#focuses on coming out catharsis

[kirkwallguy]

*cis person voice* if you don't like the way transness was handled in dav you're basically the same as elon musk

[msmysticfail]

Venus in the houses

✩Venus in the 7th house✩

Venus in the 7th care a lot about the other person, other people are a source of emotional wealth for them. They love to take care of their loved ones, always remembering everything the other person likes. They are people who need to be in a romantic relationship of some sort to feel fulfilled and happy, which is why when a relationship breaks over they can start another one soon after, which is easy for them as they have a bunch of admirers, as they are beautiful, pleasant people. Many people like them, whether romantically or not. They have trouble, however, sharing the "bad" emotions and thoughts they feel about the relanshionship they are in. They don't want fights, they don't want to discuss unpleasant things; that's why they need to develop this skill: to vocalize what's making them uncomfortable, as it can harm their relationship if they keep this desire to always try to keep things harmonious, even when things are obviously not working. This is the type of people who loves to be well-groomed, to smell good, to be fashion and beautiful. They are sociable, they are always receiving friends at home, giving dinners, going out, having a pleasant time. It's hard not to like them, they usually win you over in such a subtle and gentle way that you will generally only have good opinions about them. It's important that they stop worrying so much about what others will think of them, try to stop living in search of people's approval. If they manage to balance this approval need they will be able to shine even brighter.

✩Venus in the 8th house✩

This Venus is addicted to love, passion. They are intense, their love goes deep, when they give themselves to love, they give their soul, everything. Their love is wonderful, you will feel exclusive, this Venus's attention will be completely focused on you, which is why they are very loyal, they rarely cheat. They are possessive, when they take possession of something they will hardly let it go, but when they are finally forced to let go, they go through a complete process of catharsis, going to the bottoms of their soul, suffering pain intensely, just to emerge from the ashes after, stronger than ever, beautiful and magnetic like a phoenix. This is a Venus who receives money very easily from others, people trust them with their money. It also attracts a lot of financial investment from others, since the 8th house talks about the support that others give us, and it's very easy for them to get loans, in general. However, don't mess with this Venus, she will take revenge and come out on top. Their love is like a hidden treasure, it's precious and rare, to access it you need to surrender completely. Extremely magnetic, they know how to attract what they want. They also need constant intimate physical contact, as that's where they find their greatest source of emotional satisfaction.

✩Venus in the 9th house✩

This Venus needs freedom, for them it's very important to feel that they can act or do what pleases them without having to explain themselves or give in to the other person expectations. If they feel suffocated or trapped they'll start to distance themselves, until they are completely "free" of the other person. They love studying. They love improving their knowledge: their mind, their soul. They love getting to know other cultures, studying about them, their customs and cuisine. They have a strong desire to travel and generally their preferred destination is abroad, somewhere outside their country. This Venus points their arrow very far away, perhaps they want to date someone from outside their country, someone different, who offers challenge and mental stimulation. It's a Venus who also has many admirers, mainly for their beauty and intelligence, but they generally don't pay much attention to it, despite the fact that, if someone is intelligent enough, if someone can match their intellectual level, they will probably fall intensely in love. They have a certain tendency to idealize relationships because the ninth house talks about the field of ideas, the mental, which is why they spend more time imagining the relationship than actually experiencing it in the reality. They are usually always taking some course to complement their career or they are always traveling.

✩Venus in the 10th house✩

Here Venus shines like no other, as it has reached the highest house of the zodiac. They have a love for the beautiful, the aesthetics, they love to beautify things, whether it's a job they do, or treating others in a harmonious way. They will always deliver the best of they can, as they are very demanding of themselves. Their beauty is cold, calculated, they know exactly where they want to go and radiating their natural charm they slowly conquer everything their heart desires. They are very friendly, they really care about others, like a Venus in the 7th house. They shine in their work, winning the favor of their colleagues and the attention of their superiors; but this is also where they attract the envy of others, as they definitely do more than most of the people around them. This Venus needs to know that the path to the top is narrow and alone, so they should not let be affected when people threaten to leave them. They may find love at work, or they may love what they do very much. They know what they are doing, especially when it comes to their career and life, they don't really need advice. When they decide to love someone, that person will usually stay in their life and heart for a very, very long time, even if they eventually break up.

✩Venus in the 11th house✩

This Venus loves society and society also loves them. They are loved by a very large number of people. They are that type of person who will donate their money to charities, who will help those most in need, who will take care of street animals. They really care about the collective, about people, they will stop what they are doing just to listen when someone needs it. They care about other people's lives, what their problems are. They're very stylish, they usually have their own style and they really don't care whether it's aesthetically beautiful or not, whether it pleases others or not. They are certainly intelligent, they easily understand how society works, being able to see invisible structures and offer help in some way, always trying to improve the lives of people in their community. The only problem that can occur with this Venus is paying more attention to social issues than to the private life of their relationships, which can and will undermine the relationship itself, so it's necessary to seek balance. They love to go out, they are always on the street, almost never stopping at home. They love being in touch with art, culture, politics. It's a Venus who will love going to cafes, discussing books and talking about the community/society in general. When in love they are not so attached, they prefer to date friends, people who share some type of fraternity and camaraderie. Their loved ones cannot hold them back or try to label them in fixed, closed terms. They may not be so interested in romantic love itself, but rather the feeling of connection and understanding between two individuals.

✩Venus in the 12th house✩

This is the most introverted of the Venuses. Living in their own world, they flow through various settings and people, they do not have a fixed type. They are emotionally sensitive, with a very rich and intense personal universe. They can fall in love very easily, but generally the person they love is not available, is usually committed or cannot get involved, for whatever reasons, with the Venus in the 12th house. They usually keep their emotions to themselves. When they finally express what they feel, their emotions flow like a river, flowing with full force. Venus in this house also suffers from the danger of falling in love with people who harm them, who are toxic and abusive. They must become very aware of the type of people they surround themselves with, they need to stop idealizing such people and see them for who they truly are. Their enemies can sometimes be those they love, people can sometimes be with them just to take advantage of their kindness and love. They need to be careful with that. They give so much of themselves, their love flows like deep waters, and sometimes they don't realize they have given too much of themselves until they are already exhausted and sad. As they are very rich internally, they can and should express their inner universe, as they are very creative. Interacting with the arts, dance, photography, cinema and writing are activities that will certainly enhance and elevate this Venus to its maximum potential.

[inbarfink]

After all these years, ‘I Remember You’ is still one of the great highlights of Adventure Time Storytelling. And not just in the basic ‘what???? Silly children’s cartoon does something SAD??? HOLY SHIT MIND BLOWN’ way. But with the execution of that Something Sad. How it manages to pack so many Complex Emotions into just 11-minutes of television. And especially the way it utilizes the basic Adventure Time format for that purpose.

So Adventure Time is a Board-based show. Each episode has an outline pitched and written down by the writer’s room, and then this outline goes to a team of (usually) two Storyboard Artists who develop that simple outline into a full story. And with the show’s art-style deliberately eschewing staying perfectly ‘on-model’ in favor of having the animators take direct reference from how the different storyboarders draw the characters

And the show being generally extremely versatile in terms of themes and tone - AT has allowed a lot of their Storyboarders to really express themselves and their unique artistic vision as part of the Big Collaborative Narrative that is Adventure Time. 

Now, the Boarders who worked on ‘I Remember You’ are Cole Sanchez and Rebecca Sugar. These two were a Storyboarding Duo from the start of S4 and until Sugar left the AT Crew during S5, and they always struck me as a curious combination. I think really from all of the individual boarders working on AT during that time, these two really are the closest to having like… Totally Opposite Artistic Sensibilities as boarders. 

With Sugar favoring a style that is very loose and sketchy and also very rounded. Focusing on expressions and subtle body language and lighting. And being famous for going deep in depth into Big Moments of Emotional Catharsis

And Sanchez having a very clear art style that emphasizes strong silhouettes and clear lines that suggest flatness. Focusing more on major poses and the character’s positions in the space. And having just a really great eye for AT’s brand of silly humor.

Like, I almost kinda suspect these two were paired together so they can each cover for the other’s “weakspots” in writing ‘Adventure Time’. 

And there were a few episodes that did some really interesting stuff with this very contrasting pair - ‘Jake the Dog’ is another example. Giving most of the Farmworld scenes to Sugar and most of the Time Room scenes to Sanchez both plays to their personal strengths as storyboarders and helps to emphasize the strong emotional contrast between these two scenarios. 

And ‘I Remember You’ is actually kinda unique among Adventure Time episodes cause… Most episodes will have the two boarders alternate between working on the episode throughout it. Like you’d have Boarder A draw a bit and then Boarder B and then Boarder A again… But “I Remember You” is divided between Sanchez and Sugar… basically perfectly in the middle.

So the entirety of the first half of the episode was boarded by Sanchez

Until Ice King pushes Marceline and then leaves the room in shame.

And then, Sugar takes over.

And, like, even if you don’t know anything about the Behind the Scenes of Adventure Time or who Cole Sanchez and Rebecca Sugar even are - the Shift is noticeable. The shift in tone, in narrative focus, in the subtleties in which the characters are drawn. 

The entire first half of the episode has this thin veneer of just being a Silly Goofy Ice King Episode. Sanchez’s talent for Adventure Time’s brand of comedy is on full display… but there is also this underlying feeling that Something is Happening just under the surface. And these hints of the Big Emotions of ‘IRY’ expressed via Sanchez’s kinda goofy style really create this balance between putting the audience into a false sense of security that this is just a Very Normal Episode about two characters hanging out and the Tension constantly brewing in the subtext. 

And then it all comes to a blow.

And then the Shift happens. And now we are in Sugar’s court.

And this subtle shift in the artstyle and storytelling also coincide with Marceline finally openly expressing her feelings and the Reveal of Simon and Marcy's shared past. The episode changes focus from Ice King's silly antics to Marceline's feelings. Everything changes, everything in the first part of the episode gets recontextualized and... even on the most basic level, the episode is now Noticeably Different.

I would almost say that Sanchez’s half of the episode has Ice King define the tone, while Sugar’s half of the episode has Marceline define the tone. But more than anything it’s the catharsis. The reveal and release of those emotions that were building up so expertly through the Sanchez half of the episode. All of the Sugar-boarded scenes in this episode are really heartbreaking on their own, just through the tragedy of the story and Sugar’s expert knowledge of howto convey emotion in the visual medium - but it’s so enchanted by what came before it.

“I Remember You” is truly a great testament to how ‘Adventure Time’ could use every aspect of its medium to tell a great story in such a short time.

[thesnadger]

I got the brain zoomies about this today. You mentioned linking it explicitly to Shadow of the Vampire... so what if one of the actresses has a particular old-Hollywood look to her. If not for changes in hair and makeup, she could be a dead ringer for an old silent film star.

(What remained of Murnau's crew buried the bodies in a nameless grave, they never learned that one of those bodies clawed its way back out. Murnau found out though - one dark, cold night in the room where he awaited trial. The horrific condition of his body was covered up and his death declared a suicide.)

She's not the lead actress. Beauty standards have changed over a century and she doesn't have the 'right look' for a lead, but the director thinks she'll be great as a background member of the biker gang with two lines and no spoken name.

Schreck was bitter about being old and forgotten, about losing his power and infamy. But Greta (or whatever name she's going by) is more "aging starlet who never made it big" bitter, like a Jessica Lang AHS character.

She's withdrawn from the rest of the cast and talks in an icy tone about the film industry. How it began with a tyrannical system that forced actors to give their lives to the studio, (here she spits on the ground) and has gotten no better over the years. She's bitter about the audience, her fellow actors, the studio, the director (and oh, how she hates directors.) When she really gets going you hear a hint of that German accent she could never quite shake.

It's weird because she can't be older than 22, but she talks like she's got decades of bad experience behind her. Besides, the industry sucks, yeah, but she's still really off-putting and creepy. Even when she's not saying anything, she's always staring at you with those big, deep-set eyes of hers. It's no wonder she has trouble finding people who want to work with her.

She doesn't mind. She doesn't care for the company of her fellow actors... with perhaps one exception. Because the lead actress is nice to everyone, even her. And she's so beautiful as well... so full of youthful energy and life.

Because I am literally never not thinking about weird meta, blurring lines between reality and narrative, and the whole concept of actors becoming their characters, I am now entertaining thoughts of a Shadow of the Vampire-style story wherein a late-2010s-style all-female The Lost Boys remake gets derailed when the lead actress suddenly starts not showing up to shooting because she's sleeping all day...

[asneakyfox]

ok so for some reason I love reading about torture and violence, especially if it's happening to my best blorbos. but lately, like since season two came out, I've noticed a bit of a trend? where a fic will be tagged in such a way that i think it's right up my alley. and then when i read it, it's just straight up my darling ed being horrifically tortured and killed. and no one even comes to help him. like, for example, a detailed description of ned low scalping him and skinning him alive? and then the comments are like "blackbeard deserved that" and i can't understand what these people could possibly be getting out of this? what's the point? they care about extremely minor antagonists like ned and the racist french captain so much more than the main fucking love interest that they had to write that? i just want to read my whump in peace without being haunted by cursed images dear god.

oof. yeah. ok. so the word "scalping" adds a horrific layer of anti-indigenous racism here beyond even what i expected

anyway if you haven't run into this sort of thing before this is what we call "spitefic" and it happens in a lot of fandoms. it's been a problem in ofmd fandom particularly since the end of s2, when a lot of deep canyon members felt izzy's death and apology were a narrative betrayal and they want to get some catharsis of their anger at the narrative through fic. i have posted before about a genre of ofmd spitefic i think of as Horror at the Inn because it usually focuses on ed and stede having a horrible time at the inn and falling out of love and then usually ed starts randomly committing domestic violence or something because the author wants to reject the idea that they can be happy wtihout izzy in their lives and/or wants to prove that ed is a monstrous psychopath who goes around cutting people's toes off because he just does that sort of thing when he's pissed off and not at all because of some very specific factors about his relationship with izzy.

it would be nice if people who felt like writing spitefic would just agree on a tag for it but unfortunately the psychology that makes people want to write it in the first place tends to also make them not want to tag it, either because tagging it would mean conceding that their perspective isn't simply canon, or because they actively want to punish people who liked canon by making them read this stuff. however in your case i think there's something you can do, which is before reading anything tagged with "torture" etc check the author's ao3 tags and see if any fic they wrote before october 2023 (in ofmd OR other fandoms) seems to have those sorts of themes. if the author's been writing about that all along then they're probably just into the same tropes you are. if the interest in graphic violence seems to have been sudden and always focused on ed teach then you are more likely dealing with something different.

you might also consider blocking or muting people who write untagged spitefic AND people who leave those sorts of upsetting comments on them; i usually figure i'm not going to want to read any other content from someone who does that sort of thing, and that's the only reason i've ever blocked or muted anyone on ao3.

[purplehairedwonder]

Post-Winner Island Fic Roundup

Now that the end of the Winner Island fight has been animated, I'm sure there are people looking for some catharsis. I thought I'd round up the fics I've written post-chapter 1081 (and now episode 1115). You'll find a mixture of gen, Heart Pirates-focused and Lawlu fics here:

"Aftermath" (PG | Gen | 1,122 words): The aftermath of the fight at Winner Island.

"The Heart Is a Thing to Be Broken" (PG-13 | Lawlu | 5,514 words): The Straw Hats learn about Winner Island.

"My Heart in Your Hands, My Hands around Your Heart" (PG | Lawlu | 1,908 words): In Luffy's lowest moment, Law takes Luffy's hand and promises that his story will not end.

In Law's lowest moment, Luffy takes Law's hand and promises the same.

"Your Heart, Broken in My Chest"* (PG-13 | Lawlu | 3,661 words): Luffy was far from an expert at having someone else’s heart in his chest, but he was pretty sure what was happening with Torao’s heart wasn’t normal.

AKA, Law and Luffy switched hearts after Wano, and Luffy feels Winner Island happen.

"My Heart, Fragile in Your Hands"* (PG-13 | Lawlu | 2,380 words): “I failed them,” Law whispered, and it felt like a confession—like at church in Flevance. Confession was supposed to absolve someone of their sins, right? He doubted there was a god anywhere who could absolve him of his. And yet, he confessed at the altar of Luffy. “They were my responsibility, and I failed them.”

Or, Law wakes up in the Sunny's infirmary after Winner Island.

"Our Hearts, Made Whole in Each Other"* (PG-13 | Lawlu | 2,312 words): Luffy cupped Law’s cheek with his hand, softly grazing his thumb over a yellowing bruise. “Torao is so pretty,” he said quietly, a note of awe in his voice. Law flushed. “Torao’s heart is beating so fast.”

“Yeah,” Law agreed, swallowing. “It is.” Luffy’s, despite a few flutters, was beating steadily in Law’s chest. Law, on the other hand, felt pinned to the spot, one hand holding Kikoku and the other in Luffy’s grip.

“You should stay.”

Law blinked. “What?”

“You should stay,” Luffy repeated. “On the Sunny. With me."

"From the Ashes" (PG-13 | eventual Lawlu | 3/? | 10,811 words): Blackbeard takes Law and the defeated Heart Pirates captive after their defeat at Winner Island.

"A Thing Both Terrible and Beautiful" (Explicit | Lawlu | 3,525 words): Law wants it rough, wants it to hurt, because it’s what he deserves after losing everything. Again.

Luffy knows he needs something else.

"Cursed"** (PG-13 | Gen | 1,411 words): After Wano, Jean had never been prouder to sport the Heart Pirates Jolly Roger on his back, tattooed over the slave brand that had marked him as cursed for so many years.

But they had failed Law on Winner Island.

Jean had failed him on Winner Island.

"Celebration"** (PG-13 | Gen | 1,689 words): As the Heart and Straw Hat Pirates celebrate the jailbreak of the imprisoned Hearts, Shachi tracks down a guilt-ridden Law and offers his captain some moral support.

"Loyalty"** (PG-13 | Gen | 1,264 words): The only solace the Hearts had after being taken captive by the Blackbeard Pirates was the revelation that Bepo had gotten Law away from the battlefield. They’d all sworn in Wano that they would do whatever it took to protect their self-sacrificing captain, and any of them would have made the same choice, had they been able.

They were the Heart Pirates, and Trafalgar Law was the beating heart at the center of the crew. They would hold out until Law came for them, and they would give the Blackbeard Pirates nothing.

"Night"** (PG-13 | Gen | 1,131 words): Their rescue comes at night.

"Food"** (PG-13 | Gen | 1,217 words): “Sorry for borrowing your kitchen without asking. I just...”

“It’s fine,” Sanji said easily before starting to roll up the cuffs on his sleeves to his elbow. “You wanted to make something for your people, didn’t you?”

“I...” Clione blinked in surprise. “Yeah.”

“I get it,” Sanji said. Once his cuffs were rolled up, he crossed his arms and leaned against the side of the counter. “It’s how people like us show our love, right?” Sanji went on. “Through our cooking.”

"Caught"** (PG-13 | Gen | 1,283 words): Maybe this wasn’t such a bad death, Hakugan thought as he felt darkness beginning to encroach on his vision. He’d been on the crew of a Warlord, had helped in the fight that defeated two Emperors, and had seen more incredible, unbelievable things than he would have once thought possible; it had been a much more fulfilling life than he would have had if he’d stayed in his boring, backwater home in the North Blue.

He would never regret agreeing to join Trafalgar Law all those years ago.

He only hoped that his captain would somehow live on to fight another day; as long as Law lived on, so would the Heart Pirates.

"Lost and Found (You)" (PG-13 | Lawlu | 7,554 words): Five times Law and Luffy almost lost one another and one time they did something about it.

* These fics are in a series and were written for Lawlu Week 2023.

** These fics are in a series and were written for Heart Pirates Week 2024

[yeen-meteor]

I want to take a moment to try to express why i appreciate Haru's sadism as an actual serious part of her characterization and not just a funny contrast joke and 'yay girl violence!' don't get me wrong i love me some yay girl violence for the sake of it, but like. i think there's a lot to work with there for genuine drama writing, too, not just comic relief and i want to talk about it! (cw sugimura)

for all of haru's backstory and her life with her father, sure she's rich and has a lot of privileges, but the one thing she completely lacks is any sort of control. Everything about her life is being decided for her, her father has decided on the shape of her entire future, and she can't do anything to change it - she's being raised just for the sake of being outright sold as a sex slave trophy wife to a perverted creep who is certainly too rich and powerful to ever face legal trouble for marital rape. She's going through the motions, enjoying what she can of the life she has while she still has it, completely hopeless in the face of this horrifying future that other people are forcing her into. Her will means nothing, what she wants means nothing.

And then the Phantom Thieves come along, and they give her the power to make her will matter, to fight for her own freedom and happiness. And that power comes in the shape of violence, physically fighting images of all the things and people standing in her way.

But more than that, she starts to feel 'shivers of excitement' when she hears shadows begging and pleading beneath her. She feels what it's like to have something absolutely, pathetically desperate to make her stop, to deny her what she wants - and to bask in the feeling that she doesn't have to listen, she's the strong one, she can shut them the fuck up with an axe through the skull because their will, their selfish desire, their plan for her doesn't matter anymore, her will, Haru's will matters. It's catharsis, it's intoxicating, it's a rich and indulgent feeling of real actual control and the freedom that comes with it, something she's been denied all her life, and it's probably an unhealthy way to get that feeling but who cares? these are just shadows!

And that catharsis and relief and self-assured confidence she gets from that just makes her better able to be her sweetest, kindest, purest self around the people she loves! It doesn't undermine the sweet person she is, it helps it!

And then, she makes the choice to try to cure her father's brain-rotting greed and see if there's anything worth salvaging in his heart. It might not be the best choice, it could certainly be argued about, but it's her choice, it's her will, and she finally, finally feels like she's able to make that mean something-

and Akechi takes the choice away from her, and forces her to live in the future he decided for her.

I think when people write the dynamic between Akechi and Haru, they can sometimes miss the forest for the trees - 'you killed my father', without the underlying 'this was the first time i believed i ever had a choice in my own life, and you took it away from me and fucking crushed it before my eyes'. I've also seen it done very well too, and I love it! but i think a lot of writers are sleeping on the potential a bit, of haru & akechi focused stories, or even of haru as a source of drama and an interesting supporting character in shuake stories. In general, haru's potential for anger, frustration, violent desires and just a need to feel in control of her own life has a lot of potential in drama writing!

Atlus certainly dropped the ball on the akechi and haru dynamic, and kept the sadism thing as mostly comic relief, but Persona canons are all half-realized outlines of good ideas just begging for fic writers to come and actually flesh them out, anyway, so ah well!

all i hope for is that if you're a persona writer that doesn't know what to do with haru or how to use her, or doesn't pay her much mind, maybe this might inspire you or give you a clearer idea of how to write her dramatic side!

[ivesambrose]

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Aries : your entire being is focused on career or studies, finances and the material aspects of your life this month. You want to be back with a bang and waste no time. Earlier you may have felt like you had lost an opportunity that was going to bring you a lot of wealth or would have benefitted you in terms of your future goals or career but you'll realize that one door closed and another one opened that led to something far better. That likely you were going to settle for something smaller but the universe had other plans. If you had made investments previously expect sudden gains or if you choose to invest you'll see gains later on this year. Emotionally however, you might feel like your cups are empty or you aren't tending to them as much. You might have a moment of purging of grief that you've been carrying which will bring you catharsis. Some of you might be worried about your mother's health, if you're female please tend to your hormonal health and try to reduce your stress levels. Lastly, don't bite off more than you can chew.

Taurus : You'll regain your childlike optimism, finding little reasons to be happy, expecting good the best instead of the worst. You'll also be excited about the several opportunities or options in front of you that you will manifesting. You'll feel very close to your friends and family, you'll have an event to bond better with them. You have lot of ideas that are unconventional in nature and you'll feel tempted to act on all of them and you likely will. You'll have a lot of energy but that might also lead to burn out so be remain cautious of your Physical health especially if you're working out at the gym. Emotionally you'll be feeling estatic likely due to wealth, business opportunities, indulging in some luxuries, spoiling yourself etc mostly you'll be too focused on your own joy and beauty to fixate on anyone else at the moment. You'll also be more sensitive to intuitive downloads, you'll feel as though a higher force is looking over you and is guiding you when it comes to your life path. Hold your head high.

Gemini : You might feel as though people are little judgemental of you or don't exactly see eye to eye with you when it comes to your career prospects or creative ventures. You aren't sure who wants to help you or take credit for whatever you do. You want to march to the beat of your own drum but you might feel unsure or even fickle minded by what lies ahead. You don't know which path to choose or if you're making any progress. That might lead to some anxiousness. You're advised to calm your head and clear the clutter of your surroundings. You don't want to hear it but you're indeed thinking way too much and acting way too little and thus you remain stuck. Help will be available when you least expect it and stop looking for it. Fix your sleeping schedule and try doing some gentle eye and head massages. Look at the bigger picture. You might get opportunities to travel by end of this month that will be an entire energy shift and could be a possible game changer for you as well.

Cancer : You've been working too hard the past few months, it hasn't brought you the exact results that you hoped it would. You're starting this year finding balance between work and hobbies/me time. Some of you might even get an extra source of income however. You may have romance coming in as you focus on the softer aspects of your life. There might be someone who instills faith and power within you, maybe they aren't around you, could be someone from afar. But they want to see you win at any cost and will push you towards your best. You'll end up having a wish granted somehow, something you have been hoping for will come true. There's a cycle of suffering that is as tight as a knot that you'll be cutting through and free of. You'll receive unexpected help from a friend or a place you've spent your childhood.

Leo : You'll be climbing the ladder of success, there is Inevitable progression in whatever you're working towards. You'll be catching up with old friends and even making new ones. They will encourage you in different aspects of your life and you'll learn a lot from them you might be studying something like a new language or something to do with geography, animals or even farming. The money you spend will come back to you but do spend wisely regardless. Some of you might be getting married or committed. Others of you may have some discord or shortlived strife to deal with. Maybe people competing with you for no reason or arguments at home. Eitherway, you'll be focused on the positive and being as radiant as ever.

Virgo : You're seeing this month as the opening of a movie you haven't seen. In other words, you're treating this as a whole new chapter, you don't want to carry a single old energy or thought process into this year. You're in awe of your own journey. You're preparing yourself for an adventure. You might be writing, documentating, reading, interacting and even learning new skills or languages a lot. Some of you might be preparing to relocate or leave a place. Emotionally, you'll be feeling very fulfilled you might be having suitors, you may fall in love, have someone fall for you or might just find your reason to fall in love with life. Wealth and financial opportunities from overseas will be a big theme too. Start preparing yourself for your new life.

Libra : A new work opportunity that leads you to relocate or leave one thing behind for something better. Mostly I'm seeing something has worked out for you when it comes to your finances so you can allow yourself to lead with your heart and explore spirituality a little more. You'll be maturing as well and taking more accountability when it comes to how you act and what you say or excuses you make and change certain behavioural patterns. I see you looking forward to spending more time with your friends or attending a social gathering or event you'll feel some relief and allow yourself to have fun instead of wanting to control every aspect of your life and seeing it go out of balance. Go and live.

Scorpio : Dedicated work, practice, effort, diligent labour, all if it will add up and pay off for you. Maybe enjoying or self care aren't even your priority at least for this month. You sincerely do have a lot on your plate, you do want to collaborate or simply make substantial progress. This can be anything at all but it will bring you a lot of emotional fulfilment Inevitably. Nothing much to add except, that you be less harsh on yourself and don't ghost the ones who care for you. Cater to that side of you that too wants to be heard & held.

Sagittarius : A particular uncertainty or excess load that you've been carrying will come to an end. There's a matter that will be resolved. You'll feel extremely thankful for it, because you got what you wanted so now you can walk ahead or away from what had been making you feel 50 - 50 for quite some time. It felt like you were the only one giving it your 100 but the outcome wasn't what you had hoped for. I see you being guarded or keeping certain matters to yourself, this could be your long term plans and investments. You might catch a break and revisit old hobbies, places, friends or an interest you had abandoned.

Capricorn : You need to rest or you'll face extreme levels of exhaustion. You might be feeling the need to slow down, feeling more sleepy too, check your vitamin D levels, try and get some sunlight if you can. Dip your feet in warm water and look after your feet in general there might be some heartache or betrayal, might just be memories from the past, there's some ache you carry or have been carrying for quite a long time. You've expressed it but now you feel empty. I do someone being a balm to your heart, might be a fated person you encounter you'll be encouraged to heal your inner child, indulge in some whimsies, day dreaming, walking barefoot in nature and eating more wholesome organic meals. There will be people who treat you with the same kindness you show them too.

Aquarius : You'll be feeling comforted and loved. So anyone else's ill intentions or projected negativity won't matter. Things have started looking up for you slowly but surely, so you're at a place in your life you really do priotrize your peace over anything else. It's simply not worth it, paying heed to anyone's repetitive drama, to people who can't commit and won't progress beyond 3 days of effort. You might be spending time with animals or a pet, you'd feel really connected to them. You'll find happiness seeing others be happy or getting what they want. You might visit some art fairs, museums or start painting or drawing again as well. Mostly for yourself since you're happy with how far you've come so there's no need to rush anymore.

Pisces : Stability and happiness, finally. This can come in the form of a wedding, better relationship with your spouse or loved one or even family, finances improving, health improving etc a combination of all. After a long time, you can be at ease. Sudden increase in fortune or business is also extremely possible, travel is also in the cards, you'll also see the luck of the people you care for or befriend, increase. You might be prone to skin issues however, so please opt for hydrating products also stay warm and do your stretches.

©️ 𝓘𝓿𝓮𝓼𝓪𝓶𝓫𝓻𝓸𝓼𝓮

[zuko-always-lies]

Zuko and the Day of Black Sun (warning: this will not be the most positive post about Zuko)

Zuko: Because the Avatar's not dead. He survived. Ozai: [Shocked and horrified.] What? Zuko: In fact, he's probably leading this invasion. He could be on his way here right now.

Ozai: [Laughs.] Oh, that's just beautiful. And maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure. Zuko:But I've come to an even more important decision. [Closes eyes and momentarily pauses.] I'm going to join the Avatar and I'm going to help him defeat you.

Zuko's actions in the DoBS are actually very odd, when you come to think of it. Zuko knows that there's an invasion force trying to take advantage of the DoBS. He's pretty sure that Team Avatar is leading the invasion. He knows Ozai and the Fire Nation are uniquely vulnerable. He knows Ozai's location. All Zuko needs to do is find a way to get Team Avatar to where Ozai's hiding, to lead them there somehow, and the war is won. People have (rightfully or wrongfully) criticized Zuko for refusing to kill Ozai when he had the chance and dumping the responsibility on Aang, but Zuko didn't even need to kill his father himself. All Zuko had to do is find a way to help the invasion and get them to the right location, and Team Avatar would take care of his daddy problems for him. Hardly the easiest task, given the level of distrust he's earned from them, but hardly impossible either. And Zuko is not known for refusing to do the impossible.

Yet Zuko doesn't try to help the invasion. He doesn't even take advantage of the eclipse to rescue his beloved uncle. He instead chooses to use the time to mouth off at his awful father, while very clearly acting like he knows the invasion is going to fail.

When I first thought of about, I thought Zuko was being stupid and mislead by his emotions. He was so focused on his (justified) feelings of resentment toward his father that he missed a golden opportunity to win the war. Or maybe Zuko was so focused on doing what he thought Iroh wanted him to that he lost track of the situation.

Yet the more I think about it, the more I realize Zuko was actually being really smart. Zuko needed Team Avatar to lose the DoBS. After all, if Aang finds and kills Ozai on that day, and the invasion defeats the Fire Nation, then

Zuko doesn't get the emotional catharsis of personally telling off his abusive father to his face

Zuko doesn't get to prove himself personally to his beloved uncle by rescuing him (since the Gaang would almost certainly free Iroh once they find out about him)

Zuko doesn't get to join the Gaang and prove himself "redeemed" to them

Zuko doesn't get his glorious, special destiny of joining with the Avatar, teaching him firebending, and befriending him

Zuko doesn't get to become friends with the Gaang, like he so clearly desperately wants

Zuko doesn't get a chance to face his sister again, beat her, and prove that he's better than her

Zuko generally doesn't get to be a hero, doesn't get to be the main character, doesn't get a special quest and mission, doesn't get a chance to be the person who helps restore balance the world. At most Zuko gets to be an opportunist who changed side at the last moment.

So yes, Zuko desperately needed the invasion to fail. If it doesn't, Zuko gets none of the things he desperately wanted. Zuko writing off the invasion and showing zero interest in helping it was actually very logical on his part.

[marblemoonstones]

🩵 🎞️ catharsis ~ chapter ten and a half

main masterlist

series masterlist

pairing: bts ot7 x reader

genre: collegestudentreader!au 

warnings: ❗️any characters in the story have nothing to do with their real life counterparts❗️f reader, reader with glasses

*lmk if i missed any*

word count: ~4.8k

a/n: i hope you guys see the vision with the film..it was lowkey kind of hard to describe 🥲

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

A black screen at first, then simple white words show up on the screen. 

“Golden Closet Films presents…Still With You: a film by Jeon Jungkook.” 

I sneak a glance at Jungkook, and his eyes are shining in the dim light, and I swear that in that moment, they hold the entire universe.

He meets my gaze. He smiles. I do too. In that moment we are the only two in the theatre.

Soft instrumental music starts playing as the other credits finish, and I turn my attention back to the screen, pushing down the feelings in my heart.

A magical scene appears. A silver castle is glowing in the moonlight, and the camera zooms in slowly to the ballroom. There is a masquerade ball going on inside, blurs of people dancing with extravagant dresses and masks on. But the camera focuses on one man. A king, wearing an elegant crown, cream suit, and crimson sash, the only one not wearing a mask. Jin.

I audibly suck in air, trying not to gasp as the man is right next to me. The story continues.

Although the king is surrounded by people, he seems alone. The people are blurs and shadows around him while he stands in the middle of the ballroom. The camera zooms out so we can now see that there’s a banner behind him written in cursive; “Happy Birthday.” The king is alone, even at a party celebrating him.

Cut to a house. Two-story, brick, cute. A homey place, per say. But the sage green door bursts open, and a woman walks out with three girls following her. She is dressed to the nines as a peacock, emerald green and sapphire blue hues decorate her feathered dress. Her mask is sharp, resembling a beak, and has a few plumes atop it.

The two girls are also dressed up, one in gold and the other in silver. But their costumes are gaudy and cheap looking. Feathers, sequins, glitter. The materials come together to make an honestly hideous outfit, but they flaunt it with their high hairstyles and haughty attitudes.

The other girl obviously isn’t as decorated as the woman and two other girls. I cannot see her face, just the back of her as she faces the woman and two girls. Her hair is nicely styled yet not as ornate as the other girls. The camera shows details of mysterious girl. A delicate ring of stars is around her head, and she’s dressed in an all-white outfit with soft feathered wings on her back. An angel. But then the film shows the imperfections in her outfit. Small rips here and there, a stain on the waistline. Her shoes are worn, and her mask is cracked on the side. Her face is still hidden.

“You are not going. You don’t deserve to, you stupid girl.” The woman is cold and harsh with her words, and I tense at the use of the word stupid. I know what this girl is feeling.

“Yeah. You’re worthless, and your costume is horrible,” the gold girl states.

“The prince would never fall in love with you.” Silver girl sniffs in distain as the woman (who I presume to be her stepmother) cackles.

“That’s right. So, behave until we get back. The house better be clean from top to bottom,” she demands, knocking into the girl’s shoulder as she passes her, “Come on girls. Let’s go.”

The two titter with laughter before gold girl darts her hand out and rips angel girl’s sleeve. This makes silver girl reach out and tears the wings.

Peacock woman laughs and walks to a carriage, a beautiful yet also gaudy looking thing, and the two girls follow.

I see what this is. It’s a unique telling of Cinderella. Jungkook really is a wonderful storyteller.

The carriage pulls away, and I see the girl drop to the ground in a heap. Her eyes brim with tears, and a few stray ones trickle down her face. She looks so desolate, so depressed.

But after a moment, she brings a hand and wipes her own tears. She makes a fist and pushes herself up from the ground. She stands on her own two feet. Her back is shown as she walks away from us and back into the house. In a tiny attic, the girl gathers the small number of things up. It’s clearly her room, with a picture of her and what I presume to be her mom and dad. After she puts everything in her backpack, she looks at the curtains hanging. They’re white and silky, surprisingly untouched, and not ripped. She contemplates for a moment before gently taking them down. A montage plays of her stitching and sewing something together, and before I know it, she’s standing there in a new dress. She walks out of the house and makes her way into the darkness, spine straight and head held high.

The theatre is dark, but I see so much light.

Cut to the ballroom. Jin now sits on a throne, listlessly gazing into the crowd. The party rages on, and there’s now a line of girls standing in front of Jin. Each one has pretty outfits on, but they’re stuffy and heavy with embellishments. Jin just nods as each one curtsies and attempts to get his attention. Gold and silver girl curtsy as peacock woman watches on, but Jin barely even spares them a glance. Peacock woman sniffs haughtily as her daughters go sadly to the dance floor. 

Dramatic instrumental music starts to play and the colors start to bleed and become more vivid on screen. The silver doors open and a confused looking girl is swept into the ballroom. Scratch that, it’s angel girl. She is disoriented as an attendant takes her backpack and escorts her to the end of the line. Angel girl attempts to smooth her hair then looks at the gorgeous ballroom. Time slows as her head tilts up to admire the majestic paintings on the walls. 

I feel Jungkook’s gaze on me but cannot take my eyes off the screen. 

Angel girl’s eyes widen when she realizes that she’s almost to the front of the line. The girl in front of her goes off to dance and she comes face to face with Jin for the first time. The music fades out and there’s only silence. Angel girl curtsies to the best of her ability and sneaks a glance up at Jin. 

He smiles, showing emotion other than boredom for the first time. Jin rises from his chair and holds out his hand, an invitation of some sort. 

In the theatre, I see Jin’s hand lying next to mine on the armrest out of the corner of my eye.  Should I? No. Well..maybe just this once. I mean, it doesn’t mean anything. I don’t know what makes me so brave but I hesitantly reach my fingers out to his. He reacts instantly, his hand entwining with mine. His eyes are on the screen but I see a soft smile appear on his face. I turn my attention back to the screen, trying not to freak out at the blatant hand holding we’re doing. Oh my god, Y/n. What are you doing?! Try not to freak out. It doesn’t mean anything. Yes, it does, but you don’t want to admit it. 

In the film world, Jin is now dancing with angel girl. It’s a gorgeous rendition of Cinderella, and the camera is overhead and we look down at them as Jin twirls angel girl. Her dress fans out and they smile at each other, not saying a word yet still understanding each other. 

The orchestra plays its last chord as the dance ends. Jin bows and angel girl curtesies. They come closer and look as though they could kiss, but then the clock strikes twelve. Angel girl’s eyes widen and she starts dashing through the crowd, bumping into people left and right. 

“I’m sorry! Please excuse me.” She apologizes as she makes her way through the crowd. She snatches her backpack from a very surprised attendant then disappears out the same gilded doors that she entered from. 

Jin takes long strides, attempting to follow her but he gets swept up in the crowd, multiple people trying to talk to him. His one arm is dramatically reached out, and he lets out a sigh; the sight of a desperate man. 

I hear the sound of hopeless music and Jin walks dejectedly back to his throne, sitting there and resuming the same bored face as earlier, except this time he glances towards the door every so often. 

Surely this isn’t the end, right? 

The ballroom is now empty, a stark contrast to the bustling atmosphere of earlier. There are attendants sweeping the floor and Jin stands and goes to leave, except when he spots something. 

No, it can’t be, I think excitedly. 

It is. Jin looks behind a porcelain vase by the door and sure enough, there’s a chunk of angel girl’s star crown. He snatches it and hastily looks around to see if anyone noticed. They didn’t. The scene ends with the corners of his lips turned up in a soft, sad, private smile. 

I glance at Jin and it seems that he’s wearing the same soft smile as in the film. Our hands are still entwined. 

“6 months later” is written on the screen.

The back of a servant is shown scurrying through a grand hallway with portraits on the wall, clutching a rolled up piece of paper like it’s gold to his chest. He finally reaches his destination and I catch a glimpse of his face. Is that Taehyung? 

I look at Jungkook, confusion on my face. He seems to understand as he just nods and bunny smiles. 

Taehyung enters the room and inside is Jin and what looks to be an advisor, as he’s wearing a formal suit and not servant garb.

“Your Majesty, here’s a message from the Queen of Concordia,” Taehyung says, bowing and giving Jin the scroll then departs. 

Such a cute cameo.

Jin sits down at his desk and the advisor stands patiently behind him. Jin’s brows furrow and he sighs, placing the paper down on his desk. 

“They want me to come visit,” he says, talking to the advisor.

“Well, your Majesty, your countries are in an alliance. It would be in your best interest to go. Unless you’d rather host them?” The advisor asks, making Jin groan. 

“No. There’s not enough time to prepare. I’ll go there in two weeks like they asked.” Jin begrudgingly writes a response and gives it to the advisor. “Please send this to Queen Hayoung.” 

Advisor man bows and gently takes the letter, leaving in big strides. The door shuts behind him and the scene ends with Jin staring out the window at the autumn leaves falling down. 

I’m entranced. This film is so gorgeously done, and Jungkook is such a brilliant storyteller. But, I wonder, what happened to angel girl? Did she escape her situation? Or is she still trapped in that house? 

An ornate carriage gleams in the sun, and Jin, now dressed in a more casual yet  still elegant button up and khakis, climbs into it. His crown is not present on his head, and he leans back against the plush seat and closes his eyes, the picture of a true royal. 

A white castle with deep navy flags and gorgeous gardens comes into view. 

“Your Majesty, we’re here.” The same advisor man gently wakes Jin up.

He opens his eyes and yawns, stretching slightly, then fixes his hair. 

“Thank you Yeojung. May I have my crown?” The advisor, now known as Yeojung, hands him the detailed headpiece. 

“Thank you.” 

The carriage pulls up and a servant opens the door, bowing as Jin and Yeojung step out. Jin nods to the servant, his glistening crown perched atop his groomed hair. 

Guards bow to Jin, then open the door of the palace. Jin grandly enters, the image of confidence. 

“King Seokjin! I’m so glad you could make it!” A woman around Jin’s age walks up to him, grinning. Her white dress reminds me of angel girl’s, yet it’s more stiff and structured. Her pointy white heels gleam against the pristine floor. She looks the perfect image of a queen.

“Hello Queen Hayoung. A pleasure to see you again.” Jin bows elegantly as Hayoung curtsies, and he gives a peck to her gloved hand. 

“Always the gentlemen,” Hayoung says, pleased as Jin’s display of respectful affection. 

“Now, shall we take a walk? I must show you your chambers while you’re here.” Hayoung starts walking, her heels clicking on the marble floor. Jin lets out an almost imperceptible sigh before diligently following her. 

Where is angel girl? I miss her, and hope that Jin doesn’t end up with Hayoung. That would be such a sad ending. 

The camera now shows a quaint cafe. Tucked among a friendly and home-like street, it boasts a pastel pink sign reading “Wings: a bakery for the soul.” The open sign is plugged in and there are wicker tables and chairs outside. The glass window shows cute treats, and as a customer walks out the white painted door, the camera goes in. 

Cozy tables and chairs furnish the inside, with a counter and work station along one wall. Watercolor images of pastries adorn the wall and soft Lofi music plays. There are a couple people sitting and eating/drinking, but the camera instead goes to the girl working the counter. She pours out a drink, seamlessly making a latte heart. She turns around and I gasp. It’s angel girl!

“Here’s your latte and your strawberry pastry.” She looks even prettier without the mask, and I can finally see her face for the first time. 

Angel girl puts the two treats on the counter in front of an anxious looking teen. He pays, but is distracted by a girl working on her laptop in the corner of the cafe. 

“For the record, she loves strawberry pastries,” angel girl says, smiling knowingly as the boys gulps but thanks her. He then makes his way hesitantly over to laptop girl, and they start to chat, him giving her the strawberry pastry. 

Angel girl smiles at them, shaking her head lovingly. Longing is evident in her eyes, but she turns back around to start preparing another drink. 

I can’t believe angel girl escaped! I hope that she is happy. But, still, I wish that she and Jin would meet again. 

Speaking of Jin, he occasionally squeezes my hand, and I can’t look at him when he does. I’m sure my hand is sweaty, and I wonder why he even wants to hold it. But I can’t deny how my heart rushes every time he gently squeezes. Luckily my attention is again stolen by the screen.

The moon shines in the sky, and stars wink across the velvet night. Jin is shown in a lavish four poster bed, with deep sapphire colored blankets and fluffy satin pillows surrounding him. But he isn’t asleep. He is under the covers but turned on his side towards the window, where the moon shines through, casting milky moonbeams on the plush carpet. 

The theatre is silent as Jin throws the covers off and goes to look out at the moon. There are no words to describe how he looks, but the best I can think of is ethereal. The silver moonlight makes him glow like an angel, and his thin white shirt only adds to the aesthetic. He gazes into the night before reaching into his pocket and pulls out a piece of metal. 

The piece of angel girl’s star crown twinkles in the pale light. He kept it.

“Someday. Please, someday,” Jin whispers, quietly begging to the stars above to meet angel girl again. 

She’s somewhere, I say mentally, you just need to look in the right place. 

The stars don’t respond, only continuing to shine in the canopy above. 

Jin pads sadly over to the bed again, and carefully lays the crown piece next to his own bigger and fancier crown. Then he crawls into the bed, and closes his eyes. 

The moon transitions to the glowing sun, and Jin blinks, a patch of sun directly hitting his eyes. There’s a knocking sound at the door, and Jin hurriedly sits up, trying to tame down his hair.

“Come in,” he says, morning voice raspy.

So hot, I think, then try to scold the thought away. But it’s getting harder to make them all go away, especially when the man is holding my hand and only a couple feet away from me. 

Yeonjung pops in, bowing. “Your Majesty, Queen Hayoung had an unexpected problem come up, so she will be attending to that all day. But she requested that you feel free to explore the kingdom today.” He bows again, then leaves Jin to get ready. Jin thanks him, then smiles. 

Angel girl is shown now, smiling too as she unlocks the cafe with some of her workers.

“What’s with the good mood, boss?” A girl asks, tying her apron on.

“I’m not sure. I just have a good feeling about today,” angel girl responds, shrugging as she starts putting out pastries. 

“So, your Majesty, what would you like to do today?” Yeonjung asks, as Jin pulls on his loafers. He’s dressed in a forest green sweater and dark jeans, looking even more casual than in the carriage. 

“I’m not sure. Let’s just go wander the streets for a while,” Jin suggests, causing the other to sputter.

“B-but your Majesty! What about security? And assassins? Oh no, what if-“

“Yeonjung. Please, we’ll be fine. I’m trained in basic combat, and, besides, this kingdom is very calm.” 

Yeonjung miserably looks at Jin’s determined face and comes to the conclusion that he can’t convince his stubborn ruler otherwise.

“Fine, your majesty, but please wear these sunglasses for some sort of a disguise.” He hands the dark shades over and Jin rolls his eyes, but puts them on.

“Happy?” He asks.

“No, but it’s better than nothing,” Yeonjung mumbles. 

“Great, so let’s go!” Jin happily walks out the door with a stressed looking Yeonjung following. 

I laugh a little, amused at how Jin’s sunglasses do not match his outfit at all. Oh well, they still look good on him, as everything does. 

Jin and Yeonjung appear strolling down a street with thatched rooftop houses. Kids are playing and people on bicycles zip past them. The sun shines, and there’s a slight breeze ruffling Jin’s hair.

“Isn’t this nice, Yeonjung?” Jin asks, “Just walking peacefully. No documents to sign, no annoying people…”

“Yes, your Majesty, but shouldn’t we be heading back to the palace soon?” Poor Yeonjung asks. 

“Soon…let’s go one more place. How about-“ Jin turns the corner and randomly points to a place “-there!” 

It’s the cafe where angel girl works. 

Oh my god. They’re going to meet again! 

“Fine, your Majesty, but after can we please go back to the castle?” Yeonjung pleads, hoping that Jin will see reason. 

“Yeah yeah, whatever. Let’s go get something to eat!” 

Jin has a pep in his step as he bounces to the cafe, staring at the cute sign.

“Wings, huh. Reminds me of you,” Jin says, peeking into his pocket at angel girl’s star crown piece.

Come on, come on, I think, rooting for those two to meet. 

“Wow, Yeonjung, look at all the pretty treats,” Jin says after he enters the cafe. 

“Yes, your Majesty. Now what would you like to get?” Yeonjung says, ushering Jin to the counter. 

“I don’t know, give me a second, Yeonjung!” Jin says, huffing dramatically as he scans the chalkboard menu. 

“Hi, I’ll be with you in one second!?” She has her back turned, hair in a ponytail as she makes a drink. 

“Okay,” she turns around, drink in hand, “What can I get for-“

“You,” Jin breathes, eyes blown wide and plump lips parted. He’s frozen, only able to stare at the girl he’s been searching for since the ball. 

Splash! Angel girl drops her drink, but doesn’t even pay attention to it. 

“You..” She matches his shock, eyes boring into him, as if she’s afraid that if she looks away he’ll disappear. 

Time stands still, similar to in the ballroom. Quiet music fills the scene, adding the right amount of drama to the critical scene. 

Jin steps around the counter and his loafers get all pink because of the drink on the floor. She watches him, still in disbelief. 

He gently cups her face and they both lean in, about to kiss when- Still With You: a film by Jeon Jungkook and Golden Closet Films. 

The words fade onto the now black screen. 

Was that the end? I wanted to see their happy ending! What happened with Jin and angel girl? Did they successfully get together?

The credits start rolling but I ignore them and turn to Jungkook, slipping my hand out of Jin’s. I miss the warmth, but have to discuss this ending with Jungkook. 

“Jungkook! How could you end it like that?” I exclaim, becoming more annoyed when he just smirks.

“What’s wrong, babe? Don’t like the ending?” He asks, making my face flush at the pet name.

“No, you don’t get to say that! I want to know what happened.” I cross my arms at him and shake my head. “You’re mean, Kookie, for leaving it at a cliffhanger.”

“I want the audience to make up their own mind about what happened,” Jungkook says, still smirking at my response. 

“Did you at least enjoy my wonderful acting?” Jin asks, making me turn my attention to him. 

“Yes, Jin you did great. The whole thing, the acting, set, cinematography, it was all amazing,” I gush to both Jin and Jungkook.

“Thank you, Y/n. Our Jungkook-ah did do a spectacular job.” Jin pulls the youngest into a side hug, hip checking him as Jungkook groans.

“Jin-hyung, there are people watching,” he complains, trying to pry himself out of Jin’s iron grip.

“I don’t care. You’re still my little Jungkook-ah in my heart,” Jin says, pouting for extra effect. 

I laugh and whip my phone out and take a photo before either of them can react. Jungkook looks so ticked off and Jin so proud in the picture. 

“Y/n, you delete that right now,” Jungkook warns, finally succeeding in untangling himself from Jin. 

“No.” I say resolutely, shoving my phone into my purse and zipping it. 

“Yes.” He argues, reaching for my phone. 

I laugh then dodge his hands, quickly going over to Namjoon. 

“Joonie! Take this and don’t give it to Jungkook.” I shove my purse into his arms and he takes it, confused nonetheless. 

“Okay..?” He holds it while talking with Hobi. 

I walk calmly back to Jungkook, who unfortunately got caught up talking to a critic. Jin stands politely next to him.

“Your work was stunning, Jungkook. I look forward to seeing your future films.” The critic claps Jungkook on the shoulder, grinning as he takes his leave.

“Thank you, sir.” Jungkook bows, then turns back to me, “There you are. Did you delete that picture?” 

“Yes,” I lie, praying he doesn’t see through me. It’s just a photo, for heavens sake! 

“I don’t believe you for a second babe, but for the sake of appearances I will let it go for now.” Jungkook narrows his eyes as Jin laughs. 

“Honey, let’s go,” he says, leading you to the rest of the boys, Jungkook following with a quick “Hey! Don’t leave me!” 

“Alright, everyone here?” Namjoon asks, handing me back my purse. 

I mouth a thank you before slinging it back on my shoulder, watching Jungkook out of the corner of my eye.

“Yep. Now let’s go home, it’s been a long night,” Yoongi says, ever the homebody.

“I agree,” Jimin says, leaning on Yoongi. 

My tiredness hits me like a wave, and I realize that my feet are hurting from my heels and my neck from watching the film. 

“Home it is.” Namjoon agrees before we make our way out to the car. 

I’m too tired to even pay attention to the seating arrangement, and don’t protest when I sit shotgun again. 

My thoughts are drifting in and out of consciousness, but I manage to stay awake until we reach the house.

I unbuckle my seatbelt, but Jungkook opens my door and holds out his hand.

“Here, babe, let me help you.” 

He sweeps me up bridal style, and I weakly protest.

“Jungkook, put me down,” I say sleepily.

“No, babe, you’re tired. Let me take you up to your room.” He leaves no room for argument, so I let him carry me up the stairs.

His muscles must be huge, my tired brain thinks unhelpfully. 

Jungkook lays me on the bed delicately, and unstraps my wedges from my feet. 

“As much as I want to let you sleep babe, you need to change,” he says, making me groan.

“Come on, babe, it won’t take long,” he insists, “Please? For me?”

I open my eyes and half heartedly glare at him.

“Fine. Just because you asked so nicely.” 

With all the remaining strength in my body I heave myself out of bed and stagger to my dresser. I pull out a big sleep shirt and sweats then stumble to the bathroom to change. Well, might as well brush my teeth too, I think, never one to want a cavity.

After changing, brushing my teeth, and taking my makeup off, I flick off the light and step into my room. Jungkook is still sitting on the bed, but now in pjs. 

“Kook? What’re you still doing in here?” I ask sleepily.

“Waiting to make sure you get to bed safely,” he responds, opening my covers back. “Now, come on and sleep.”

I take my glasses off and get in bed, sighing happily as I snuggle under the covers

“Good night, Y/n,” Jungkook says as he tucks the covers over me. He makes sure to put the blankets on top of me. Then he gets up and turns off the light, opening the door so that the dim light of the hallway spills into my room. 

“Wait,” I say softly, as he lingers in the doorway, “Ummm, well, no, never mind.” That’s such a rash idea, why would I even wonder it?” 

“What, Y/n? You know I’ll do anything you ask,” Jungkook says quietly, his figure blurry as he stands in the doorway.

He would?

“Ummm, well, I’m a bit cold, and was wondering if you would maybe want to um come and um warm me up?” I manage to say, closing my eyes in embarrassment. Why did I just ask Jungkook to cuddle with me in the more awkward way possible? Of course he’ll say no to a question asked like that.

“Y/n?” I hear Jungkook ask. Wait, he sounds close.

I open my eyes and a slightly less blurry Jungkook stands on the opposite side of the bed. 

“Jungkook?” I ask, squinting, “What are you doing just standing there?”

He looks bashful (well, from what I can see) and pulls back the covers slowly. “Are you sure that you want me to..well..” he gestures to the bed and I start to worry. Does he misunderstand what I mean? Or does he not want to cuddle? Oh god, am I forcing him to do something he doesn’t want to?

“Oh, well if you don’t want to cuddle then just tell me, I don’t want you to feel forced to and-“

“Y/n.” Jungkook climbs in the bed swiftly, tucking the covers up and turning on his side to face me, “Don’t overthink it. Of course I want to. I just want to make sure you’re comfortable.” 

He gets closer to me and I can see his face more clearly (nearsighted vision for the win I guess). His big baby lamb eyes, his perfect nose. Those full, pouty lips that look so kissable. Little moles dot his face, and they’re like small angel kisses to me. His tousled naturally colored ebony hair is messy, and I smile. 

I wish I could capture this moment, somehow copying and pasting it into a scrapbook of memories. 

“I’m comfortable,” I murmer, “So let’s just go to sleep now.” I turn over to my other side and slowly scootch back so my back is against his. 

He wraps his warm arms around me and we spoon to sleep. 

I dream of a boy with doe eyes and gentle touches.

a/n: why do i kind of hate this 😭 as always, so sorry for not updating, but finals week is approaching and i have to stay focused. 💪🏼 please stay safe and healthy, and to anyone with finals, best of luck!! 🩷🩷

[ifortom]

Bad Decisions - T.H. (1)

frat!Tom x Reader - Fake dating AU

Summary: Tom and Y/N, two students with opposite personalities, join forces to solve a problem: they both desperately need a fake relationship to escape different social pressures.

MASTERLIST

W/C: +3K

DAY 0

There is an unknown saying that says that every choice is a loss and that good choices will also hurt. Some may say that the best choices are those that are made calmly and cautiously. Choices made on impulse are the most worrying. Taking a risk without thinking about the consequences and not being sure you can deal with them is dangerous.

But perhaps, thinking too much about a decision to be made is not a good option. Sometimes we need to take risks and be willing to face whatever comes our way. Regardless of the need.

That's why you find yourself on an endless tightrope with only two alternatives: keep walking trying to keep your balance without seeing the end or throw yourself towards whatever can hold you before you hit the ground. That whatever being a brown haired boy with stars in his eyes who you call your friend.

‘’Friend” may even be too strong a word for what defines your relationship with the famous Tom Holland, one of the players on the college football team. Known for his charm and great performance on the field, intelligent, friendly and attentive, these are just some of the qualities that define the boy.

What started as just a pair project on social psychology has become a constant in your life. You and Tom worked hard during class and received a high grade due to your research performance and dedication. But what surprised you was Tom's insistence on staying in contact with you.

No stereotypes but truth be told, you would never have exchanged a single word if it weren't for this project. Despite having already crossed each other's path at times, nothing ever went beyond that.

Today, Tom is curled up on the sofa in your living room with a book in his hands, while you are sitting on the floor with a notebook open on the coffee table. Study dates happen frequently between the two of you. Despite his fame, Tom is very focused on his studies and is months away from graduating in psychology, just like you.

"Can we take that break you promised?" He says without looking up from the book but without reading a single word.

"It's been exactly 20 minutes since we started.'' You said.

"Isn't there a study method like this? You study for a few minutes and take a break?"

"I don't think that's how it works, Tommy" You giggled.

"I'm bored" He says, closing the book and throwing it on the table in front of him.

"Studying isn't supposed to be boring. If it is for you, it means you're not learning anything."

"Seriously Y/N, you can't tell me that studying about catharsis and free association is fun" He looked at you in disbelief.

"Tom, this is literally part of the course curriculum... you should have known this when you signed up."

He huffed and lay down on the couch, looking at the ceiling of your living room.

You even tried to turn your attention to the content in front of you but every 30 seconds he would snort, clearly seeking your attention.

"Alright, you win!" You said, letting go of the pen that was in your hand and turning towards the boy lying comfortably on your sofa. "If my grades drop, it's your fault, and don't complain about yours later." He grinned standing up and sitting down.

"As if there's any chance your grades will drop, smartiepants” You rolled your eyes, sitting on the couch next to him. "I'm hungry. What do you say we order something to eat?"

Just as you thought about agreeing, his cell phone went off. He picked it up off the table and you noticed that it was a video call from Brian, one of the other players on the team.

Tom quickly looked at you who just shrugged. He got up answering the call.

"Where are you, bro?" The muffled sound came from the other end of the line.

"What is happening?" Tom asked while watching his friend, clearly out of control of his cell phone, focusing the camera on everything but himself.

"Bro, the party at Taylor's house, did you forget? Everyone's here. She said she invited you and she seems disappointed that you're not here yet. Where are you?” Tom rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm at Y/N's house." He replied.

"Dude, again? You better be seizing the opportunity and using it to your advantage." Shaking his head, Tom walked to the open balcony door and closed it behind him, making it impossible for you to hear the rest of the conversation.

Even though you know him better now, you also know Tom's reputation around campus. You know that he has been involved with many girls and that he has already broken the hearts of most of them who always expected more from him than he was willing to give.

You also know that most of the kids on the team only think with their other head and not the one above their necks. You know people talk about your friendship with Tom. Everyone thinks you're fucking in secret.

But Tom never took any initiative in this regard. Nor did he show any interest in you in that way, despite the intimacy you very quickly created with each other. There have been a few nights where you shared a bed and even cuddled on the couch while watching a movie. Not to mention the dates you had together but were never named that way.

So everything was always platonic. Two people who understand each other and feel comfortable with each other to share the most intimate moments.

Even though this all happened in just 6 months.

Getting up, you started putting away your study materials, waiting for Tom to say he was going to that party. Surely you lost all desire to study and your only objective from that moment on was to lie in your bed until daylight.

Maybe you could even ask for something to eat and drown your sorrows.

Not 5 minutes had passed and you heard the sliding door to the balcony opening again.

"Hey, did you give up studying?" Tom said looking at the now clean table. His belongings were also already inside the backpack he brought and no longer scattered on the floor.

"Yeah, I thought about going to sleep, actually." Tom looked at you in surprise.

"I thought we were going to order something to eat... then we could watch a movie, that new horror movie you wanted to see just came out."

"It's called Totally Killer..."

"So... what are we waiting for? Would you really rather sleep than hide in my arms when a scene scares the hell out of you?" He said smiling and opening his arms.

"You know I never do that, and if I remember correctly you're the one who has to hide when a movie gets too scary."

"You know that's our secret, don't you?" He said sitting down on the couch.

"I thought you were going to... what's her name? Tina's party?" You said mockingly.

"Taylor, actually. And no, I'm not going there" He said and you sat down next to him.

"Can I know why?"

"You know Y/N... It's Taylor. Taylor Brown."

"Ah, the girl who won't let go of you? I thought she had given up, I haven't heard you talk about her in a while."

Taylor was one of the girls who had created too many expectations after a night with Tom. The problem is that it wasn't just one night. She was one of the only girls Tom almost had a relationship with, they hooked up several times and even hung out together all the time. But just 2 months after meeting you it seems they broke up, with the story that he wasn't ready for a relationship. And since then, Taylor has been looking for any opportunity to be close to Tom.

"She invited me and insisted that I go to the party today. I just spoke to her on the phone..." He sighed, running a hand through his curls. "I don't know what to do anymore Y/N... I made it clear to her that I don't want anything serious but she keeps pushing me."

"Do you want my honest opinion or do you want me to agree with whatever you say?"

"Be honest"

"First of all," You settled down on the couch, facing him, "you shouldn't have hooked up with her at Brian's party two weeks ago. You just fueled the fire even more."

"I was drunk, we kissed. And nothing more than that happened, you know that."

"Yes, I was there helping you when you got sick."

He laid his head back on the couch and closed his eyes.

"I just wanted to take a break from this. I didn't mean to. I don't want to give her hope. I have so many things to think about and a complicated relationship isn't one of them."

Tom is a person completely responsible for his actions. He was raised like this since he was a child. Despite loving football, he knows the importance of his studies and always seeks to improve himself more and more. He still doesn't know what career he wants to follow, as his talent for football was only discovered in his first year of college, but you're sure that whatever side he chooses will be a success. He knows he gets distracted easily and doesn't want to put anything in front of his main goal right now: graduating.

"If relationships weren't something so complicated, who knows..."

"I don't think relationships are complicated... people are." You sighed, moving closer to him and placing your head on his shoulder. "Relationships should be calm and welcoming. Of course, there is no relationship without problems and that's okay. But we are the problem... we are the ones who complicate things.” Tom gently took your hand that was in your lap and intertwined your fingers.

"Sometimes we overthink things. Relationships should be light. Not a weight we have to carry on our shoulders."

"I'm sorry" he said in a whisper as he stroked the back of your hand with his thumb.

Tom knows your story. He knows about the relationship you had that lasted 4 years and you swore it was that once in a lifetime thing. He even met the boy who broke your heart into thousands of pieces and left you to glue them back together alone. He didn't know you at the time, he only found out that your ex-boyfriend was his rival from another university a few months after you met and after he commented on the asshole who almost broke his leg during a match.

You and Sean met two months after classes started at a friendly match between the two universities. He accidentally slipped in front of you while running towards the field and you laughed at him. He flirted with you and promised he would take you out for coffee if he won the game.

His team lost but he kept his word.

It's hard to say when the flame between you went out. And this is something you don't try to think about often. Something inside you changed when Sean decided to leave your life. Maybe the broken pieces of your heart were still lying around, waiting to be fixed.

"It's okay... You don't have to feel about it."

"If I could, I would finish him off."

"Oh, how manly. My savior."

You laughed but soon the laughter was replaced by the silence of the apartment. The two of you continued to sit next to each other maintaining physical contact, Tom held your hand firmly and showed no signs of letting go anytime soon.

That was a constant between you. Even the silence was pleasant. Just each other's breath and presence was enough.

"My sister will be getting married in 2 months." You said.

"Woah, already? That's good isn't it?"

"It seems so." You sighed. "I don't wanna go."

"Why?"

"The last time I was home they wouldn't stop asking me about Sean... even after 5 months since we broke up."

Your family loved Sean. Just like you, at one point they were just waiting for you to announce your engagement.

"Do you need support?" He asked.

"I can't ask that of you"

"If you need me to go as your date it won't be a problem, you don't have to deal with this alone."

"Maybe I'll find a boyfriend in two months. Maybe they'll stop asking me about my ex if I show them I've moved on." You joked.

Silence returned and the two of you remained in the same position. As you closed your eyes, enjoying the calm of the moment, Tom's head was spinning with different thoughts.

That's when he found the solution.

“Y/N, would you like to be my girlfriend?”

"What?" You said scared, raising your head and looking at Tom's profile. "Are you crazy?" You said laughing.

"I meant... my fake girlfriend." He stared at you.

"Tom, you've got to be kidding."

"I'm serious. Think with me, okay?" He said looking at you seriously, which made the smile fall from your face. "You need to introduce someone to your family to forget about your damn ex. And I need to take a break from Taylor and show her that I'm not available."

"Tom... I don't... I don't think that's a good idea." You said, looking at everything around you except his eyes.

"Look, I'm not going to force you into anything... it was just a thought I had given of our situations." He said, settling back down on the couch.

You felt the air in the room change and Tom seemed shy and embarrassed by what he had just proposed.

"Tommy, this could end badly. I don't want things to get complicated between us."

"You know you don't need to, nothing has ever been like that with us. But it's okay, forget what I said. It was stupid, I don't know what I was thinking." He said, running his hand over his face.

Tom had already let go of your hand a while ago and suddenly you felt the extreme need to hold his again. But something changed and it was strange. He had just proposed a romantic relationship between the two of you. What would that involve? Kisses, hugs, dates... sex?

"Still hungry? Shall we order something?" You said trying to get back into the mood.

Tom got up quickly.

"Actually, I think I'll go. You said you wanted to sleep, so..."

Surprised by his decision, you stood up as you watched him put his backpack on his back.

"Ah, okay. So, can we watch the movie another day maybe?" You said awkwardly.

"Yeah, another day" He replied in the same tone.

Normally, he would hug you when saying goodbye but this time he just shook his head and walked towards the front door. He also left without looking back.

What just happened?

After Tom left you didn't do much. The hunger you felt completely disappeared too. You took a shower with the intention of relaxing your tense shoulders and then lay down on your bed.

Despite your attempts, nothing could put you into a deep sleep. Millions of thoughts were running through your head at the wrong time. How did Tom think of something like that? Does he feel comfortable with you on that level? Wouldn't that be weird? What could happen to your friendship? What is the limit of a fake relationship?

At some point during the night you decided to use your cell phone and browse social media.

Big mistake.

Angela, a colleague from a previous curricular subject had posted a series of photos and videos a few hours ago. The first photo was nothing more than a selfie in the bathroom mirror with another unknown girl. The following photos already included the place and people present at the party. In any other situation, you wouldn't care much about a specific photo, but due to the events of hours ago you felt heat rush to your face when you saw a photo of Tom with his arms around Taylor.

In fact, one of his arms was resting on her shoulders, while the other was on the shoulders of his best friend Harrison. Seemed friendly, just posing for the photo. But knowing their history, it's suspicious. So he went to the party after being rejected? Does what you did count as one?

At that moment you felt something changing inside you. Would it be a bad idea? Despite the short time, Tom has become a constant in your life and you know that he knows you like no one else. Still with your head racing, you left your cell phone aside and reflected a little more before sleep completely invaded you.

...

Due to the time you spent rolling around in bed before going to sleep, the extra 5 minutes before getting up became almost 30. You barely missed the first class of the day, and despite the teacher's ugly face when he saw you enter 15 minutes after hours, it was very useful. Lily, a friend, was already saving your spot.

"What took you so long?" She whispered.

"I'll tell you later." You replied smiling slightly.

The truth is that only one thing was on your mind this morning: finding Tom.

The class distracted you for long enough and when the teacher dismissed the class, you were one of the first to leave the room. Lily didn't even have time to ask you anything else.

You made your way through the halls to the courtyard, heading to the football field at the back of the campus knowing you would find your target there.

He was sitting in one of the lower stands. The sun made the sweat dripping off him shine, he had probably already ran around the field a little. The slightly tight uniform left little to the imagination. Some boys from the team were on the field chasing the ball, while others surrounded Tom.

You walked up to him, holding tight to the strap of your bag, suddenly not feeling as confident as before. When you were a few meters away, Tyler, one of the boys spotted you and tapped Tom on the shoulder getting his attention before pointing to where you were.

Tom looked confused but he got up and ran to you.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Uh, I... I came to see you." You replied embarrassed. What was happening?

"Really?" He said with a playful tone. "I didn't know I was so dear to you" He joked.

"Yesterday you left very quickly and I..."

"I know, I'm sorry about that Y/N. Can we just forget it happened? Forget anything I said?" He cut you off and ran his hand through his hair looking embarrassed.

"Tommy..."

"Look, I need to keep training, the coach might complain and I don't want to get you in trouble." He interrupted you again. "Ah, I think I'm going to have lunch with the boys today, is that ok? We can arrange another day." He was already turning around before he even finished the sentence and fear spread throughout your body.

Was he suddenly avoiding you? Has he felt so embarrassed that the only option he has now is to push you away?

On impulse, you grabbed his hand before he moved further away from you. He turned around and you looked at him.

"I'll do it." You stated.

A/N: And so it begings! I'm really excited and I hope you like it. Don't forget to tell me what you think, feedback is important!

Tagging: @feelinglikeineedlotsofnaps @un06 @lnmp89 @hoodharlow @let-me-luve-you @erule @smoofine @smile2345 @itsdoni @helen-on-earth @hollands-underoos

[coriphallus]

A little rant on patch 6 and the implications for bg3's future

Okay, bear with me for a sec its gonna go somewhere eventually. My first bg3 run (thats spammed here on this blog) i played ascended astarion/dark urge romance where i picked the reject bhaal and become the absolute ending.

as it was my first playthrough on release i was vibrating off mt seat and i didnt really have elaborate HCs or anything, i was just doing a quick evil run until the bugs get sorted out. i didn't think much beyond "yes this dude would want the shiny stones for himself"

first time i saw astarion enthralled, i was confused. he asked me to do it, he was quite insistent on it since the beginning of the game. i was confused for a couple of hours, digesting the entire game i just played. Then it hit me; the game was calling me out. it was telling me ive been stupid for not having seen this coming and at that point i felt awe.

it was right, everything pointed to this, it was right in front of my eyes all i needed was to connect the dots that the game laid out quite visibly and i was just too caught up to see.

'well my durge would never do that' didnt matter because thats exactly what the companions thought. Gale thought the powers of an insatiable weave wouldnt corrupt him, that he'd stay true to himself, shadowheart thought shar had blessed and her she'd guide her, that she could be her true self under her influence, astarion thought he'd be free, that he'd cherish the bond he'd made with the player but at the end of the day power reveals; and when that power is acquired through the corpses of thousands its quite evident that Absolute power corrupts absolutely. IT WAS IN THE FKIN NAME.

it was a shining bait i was so focused on getting my hands on that i didn't look back to see the mountain of corpses i had to step on to get there. the game was telling me 'HEY LOOK AT EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE TO GET HERE, LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE OTHERS WHO THOUGHT THEY COULD ACHIEVE THIS, DO YOU THINK YOU'D HOLD HANDS AND SING KUMBAYA WITH YOUR FRIENDS AFTER ALL THIS?'

just as there was never an option where frodo could stab saurons flaming eyeball and sit on his throne with the ring on his finger and sam at his side, there was never an ending i could get my 'happy ending' the way id like it to. i wanted frodo to remain in middle earth and have some peace in the end, i didnt understand how he was 'too changed' to remain and sam wasnt when i first read the books. i was angry even, that i didnt get what i wanted. it wasnt like tolkien haphazardly put together an ending out of his ass bcs he didnt know what to do with the characters, its not that he didn't think while writing that the fans would hate it, he wrote a story that achieved its catharsis by reaching its narrative conclusion. it couldnt have done that any other way. it was deliberate. i may not have understood or agreed at the time but it was the story he wanted to tell, and it wouldnt be one of the greatest stories ever told if the writer wanted to please a 10 y/o like myself.

it was never out of character for my durge at all, i was just blissfully avoiding the NARRATIVE.

months later we get this absolute narrative abomination:

and all i can say is im worried.

im worried bcs this is a clear disrespect to the story they've written, im worried bcs if they can do off with huge plot elements and beats such as this just like that it shows a lack of commitment to their own plot and if a huge Point of the game can be treated like a minor mistake than what else can? was is just a lack of oversight that laezel gets killed under vlaakith? can it be waved off if enough vlaakith loving gith players come together and shout loud enough that they want to ride alongside their queen with their gith gf?

what part of the game is tangible to hold on to, and after two years worth of patches that are made to appease the fans at the expense of the story, will it still be the game i fell in love with?

i dont blame the fans for wanting, i blame the devs for delivering. that they could sacrifice the integrity of a pretty straightforward story bodes ill tidings for the future of this game.

yes i wanted this feature, but i was glad i wasn't given it. i may have been confused and slightly miffed that i didn't get to reign supreme with my evil bf, but i immensely respected the game that could call me out on it. i wish they could show the same respect to their own writing.

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/763890079115689984/i-know-reading-comprehension-is-at-an-all-time-low?source=share

anon here again.

bold of you to assume I didn't tag it as infanticide. because I did. my fic was tagged as infanticide. which only adds to my annoyance.

maybe I worded that clumsily, but my point was that I was very annoyed that, in a fic focusing on my main character being put through the torture of forced pregnancy and birth, very overtly pointing out that people care more about the potential baby than the person being tortured by being forced to have it... a commenter did exactly that. prioritize the baby, when the fic wasn't about it at all. I could not care less about the semantics of whether it is considered a character or not. it gets born and it dies, and quibbling about whether it is a character or not also misses the point. It is only a character insofar that it makes my mc suffer by virtue of both just existing AND being a rape baby, and the catharsis that comes from killing it when it has ruined your mind, your body, and your life. Something you obviously can't do in real life, but with the benefit of it being fiction, it was the most happy outcome for my mc.

I literally just wanted to complain about people missing the point of my fic so hard they loop around to the opposite of my point, and in doing so proving my point.

--

[howtofightwrite]

Does Ser Arys Oakheart’s performance in The Queenmaker in AFFC (killing a handful of men and jumping clear of his palfrey before being swiftly dispatched by Areo Hotah) suggest a decent amount of martial competence on Arys’ part, in your view?

I’m going to make George R.R. Martin fans angry again and say, no. However, this is because I don’t feel any of Martin’s characters (throughout his work) really demonstrate any degree of martial competence. A lot of Martin’s characters aren’t supposed to possess any martial competence, but even the ones who are meant to don’t have it. Their “martial competence” is roughly the equivalent of action figures being angrily smashed together. For me, his fight scenes/battle scenes are the weakest part of his writing and I tune them out. Martin heavily focuses on “ironic” surprises and subversions of expectations like in the scene with Arys Oakheart, where everything is going well and then the character is just randomly and unceremoniously offed.

Boom. Goodbye.

“Like they would be in real life!”

I’m going to imagine someone yelling that because I’m sure someone, somewhere wants to.

Look, unlike Starke, I read A Feast for Crows and I genuinely have no memory of this character. They have been memory holed. They are gone. (Which is wild because I remember random minor character deaths from a lot of other major and minor fantasy properties that I read as a tween ages ago.)

The thing about reality is that real people are also capable of the following: Strategic and tactical awareness, long term strategic planning, working in unison with their fellow soldiers, and, yes, that includes knights in the Middle Ages. Knights in the Middle Ages might’ve (sometimes) been wealthy bastards, but they had to be functionally aware of violence and its impacts or they weren’t knights for very long.

Martin does not understand how armies and professional combatants function, their purpose, or their place in maintaining order in a feudal society. The irony is that politics are not his forte. His combat sequences read like they were written by someone who spent a great deal of time reading original historical accounts and not enough time thinking from the perspective of the people committing those gruesome atrocities. Make no mistake, medieval warfare was far, far more gruesome than anything you’ll find in Game of Thrones and the most terrifying part is the reasoning behind those atrocities was actually sound. Once you’re past the shock value, GOT is fairly comforting because the majority of the time no one makes sense. There’s a moral lesson hidden in the undercurrent ready to bludgeon the audience when they least expect it and all the violence works from that perspective, and all of it is written very specifically with the audience’s reaction in mind. Martin doesn’t seem to care how it works both on the technical front or in the utilization of violence to deliver narrative catharsis, he cares how the audience will react.

His violence doesn’t feel good, which is his intention, he doesn’t want it to feel good, but it also doesn’t feel bad. The violence just sort of exists.

One of the pieces of tragedy that is fundamentally important is a sense of foreboding. In fiction, death flags aren’t necessarily bad. In a tragedy, they’re necessary. Character death doesn’t need to be surprising to be meaningful. In fact, death is often more meaningful when the audience knows it’s coming. Whether it’s because they want the character to die or because they don’t want them to die. Their death creates narrative catharsis. The catharsis releases the tension, it feels good. Satisfaction through tears. When the audience and the narrative knows death is coming, it creates tension. If you invest early, the tension builds, and builds, and builds until it pops. The trouble is that, one way or another, the author has to invest in the character for that to happen. The surprise can be how the character dies, the manner of their death, and even who kills them, but not the fact they die. Shock value is sudden. The reason to use shock sparingly is that it lacks a lasting payout and eventually the audience acclimates. Too much shock obfuscates the narrative importance of a character’s death and shortens the long term impact of their loss. The impact of the death ends up as sudden as the death itself. Here, then gone, then forgotten.

In a well-structured tragedy, it doesn’t matter whether the audience cares about the character who dies or not. It helps, but the focus of the impact is on how it affects the other characters, how that loss is felt, and the way it’s internalized. An observation that’s always stuck with me is when I was in college studying Shakespeare, and my professor told us that Shakespeare structured his tragedies and his comedies the same way. They’re the same until the fourth act, and it’s the characters’ decisions leading into the final crisis which ultimately decides whether the story will end happily or tragically. All Shakespeare’s characters are important cogs in his play (including the bear.) When one of them goes, the narrative and the characters feel it. If a character is never important to the story, then the impact of their loss can’t be felt.

Martin’s characters don’t fight smart. They don’t fight cleverly. They don’t really fight stupid either. They fight with the combined equivalent of a single brain cell failing to function harmoniously. Probably the standout sequence for me that demonstrates this point is the Battle of the Crab from House of the Dragon. They had two dragons, a beach, an isolated cave system where their enemies were hiding to get away from the fire. They had corpses, and they had tar. And what didn’t they do?

Set shit on fire.

Smoke. Cave. Smoke. Cave. Smoke. Cave. Smoke.

The easiest and most low energy plan in the world that should be obvious to anyone who has ever cooked in an enclosed space. While this is a great way to signal that your characters suck at warfare, the characters involved were supposed to be the ones good at it! People being burned alive as they got smoked out of a cave is more gruesome than what actually happened and would have demonstrated the power of the dragons a lot better. Instead of, you know, the mighty House Targaryen being outwitted by… a cave.

If the dangers of dragons could be mitigated by a cave, people would just live in caves and not castles like they do on Pern.

Thank you for listening to my fanwank.

(No, the presence of saltwater would not have, in fact, saved the pirates. However, the Targaryens could have tarred the driftwood, set it ablaze, and let the tide carry it inside in addition to setting fire at every entrance like real military tacticians. Which shouldn’t be a reach given that half the army was made up of sailors.)

(They could’ve also used the crabbed up bodies for this with the added bonus of it being extremely horrifying, smelly, and gross.)

(We’re not talking about the Crab Army.)

(I mean it!)

-Michi

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[erisenyo]

I think you've answered an ask about reading 'Embers' by Vathara a couple months back, but I can't find it.

Sooo, have you checked that fic out? I kinda like the take on spirits and culture.

And in the same vein: care to share some ATLA longfic recs? Outside of your own masterpieces and the works if muffinlance (who is SUCH a classic and shouldn't have to be named)

Hello anon! I also now cannot find that ask...

I have not yet checked out Embers--unfortunately I've been swamped with work the back half of this year at the IRL job :/ I love fics that dig into culture and the spirit-world though, when I have the headspace to appreciate the world-building!

(I'd also be curious your thoughts -- I've heard the fic's rather Aang-critical? I am an Aang lover so I may be hurting for my guy...)

As for ATLA longfic recs, in no particular order...

The All's Fair series by @lovelyelbowleech is a MUST, amazing characterization, so many different interpersonal and plot threads that come together in such a satisfying manner

Two Drama Queen's on a Shirshu by mindbending is a delight, very much crack treated seriously and blending comedy with punching you right in the feels

While Mighty Oak Do Fall by @a-witch-in-endor delivers so much world building and cultural exploration goodness, on top of delightful character arcs and a wonderful take on Zuko (Where the Stars Do Not Take Sides is also an excellent more Azula-focused fic)

Fighting Evil by Moonlight by @sword-and-stars is an EXCELLENT modern superhero AU, I am absolutely obsessed with it

Unchained Melody and Another Brother by avocadolove are excellent, they really run with their canon AU premises and bring them to such fun places

hey, batter, batter, what? and the Boo Chronicles by @ofherlionheart are super fun modern AUs, really great characterization and great writing

Boomerangs and Rainbows by mindbending may seem heavy based on the tags, but its also so so clever and funny and so much fun. I think about the ending and giggle regularly

Mark Time by foil definitely *is* heavy, I stayed up for too late reading it and it absolutely broke my heart and the moments of catharsis were wonderfully done

At the Top of the World by Lady_of_the_Flowers is an excellent modern AU that is a really great exploration of colonial dynamics and the Zukka relationship within that (also, Epistles I always shout out as the Burning Bright inspiration--BB started basically as a fic of a fic of Epistles, and its a must read imo)

And I'll Do Anything You Say (If You Say It With Your Hands) by @goldrushzukka is EXCELLENT, its everything my "lovers to oh know this might be feelings" heart could want, with amazing Gaang friendships throughout

Feels Like We Only Go Backwards by @oldpotatoe is a wild ride, the emotional high are incredible and the narrative tension is amazing and you will scream and it will be wonderful

Will We Last the Night by VSFic and CSHFic is a super fun canon AU that spends such good time building the Zukka relationship and really delivers

And because you said "ATLA fics" and not Zukka fics, I'm also going to recommend the Substitute series by Dracze (modern AU) and People in the Mirror by Nele (canon-verse). Both are Jeeko, both build out Jee's character in amazing ways, and both do such fun things with narrative irony and outsider POV when it comes to Zuko. (The things Nele can do with a single sentence truly blow my mind, I cannot recommend it enough, especially if you love worldbuilding and cultural exploration and fun with bending. PitM is one of THE foundational, influential works in the ATLA fandom for me)

[toomanyf4ndoms7]

An essay about Barbara Gordon: Part One.

@mrsbertinelli

@spoilerqlert

(Hoping this is good.)

We're bringing in a favourite, folks, Say hello to Barbara Gordon.

In today's essay, we’re (hopefully) going to discuss coping, catharsis, responding to meta-textual misogyny and damn good art.

PART ONE UNDER THE CUT.

My essay begins with Oracle: Year One: Born of Hope. Following after The Killing Joke, focusing on Barbara’s mental state as she goes from depression to beginning to build herself up.

And Barbara, predictably, is angry. Most of all at herself, because she “should have known better.” Should have looked through the door hole, should’ve knocked the gun out of his hands, should have done… anything.

But none of it is her fault, how was she supposed to know that someone, especially someone like The Joker, would show up in broad daylight to abduct her father? How was she, having retired being Batgirl, supposed to have predicted anything from That Life would come to her?

The blame for everything is on Joker, and she knows that, but she still feels raw. She feels like an idiot, a disappointment.

”Good. I hope I’ve hurt him. It’s nothing compared to the pain I’ve felt, or will feel.”

Barbara’s lashing out is completely understandable, imagine having a normal day, and then everything changes and it wasn’t even to hurt you. it was to hurt your dad, and then one of his friends. Never about you, no, no, you were just a convenient way to hurt the real target.

After a few pages, Barbara starts trying to use her skills to do something, feeling “tired of being a victim.”

But, despite her efforts, the person she’s investigating finds her and…

Well, pushes her wheelchair over and makes Barbara nearly get hit by traffic.

Anyway, after getting helped back up and learning some self defence tips, Barbara has a dream.

“You have lost nothing that matters” says the oracle of Delphi. And when Barbara pulls off her mask, the oracle does the same. And it’s her own face underneath.

And that’s where it clicks. Joker took away her ability to walk, but she was already a genius with computers beforehand.

So, Barbara commits her first act as Oracle, and the story ends hopefully. The entire story is a metatextual rescue of Barbara Gordon, because the original writers had no plan for her post TKJ. The writers of this one, John Ostrander and Kim Yale, looked at Barbara’s situation and went “Hey, let’s actually explore this.”

"I am no longer a distaff impersonation of someone else. I'm me-- more me than I ever have been. My life is my own. I embrace it, and the light with a deep, continuing joy."

In part two, we will discuss catharsis.

Stay tuned.