#fox plays persona

[ur-favoriterecord]

I love the Royal Trio because you have:

The sweetest person you've ever met

Tsundere Sherlock Holmes

and Just Some Guy

And they're all going through an identity crisis of varying literalness

[ziracona]

me when Ryuji

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Haru just roasted poor Yusuke in the politest way possible over his puns ahdjfnfn

[butchrocket]

it still annoys me whenever people say persona 4 is the game with the cast that feels the most like friends because that literally only applies for the first four members and after that they get a lot nastier and colder imo. persona 4s friend group is just as circumstancial and work related as 5s but for some reason 5 gets singled out even though i can personally buy haru being friends with ryuji way more easily than naoto being friends with yosuke

p3 endgame is still the most friend group feeling persona cast to me and thats entirely because they spent the whole game learning to be friends and working through their problems with each other

[malachitezmeyka]

For once the fact that I, aged 11 through 15, spent most of my free time locking myself in the bathroom to mouth along to songs while practising expressions in the mirror was actually useful

[kumakuma-circus]

shoutout to yu for forming a social link with a random ass fox.

[larranciaa]

[sipthegossip-if]

SIP THE GOSSIP! is rated 18+ for explicit language, skippable sexual content, substance abuse, extra marital affairs and more. Best to be avoided if romance, drama and angst are not your cup of tea.

✭ DEMO (TBA) ✭ FORUM (TBA)

You had everything in the palm your hand since birth. Success kissed your feet, the billboards sang of your symphony and the public chanted your name.

Until they didn't.

After years of a blockbuster after a blockbuster— ignoring the fact they were all your uncle's productions— you found yourself tangled up in serious allegations that left your reputation in shambles.

You lost thousands of followers across all your social media accounts and all your endorsement deals.

But you persisted. After things were resolved, you tried getting back on your feet. Starred in movies that had no connection to your dearest uncle.

But here's the thing : they all flopped. Badly, at that.

And you found yourself once again, at the rock bottom. After some time of having disappeared from the public eye you have decided to make a comeback and do what you were always good at— use your connections to gain a spot in the upcoming, very much hyped romantic series TO THE MOON AND BACK.

You will do anything to get your stardom back even if it means getting your pretty hands a little dirty.

✭ Play as male, female or non binary. Straight or queer. Customise your brand and appearance.

✭ Choose the article that destroyed the reputation you spent years building.

✭ Engage in a scandalous & fiery romance off and on set!

✭ Use whatever means you can to avoid being teared to shreds on the internet.

✭ It's been long since you have acted. You haven't forgotten how to bring those tear ducts to use, have you?

✭ Give interviews. Because isn't that what the blizz and bling all about baby?

✭ Engage with your fans. If they still haven't forgotten about you, that is.

✭ Escape or annoy the unrelenting paparazzi.

✭ Customise your public persona. Do things that transpire behind cameras differ from on camera?

✭ Choose the plot of T2MAB.

✭ THE BODYGUARD : Kai D'melio. [he/him or she/her]

Single and in early 30s. Stoic and all business. It's hard to get a read of them. They are a constant in your life.

Tropes : Bodyguard romance, slow burn, yearning, "crush" route.

✭ THE VETERAN ACTOR : Shiron "Shay" Hill. [he/him or she/her]

Married and in mid 40s, they continue to be a social media sensation to till this day. A friend of you and your uncle. They are the one who introduced you to the director and producer of To The Moon And Back and helped you score the lead role.

Tropes : Extra marital affair, steamy.

✭ THE DIRECTOR/PRODUCER : Victor/ia "Vic" Alvarez. [he/him or she/her]

Single, former actor and in mid 40s. An incredibly close friend of Shiron. They have been attached at the hip since the two first began working together in the industry. All their works have proved to be the public's favourites and you hope that is also the case with T2MAB.

Tropes : Work romance, steamy, commitment issues.

✭ THE M/F LEAD : Alexis "Alex" Sinclair. [he/him or she/her]

Co-actor and in late 20s. Charming and titled 'Industry's Budding Star' by People's Magazine. They seem to have a tendency to flirt with whatever that breathes. It would serve you best to not get involved with them, judging from their messy dating history.

Tropes : steamy, commitment issues, idiots in love.

✭ THE SECOND M/F LEAD : River Fox. [he/him or she/her]

Co-actor, singer and in late 20s. After having caught their now ex partner cheating on them, they seem to have a hard time trusting people. The fact that they dislike you for the means you used to get the role and the consequences it led to, doesn't help either.

Tropes : Slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, melting the ice king/queen, forced proximity, kind guy/gal who's mean to only you.

✭ THE CAMERA(WO)MAN : Arlo Kent. [he/him or she/her]

Single loyal to you and in their early 20s. They get all starry eyed and overly enthusiastic at the sight of you. More often than not, you have caught them not so discreetly keeping an eye you. You can only hope they are merely star struck and nothing more.

Tropes : Stalker/yandere fluffy romance.

[sheep-from-rad]

Imagines: Batfam x Social Media Handler! Reader pt. II

Note: This is a random idea. I also had coffee and I’m now allowed to have coffee because it makes me throw up sometimes. Well, i’ll get on that later but right now let me publish is mini idea Original: Batfam x Social Media handler! reader Masterlist

After coming back from a good two months of annual Wayne paid vacation, you were immediately greeted by a salary raise, a few more tasks added on your weekly routine, an access to the liquor cabinets and a private therapy. 

One of the new tasks added to your weekly routine is playing fan made games. No, not those games made by big companies but those fanmade itch io dating games. It was Stephanie’s idea, she said that it’s a good idea to keep track of fan’s headcanons and see if a thing is too close to their real identity. The rest of the family shrugged at the idea but now you have a throwaway account for all those games in case you need to sign in and a smaller bank account for paid DLCs. 

Unfortunately, from one to two games a week, you now have to review double the amount because Nightwing accidentally quoted a word for word line from one of the dating games during his patrol. Their idols playing their fan made game= happy fans. Happy fans= more games made. More games made=more stuff for you to review. You now record the gameplay as well and you send it to them during their downtimes to share whatever cringe you come across with. 

Reading fanfics also got added to your weekly routine. The Batfam usually just ignore fanfics most of the time until that one Damian Wayne x reader fanfic got viral in the media. The plot is good really, it’s a fake dating turned real dating  AU where Damian blends in the society with fellow vigilante reader by masquerading as lovers at day. It was good but it almost blew his cover as Robin when hardcore readers started following Damian during school time and then following his other persona during patrols. Damian had to exchange patrol schedules with Tim for a week because of the thing. The fanfic reading is a rare task though because Jason already reads most of it during his breaks. 

The pay raise wasn’t just because of the new tasks added to your job, it was also a compensation for every horror you have witnessed and will be witnessing while handling DMs. Handling creepy/flirty DMs is normal given that you’re the first person that will always read them but you forgot the fact that handling DMs means also opening the private and public accounts at 4 a.m. in the morning and suddenly being greeted by nudes. Kate made a good suggestion for Alfred to give you an access to the liquor cabinet because sometimes coffee is really not strong enough. 

Speaking of handling public account DMs, handling Bruce’s public account is like reading the gossip page of the newspaper every morning. His DMs can be sorted to three things: Business related messages (which you redirects to Lucius Fox), party and social gathering invitations, and of course, nudes and ex-flings claiming that Bruce is their kid’s father (and occasional threats that they will ruin Bruce’s reputation if they don’t pay child support or take them back as a romantic partner). Most of the Friday reports are just you making appointments for paternity testings. Of course, how can you forget? You can’t handle Bruce’s DMs around the Batkids. The last time it happened, Jason took control of the account, and posted embarrassing pictures on the business page.

[ur-favoriterecord]

I've only had Nanako Dojima for approxamitely two days but if anything happens to her I'm killing everyone in this town and then myself

[avelera]

Thinking about how one of Mel's flaws as a character, as I see it, is that she's fixated on being the power behind the throne, rather than the power itself, despite already having all the ability she needs to be an effective and incisive ruler.

We first see this characteristic of Mel's when she's a child, picturing the sort of hand-picked regent she would select to be her family's puppet.

But Ambessa points out even back then that there's no reason Mel couldn't rule directly. This I imagine is part of the whole fox vs. wolf theme that is a source of tension between them.

In Mel's defense, there's plenty of good reasons to be the power behind the throne. It gives you a lot more deniability and an easy escape-hatch if something goes wrong. You can always throw the puppet to the wolves and start fresh. But it demonstrates a lack of commitment to always be hedging like that and it also lose you a certain amount of direct control. After all, the puppet can always grow teeth.

I think about this in relation to Jayce's Man of Progress image and how he needed to be the face of Hextech (and eventually a Councilor). Because why did he need to be the face of Hextech? Why couldn't Mel do it?

Mel was one of their first believers. She enabled their creation on the night of its inception. Why couldn't she be a partner in Hextech from the beginning, handling the public-facing side from the start? Or taken over from Jayce once it went from prototype to proven quantity?

I'd argue that if she had, a lot of the tragedies that befall Mel later would have been averted.

First of all, it's not as if there's an air-gap between the State and Hextech. There'd be no appearance of impropriety if Mel championed Hextech from the point where the Hexgates open. The Hexgates and Piltover had become synonymous by that point, there's no reason she couldn't continue to advocate and get funding for Hextech even as a Councilor. She had a skill for it, and the knowledge, and connections.

She could have allowed Jayce to remain in the lab, working on new innovations, occasionally coming out to offer the more scientific explanations as needed. But she didn't, why? (Doylist, obviously because we wouldn't have a story, etc. etc.)

I would argue it's part of the flaw or challenge she's facing in the story: she always wants to be the power behind the throne. So she helps elevate Jayce and supports his public persona. This persists until she sees an opportunity for an even bigger play by making Jayce a Councilor. Again, she sees a bright, charismatic, well-intentioned and easily-moldable person that she can work through to enact her own goals in Piltover and, because she is actually a good person, theirs too. She's not entirely self-serving and that's where she's different from Ambessa.

But this is where the problem of setting up a puppet sets in. Because Jayce has agency and he grows teeth and he pushes back on things Mel wouldn't want and does things she wouldn't advise with her superior political experience. Had she been the one in power instead of the power behind the throne, she could have avoided this, she could have molded the situation more specifically to her preferences, based on her superior knowledge. Jayce didn't want to be out in front of the crowd. He wanted to stay in the lab. Mel being the public face would have worked just fine for about 90% of the public appearances a representative of Hextech would need to make to the world. (I say this as someone who works as a public face in tech and has been a startup founder myself, such a role for Mel totally exists and often goes to someone who is a bigger name when the founders themselves are not charismatic or would simply prefer not to do all the wheeling and dealing.)

And this flaw loses her the relationship she could have had with Jayce, I'd argue. If she'd more directly worked alongside Jayce and Viktor, and taken over being the public face, she wouldn't have needed to manipulate Jayce or raise him to the Council, which were the dealbreakers that made him break up with her later.

Of course, they may not have had any reason to date in such a world but then, maybe they would have anyway as partners, now with a stronger foundation beneath them of working together, with both Jayce and Viktor relieved that the public, political side is being handled by a pro with a ton of resources (not that there wouldn't have been tension at all but certainly, this is a world in which I could see some flavor of MelJayVik happening harmoniously).

There's a Silicon Valley AU buried in all of this, free to a good home, but a world where Mel came on as a full partner early on would certainly be fascinating.

[captain-sunshine-11]

AFTG Actor AU

finally getting to this

Andrew's Actor isn't one for violence so the amount of bloopers they had gone through when Andrew slams the racquet into Neil's torso was a lot. He was just worried he actually hurt Neil's actor lol

Allison and Andrew's Actors are best friends in real life who auditioned together and roped Aaron's actor into this. Allison and Andrew's Actors find it hilarious that they have to play disliking each other

Due to the vague description of Dan's character, Renee's actor originally auditioned to be Dan. When she finds out more about Renee's character in the later books she isn't too peeved she got a different role

Dan and Neil's Actors get close on set and frequently fuck with Kevin and Matt's Actors just for fun

Nicky's Actor treats Andrew and Aaron's Actors like they are his actual cousins. It gets to a point where Nicky invites them to a real family gathering and they just go along with it

Wymack's Actor has no shortage of cusses and frequently gets tongue tied with longer monologues. It leads to Seth's Actor making fun of him and the other Foxes catch on quickly

Riko's Actor is usually extremely soft spoken and kind, so it freaks other cast members out whenever he has to put on the Riko persona

Andrew and Aaron's Actors have a Scottish Accent but have a really good American accent so the cast forgets they are from Scotland frequently

Kevin's Actor has an Irish accent & Neil's is British

Kevin's Actor despises sports. He only regrets auditioning a little

Kevin and Jeremy's Actors have to do many takes of their interaction in TKM because Neil's Actor is making faces at them behind camera and they can't stop laughing

Seth's Actor kisses Nicky's on accident because he thought Allison's was on the other side of him. He was wrong

Jean's Actor has done the most pranks on set. He replaced Kevin's coffee cup with a cup full of a gross protein shake and Kevin's Actor spit it everywhere. ("It's method acting!" "You will pay for this.")

[butchrocket]

sorry for persona posting ive been playing p5 on my switch before bed again so its in my head

[cjrae]

Carelessness. Or; Lakan's crime in Maomao's eyes is worse than malice.

There is a temptation to take Lakan's character lightly. After his initial, sinister introduction had played out and we are given the story of how Lakan met Maomao's mother, much of Lakan's devotion to his wife and daughter is played for comic relief, allowing him to be the butt of the joke, along with Maomao's exaggerated reactions of disgust and insistence that she has no relation to this man.

It is worth remembering, though, that Lakan is referred to as the fox for good reason - the fox is a trickster figure and Lakan's whole character lies in how he can turn on a dime between being funny in a very pathetic way to those same qualities becoming extremely dangerous when his fun is threatened.

Lakan's heroic qualities do exist, but they are overshadowed by his carelessness and selfishness; it is these qualities that have, so far, doomed the relationship he craves so badly with his daughter.

Spoilers under the cut all the way up to Vol 11's English translation.

Fengxian

We see it in his relationship with Fengxian. While Lakan does not deserve all of the blame for Fengxian's fate, it is his carelessness that puts her in the position of becoming a common prostitute to support Verdigris House after her actions nearly ruined it. Let's pay attention to the sequence of events.

"…Lakan now found himself persona non grata for having been too close to him [Luomen]; he was told to go on a long trip and not come back for awhile. He could have ignored this, but it would have only been a headache later. His father was in the military too, making him not just a parent but a superior officer. At last, he wrote to the brothel saying he would return in half a year's time. This was after he had received a letter saying the contract buy-out had fallen through."

So, first and foremost, we know the following:

1.) Lakan did not strictly have to leave. It was the politic thing to do, but if he had pushed the issue, he could have stayed. If the goal had been to simply have Lakan out of the public eye, while his father may not have been pleased with it, his marriage to Fengxian could have also served a similar purpose as he began to focus on domestic affairs and kept a low profile. But his convenience weighed more heavily than his feelings for Fengxian.

2.) Fengxian tells him that the buy-out has fallen through BEFORE HE LEAVES. Assuming she's just barely pregnant at that point (call it eight weeks, ish) and his letter indicates that he's going to return for her before the baby is born, this is still a terrible sign for her. As he himself puts it later;

"Did he not grasp what happened to such women?

A little thought might have revealed the answer, but his head was full of Go and Shogi and nothing else, and he had been unable to arrive at the truth…It was all his fault for being so impulsive."

But Lakan didn't think and sure enough, three years later, Fengxian isn't waiting for him in her polite little box at the Verdigris House. Because love is not convenient and Lakan values convenience above almost everything else. It's not until he loses Fengxian and their baby (and has the loss driven home to him in a very visceral manner when he finds the fingers in his un-forwarded mail) that it occurs to him that he wants more than endless game playing.

Luomen

We know somebody did check Lakan's mail, though, as the letter with Maomao and Fengxian's fingers is the only piece that's opened. It's easy to guess that it attracted Luomen's attention because it was bloodstained, but Luomen does what Lakan should have - he immediately makes for the pleasure district to find this woman and her child.

It takes him years of patient work on behalf of the Verdigris House to be trusted to adopt Maomao. We know it takes years because Maomao is initially raised by the Three Princesses and the madam, while Luomen is slowly building trust with the courtesans by providing them medical services. At no point does Luomen stride in, demanding to be given custody of his great niece because he's her family. Instead he recognizes that she has a family already in the brothel and works on becoming a part of their lives - because that's what's best for Maomao.

Luomen understands that filial duty goes both ways - a child has responsibilities to the parent, certainly, but those duties imply a reciprocity of care. First, the parent cares for their child, which means that the child's needs must be the priority. What Maomao desperately needs is care, education, safety and stability. All of which, Luomen prioritizes making sure Maomao has to the best of his ability.

Contrast this with Lakan's immediate reaction to finding Maomao in the pleasure district.

"One day, out of the blue, a strange man had appeared and tried to lead her away. The madam had shown up shortly after and beaten him with a broom and the sight of the bruised and bloodied man had inspired fear in her young heart. Anyone would be scared by a man who reached out to them grinning, even as blood poured from his face."

Lakan literally tries to take her off the street, believing he has the right, because he's her father. He doesn't care that he's scaring Maomao, he's described as grinning and reaching for her despite the reactions of everyone around him. Which is why Luomen's reaction to Lakan reception in the pleasure district is very telling - this is a man who is described as far too kind for his own good and having been very close with Lakan.

"Nonetheless, while her old man was compassionate, he did grasp the broader situation, and he never tried to stop the old madam from chasing the other man out of the brothel with her broom. He knew that wrong was wrong."

The manga adds the context that Luomen also "knew the woman with the missing nose." Luomen feels for Lakan, but his duty is to Maomao as her adopted father and to Fengxian as her doctor. His feelings do not outweigh those responsibilities.

Maomao

Lakan adores Maomao from the moment he lays eyes on her. But his love is inherently selfish - the loss of Fengxian and his estrangement from Maomao do not inspire him to do better with his talents consistently.

The ironic part is that Lakan could have made a very compelling argument to be given custody of Maomao. We know that the whole reason he decided to use his strategic brilliance to take back the headship of the La Clan is inspired by Maomao and the life he feels she deserves to have. He also goes back to Verdigris House and although it takes him ten years, he pays off two and a half times the damages he caused - in the world of the red light district, he has paid for his initial crime. So we see that he is capable of putting forth effort when he feels inspired to do so.

If he had applied that same strategy and patience toward working on finding a place in Maomao's life that honored the relationships that supported her when Lakan had abandoned both her and Fengxian, he might have been able to convince those that cared about her that it was in Maomao's best interests to be raised by him as a princess of a named clan.

If we need further evidence that Lakan's carelessness is still a dominant character trait, we can look at a more recent example in the story; the Shi Clan's assassination plot against Jinshi.

Gossip is one of Lakan's hobbies and that, combined with his intuition, means that he's the first person to realize that something is going on. He sees all of these supposedly coincidental acts happening around them and intuits that there is a grander purpose at work. And, to his credit, he doesn't ignore it - he puts his talent of using the people around him to good use. We see him rope Gaoshun into looking into the poisoned seaweed under the guise of a colleague asking for a favor, we see him prod Jinshi into letting Maomao investigate the metalworker. Lihaku is one of his direct subordinates and he's tasked with investigating the explosion at the warehouse and following the trail as they realize that the arson was a diversion.

But at no point is he doing any of this because of anything so prosaic as duty or responsibility. This is a fun game to him that's serving a dual purpose of getting him closer to Maomao. Everything is entirely about what will amuse him or further that one, singular goal. And he's greatly amused - until Maomao puts the pieces together and realizes that this is an assassination attempt.

It never occurs to Lakan that simply maneuvering people around him to get things done and amuse him carries any danger - because he doesn't care that deeply about anyone else aside from a few select individuals. Everything in his mind was entirely about getting him and Maomao into the same place where she couldn't run away from him. Where she would be forced to accept his help.

Which is exactly what happens; Maomao can't get into the temple on her own and she needs Lakan to vouch for her. It is an extremely clumsy, transactional way of trying to build a connection.

So then what happens?

First Maomao is bludgeoned by the guard - a Go stone of a man, unimportant, except for the damage he inflicted on his little girl that Lakan did not anticipate. But worse is when Jinshi carries her out of that temple, bleeding and unconscious, after having saved his life. Everything Lakan has done to try to force his daughter to acknowledge him has instead lead to her being seriously injured.

Maomao points out, later, that if Lakan had simply stepped forward and used his official position as a Grand Commandant to spearhead an investigation, this plot might have been discovered much sooner. Maomao, having a few self-absorbed tendencies of her own, is focused on Suirei's promise of resurrection medicine. But Lakan should be more focused on the fact that, had he actually done something himself, perhaps Maomao wouldn't have been hurt.

Lakan

I said before that Lakan's heroic qualities do exist and it's important to acknowledge them, while also realizing how they are caught up in his self-serving behavior. For all that buying Fengxian out is about Lakan finally getting something he's wanted, there is also virtue in the fact that he does not see the damage the disease has done to Fengxian and think of her as damaged goods. To him Fengxian has just as much value as the day he lost her, simply because she exists. Forget an attitude that's rare in the red-light district, that attitude is rare in the entire setting, which is acknowledged as extremely patriarchal.

Lakan also gets a chance to redeem himself somewhat during the Shi Rebellion. By the time Maomao is kidnapped, it's not because Lakan has been lazy - we see that he's been actively involved in the investigation about the feifa, with a chilling understanding about what improved firearms technology could do for military tactics. He is actually using his position and subordinates appropriately, setting Lahan to investigate the financial trail, which provides Jinshi the concrete proof needed to officially put the rebellion down. This time, the danger to Maomao is not Lakan's fault, and when he realizes she's been kidnapped, he does whatever he must to get Maomao back.

"Silently, Lakan turned toward Jinshi. Then he got up, knelt before Jinshi and pressed his fist into his palm in a gesture of respect. 'I come in supplication. I humbly request that you mobilize the army to strike against the rebel, Shishou.'

Lakan was a grand commandant, in other words, a secretary of military affairs. Jinshi understood what it meant for such a person to ask for the army to be mobilized."

Jinshi observes that his motives have nothing to do with the good of the nation and he is entirely concerned with his own, selfish needs, but while Lakan's motives may be selfish on behalf of the nation, he IS actually acting the way a father should. Maomao is in danger and his priority is doing whatever he must get her to safety, whether that be using the full authority of his rank or putting aside his pride to get Jinshi to mobilize the army.

Neither Malice Nor Virtue

Book 11 gives us an interesting look at Lakan, first in the war conference where Gyoku-ou is gauging Jinshi and Lakan's support for invading another country and we see that Lakan does not care.

"'What do you think, Sir Lakan?'

Lakan once again stopped working his Go problems and studied the map intently. He wore the same look with which he would appraise a board game…

'I don't know about your reasons or excuses. All I know is how to win at Shogi,' Lakan said and then he started arranging the pieces on the map. The aide gave Jinshi an apologetic look.

There was no malice in Lakan - but neither was their virtue. So long as something didn't harm him or his family, he paid it no mind. If there was a chance to participate in an interesting game however - that he wouldn't miss…to the strategist war was just a combination of his favorite games; it was a Shogi match using human pieces and a game of Go in which you captured real territory."

Jinshi's evaluation of Lakan is rather damming. The man has neither malice nor virtue. He cares only about himself, his family and his simple pleasures. This is the core of the issue that has doomed his relationship with Maomao, who despite having inherited a great deal of Lakan's characteristics, values two things above all else in her relationships; work ethic and compassion toward others.

Lakan desperately wants that paternal role with Maomao, but his behavior means that the roles are often reversed - when they are forced to interact, Maomao is often stuck taking care of him, thinking about what will be best for Lakan so that she can maintain her own peace as much as possible. He cannot possibly be her parent if he insists on being a perpetual child to those around him.

And indeed, Jinshi treats him like a child, cutting Lakan's support out from under Gyoku-ou by laying out for him that his daughter and his uncle would both be hurt by this war, giving Lakan a reason to care.

Rikuson

While Book 11 is rather damning in it's evaluation of Lakan as a truly neutral figure, there are hints that Lakan is capable of at least expanding his circle. Rikuson provides first a different perspective of Lakan than we're used to, giving us his first impressions as a child;

"Among the nomadic tribes, it was said that some herdsmen could distinguish each and every one of their sheep - but Rikuson could never do that. Maybe Lakan saw people's faces the same way Rikuson saw sheep.

'Well, what do you do when you really need to remember who someone is?'

Lakan was silent for a moment…"I remember them by the shape of their ears, or their height. I look at the quality of their hair. Memorize the stink of their sweat. Or I listen for the pitch of their voice…'

'Wouldn't it be easier to just remember their face?'

'I don't get faces. I can see people have eyes and a nose and a mouth, but when I try to put them together they get all tangled up and all I can see is a Go stone. Now the size of a person's nostrils, the length of their eyelashes - those, I can understand.'

So he didn't remember an entire face, just specific details about it. That sounded exhausting. No wonder he only did it for the most important people."

Rikuson is right - that DOES sound exhausting. With this perspective in mind, it makes more sense to the reader why Lakan constantly appears lazy and apathetic; because he's always riding the edge of exhaustion just to function. And because Rikuson hasn't had to live with the consequences of Lakan's carelessness, he is better able to empathize with how Lakan interacts with the world around him.

Later, after Rikuson has killed Gyoku-ou, Lakan walks into the situation and instead of exposing his former aide, he protects Rikuson.

"'He was already murdered when you entered the room. So you killed the rebel - is that not right?

It was, of all people, Lakan standing there…What was he doing here?

…Ah, Rikuson thought, it was all over now. There was no hiding anything from Lakan. He had neither good intentions nor bad, but would simply lay out the facts…

'You heard the man,' Lakan said to those around them.

'Wh-What do you mean, Grand Commandant Kan?'

'Hrm? He's telling the truth. He killed the rebel who killed the man. Where's the crime in that? If anything, this is all your fault for leaving such scant security.'

…There was much murmuring, but the general consensus was that if Grand Commandant Kan said it, then that was that…Their suspicion of Rikuson had been dispelled in an instant."

You'll note he doesn't lie for Rikuson. In fact, he offers a perfectly truthful understanding of what happened. The man is Takubatsu, whom Rikuson did in fact find murdered when he entered the room. And Gyoku-ou had essentially taken Jinshi hostage and was actively undermining the Imperial Brother's authority and legitimacy, which does make him a rebel.

But in protecting Rikuson, he offers a counterpoint to both Jinshi and Rikuson's observations that he has neither malice nor virtue, good intentions nor bad. Perhaps it is just that Rikuson has earned Lakan's liking and loyalty over the years, but it is growth.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Where Lakan has earned moments of redemption and growth, it is when he has shown that his fun is less important than those he cares about. There is an opportunity within the story for Lakan to act as Maomao's father in a way Luomen cannot - in the matter of her marriage.

If Lakan is willing to put all of his intuition and political cunning behind Maomao's choices regarding marriage and family, then he has the chance to finally perform an act of duty by his daughter that would establish a reason for Maomao to begin to display filial piety toward him.

But Maomao's marriage would absolutely challenge Lakan's fantasy of playing 'daddy'. It would literally require him to give away his child but more critically, it would mean giving up his fantasy of Maomao as a perpetual little girl and fully acknowledging the grown woman that she has become.

Whether Lakan is wiling to put Maomao's needs first above his own will be the crux of his character development. At no point has Lakan been malicious, but his carelessness has done more to shape Maomao's early life than any other influence. Could he do better? Perhaps. Will he? The answer to that question and how it affects Maomao's adult choices will shape his role within the story going forward - whether he will continue to doom the one relationship he wants more than any other in service of his own needs and fantasies, or if he will sacrifice them to do his duty by his daughter when it matters most.

[inafieldofstarflowers]

My favorite thing about The Sunshine Court is how it brings to light the sheer number of Neil and Jeremy parallels—not in storyline, necessarily, but in characterization. They’re both personable: Jeremy has his whole Trojans Sunshine-Captain persona, while Neil spends the whole original trilogy bringing the Foxes together and acting as glue to bond the two groups.

They’re also both deeply unreliable narrators, which I think can at least partially be accredited to the fact that they’re both excellent at compartmentalization—Neil, of course, has his famous ‘if I’m gonna die I’m at least winning first’ mentality, causing him to suppress any worries about his problems with the literal mafia and his serial killer father, while Jeremy tiptoes around whatever happened in his past (and is perhaps ongoing) that caused a rift between him and his family. Like Neil, Jeremy is running from something; his running is just a little more figurative. And there’s also the fact thatJeremy, like Neil, genuinely loves Exy—the decision to play with such a small team against the Foxes is genuinely wild behavior, but the reasoning behind it emphasizes the fact that Jeremy cares about the quality of the games he’s playing, not just about winning: he wants to be as good as possible, even if that means taking losses to learn from them (even though it is, I can’t stress this enough, an absurd choice).

And then, of course, there’s their relationships with Jean. Kevin has faith Jean will take care of Neil as much as possible in the nest, and Kevin trusts Jeremy to take care of Jean when he leaves the Nest. Neil first really bonds with Jean during that time, and it’s clear from their conversation about it in TSC that Jean doesn’t believe he earned that bond. Similarly, Jeremy’s choice to care about Jean with no solid reason doesn’t make sense to him. Neil is Jean’s misplaced partner, someone who would have been fated to be by his side forever if things had been different; Jeremy is Jean’s partner by choice, picking up the title when he sees how much it matters to Jean.

And I think it makes so much sense that, with all of their similarities and in spite of their habits/reputations for creating unity, neither Neil nor Jeremy seem willing to trust one another, particularly with Jean’s wellbeing. I think they see themselves in each other—the good, maybe, but mostly the pitfalls: the lies, the impulse to run from their problems, to give into a singleminded focus on something else.

[soular-sisters]

The most common celebrity/fame Astrology placements ✨🤩📸

The glitz, the glamour, the endless number of fans that seem to be mesmerized by them… have you ever notice how a lot of famous individuals have a certain grab and magnetism about them? Well, they might have more in common astrologically than you thought. Without further ado, here are some of the most common traits you will find in famous individual’s natal charts:

1. Pronounced Leo and Cancer placements in personal planets, especially sun, moon, and ascendant.

In the world of Hollywood, Leo energy is prevalent with countless Leo suns in the industry including: Demi Lovato, Steve Carell, Robert De Niro, Kylie Jenner, Daniel Radcliffe, and Madonna just to name a few. Cancer energy also runs strongly, with cancer sun celebrities also finding major success such as:

*Lana Del Rey (a Cancer sun with a Leo Moon, Scorpio Ascendant, Leo midheaven and Venus conjunct her north node)

*Ringo Starr (another cancer with a Leo moon)

*Margot Robbie (a cancer sun with a Taurus Midheaven & Aquarius north node)

Cancer & Leo personal planets can be found in a wide range of celebrities including:

*Dua Lipa (a Leo sun/Cancer Moon)

*Taylor Swift (a Sagittarius sun/Cancer moon)

*Micheal B. Jordan (an Aquarius sun/Cancer Moon)

*Drake (a Scorpio sun/cancer moon/Leo ascendant)

*Julia Roberts (Scorpio Sun/Leo Moon)

*Megan Fox (Taurus Sun/Leo Moon)

*Paul McCartney (Gemini Sun/Leo Moon)

*Bruno Mars (a Libra sun/Leo moon)

*Blake Lively (a Virgo sun/Leo ascendant, with plenty of positive sun aspects including sun conjunct her natal Mars, venus, and Mercury, & also sun trine her Jupiter)

There are many more celebrities who have these similar placements.

2. Prominent north node aspects or favorable house placement.

The North Node shows our Karmic Destiny. Certain placements show where an individual might see fame more than others, including the 1st, 5th, 10th, and 11th houses. Some celebrities that have these placements include:

1st house of identity:

*Martin Luther King Jr. (North Node in Taurus: who showed fearlessness in the face of racism to unite the people)

*Amy Winehouse (North Node in Gemini: who’s songs about her life have remained popular long after her untimely death)

*Megan The Dutchess of Sussex (Leo sun/Cancer Ascendant with North Node in Leo: who is one of the most famous women in the world now whether you like her or not)

*James Dean (North Node in Aries: who’s image as a bad boy heartthrob has been solidified in history long after his untimely death)

5th house of creativity, children, and happiness:

*Angelina Jolie (who is also cancer Venus and Ascendant at 28°, has her North Node in Sagittarius. She is a talented actress that has also traveled the world and made it her mission to help and adopt children)

*Selena Gomez (who is also Leo Ascendant, with moon & part of fortune conjunct her Taurus midheaven, has her North Node in Capricorn, and is also a talented actress, who due to her illness cannot have children. Unfortunately, the planet of Saturn, Capricorns ruler, may deny children entirely, or only bring very few)

*Christiano Ronaldo (who is also Leo moon, has his North Node in Taurus, he has had a stable career playing soccer, known as a heartthrob with the Venus energy, and also the father to five children)

10th house of public image:

*Donald Trump (who is also Leo ascendant & Taurus Midheaven, with sun & Uranus conjunct his North Node in Gemini, he has captivated audiences on a global scale with his words and with Sun and Uranus being opposite planets conjunct his north node, he is extremely polarizing with his supporters absolutely loving him and his opposers absolutely hating him)

*Beyoncé (who is Mars conjunct her Leo North Node in the 10th house. Beyoncé is also known on a global scale and the amount of time and energy she puts into her craft is very evident, she also carries herself with a mars-esque energy in her public persona.)

*Britney Spears (with her North Node in Cancer. While she is extremely talented, her career has had a lot of exploitation of her and her assets and made her a victim in the public eye)

11th house of social circles aspirations and collaboration:

*Lady Gaga (who has her North Node in Taurus, which rules the voice, has famously collaborated on singing projects with other creatives including Tony Bennett, and Bradley Cooper)

*Robert Downey Jr. (who has his North Node in Gemini has famously gotten himself into heaps of mischeif when he was younger turned his life around when he associated himself with Marvel and propelled himself further into stardom, eventually getting his Oscar winning role in Oppenheimer)

*Ariana Grande (who has her North node in Sagittarius. In Jennette McCurdy’s book “I’m Glad My Mom Died” she recalled being jealous of how lucky Ariana was for all the opportunities that were being granted to her though her association to higher ups at Nickelodeon)

3. 1st house planets, 5th house planets, 10th house planets, and 11th house planets (especially Sun, Jupiter, Neptune, and Venus)

House placements are always important to check when looking at a natal chart and this area is no different. We see many of the same placements among famous individuals such as:

*Blake Lively (who has a first house stellium consisting of her sun, mercury and Venus, and a fifth house stellium with Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune)

*Paul Rudd (who has a fifth house stellium with Neptune, moon and mars, and a 10th house stellium with his Mercury, sun, Venus, and Saturn)

*Vanessa Hudgens (who is also Leo ASC & Taurus MC also has a fifth house stellium with her sun, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, and Mercury)

*Kim Kardashian (sun and mercury fall into her 11th house and she has a 10th house stellium consisting of Jupiter, Pluto, and Saturn. She also has Neptune in her first house which is another popular fame placement that is also seen in Marilyn Monroe) A stellium is not needed in these houses either.

*Rihanna (her sun & mercury is in the 11th house with her Jupiter in the first house and though her moon & Venus fall in the 12th house, they do conjunct her ascendant)

4. Having a fixed midheaven: Scorpio, Taurus, Aquarius, Leo

The midheaven shows where the most ideal career placement for an individual. Usually fame can been seen amongst fixed midheaven placements. Some examples include: Taurus MC:

*Margot Robbie

*Timothée Chalamet

*Emma Stone

*Vanessa Hudgens

*Miranda Kerr

*Nick Jonas

*Justin Timberlake

Leo MC:

*Harry Styles

*Daniel Craig

*James Gandolfini

*Chevy Chase

*Robin Williams

*Nicole Kidman

*Jim Carrey

*Aretha Franklin

Scorpio MC:

*Hilary Duff

*Zendaya

*Jane Fonda

*Johnny Knoxville

*Barack Obama

*Willem Defoe

*Carrie Fisher

Aquarius MC:

*Miley Cyrus

*Pamela Anderson

*Will Smith

*Drew Barrymore

*Gordon Ramsay

*Tim Burton

*John Krasinski

5. Having personal planets at 5°, 17°, or 29° as they are degrees ruled by Leo.

In degree theory, these degrees are ruled by Leo and can also be seen as a common placement among many different famous individuals including:

*J.P. Morgan (successful banking mogul, who actually used astrology in his personal life, had his Taurus mercury at 29° and he once famously said, “Millionaires don’t use astrology, billionaires do.”)

*Post Malone (also has his Gemini Venus at 29°, and he has made his career diverse in various genres and has been extremely loved wherever he goes)

*Morgan Wallen (has his Aquarius moon at 29°, and his 5° Libra Jupiter conjunct his Midheaven)

*Steven Tyler (who has his Aries Sun at 5°. He has amassed many fans among his decades long career)

*Jim Carrey (who has both his Gemini moon at 17° and his Capricorn mars at 17°, once wrote himself a check for a million dollars before he became famous to manifest his future as a successful actor and around a year later found himself with major roles)

*Loretta Lynn (the iconic “Coal Miners Daughter” singer has her Aries Mercury at 17°, and her songs have stood the test of time)

6. Having personal planets at 28° ruled by cancer. Makes an individual a “household name”

Cancer rules the home, so it goes hand in hand with creating a household name among 28° holders. A few examples include:

*A$AP Rocky (who has his Leo Venus at 28° is famously known for his music and style)

*Miley Cyrus (who is 28° Taurus ascendant is definitely a household name and made her way into homes being a child actress and singer)

*Rihanna (has her Sagittarius mars in 28° as well, and she has had a fruitful career full of energy that she has put forward to become a self-made billionaire before 40)

7. Strong 11th house energy

The 11th house in astrology is the realm of Aquarius. Think of these individuals being innovators, and different. 11th house energy is commonly seen in famous individuals including:

*Johnny Depp (world famous actor has his Gemini sun in 11)

*Beyoncé (billionaire and one of the biggest singers in the world also has her sun in the 11th)

*Angelina Jolie (renowned actress and philanthropist has her Gemini sun and Mercury in the 11th house)

*Rihanna (another one of the biggest singers in the world has her Pisces sun and Aquarius Mercury in the 11th house)

*Lady Gaga (has her Aries sun, Aries venus, and Taurus north node in the 11th house)

*Kim Kardashian (A-list reality television star, model and business woman, has her Libra sun, and Scorpio mercury in her 11th house)

*Zayn Malik (another one of the biggest boy band & solo singers in the world has his Capricorn sun, nept, Uranus, and Mercury in the 11th house)

8. Prominent Jupiter Aspects

Jupiter the planet of luck, optimism and abundance having prominent energy in the natal chart can have a “lucky” influence on a famous individual, a few examples include:

*Elizabeth Taylor (world famous actress has natal, Jupiter trine ascendant, Jupiter trine Uranus, Venus trine Jupiter)

*Quentin Tarantino (talented movie director has natal Sun conjunct Jupiter, Mercury conjunct Jupiter, and Jupiter trine North node)

*Zendaya. (world famous actress, singer, and model has natal sun trine Jupiter, moon trine Jupiter)

*Samuel L. Jackson (another one of the most famous actors in the world has natal sun conjunct Jupiter, moon trine Jupiter, Jupiter trine Saturn, and Mercury conjunct Jupiter)

9. Aspects made to the ascendant and/or midheaven.

Our ascendant (how we portray ourselves) and our midheavens (career placement) having plentiful aspects can be seen in a wide range of well known celebrities in both old Hollywood and in recent time. Here are a few examples:

*Jayne Mansfield (one of the biggest sex symbols of her era before her untimely death had, North node trine ascendant, Neptune sextile ascendant, mars sextile ascendant, ascendant trine Midheaven)

*John Wayne (world renowned western actor, was a natal holder of, Mercury conjunct ascendant, sun conjunct ascendant, ascendant trine midheaven, sun trine midheaven, Mercury trine midheaven)

*Judy Garland (who played Dorothy in Wizard of Oz, had ascendant trine midheaven, moon sextile midheaven, mercury conjunct ascendant, Mercury trine midheaven)

10. Positive mars & Jupiter aspects

Mars the planet of action in a harmonious aspect with Jupiter the planet of luck, abundance and optimism can bring lucky opportunities with action and can be seen in famous individuals such as:

mars conjunct Jupiter:

*Ariel Winter

*Channing Tatum

*Lily Collins

*Ludacris

mars trine Jupiter:

*MGK

*Rachel McAdams

*Heath Ledger

*Joaquin Phoenix

mars sextile Jupiter:

*Nicki Minaj

*Emma Stone

*Bella Thorne

*Reese Witherspoon

11. Natal Midheaven conjunct north node.

Our career placement, the Midheaven, in conjunction with our North node, karmic destiny can be seen in quite a few famous individuals including:

*Jared Leto (We the Kings singer and actor has his conjunction in Aquarius)

*Jaden Smith (actor, rapper, and nepo baby has his conjunction in Virgo) *Donald Glover/Childish Gambino (actor, writer, rapper and producer has his conjunction in Gemini)

*Meryl Streep (world famous actress has her conjunction in Aries)

*Mike Tyson (world famous boxer has his conjunction in Taurus)

12. Gemini energy is very common amongst rappers.

Gemini energy is extremely prominent amongst rappers, for the sake of keeping this example shorter I will just be using sun sign Gemini’s. The list of sun sign Geminis:

*Kendrick Lamar

*Sage the Gemini

*Fetty Wap

*Ice Cube

*Kanye West

*Tupac Shakur

*Notorious B.I.G.

*Trippie Redd

*Kodak Black

*Takeoff

*G-Eazy

*Don Toliver

*Azaelia Banks

*Macklemore

*Swae Lee

13. A 10th & 11th house conjunction. If two planets are conjunct but fall into the 10th house of public image and the 11th house of friends/friend groups.

Both of these houses are major players when it comes to our public life. A few examples of these placements are:

*Kim Kardashian (sun in 11 is conjunct her Pluto in 10th)

*Eminem (sun in 11 is conjunct his 10th house Uranus)

*Nicki Minaj (her 10th house sun conjunct her 11th house Venus)

*Marilyn Monroe (11th house sun conjunct her 10th house Mercury)

14. Having prominent Mercury aspects.

Mercury is the planet of communication and self expression. Having mercury aspects are common amongst famous individuals as well including:

*Stephen King (who has had an extremely long career with countless dark books written and movies made, has natal Mercury sextile Pluto & Mercury conjunct Neptune, and Mercury sextile Saturn)

*Drake (has natal Mercury conjunct Venus, common amongst musicians and actors)

*Beyoncé (has her natal Mercury sextile North Node, Mercury sextile mars, and Mercury conjunct Saturn, and her songs have been listened to around the world countless times)

*Justin Bieber (who unfortunately has had a lot of hardships explaining himself and expressing his truths has Mercury square North Node, Mercury square ascendant, and Mercury square Pluto)

*Liam Neeson (the world famous actor has his natal sun conjunct Mercury, Mercury conjunct Venus and moon opposite Mercury)

Research Disclaimer:

All research was conducted by Arielle in April & May 2024. This is all information found by her own research. There are definitely more celebrities that fall under these categories not listed. There is more room to further research this topic.

-AH

IG: @starlit.artistry