that's okay with systems only if they're *not* related to a disorder is ableist. Anyways. this isn't saying that every individual system space ever has to be a mixed community! but the idea that all plurality can easily be divided into two completely separate categories is fundamentally flawed, and more systems will be helped by a community that is less focused on labels and more focused on the experiences behind them. hope you have a great day <3

hi anon!! this is a really thorough and thoughtful ask, so thank you for bringing up a lot of good points :)

to be totally honest, I agree with a large majority of what you're saying. i dont think every space should be divided, and there's plenty of systems that don't fit into the weird dichotomy the community has created.

like you say: systems like traumatized endos, mixed origin systems, etc. deserve a place too! that said, I think it's fair for people to want exclusive spaces, and I think we can be understanding and inclusive while recognizing that some experiences require exclusive spaces.

but honestly, I agree with you, and I think you bring up some very good points!! thanks for the ask, have a lovely day :) <3

[bookscandlesnbts]

Hi! I have just see Jk tracklist and I wanted to share my op -

First: I don't understand why, only because I like Jk as an artist and person, I have to accept blindly every single thing he does. I have my ideas and morals and I apply them consistently. I like seven, I don't like 3D. I am not a prude, simply I find that 3D it's explicit in a dirty way. For example.

So:

• I don't have problems with not writing your lyrics but I'm a little disappointed that in his first album there isn't even 1 or 2 Jk credits. Yes he surely approved and choose carefully but it's not the same thing to really write them, we can't read the lyrics and be like "that's what he think" because we can't be sure that he specifically approved that phrase that we are "analyzing". Meybe that was the only phrase that he doesn't like lol.

• I know he is working hard and I respect him for that, I'm just sorry he is working at something that is not what in my op a lot of fan were expecting

• I think that all those songs will be more the 'no deep meaning' songs, again, nothing wrong with it. But when you are the frontman of a band famous for the deep meaning of their songs people have expectations. So for me the problem is that I and other fans wish to have from bts members the meanings, the ideas, the relatable lyrics, the personal style not songs given by random people. So I personally understand who is disappointed and find it valid.

Still I respect his work.

• note: tae doesn't wrote his lyrics too, but in his case Idk if he received the songs or if the songs were made for him, that is a little big difference.

Let me know if you know and what you think! Ty ♡

Hi anon. Ah, it seems as if you have entered today’s realm of stan culture where you are an anti unless you like every single thing an artist puts out and every single thing they do. That applies to all artists with huge fanbases not only limited to kpop. I’m talking Taylor Swift all other artists fans are moving the same way these days. There is no room for healthy discourse. You are either in or out. I also didn’t like 3D and I still don’t. Do I think that Jungkook knew the sexual innuendos in English that all the y/ns projected onto him? Hell no 🤣 tbh I didn’t know what “champagne confetti” was either and I wish I still didn’t know.

I’m a little disappointed too, but also not really and not surprised. We know Jungkook was having some sort of writers block/burn out around the time FACE was happening and some time after when Jimin was still busy. If it took 10 months to produce Jimin’s album and JK hadn’t even started working in March, then there was no way that he had anything to bring to the table for his album. I really wonder if they were all contractually obligated to release an album (except Jin) before MS. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did, and that would also explain the involvement of western producers and 🛴 grubby hands in everything.

I agree that we can’t project a bunch of deep meanings into these songs considering they were given to JK. Yes, he probably picked through his options, but it’s comparing apples and oranges when his other option would have been songs he personally wrote. And no, not every song written by someone is about their personal life, but songs not written by the artist definitely are not either.

I’m not fully convinced that JK wants to be working this hard tbh. He loves being on stage, but with some of his latest performances, his energy is different. I don’t know how to explain it, but those that can see it, see it.

I understand the disappointment, I do. But to be fair, the rap line have always been the brains behind BTS songs. Not Jungkook. Jungkook has written some great meaningful songs like Magic Shop but the majority have been by RM, Suga, and Hobi. So I am okay with departing that identity from BTS and JK as a solo artist.

True that Tae didn’t write his songs either but that didn’t seem to ruffle as many feathers. I think the fandom has always put a huge weight on Jungkook’s shoulders to be that “golden” maknae that the title has been bestowed on him. He supposed to be able to do it all and do it perfectly in the fandom’s eyes, in kpoppies eyes, in his country’s eyes. I’m glad he is letting some of that pressure go even if this is not the direction that I wanted him to take. I take comfort in knowing that he has people like Jimin to ground him and always remind him of home.

Thanks for the ask.

[animnightmare]

This account is a safe space for people that are "too queer" (or not queer enough!!)

(reblogs welcome!)

theres been somthing going on in the lgbtqia+ comunity for a very long time, that only gets more and more apparent to me every year.

Its supposed to be a safe space for people who have different, odd, or queer relationships with their identity. We should not be pushing people out for being exactly those things!

From aro/ace people to xenogenders to straight presenting bi people, the list goes on. These issues are only scratching the surface!! What about people who use masculine pronouns but identify as lesbian? those people are outright attacked for it! Nonbianary people are included in lesbian identities, but apparently not if it isnt the most basic genderless form of Nonbianary. Thats TOO queer. that isnt fair to me. if you are gender queer and love women, you should be able to communicate that your attraction to women is queer in relation to your gender. Same with mlm relationships. Thats what it means to be gay, or to be lesbian. That youre attracted to a single type of gender expression in a queer way. Butches are accepted up until they add he as one of their pronouns. Femme twinks are accepted untill they add she as one of their pronouns. (it isnt nearly as huge a problem in mlm spaces ive noticed, actually.)

And then theres people being pushed out of lgbtqia+ spaces for the oppsite reasons. They arent gay enough, they dont fit into that idea of queer people have.

PEOPLE WHO ARE UNLABLED ARE LGBTQ+

People who are aro ace spec are lgbtq+

ANYBODY who is not either cisgender or straight identifying is part of the lgbtqia+ cominity and i welcome those identities with open arms.

Questioning? Lgbtqia. Figure out youre cis and str8? Cool! no longer a member of the community, but that doesnt invalidate your experience! you WERE a part of it!

Stright amabs who use he/they? queer! if they identify with the demiboy label or not, they are part of the comunity none the less! same with str8 afab she/they s! there is no minimum level to how queer you have to be to be a part of the community. there is no limit to how queer you can be in the comunity either.

We need to stop in fighting. Work to understand, work to learn. I dont want to feel like theres bigots within the lgbtqia+ space.

thats not even mentioning lgb without the t, but that's a topic for another day.

[plutobutartsy]

some nate facts :3

tagging @swanconcerto and @oceanicwhitetipshark because you guys seemed excited :3 fair warning though:

1. this is really long so don't feel obligated to read everything and

2. i mention nate's dad being an angry asshole specifically in relation to how it's affected nate, but nothing graphic or too in dephth. still, please be mindful of your own triggers <3

he's a werewolf! poor briar (remember, he's scared of dogs, hehe i am so funny)

like briar, he is the youngest child, he has an older brother (isaiah, 19) and an older sister (selah, 26)

nate is short for nathan! him and his siblings all have biblical names (take this with a grain of salt, i did like one google search so if it's wrong. idk)

his dad was a horrible and angry man and nate is constantly haunted by the fear that he will turn out just like his father

it doesn't help that out of all three siblings he looks the most like his dad. he has the same white hair and nose.

he somehow convinced himself that if he let's himself feel any intense emotions, even positive ones, they will turn to anger so he tries to keep a tight lid on everything.

he took some time off school and lived with his mom's childhood friend martha and her husband. they live on a farm in the middle of bum fuck nowhere (not really, just a small village but nate is a city girl (gn))

his mother hoped being away from the city he grew up in, and thus being away from a place he associates his father with, would help him "get over" his issues. with a bit of prodding from selah, their mom also got him a therapist near where he was staying

he still has some resentment towards his mom because of that. he feels like she just gave up on him and decided to push him away and out of her sight

despite that, his time away really did help him with accepting his emotions more but if you look too closely, you can see his smile falter a bit! :)

additionally, whenever he feels even the slightest bit of anger he panics and bolts

i should mention that his pack (formed by his parents and now solely run by his mother) used to treat him like a ticking time bomb because of his similarities to his father so uhh that did NOT help

of course not the ENTIRE pack but a few of the older members treating him that way was enough

that's why being away from all that was so good for him, it was just so refreshing to be treated like a person and to not only be allowed to feel freely, but to be encouraged to do so

his treatment has improved since he got back (thanks to his siblings letting it be known they won't tolerate this shit any longer) but he still gets dirty looks from time to time

there's rumors going around at his school that he spent his time away in juvie because his anger issues got the best of him

all this is very sad and tragically ironic since he's SUCH a sweetheart, always has been

evie transferred to his school like a month before nate came back and when he did, some people told evie that he was bad news and she was like what. he's a saint.

he loved being on the farm and really bonded with the animals. named every single one of them and can tell which is which no matter how similar they all look.

still visits and helps whenever he can

the type to be late to meetings because he got caught up helping every single person in his sight

sometimes just squats down on the side walk to watch the ants go about their stuff. he's hypnotized.

when he needs time to think he goes to one of those pet shops and stares at the aquariums until he feels the manager glare at him for loitering. he gets sad thinking about the fish being trapped but he likes watching them anyways

insanely good with kids. he loves watching the younger kids in the pack and they love him even more. he let's them climb all over him they use him like a jungle gym. so even if their parents are wary of nate they have to put up with him lol

does a lot of art! mainly pottery and poetry though!! but he also crochets, the repetitive movement relaxes him

in general he really likes working with his hands, that's why he enjoys pottery and the farm work so much

a disaster in the kitchen. local teenage boy tries to make eggs, 5 injured 1 dead

vegetarian!! almost vegan. he either gets his non-meat animal products from sellers he knows are ethical or not at all.

absolutely obsessed with shitty romance novels you know like the types you get at the airport. will talk your ears off about them. no escape.

this got really long so i'm going to make a seperate post with relationship stuff for my beloveds :3

[alyjojo]

Current Karmic Connection ❤️‍🩹 March 2024 - Virgo

Character Card: The Shepherd rev

Who are they: Temperance rev & The World rev

Your relationship with them: 6 Swords

What you’re learning from them: The Star

What they’re learning from you: Page of Swords & The Emperor

Future potential: 2 Pentacles

Overall Energy: The Hermit rev

The strongest message here is this person stole something from you or you stole something from them, maybe at a time of bereavement. Could be related to wills, inheritance, or this is someone you work with. It could have been a partner in crime of some kind and they stole your idea, or capitalized on something you felt was yours - it feels material. Money related, work. They stole your job. Or actual material things, this is someone you once saw every single day with 6th House, could’ve been your favorite coworker, a boss, work keeps coming out. Or a backstabby family member, The Shepherd is supposed to protect the family, but this one is reversed, they don’t. They may be disloyal, or you were. This could all be switched and you stole from them. Whoever is the person full of dreams and ideas is the one that’s been stolen from, because they’re nice, too nice, kind of a doormat. But it’s because they trust so it’s a double edged sword, do you want trust or nah? Or them. For some, it’s them feeling like you stole something from them, vengeful, and they’re learning how to stand up for themselves because of you. Interesting energy. There are secrets here. Could definitely be family because you or they go back and forth about their “duty” to you and what is fair or not. They’ve been silent or you have, but that won’t last forever, there’s unfinished business here. Maybe even Justice, law, I don’t see it yet but it feels like it’s right around the corner.

Who they are is someone extremely impatient with the lack of cooperation, teamwork, communication and action from you, or switch it. It’s like something started off well, there was progress, and this person pulled a “gotcha bitch” or you did. Intentionally or not, idk. Someone may have faced a death or painful ending in their life which disrupted whatever you and this person were creating together, for someone it’s a business. Or you/they went and did something without the other person and brought it into reality, leaving the other person like…wtf. Betrayal 💯 Anger is shown very strong, but being Pisces attached to the actions and anger, it could’ve been sudden, a change of mind/heart, I do see lying. Someone with a trustworthy face, that acts in shifty ways, probably avoiding you and what is accountability…yikes. They could play victim, or you do. Cry wolf and then steal your shit. Or that’s the perception, on either side.

For now there’s distance between you, emotional, could be literal, someone keeps on lying and the other person isn’t here for it. This Ace of Swords with 9 Wands can show a victim complex of sorts, knowing/seeing the truth about it. It can also show an actual victim of something, this story could be quite literal and one person is actually victimized while the other lies and gaslights the shit of them, denying what they’ve said/done/stole/etc. It’s enough to drive someone crazy, and it’s caused someone to get tf away from it, if you/they have to put literal distance in between you. What you’re learning from them is very positive. You hope to heal 10 Cups, or you now know what 10 Cups is to you. If this person is family, you want them to get through their Demons and come out the other side healthy, happy, healed. You want an apology, or want to give one. The drama seems to be mostly passed now, for most, and you desire this person to be in your life - where they haven’t been for some time. Maybe you can see they’ve healed. Maybe their life has changed and so has yours. You want them to be a part of your 10 Cups, your daily life & have a happy ending. Or you want that with someone else, they may have made you realize what it is you need to be happy. If they stole an idea, you just want to be included, they need to make up for it and give you credit where it’s due.

What they’re learning is how to take control of their lives and their own bs, The Devil at the bottom. They’ve healed from the past and all of the hurt that lives there, they could act much differently than they used to. More Emperor like. They learned how to be a boss, maybe they literally are one. They can say no, direct, not only lead by example but garner respect when and where they do, this person isn’t a pushover anymore 💯 They’re mature, you could’ve known them at a time when they weren’t. 6th House can be coworkers and it can be schoolmates too, in the younger years. It’s like when this happened it was a different time, they were a different person. So were you. If they look back it’s not in nostalgia per se (maybe a little), it’s more like being proud of what they’ve overcome, without shame. They did that. So while you know them as one way, that one way seems pretty outdated. That can be switched too, especially if you haven’t talked in ages. Long term potential is up for interpretation, not everyone is on the same page. 2 Pentacles is one foot in, one foot out, not really sure what you want to decide, you can see the benefits and detriments of both. Is this over, forever, is it too late? Or King of Wands, should you take the initiative (confidently) and try to rebuild what you/they feel was lost between you? Judgement & The Fool, starting over from scratch in a brand new way, re-meeting each other essentially. It’s 50/50, depending on you & how you feel. For this to be “the current karmic”, you’re considering it.

Zodiac Messages:

Mars - Pisces - 6th House

- Energize your dreams as a full-time job.

- Confront your idealization of serving.

- Force yourself to be part of something overwhelming and do it a little at a time.

Oracles:

Loss ☠️

Bereavement - Sorrow - Damage

Idea 💡

Inspiration - Suggestion - Vision

Charms:

Bone 🦴 on Loss ☠️ did you steal their dog? Or they stole yours? Something about a pet, they could’ve lost the pet or did something with it that really pissed you off. I’m also seeing ashes, if someone was cremated, or inheritance, something that you feel should’ve been yours /switch. It’s not for everyone but it applies somewhere.

Black Swan 🦢 on 3 Swords rev are the very negative behaviors, perceptions, actions, what have you that this person (or you) embodied in the past - 6 Cups is directly connected to this. For a lot of you I’m getting this person changed, grew up, they’re an Emperor now. A parent maybe? A boss, a leader, someone to be respected. Because of The High Priestess clarifying your Hermit rev, there’s been a lot of silence between you and not much addressing of issues, even old ones. You may be perceiving a person or situation from a view that’s not even applicable anymore, but that doesn’t make it invalid, if you want to talk to them about it. Some do, and want a new beginning, a chance to start over, and some don’t - Death.

Signs you may be dealing with:

Aquarius, Capricorn, Pisces, Gemini, Aries & Scorpio

[witchofthemidlands]

BAD EDUCATION IS BACK OH MY GODDDD!! 🤩🤩🤩

ITS ALL THERE SERIES 4 IS ON IPLAYER NOW!

Now, I hold the first three seasons & the film in such high regard. I didn’t see it when it aired but I got into it in when it was already all over in 2016 & this show got me through my last year of high school & two years of six form. the show is incredibly funny & I WAS SO EXCITED when I heard that it was coming back. Yes, there’s only three members of the original cast who are in it (four if you count the brief return of MOLLINSON MY BELOVED) but THEY’RE THREE OF THE BEST ONES!! It’s Mitchell Harper, Stephen Carmichael & Mr. Fraser! None of them have changed one bit, they’re still the same characters I grew up with & loved. Mitchell is still HILARIOUS, a kindhearted idiot & an absolute legend, Stephen is still glamorous, iconic & has honestly gotten even better as a character during this season & whilst it is a shame that Mr. Fraser is no longer the headmaster, he’s still the same banter loving imbecile as the school cook & yes, I might be completely biased with this whole season because Mitchell Harper was my absolute favourite back when I was a kid & he’s still my favourite now, BUT MY GOD PLEASE! Please, if you’re a fan of this show, or if you used to watch it when you were younger do not sleep on this new season because it is so good, it is so funny. I haven’t laughed so hard in ages. It holds up even without the majority of the original cast! It’s also managed to rid of the more outdated humour without changing that ‘relatable English 12-16 high school students’ humour & the jokes about pop culture which is what made the show so funny originally. It is so good.

Here’s what I loved the most. There was nothing bad per say but these are the stand out parts for me.

Every. Single. One. Of. The. New. Class. K. Are INCREDIBLE! These kids are so talented, they’re so funny & NONE of them feel like copies of the original students. There’s some moments where I see some of the characteristics of the previous characters in them, but these new students are such brilliant characters. I love them all so, so much.

Top stand outs for me though personally are Inchez, Jinx, Usma, Blessing, Warren & Harrison. (okay that’s ALL of Class K)

They’re just such good characters.

Inchez is so funny oh my god that dude is hilarious. I need to gif the katsu curry scene 😂 he’s BRILLIANT because he’s so desperate to be seen as this hardcore rapper, but he’s actually a really nice team-player kid who’s incredibly talented in choir singing as well as rapping. he’s such a good character.

Jinx is amazing because whilst she’s so clearly unaware of her own privileges as a rich class white girl, she does genuinely want to do good & she clearly loves her friends so much. her earrings & hairstyle are incredible in every episode. ALSO OH MY GOD SHE CAN SING 😱 she is so talented.

USMA MY BELOVED! She is so stylish & funny. She’s like the female version of Stephen when he was in Class K (to be fair he hasn’t changed a bit & I love that so much) her addiction to her phone is hilarious & the passion she has is just brilliant.

Blessing is so fun, she’s Mitchell’s right hand, just as crafty as he used to be in the original three seasons & there’s this episode where he’s trying to get his Missus back & oh my GOD Blessing 😭

Mitchell’s ‘high school teenager’ like humour hasn’t changed one bit even though his character is an adult but as a teacher he’s so funny. The squid games re-enactment in PE had me dead 😂 but his character has also matured so much, he acts like a dad towards the new Class K & it’s lovely to see. I love him, the reason I never was a massive fan of the ending of series 3 is because he wasn’t there.

The show the students (& Stephen) put on in the final episode is so funny it had me & my mother both crying with laughter.

the only things i wish were different though are:

kayleigh is great, a lot nicer than i thought she’d be (given the comments made about the character in the reunion episode) but i do kinda wish that mitchell's girlfriend had been cleo from the original series. i love that her character is revealed to be the most successful though & i do like kayleigh so it's not really a grievance of mine. i just adored cleo & she & mitchell were hilarious.

the fact that stephen never mentions chantelle once in the whole season is an actual crime (tbf it was a crime that no one ever mentioned stephen&frank in the reunion). i can completely understand why the character wouldn’t be there but i did think there’d be just an off hand comment about his best friend at least once or twice!!! same with mitchell & remm dogg (the fact mitchell never mentions him at all is insane to me), fraser & alfie (even though there is a painting of them both on the school wall which i thought was lovely)

all in all, it's a fantastic season & i hope more people get to watch it & hopefully love it just as much as i have because i literally need another season.

[flowers-all-around-me]

Yeah, I'd love to know which mechanisms songs you think I should start with, or if it's a particular album. I actually went and listened to a few seconds of one after reblogging the post. They remind me just a little of The Amzing Devil. I'll be honest, that specific specific song didn't keep my interest too long, but I'm sure someone who knows their music could point me toward the better ones. :)

Ahhh! Thanks for reaching out :3 (and also hope you don't mind if I make this public, just in case someone interested might see it :'>)

I'm going to assume you know nothing about them just in case (and also since I know some songs are less good for casual use/can take a little warming up to :'3)

The gist of it is that it's a storytelling cabaret where every band member is in character as an immortal space pirates; as such, their albums are retellings of "actual events" they have "witnessed" during their travels in space.

I think I will put the rest under a Read More though because! I went off a bit! Sorry about that :'D

I recommend listening to their albums as they interest you to get the general gist of the stories. Once I got that, I added them to my shuffle playlist and listen to my faves - that way it's not confusing to me and I don't have to "suffer" through the other parts when I don't wanna listen to a whole concept album.

The "main" four albums all follow a similar structure of switching between narration/song, with varying amount of information relayed in the song (as in, sometimes it's just about a concept of the story, sometimes it's more akin to a musical piece where the story moves as well). The songs themselves are often based on various extant, mostly folk, songs (e.g. Bella Ciao, WW1 songs, and I can't think of any more rn because my brain is cooked).

If you want the cliff's notes version of these albums (none of which have a "happy" ending, so be aware of that going in):

Once Upon A Time (In Space): their first album, Grimm's fairy tales but it's about a space rebellion against an immortal, tyrannical king with an army of clones.

Ulysses Dies at Dawn: greek mythology but it's a noir cyberpunk planet-wide city. Contains (in my unbiased opinion lol) very good and interesting takes on how the setting would influence some of the myths we are familiar with today. Fair warning though: will contain references to the original material you might miss if you are unfamiliar with the OG characters, but it's still enjoyable

High Noon Over Camelot: Arthurian legend but it's a diesel-punk desert space station with bike-riding cowboys. SPECIAL MENTION TO THE MOST BANGER BANJO (again, in my opinion), specifically in Peacemaker. It's going wild in there.

The Bifrost Incident: Norse Mythology but told as a space-train noir mystery. Notable for not being narrated by an outer character, but actually told as a "recording" of the police officer investigating. Features a very good banjo in "Expert Testimony" (which is narration) (also the banjo is in a genre I like to call "bastard" because oh yeah, what is happening in-story is that a character is being A Bastard <3)

As for Tales to be Told I and II, they contain smaller stories (either relating to the main albums, origin stories for in-universe band members, or self-contained ones)

There is also a standalone single, "Frankenstein." Guess what that one is about lol. It, along with "Alice" and "Gunpowder Tim vs. The Moon Kaiser" are "songs" on the longer side that contain shorter narration/song segments.

Lastly, there's Death To The Mechanisms, which was the band's farewell concert in 2020 when they disbanded. It's been recorded and put together as a live album and contains fun banter and character lore regarding their deaths.

IF you want my favourite songs, regardless of album, it's probably Red Signal, Peacemaker, Blood and Whiskey, Thor, Rose Red, Alice, Acatea and Lyssa, Lost in Cosmos, The Ignominous Demise of Dr. Pilchard (which also has fun banjo), Elysian Fields, Ragnarok II: The Calling, and Riddle of the Sphinx.

ANYWAY! Extremely long, heatwave induced rant aside, I do hope you'll check them out! Feel free to reach out and let me know how you liked the songs/stories, I am always down for recommending the band to more people :3

Lastly, allow me to link the unofficial YouTube channel TheVoidSings (here!) which has all their albums with lyrics and in neat playlists so you can listen to them in order!

(I would link the band's channel so that they'd at least get some youtube cents from it, but it got demonetised under the new guidelines a few days ago, so that's fucked and yes, I am mad about it :'D)

[nflstreetsanimereviews]

Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko! Review (manga)

With the Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko! anime currently airing, it seemed like a good idea to go back and read the manga. I kept up with it for a while when it was releasing, but at some point I lost track and never finished it, even though I enjoyed reading it. That’s a bad habit of mine. Anyways, since I’m keeping up with the anime, I thought it would be good to finally finish the Tomo-chan manga (nearly four years after it ended).

Tomo Aizawa, the Tomo-chan of Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko!, is a freakishly strong girl–so strong in fact, that she not only is part of the men’s Karate Club–she’s the best member in the club. Even more impressive considering that she’s only a first year. With such strengths come weaknesses as well. Tomo has a crush on her neighbor and childhood friend, Junichirou Kubota (Tomo calls him ‘Jun’, so will we), but due to the nature of their relationship, he sees her as ‘one of the guys’ rather than a girl. The two love to spar–often fighting for the most minor of reasons. Jun, rather than being a part of the Karate Club, Jun trains at the Aizawa Dojo, which is run by Tomo’s father. Due to Tomo’s rambunctious nature, Jun was unaware that Tomo was actually a girl until middle school. To be fair, if my friend only wore shirts and shorts, had short hair, and every day with them was like Prehibernation Week, I would assume they were a boy as well. Tomo wants to become more feminine in order to finally make Jun acknowledge her as a ‘girl’, but past habits are hard to break.

Helping Tomo with her quest to become more ‘girly’ is Misuzu Gundou, Tomo’s other childhood friend. Misuzu is a great foil to Tomo–she can fight with words as well as Tomo can fight with her hands. Her sharp wit was one of my favorite things about this manga. Jun and she have a lot of beef due to her trickery. Early on, Carol Olston becomes friends with both Tomo and Misuzu. Her airheaded and aloof nature only adds to her ‘girliness’, something that Tomo admires. Carol, while having her own boy problems, also offers Tomo help…although her help tends to be less effective and more bizarre than Misuzu’s.

What differentiates Tomo-chan from most other manga is that each chapter is only one page long. Each page is presented in the same 4-koma format, with them being different enough from each other to be its own ‘chapter’. If one wanted, they could read one ‘chapter’ each day–that’s how most people kept up with the manga when it was releasing, as it was released in daily one-page slices. Kind of like how one would read comic strips in newspapers. That alone gave Tomo-chan some novelty when it was releasing. Not many manga are released like that. Of course, considering that the manga is finished now, and that it would take more than two and a half years if you read one page a day, no sane person would ever do that. The paperback version of the Tomo-chan manga simplifies things–instead of 953 single-page chapters, they are all grouped together in 51 separate chapters spanning across eight volumes (with some extra chapters included with the volumes).

While the ultimate goal in Tomo-chan is for Tomo and Jun to start going out, what makes this manga worth reading is the comedy. Misuzu and Carol add a lot to the series, with their meddling with Tomo and Jun often ending up being humorous due to the two ‘bros’ being obstinate when it comes to love. It’s very clear that Tomo’s feelings for Jun are replicated, but with both of them being dense as a rock. Getting them to change from friends to lovers is a lot harder than saying “I think Jun likes you as well.” Even if you dislike romance manga, Tomo-chan shouldn’t be too much for you, since the comedic aspects outweigh it several fold.

Tomo-chan’s brief chapter length allows for story arcs to breeze by. There are rarely any take-backs in relation to Tomo and Jun’s relationship progress. The story’s pacing is fast, but not fast enough to the point where you don’t know what’s going on (or be ‘Chainsaw Man pacing’). There’s also a significant amount of character depth, which is surprising considering the format Tomo-chan was released. Most of this is owing to the fact that there aren’t that many characters in the manga. There’s only a handful of side characters, half of them being the main character’s parents, and the other half being various students from Tomo’s school. They’re all integral to the story as well, often colluding with Misuzu and Carol (or acting on their own) to get Tomo and Jun together. There’s also the fact that the characters, even the ones that you expect to be annoying, are fun to see. They do follow tropes, but that doesn’t define them. 

Honestly, Tomo-chan is such a light read that it’s honestly hard to scrutinize it. It isn’t akin to trying to critique a children’s cartoon–it’s more like trying to find flaws with Garfield. It really isn’t meant to be taken too seriously, and thankfully doesn’t pretend that it's deeper than it actually is. In a sense, writing a review of it of any length of more than ~500 words is too wordy. What I’ll say is that Tomo-chan manages to be compelling and avoids being shallow, despite the fact that each ‘chapter’ is only one page. The force of inertia takes out any ‘surprise’ that one may foresee when starting it, but that isn’t the reason why people read this manga. The fun of Tomo-chan is seeing where that inertia goes, and how various characters influence it. While it’s not how I read it, all of Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko! can be read within an afternoon. I’d give it a look if you’re interested in rom-coms, or just comedy in general. Also, check out the anime too if you like the manga.

70/100

[krshush]

thinking abt Dragon Age instead of playing it. I was in the shower and considering whether or not DA2 is my favorite. But also, several reasons its my favorite also tie into why it's also not the best/most definitive game in the franchise and also is a part of the key differences between it and DA:O+DA:I (and, with all that's being stacked into it, DA:DW most likely)

Because, here's the thing: I really do like that DA2 is just Hawke & Co surviving and dicking around in Kirkwall for several years as tensions mount higher and higher in the citystate's powers that be, as opposed to DA:O and DA:I as they are Mad Dashes to Save the World.

But maybe the best example, the MOST defining way I can put my like for the game that also is an Achilles Heel of its existence is that I fully think Kirkwall is much more sprawling than we ever see in-game via the countless recurring maps and enemies and lines, I fully believe the lives of each party member and relation to Hawke is more varied than we actually get to see, but that we don't see these things is fine to me particularly because I love remembering the framing device: Unlike DA:O and DA:I, we are not playing through a yearish long crisis, we are not playing Hawke's day by day for seven years straight either, we are playing Varric's recounting of the past to Cassandra. And yes, she threatens him for the real account of the Champion's life, not some embellished story like he's penned and peddled already, but Varric is a storyteller, and a good liar too, he knows where the audience needs to focus and where they don't, and it's not like he's gonna remember nor particularly care what every alleyway brawl or coastal cavern adventure looked like, or unpack every single sordid detail of every night for seven years. He knows what Cassandra's asking for, and maybe gives and takes in places she doesn't need nor notice.

...But by using Varric as an excuse at a Watsonian level then excuses BioWare at a Doylist level that is not necessarily my intent in this line of thought either. Because, here's the thing:

I do like Hawke's place in Kirkwall, but also the fact you are stuck playing as a human when part of the appeal in the games is typically playing the other fantasy races is a valid disappointment to have. Wishing they had spent more time fleshing out everything in DA2 is completely fair, even if Hawke was always gonna be the anchor to the story in particular. The fact is the bones of its predecessor are still so Clearly there in a way that a game only quickly spitballed back out the way DA2 was could be. And I don't mean that harshly, but I don't mean it kindly either given its several bugs and the quite small, repetitive maps, strange character choices and and and etc

TL;DR DA2 truly is the blacksheep of the bunch and primarily because of its quick development time, but also I love the pack of weirdos you amass and befriend/berival across in-game years that Hawke & Co aren't spending in Crisis Hero Mode all the time, and I really like that it is Varric's recounting of it all, from the fake start prologue to the thought of how/if he actually knows all of Hawke's romantic endeavors to the way much of the Act 3 banter makes every companion sound more like a character aware of their story than before, and whether or not they actually said those things or if Varric wishes they had (or knows they wished it, maybe)

TL;DR maybe I should just restart DA2 right nyeow but I'm kind of committed to finishing DA:O and THEN doing that at this point. Maybe.