#funnily enough the piece is called 'romantic'

[engagemythrusters]

the autism is truly autisming (accurately guessed respighi influence in a piece i had not heard before)

[soaringwide]

PAC: How to enhance your personal allure and beauty? • Glamour Reading

This reading is meant to dive into your own personal glamour and find ways to magnify the way you appear to others, privately or publicly.

Beauty is about weaving illusions in some ways, but the best lies contain a part of truth. How to weave lies and truths to enhance your expression of beauty is what I'm going to try to uncover today, which is why we're going to look both at your natural abilities and untapped potential.

It's something I've wanted to do for a long time since it's a subject that fascinates me, and wanted to test it out in a tarot spread, so a pick a pile readings seems like a good starting point.

If you'd like a personal reading, I'm in the process of opening my website but in the meantime I'm available through DMs.

As always, this is a general reading meant for multiple people so it might not apply 100% to you. Take what resonates and leave out the rest.

If you liked the reading and want to tip me, I have a ko-fi.

PILE 1

Cards: The Hanged Man, Death, The Chariot, Knight of Cups, The Fool, 7 of Cups, Queen of Pentacles, 10 of Swords, Ace of Pentacles, Page of Pentacles

First, let's look into your natural beauty and talents, if you will. This is easy to tap into and you might already do it to some extent, and is what people perceive from you at first glance.

I see someone with a strong, magnetic presence that might be intimidating to some people, giving the vibe of someone who is confident and knows what impression they want to give off. You have a very deliberate style and strong personal allure that might lean into darker types of aesthetic, but it would definitely be ornate, romantic (in the true, dramatic sense of the word) and as far away from minimalism as possible. I see you choosing little elements that others might not notice but that are full of meaning and symbolism for you, like a piece of jewellery, or swapping the color of your shoelace or socks to fit into a vision you have in your head. Wearing hats or headpieces might also be something significant for you. You see your clothes and other visual upgrades as some type of armor you wear to feel stronger, more confident, and make a great impression on people around you. You like being noticed and want people to find you beautiful or stylish, but at the same time have very little regard for established rules and like to bring a twist of change in the way you appear to others. It's like you're already practicing glamour naturally, funnily enough, because I see you magnifying your natural talents already and you definitely are shrouded in some type of glamourized, attractive mystery.

When it comes to your ideal archetypal beauty, what you can draw inspiration from to push yourself even further, i see you as someone who embodies the characteristics of going against expectations when it comes to style and appearances. I get the idea of playing around with gender expression (might not apply to all or be applicable to varying degrees), going against what's commonly assumed to be fitting for your perceived gender to create something unique and different, but it could also simply be about going against common taste. It's about carving out your own path, inspired by yourself and your unique perspective on life, and by extension, on your style and appearance. This is not someone who follows trends and style guides mindlessly, but someone who is not afraid of calling everything into question, in order to incorporate what they choose and add their own unique flair to it. Taste is subjective and it's something you can learn to lean even more into.

Now, for the untapped qualities, or raw power you can learn to incorporate, I see strong Uranus influence, which was already highlighted in your ideal archetypal influence.

There is an elements to finding joy and pleasure in shocking others a little bit. Letting yourself be completely free with your style expression, but keeping personal enjoyment in mind. The goal is not to shock for the sake of being an obnoxious eccentric, but going to the core of what makes you feel empowered and free and fining the graceful pleasure in it. There is also the idea of weaving some type of illusion so that people can never guess what you're going to do next. I think you have an untapped natural talent for manipulating how others see you a little bit. Right now you focus on your personal magnetism, but you could push that even further and endow yourself in whatever illusion you see fit for the time or situation. I see you being able to work on your appearance like a beautiful work of art, following the vision you have in mind.

For how you can magnify everything I mentioned, here is what I see.

First of all, it seems that despite all the great things I said about you, deep down, you feel quite inadequate and vulnerable, which is perhaps why you put so much effort into your ''armor''. I've got to tell you that these doubts are only in your mind and that the powers I describe are felt very strongly by others, they might just never say it or only give you a light compliment, which you don't even take into account. You seem to keep these worry very private and assume everyone can sense that when it's not the case. So yeah I definitely see you are already doing sooo much but it's just in your mind you don't see it, which is the first thing you need to focus on. Because I think that these doubts might influence your stylistic choices to some extent, which would be self-sabotaging your natural and ideal strengths. Therefore, you first need to clear out these thoughts and hurts in order to see yourself as others see you, in your highest potential.

Secondly and once you've done that, you definitely are advised to invest further in your appearance, and by that it could be money but also time, effort and energy. I feel like there is a new direction that is available to you, perhaps to switch things up a little or express some things more intensely. In both cases, the very strong message is to be deliberate in your vision and keep your eyes on this. I think you already do it to some extent, but here we're talking about Glamour, glamour, like, it's not enough to pick a pair of earrings or the color of your top, you need to focus on what it is the impact you want to have on others is, and how to best achieve that, keeping in mind the strong Uranian influences about being your own Icon and breaking boundaries along the way. Really, the next step involves planning and deliberate steps. Don't just throw whatever in your cart but be mindful of what story it's telling and if it aligns with your vision.

If you liked the reading and want to tip me, I have a ko-fi.

PILE 2

Cards: Queen of Cups, 8 of Swords, The Star, The World, The Lovers, The High Priestess, Knight of Cups, The Hanged Man, Ace of Wands, 9 of Cups

First, let's look into your natural beauty and talents, if you will. This is easy to tap into and you might already do it to some extent, and is what people perceive from you at first glance.

What's actually really interesting is that there seem to be an opposition between constriction vs liberation, as embodied by Saturn in Aquarius qualities. It seems being in touch with your imagination and ideals is natural to you, you appear dreamy but in a melancholic way, a loner that people don't approach easily. People might get the sense that you are lost in your thoughts and that something else is taking your attention. You don't project a strong sun-like charisma, but rather, charm people when they get close to you and get a feel for your rich inner world. You are very authentic in the way you approach your appearance, as in, you don't seek to appear as someone you are not, up to a fault I'd say. Like, if you don't hold a high opinion of yourself that might stop you from dressing how you like because it doesn't feel true in some way. It's also like you feel constricted when you have to follow a dress code and would rather be able to wear whatever puts you at ease in the given situation, but then again it's a problem is you feel weak or stuck because it influences your choices. On top of that, I'm again getting strong ideals, so I would not be surprised if your social or political ideals influence the way your present yourself. Perhaps you have an inclination towards sustainable fashion or cruelty free beauty and it helps you feel more aligned with your inner world.

When it comes to your ideal archetypal beauty, what you can draw inspiration from revolves around the idea to let your idealistic and creative nature run free, like the waves on the ocean's shore. This hints at a poetic approach to your style and appearance, with the desire to evoke gentle feelings. Your archetypal beauty is one of a siren, enchanting and mysterious. You might benefit from beautifully ornate jewelry, nacre, pearls and shells come to mind, and I'm also getting renaissance inspired aesthetic like cherubs imagery and dramatic silhouettes, rosy cheeks and braided hairstyles. The ocean is wide and mysterious, fascinating and unknowable, and that's definitely an allure you can harness at your highest potential. Even in that configuration, you're still highly focused on your inner world but it appears on the outside as well.

Now, for the untapped qualities, or raw power you can learn to incorporate, I see a few messages.

The thing is that, despite the saturnine influences, you do have raw potential for a more radiant and inviting, shall we say, energy to you. With the Lovers which is connected to Gemini, you can really learn to actually express your rich inner world and come across as communicative and adaptable regardless of the social situation. Balancing out the coldness with warmth and being more inviting if you will. Someone people can't stop looking at, which implies you actually have to get out of your comfort zone and accept being seen by others.

Paired with you natural characteristics, this has the potential to increase your magnetism and make you mysteriously seductive because people will tap into both layers, sensing an inviting and charming first impression but also getting a feel of your deep inner world. There is also the potential to truly express your emotions through your clothes and appearance and thus sticking true to your desire for authenticity. Don't shy away from being creative and even artistic with your appearance. You have a natural inclination toward romantic styles and flowyness (sheer fabrics or silk-like textures) which can make you stand out in a crowd. Approach your style like a dream, something that is felt intensely and that you can get lost in. Play around with color combinations, and I would suggest having fun creating color palettes that evoke specific feelings rather than being minimal because you want to blend in. You can really project a striking vibe with your newfound confidence, with the help of your clothes and beauty care.

For how you can magnify everything I mentioned, here is what I see.

First of all there is a need to change you ways drastically. As we saw, there seem to be an opposition with how people currently see you vs what your potential is. Don't get me wrong, everything is present within you but it's like it's dormant. I sense you being somewhat stuck in your routine and stylistic habits and reluctant to change anything. You are being called to step up and take actions toward change. Dare to wear what makes you feel like your creative and dreamy self. You know yourself well but if you truly want to change the way people see you you have to take deliberate actions towards that. Not by wearing what you think people want but by going to the highest vision you have of yourself.

You would also benefit greatly from a more optimistic outlook on yourself and learn to communicate happiness, ease and expansion. Be more generous with your energy, which means that you don't have to hold everything in in fear of being judged or disliked, but rather learning to stand strong in your individuality and communicate it to others. Not everyone will like it obviously but those who do will be enchanted by your presence.

If you liked the reading and want to tip me, I have a ko-fi.

PILE 3

Cards: Ace of Cups, The Magician, 3 of Pentacles, The Hermit, 9 of Swords, 5 of Pentacles, King of Cups rx, the Fool, 7 of Cups, 3 of Swords

First, let's look into your natural beauty and talents, if you will. This is easy to tap into and you might already do it to some extent, and is what people perceive from you at first glance.

I get strong Mercury qualities when it comes to how you naturally appear to others. You manage to seduce others with your quick wit and knowledge on many different subjects. It's like, there is nothing you don't have a smart or funny opinion on and people love that about you. You are highly intellectual and I think you like mirroring that in your appearance, favoring established aesthetics and proven formulas, relaying more on your personality than your clothes so to speak. And if clothes you chooses to put the accent on, I see a more traditional and refined approach. Modest and put together. You are meticulous in your choices and don't like appearing messy. Nothing comes in excess, you pay attention to color and texture harmony and like a balanced, classic look. As a result you appear serious and put together to others.

When it comes to your ideal archetypal beauty, what you could embody when pushed to your highest degree, with the Ace of Cups, it is quite abstract than a given aesthetic. I see you having the power to initiate strong positive emotions towards others. Perhaps they admire you or have fond feelings for you, or they may fall in love or become friends with you easily. You make them feel easily connected to you by you presence and allure, you energy having that color that drives people in. It's like, a very friendly and gently type of charisma.

Now, for the untapped qualities, or raw power you can learn to incorporate, I'm not sure why but I feel a strong rag to riches vibe here. As in, it is possible that you have experienced mental and financial hardship in the past, a situation might have improved to some extent, but that probably isn't fixed completely yet. That left you scarred and you try your best to hide it, which is why it's in the raw power position. I see the potential to use that as a strength to add depth to your character. With the King of Cups reversed, you feel inadequate and undeserving. I'm getting the sense that when it comes to glamour, you can fake it till you make it so to speak. Don't forget we are talking about magnifying your allure and I think there's definitely an air of like, you know who you are and you are aware of your situation, but you don't want to appear that way to others. It's strange because for all pile I got strong impression and aesthetics here, but for you it looks more like something that's dragging you down, which means there's a potential to turn it into a strength in some way. You got the Ace of Cups as ideal archetype and the King of Cups is nothing but the Lord of this Ace, so if you manage to flip it you can embody its quality and empathetic, abundant authority and trigger positive feelings in others. There is also this idea that, even when you make that shift, you won't forget where you come from and will keep being highly empathetic and kind, and that will be part of your charm.

For how you can magnify everything I mentioned, I notice a strong idea of starting fresh and stepping away from the heartache that plagues you. There is a youthful carelessness to it as well, the idea of opening yourself to the world and see the richness you have within with your larger than life personality. You would benefit from letting that aspect of you loose a bit. You are a bit chaotic at heart and this is so so endearing to many.

Furthermore, don't get too focused on glimmers, as all that shines is not gold. I think you may have a tendency to seek material things to counter or hide your difficulties with money, but here it's all about character expression when it comes to charm people. But be mindful of how you interact with others as to not to appear aloof or unapproachable.

If you liked the reading and want to tip me, I have a ko-fi.

[lewis-winters]

the way that i am so compelled by winnix and classical greek myth or like high romantic narratives that have been told over and over generally but i also could never write one of them dying or not being together because it is so distressing (i am projecting?). i have many feelings about nix dying and dick dragging hector's body around the city of troy for sure but...it is too much

i think it's too much because dick's not vindictive like that. like, Achilles has that dog in him, ya know? he's a war lord, he's the perfect soldier, he's vindictive and petty and hot headed and he was never one to temper his bad attitude, even for a king. of course he'd drag hector's corpse around. of course.

but dick is... he's not really like that, ya know? he's like a burning piece of paper-- he turns inwards and burns himself. but never others. he's, funnily enough, a soldier's soldier. he understands, to some extent, that this is about survival, and that if someone on his side were to die or suffer because of someone on the otherside... well. that's just how war is. he's very measured in his responses. there's honor and pride in the way he lashes out-- i mean, even at his most arrogant (i.e. when he requests court martial from sobel in episode 1), he wears prudence like some sort of armor.

for dick to reach the point of dragging hector around behind him to not only hurt hector's chances of ever reaching elysium, but also hurt his family and his father? all because he found it in himself to take hector's actions in war (that, as I said, is understandably about survival-- hector had to kill bc he was protecting himself. dick normally wouldn't blame him for that), personally. death in war is normal, noble even-- but nix's death is abhorrent and something to be avenged. nix's death in war isn't a typical hazard of a job, it's murder. he WILL find someone to blame. and he WILL punish them.

........ and you're right. that's. that's A Lot.

but I mean... shameless plug-- and apologies if you've read it before already-- but? here's my Winnix oneshot based on the Psyche/Eros myth called Hedone! if you'd like that fluffy, happy greek winnix.

[jessamine-rose]

As your common mythology enjoyer I always adore seeing the way myths evolve and transform through the times and end up adapting to the people’s views and needs.

Since any good mythological pantheon has its own clashing sources, do you think there would have been some myths pertaining to Savior’s and Oizys’s relationship? Even though it is quite clear that they had a strong friendship that is never stopping the people from fantasising and over glamorising their dynamic into something leaning more towards the romantic?

I don’t know why but ever since seeing Pierro’s heated reaction after his battle with that corrupted version of Oizys… I couldn’t stop wondering how would he react if some of his subordinates discovered some rather… interesting representations of both those deities during their glory days… (I pity his subordinates sm sometimes)

I’m mainly bringing this up because I’ve recently had to do some research concerning art in Ancient Greece and Rome and the things those people would depict in public spaces or simply in their art is wild 😭

Read my Yandere! Pierro fics first!!

Disjecta Membra ✧ Chess Piece

Naturally, there are several references to Savior and Oizys’s millennia-long friendship. On the tamer end of the spectrum, they often appear in each other’s religious art. A pair of figures in pottery fragments. The recurring motif of mist in paintings of the Child of Night. Myths of their first meeting, their glory days, Oizys’s role in Savior’s birthday festivals, etc.

Those artifacts don’t really bother Pierro. He already knows that they were close in the past, and why should he feel threatened by a ghost? And the more relics of his darling, the better, right? The romantic interpretations of their relationship say otherwise.

A few ancient texts call them “lovers.” Another cites their living arrangement as the guide to a proper marriage. One sculpture imagines them mourning Pasithea’s death…in a rather intimate embrace. And according to ancient Miserian tradition, gifting someone embroidery is equal to a love confession. The origins for the last one are long-forgotten, but Pierro easily connects it to Savior’s craft and Oizys’s fashion choices.

The last straw is the erotic art. To think that Pierro used to “appreciate" artworks of Savior in her old, skimpy attire; now he glares at Oizys’s indecent figure and tells his subordinates to erase it. Come to think of it, didn’t Savior once say that they shared a bed?

One day, he casually mentions it to Savior and her immediate reaction is laughter. Yes, those misunderstandings exist. Sure, there were a few times that she and Oizys satisfied each other’s physical needs, but lovers? No, they were dear friends and that was their preferred label. And Pierro would’ve been satisfied with that answer had she left it at that.

“Funnily enough, Vesta and I were never portrayed as lovers even though we were. Probably because most humans thought we were related—um, Pierro? Why are you looking at me like that?”

The next day, the Fatui is given orders to destroy every temple and relic belonging to the Lord of the Hearth.

♡

As a fellow mythology enjoyer, I had a lot of fun writing this. Thank you for sending this ask, Anonie (⭒•͈ 𓎺 •͈ )

[bloodyarn]

𝙻𝙴𝚃𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚂 . unprompted interactions

@bloodtwin : Bad idea. Yes, this is probably a BAD IDEA, yet here Puck stands outside Babette's tent, hands behind his back. There is a nervous energy to him (as there so often is) as he fidgets, one boot digging into the dirt. He has been going back and forth and back and forth on whether he should just turn on his heels, ditch this dangerously stupidly bad idea, or not. But then the seamstress leaves her tent, making the final decision for him. His back straightens, shoulders tense. ❝ O-oh  ！❞ His tail sways low to the ground. She looks pretty. ❝ Hey, I was just about to, uh ⸻ ❞ Freshly-trimmed claws scratch behind one of his ears. This isn't really something he does. Doesn't understand the appeal of it. Or, at least, he didn't until about five minutes ago when he passed by a rose bush. Something must have POSSESSED him, for he plucked a single, red rose from the bunch, cut the thorns & found his way over to Babsi's tent. He takes the rose from behind his back, holding it out for her. Heat builds in his face. ❝ Well, I wanted to give you this because it made me think of you. And, uh- the weather is nice today, so I thought maybe you'd like to join me on a picnic ？❞ Like a date. He never does that, either. ❝ We'd have to- well, there's a bakery nearby. I thought we could pick up somethin' sweet to eat there first. There's a little hill over there with a nice, shady tree. We could . . . um, have a picnic there, if you'd like. ❞

      A  charming,  warm  day  indeed.       Her  little  head  had  come  up  with  plan  of  spending  the  day  outside   &   funnily  enough,  the  weather  dragged  Puck  outside  as  well.  It's  not  like  they  never  crossed  paths  at  camp,  quite  the  opposite.  Way  too  often  to  call  it  'casual  walking  by'  did  Babette  saunter  past  the  half-elf's  tent  (  out  of  curiosity,  of  course  )  .  The  lady  would  be  lying  if  she  wasn't  about  to  do  exactly  that  when  leaving  her  temporary  makeshift  home.

Puck  was  quick  to  greet  her   &   before  the  hexblood  uttered  a  'hello'  in  return,  there  was  a  flower  in  his  hand  ;  he  stretched  out,  offering  the  rose  to  her.     ❝  For  me  ? ❞   He  thought  of  her  when  he  saw  it   ?   That  was  so  unusually  romantic,  did  he  even  realize  the  implications  .  .  .

      ❝ Oh,  thank  you  so  much   !   Not  a  bad  petal  on  it  as  well.  You  must  have  an  eye  for  the  little  things. ❞       Giggled  the  seamstress  before  carefully  accepting  the  rose,  angling  it,  noticing  the  thorns  were  chipped  off  neatly.  And  next,  he  spoke  about  a  picknick,  a  trip  to  the  nearby  bakery  ;  he  described  her  dream  date  there.  How  did  he  know  .  .  .

And  it  dawned  on  her   —   date.  That  sounded  like  a  rendezvous.  With  Puck.  If  her  stomach  didn't  jump  as  it  did,  Babette  was  almost  sure  it  would  growl  from  hunger.  A  sweet  treat   —   ugh,  how  long  since  the  last  piece  of  cake  ?       ❝  You  saw  one   ?   Oh,  and  you  did  not  tell  me   ?   I  feel  betrayed   ! ❞       Fiddling  with  the  flower   &   tucking  it  between  her  bow   &   blouse.       ❝  We  should  not  wait  too  long,  then.  We  .  .  .  we  get  some  sweets   &   maybe  we  could  eat  them  under  that  tree  you  mentioned   ?   Sounds  .  .  .  sounds  nice.  Very  nice.  I  would  enjoy  that. ❞

[lisa-russell]

INK THEORY AND THE GOLD BAZOOKA'S- Cause of Sizzle Season!

This classically trained, all-female 6-piece band creates jazz and samba-inspired battle music. They owe their unique sound to a blend of academic music theory and modern sensibilities. Ink Theory's eclectic approach makes them quite popular with young Inklings and middle-aged Inklings alike.”

— Live from the Squid Research Lab

Ink Theory is an all-female six-piece jazz band. The band has a history of classical training, with the members learning music since their childhood long before making their debut. Their songs were added in Version 2.0.0 of Splatoon 2.

Members

.....Yoko is the band's trumpet player and frontwoman, though she sometimes feels overshadowed by the other members' personalities. She is an Inkling with a mutation that allows her tentacles to have multiple colors, but it rarely proves useful. She is described as often getting nervous before large productions. She also has a weakness to atmospheric pressure; on rainy days she is said to have a dead face and while she struggles in sunny weather as well, she is a hard worker and always gives a solid performance. She has a sister in high school.

In Splatoon 3, Yoko is a member of a new band called Yoko & the Gold Bazookas.

......Karen, the band's pianist, is a nautilus who graduated at the top of her class from a famous musical university. She has participated in overseas competitions and has won many awards, as well as offering emotional support to the band. She provides the band with a crisp atmosphere, and looks self-assured, though she worries that she is not loved by fans. She formed Ink Theory after being amazed by Hightide Era's music,[1] specifically by Taka, who was a senior at the same school.

......Zuzu, the kazoo player, is an Inkling who graduated from a famous music academy. She is closer to the public than the other members of the band, and is renowned for her beauty, often being considered the "flower" of the band. As a result of this, she gets a lot of attention, often being pulled in front of cameras. Fans address her with the Japanese honorific "-sama", which is used to address those one considers to be on a higher rank than oneself. She is a large spender but has never struggled much financially.

.....Oonie, the band's bassist, is a sea urchin, specifically Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus. She grew up in a strict household with parents who are famous musicians. For a short while, she favored bands with a different musical style from her parents, but lately, she has been observing classical music in a new light. She is romantically inexperienced, often falling for self-degrading people.

.....Maya is the band's percussionist. She is a sea anemone who joined Ink Theory after graduating from a music academy. While her professor recommended she become a music instructor herself, she decided she would rather get experience creating her own music first. She mainly plays with Ink Theory but occasionally freelances percussion for other bands.

.....Kitamura is a sea urchin and the band's drummer. She acts as the band's mascot. She has a high singing voice and regularly follows new fads. She lives alone but pays close attention to her curfew.

...................

They've only done 2 songs

BROKEN CORAL :

RIPTIDE RUPTURE:

Kinda surprised that a six-member band has only managed to create 2 songs, than again theirs so many other bands out there for them to compete with, like there rival band the BOTTOM FEEDERS. Funnily enough both of these bands debuted simultaneously and use classical instruments, but have conflicting styles. Not only that both bands rivalry fueled a performance of the ages. Ink Theory chose to participat in a battle of the bands where they faced off against the Bottom Feeders at a popular venue situated in Inkadia called ZAPP square.  Got no clue where this square is located, but it sounds like it was a blast to be at!

Yoko & the Gold Bazookas is a band in Splatoon 3. Their lineup consists of a trumpet (Yoko), trombone, and baritone saxophone, accompanied by a full rhythm section, as well as vocals. The band is a side project of Yoko and other members of Ink Theory. The band was formed when Yoko joined a jam session in Splatsville to test her skills. After getting along with the other musicians in attendance, they quickly formed a seven-member group.

As we all know by that 7th member is the mysterious and quite stylishly dressed Octoling Girl, who is highly likely based on the poisonous blue ringed octopus.

This band has three fresh and sizzling hot songs to their name...

Ska-Blam :

Three‐Ringed Circus:

Rockabilly Blues:

[ts1989fanatic]

A man has declared Taylor Swift a bad role model. Why? Because she's unmarried and childless

A misogynistic Newsweek piece about Taylor Swift’s unwholesomeness has been doing the rounds on social media. It’s dangerous, offensive and outdated, says Claire Cohen

Is Newsweek ok? The magazine has just published an article explaining why ‘Taylor Swift is not a good role model’, the argument for which boils down to — and this is a direct quote — the fact that “at 34, Swift remains unmarried and childless.” A spinster, if you will.

Excuse me, while I just reset my phone calendar from 2024 to 1954.

The article was written by a man — those famous experts on good female role models — who argues that, having dated “at least a dozen men”, the singer isn’t “wholesome” enough to set an example. Basically, she’s a slut. I haven’t checked yet, but I assume there’s also a free chastity belt with every issue,

“While Swift's musical talent and business acumen are certainly admirable, even laudable, we must ask if her personal life choices are ones we want our sisters and daughters to emulate,” writes John Mac Ghlionn, which astonishingly is not a pseudonym used by Andrew Tate. Phew. Thank goodness someone has finally said it. After all, what sane person would want their daughter or sister to be a strong, wildly successful, independent woman who doesn’t feel any pressure to have married by 34? Who has donated enough money to UK foodbanks to cover their bills for an entire year? Heaven forbid!

As role models go (and being on a pedestal is a tough gig) she's blazing a trail: standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, taking a man who groped her to court and winning, boycotting Apple Music until it agreed to pay royalties to all artists during the platform's trial period, refusing to be controlled by re-recording her own albums when she was refused to chance to buy the rights herself, speaking honestly about her eating disorder, condemning bullying, admitting she's been as insecure about female friendship as the rest of us. If that can't be filed under "wholesome", what can?

“This is not an attack on Swift; it's a valid question that is worth asking,” continues the self-appointed arbiter of women’s behaviour (funny how it’s always men who leap to take on that role). “This cycle of brief, intense relationships can unintentionally glamorise a type of romantic promiscuity where partners can be replaced as easily as toilet paper.”

Which, funnily enough, is exactly how I’d like to use this outdated, offensive piece of so-called journalism.

It positions a woman’s worth in terms of her duty towards men and sends us back to an era in which we were little more than walking wombs

Some have called it desperate. I’d say dangerous. To claim that Swift’s power as a role model is diminished by those mediaeval metrics is pure misogyny. It positions a woman’s worth in terms of her duty towards men and sends us back to an era in which we were little more than walking wombs.

All together now: under his eye.

To claim that Swift’s power as a role model is diminished by those mediaeval metrics is pure misogyny

Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that we’re still living in an era in which men are able to publicly chastise women for not being chained to the kitchen. After all, it was only in May that NFL player Harrison Butker gave his charming speech, to a room filled with female graduates, telling them to embrace being ‘homemakers’ and that being a mother was their most important role. Leave earning money to the man, there’s a good girl.

As a harpy who dared to have several different boyfriends in her 20 and 30s, and was “unmarried and childless” at 34, I’m nonetheless going to go out on a limb and say that domestic bliss isn’t the sole happily-ever-after we should be selling young women. And it is something that women specifically are told they should aspire to. Perhaps I’m wide off the mark, and Newsweek is at this very moment lining up an article on why Harry Styles is a terrible role model to young boys for exactly those reasons. But, somehow, I can’t quite see it.

IS HARRY STYLES ALSO A BAD ROLE MODEL BECAUSE HE’S UNMARRIED AND CHILDLESS?

And no doubt if Swift was married with children, she’d be criticised for leaving her family at home while she selfishly went on tour and accused of emasculating her husband by being the breadwinner.

The whole thing is from the same playbook that belittles Swift’s fans as though they’re in the grip of some Victorian hysteria; irrational and shallow. Liking her music is looked down on by those who consider themselves arbiters of what’s culturally ‘good enough’, in the same way as romantic literature by women is written-off as mere ‘chick lit’. It’s misogyny hiding behind having ‘good taste’, just as the Newsweek article is misogyny masquerading concern for the loss of some old-fashioned moral code.

Look, I’m sure Taylor isn’t exactly weeping over this drivel while counting the billion dollars she’s made from the Eras tour. But she and her fans deserve better than this retrograde rubbish. Because I can’t think of anything more “wholesome” than bringing together thousands of women and girls every night, united in joy, to sing songs about not settling for a life that makes you unhappy.

Taylor Swift not a good role model? She’s a bloody great one.

[merge-conflict]

9 Ship Songs

Rules: List 9 songs for one (or more) of your ships. Optionally, tag 9 people.

Tagged by @corpocyborg, @luvwich, and @another-corpo-rat <3 I think everyone and their nother been tagged already so if you haven't and want to share music please consider yourself tagged and give me more links to listen to. :3

a pair of open graves (silverv) *

I'd rot in hell with you / if you just asked me to / I love the shitty things we do together / Live with me in this sin forever

Hell and You, Amigo the Devil

There's a club where you like to go / You could meet someone lost like you / Revel in the darkness like a pair of open graves / stumble through the fog for a season or two

Rain in Soho, The Mountain Goats

Well I guess by this world so sick with loss / and your services so free of cost / I should climb down off my rugged cross / and lay with you

Despite What You've Been Told, Two Gallants

If we live to see the other side of this / I will remember your kiss / So do it with your mouth open / And take your foot off the brake / For Christ's sake!

Dilaudid, The Mountain Goats

Kill me romantically / Fill my soul with vomit then ask me for a piece of gum / Bitter and dumb, you're my sugarplum / You're awful (I love you)

Love Me Dead, Ludo

twin human highway flares (gorov)** ***

Who else is going to love someone like you that's marked for death? / Who else is going to be with you when you breathe your last? / Who else is going to take my place and hold and keep you safe? / Who else is going to stay?

Marked for Death, Emma Ruth Rundle

Who's gonna dig these graves? / Who's gonna dig these graves? / Somebody help me dig these graves I can't do it on my own

Graves, Whiskey Shivers

Better to love than to have and to hold / And I heard that you like to swim / Doesn't mean I'm gonna jump in

Deep Green, Marika Hackman

Am I the star behind the stairs? / Am I the ghost upon the stage? / Am I your anything?

Morningstar, AFI

* it is so easy to find songs for two shitheads who should really probably call it a day

** funnily enough the TMG song 'Twin Human Highway Flares' is not actually one of their songs and this is what you get for trying to put a handle on something before you've got a handle on it (bootstrapping)

**# goroncharov (?)

[barbieb0y]

journey: orientation and how i wasn't there for most of it.

(title is a reference, iykyk)

my birthday is in 6 days and i feel like i should do at least something so this is something! blogs talking about myself and my experiences, counting down to the day of the event itself

and the first one i thought of is my experience with romantic and sexual orientations. why? well the ace tag trending gave me some ideas lol

for most of my childhood, i wasn't interested in anything that isn't studying and playing by myself. wish i can say the same now

and thankfully, my parents weren't the type to fess over me interacting with the opposite sex not that i did that that much but still and teaching me about marriage and romance and all that wasn't on their minds yet at that time - and oh, how i yearn for them to stay that way now but alas.

i didn't get the hype with getting crushes and dating, until i developed what i thought was a crush. i remember being happy that i finally fit in and just like the other girls - that i wasn't just a weirdo with weird interests and lack of interest in people. and looking back on it, it's not like it wasn't a crush. it just wasn't a romantic one.

this continued on until i was 14. i'd get crushes where i just enjoyed looking at the boys' faces. it never occured to me that traditional crushes were supposed to involve actual romance. and when i did try imagining myself in romantic scenes with the boys i liked, i either felt disgusted or neutral. the neutral side of things mostly applied to fictional boys anyway.

then came the year of 2018. funnily enough, i actually remember being on tumblr that time - for the whole purpose of reading imagines of a fictional guy i thought i liked in those ways. i'd read, read, read, unaware that these pieces of writing... don't actually make me feel anything. that imagining myself in romantic + sexual situations with this guy was only bc everyone else was doing it.

when suddenly pride month rolled around.

i was an ally from the beginning. and bc of that i wanted to know more about the community so that i could show my support better. little did 14 year old me know.

i stumbled upon the term "aromantic". i started reading out of curiosity. i thought of how i could relate to most of the traits of an aromantic. i realized.

i remember i was like "so you're telling me i don't actually have to feel this stuff for people i'm seemingly attracted to?!" and remember that guy from before? every romantic and sexual thought of him vanished in an instant - and i've never felt so free. i even remember me writing a platonic self-shipping fic of me and him to celebrate; and luckily, i had friends who celebrated alongside me.

though at that time, i thought aromantic also meant asexual, so there i was going around telling people i'm aromantic without the asexual - most likely because i was taught that sex was just an extension of romance rather than being its own separate thing. until of course, i discovered the term later on and went "omg so me".

the label kind of enabled me to be more open about my dislike of romance and sex - borderline condemning it. but that was merely me projecting my own experiences; having to be subjected to society's expectations of me was more than just irritating and tiring. even if i ever change my mind one day, why should that matter? sure, preparing for the future is a smart move but what's the point if i'm abandoning my present self?

years pass and by 2022, i still identified as an aromantic asexual. at some point i even identified as a gay aroace, but then reverted back to aroace. even when there were situations and experiences that challenged me identifying with those labels, i persisted. even when i first interacted with whom i call my "first love", i wasn't attracted to them off the bat.

it took quite a few interactions. i myself was confused as to why talking to them made me so happy, especially because we didn't even talk in a chatroom - i was just an anon on their writing blog, the reason why i frequented their blog being one of the hurdles that almost made me change my labels.

to this day, i'm still unsure if mustering up the courage to privately message them made me realize i'm actually attracted to them or that i gradually realized after chatting with them in private. but in the end, i realized. i'm attracted to them. i liked the idea of being in a non-platonic relationship with them, i like imagining us in romantic situations (although at that time i didn't yet know what they look like) but either was too shy or i genuinely did not develop sexual feelings for them yet at that time. i confessed the night i messaged them.

to my surprise, it was their birthday. i'm unsure if a confession is a fit birthday gift still.

but when this happened, i didn't feel like i was betraying my aromantic asexual labels. it's more like... i broke free of them. broke free of these stupid labels that tried to tie me down for so long. so what if i haven't been attracted to anyone until now? am i not allowed to freely love because of these two words? or even, am i not allowed to be free of these words even if they define me? so i simply let go.

funnily enough, the person i fell in love with is aroace themself. a silly little plot twist in my story, i would say.

we begin to talk. a night turns into a week. a week turns into a month. 2 months after initially talking, we got together. i remember i couldn't stop smiling over how lucky i got. the person i love, who doesn't even reciprocate my feelings, was willing to give me a chance. i talked about them whenever i had the chance; the word "boyfriend" felt so sweet on my tongue.

4 months and 18 days - that's how long we were together. i remember the breakup like it was yesterday. because i once thought i wouldn't ever go through one, let alone cry myself to sleep a few nights because of it. but that wouldn't be the first time i've done that because of them - but even despite all the anguish i've experienced throughout this period, i was (and still am?) in love with them.

simply because of the fact that i was in love with them.

i acknowledged how strong and powerful romantic and sexual attraction can be, now that i experience it. though i still think people exaggerate the overall experience, their words now hold some truth for me. and to tell you the truth,

i am scared of feeling this way for someone else.

i just can't imagine myself experiencing such highs for a real person that isn't them. it feels like an absolute betrayal - to my past self, to them, to my current self. it just seems impossible. plus, feeling like a late bloomer makes me feel like shit. but if there's one thing this experience taught me,

it's that anything really can happen.

this journey is still ongoing - i'm unlabeled, still kinda in love with my ex (who is also my friend haha) and the future is uncertain. maybe i'll go back to being labeled, maybe i'll get over them, maybe both, maybe neither.

but for now, i'm unlabeled. because i'm not something to be defined.

i'm someone to be experienced.

if you read all that then thank you for listening to me ramble lol idk i just feel like talking about myself. it still feels like people don't really know me idk idk i was kinda being cheesy and stuff but hey when else am i supposed to be amirite

i will try to come up with topics for the upcoming days hehehe

[baeshijima]

I NEED TO WATCH THE DONGHUA i told myself that i will... and never got around it 😭 i could read the entire novel in like 10 days including a one day break (haha... blackwater arc...) and yet i cant get myself to watch a single episode 😞 duality of a man

hualian is rly just having their little love story full of yearning and pining whle everyone else around them suffer </3 they didn't want us to be happy for too long i fear. we had to feel xie lian's pain or something because that man didnt catch a break in his life either 😭😭

YEAH RIGHT like i understand he xuan. i really do. i would be absolutely furious if someone just stole the life i was meant to have?? not to mention the terrible TERRIBLE fate his family and he xuan himself suffered... no revenge would be enough ngl </3 which really makes me wonder if he felt any kind of true satisfaction after doing it??? the man that ruined his life is dead and his life purpose has been fulfilled, but also sqx suffered a LOT because of that and... man he was innocent at the end of the day!! how do you move on from that!! especially since his relationship with sqx was already so complicated...

it makes me think how swd and hx are kinda similar honestly AAAA moving past the obvious that both are related to water (and funnily enough both sink ships but for different reasons), they both were willing to do a lot for people they care about... swd with the entire fate switching thing to ensure sqx lives a good life, hx with all the things he did during his mortal life to try to help his family... and they both kept things hidden from sqx 😔

DONT EVEN REMIND ME OF THIS AUGHHHH "you called the wrong person" man do you want me to cry. i think yes HAHSHSH IT PAINS ME SO BADLYYY absolutely heartbreaking moment, heart shattered into many pieces dont talk to me im unwell!! i haTE IT THEREEE

THE ART IS SO PRETTY BUT IT HURTSSSS literally cries and evaporates. sqx come on come here im gonna give you a hug MANY HUGS HE NEEDS THEM!!!! need to have a talk with mxtx because he went through all that FOR WHAT

... 😃😃 i do not wish to be a part of this symphony bye bye! count me out! i need to know what inspired that person to do this and have a nice talk why would they do that 😭😭😭 theres nothing sparkles dolphins happiness about beefleaf only despair anguish suffering and my tears

PLS i watched the donghua first when it first released on netflix like a year or two ago and then discovered there was a whole set of novels for the series and my life hasnt been the same since 🧍‍♀️ but yes same here... i really should just set aside time to reread the novel and refresh everything despite all the tears i most definitely will be shedding for the characters ;w;

fr 😭 honestly very much in love with the audio and art choice for the hualian drama tho bc it has both that romantic devotion of hua cheng + xie lian coming to terms with the fact he wanted this, as well as that eerie feeling that smth isnt quite right mainly with hua cheng and his condition + the dark stylistic choice of the art... huhu love it so much .... also qi rong was so 😭😭 he was such a menace i was crying

NO BC??? he xuan having to watch all of that happen to him and his family, watch someone else take the life meant for him, as his whole world comes crashing down from the unjustified deaths of his family and then himself, and then having to watch that person who ended up living his life be so carefree and innocent not knowing what it cost to live as such??? man. i genuinely cannot even begin to fathom how much pain and anguish and grief is in him. and then growing to care for that person, or at least the unyielding kindness in which they showed, must have been another blow to his grief and everything he stood for ;w;

and gosh my baby shi qingxuan basically being the collateral in this scenario and still being willing to accept death as punishment despite not being the one at fault, but if it meant atoning for the sins /him/ and his brother committed to hx and his family then he would go through with it.... and him rather choosing the option to sacrifice himself and switch his fate for one of the other souls as opposed to beheading shi wudu, arguing that its better to live a worse life then die a good life while swd is trying to get him to commit the alternative option bc a life without his brother is a life worse than death itself and he would rather die than see sqx become what would have been, only to switch up after and try to take them both down together bc he was convinced sqx wouldnt be able to live 😭

AND THEN when hx literally um. yknow. to swd arm to separate him from sqx while. um. yknow. despite wanting them both to suffer in some way, but ended up showing that, in his own way, he didnt want sqx to be in pain. sqx screaming crying and basically throwing up definitely moved him even tho he said he wouldnt be moved, and it showed esp during that scene 😭 i think swd picked up on that too bc he started laughing and taunting hx ("what are you laughing at?"//"i laugh at you, thinking you have the upper hand!") into killing him so that sqx wouldnt have to, betting on the fact he could create a third option by using the care hx undeniably has for sqx... he may have been a shitty person, but swd was a great brother ;w;;

also the fact that hx was literally in a lose-lose situation bc he gave them two options and told them they could only pick from those, only to lose composure when swd tried to take both him and sqx down, then got taunted by swd laughing at his misfortune and getting the last laugh while sqx is desperately begging him to stop talking and provoking hx, ultimately leading into hx killing swd himself, and then having to see sqx lose his will to live.... ourgh.... and dont even get me started on the fact he couldnt even move on as a ghost despite fulfilling his meaning for existence (the revenge), and how sqx is basically whats kept him tethered down but he can only watch from the sidelines as sqx lives his life... they shouldve just talked gdi.......

swd: he (sqx) really knew nothing from beginning to end! hx: that's why he's even more hateful! why doesn't he know?!

;w;;

hx: i gave you a chance!

the chance(s) in question probably not even being made clear to sqx and it was just hx assuming that sqx would know it was a "it's me or your brother" kinda choice but each to their own hx ;w;

swd: ...but qingxuan's crime is not punishable by death, you... hx: then who among my family of five is guilty? who should die?

WHEN I SAY THIS BROKE ME I MEAN THIS SHATTERED ME !!! swd saying sqx doesnt deserve to die and hx retaliating with the "then did my entire deserve their unjustifiable deaths?!" will never not destroy me and having heard it in the ad... its a whole other type of depression on god

hx: do you have anything to say? sqx: ...i want to die. hx: dream on.

FUCK THEMMMM I HATE IT HERE WHY CANT WE HAVE NICE THINGS WHY DO THEY HAVE TO BE SO TRAGIC WHY COULDNT HX JUST FULFIL HIS REVENGE BY MARRYING SQX BC WE ALL KNOW THAT WOULD PISS SWD OFF THE MOST BUT NO THEY HAD TO GO THROUGH THIS ARC AND THE WORST PART IS ALL THEIR ACTIONS ARE JUSTIFIABLE TO WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH AND OURGHGDFG

laughing through the pain like genuinely. it was so foul to have the hualian teehee but also not really teehee but still very much teehee scene and then go straight into beefleaf depression what is life what is the point of life why am i here just to suffer scene...

(we ignore the one para of hualian compared to the beefleaf essay bc hualian is a whole other bag i am not ready to open with everything they have going on 🧍‍♀️ i need another five years at least to mentally and emotionally recover from the blackwater arc audio drama 🧍‍♀️)

[moved-to-void-kissed]

My Tumblr year in review:

..is under the readmore for conciseness. My initial aversion instinct kicked in when I first saw people posting these, but I figured that now that has passed and it’s a bit closer to the actual end of the year, it wouldn’t hurt for me to see what mine was like. I think this sort of thing is nice to have!

I posted 3,386 times in 2021 - 644 posts created (19%), 2742 posts reblogged (81%). So, for every post I created, I reblogged 4.3 posts.

I added 8,914 tags in 2021 (that’s an average of at least two tags per post!)

#selfshipping - 1803 posts

#selfship - 1802 posts (I wonder what the one post I forgot it on was?)

#ask to tag - 1272 posts

#stuff from other selfshippers - 955 posts

#other selfships - 858 posts

#a call from the void - 687 posts (somehow this is on quite a few more posts than I myself have made according to Tumblr itself? I’m not quite sure why that’s the case)

#eye contact tw - 591 posts

#love: wayfinding waters (aqua) - 350 posts (this doesn’t surprise me in the slightest, she’s definitely the F/O I see the most nice fanart of)

#something i found by following tags - 329 posts

#out of the inbox - 267 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#but for some reason i’m reading pyra’s response along the same lines as “of course i wouldn’t stab you in the back! i don’t have a knife!!’’

My Top Posts in 2021:

#5

"Can you stay here with me for a bit?” “Of course I can, silly! We can be here for as long as you want.” “Thank you.. you’re really helping..”

Like any cat, Sapphire gravitates towards warmth, and Pyra is naturally very warm to the touch. I myself have also been in a lot of pain for the past two days, and heat is pretty much the only thing that helps alleviate that. So, I figured it would make sense to render some Pyra hugs, because I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately ^-^

(Reblogs are greatly appreciated, but by no means required! There’s also a picture to better show how Sapphire’s reference model currently looks under the readmore, if you’re curious, since this is my first time using it in a render!)

See the full post

44 notes • Posted 2021-05-21 21:50:46 GMT

#4

See the full post

45 notes • Posted 2021-06-29 23:09:08 GMT

I’m very glad this one made it up to the final list, it’s still a project I’m very proud of ^-^

#3

"Come, let’s dance together, in this madness they call love”

Tag list: @thatslikesometaldude | @setzale | @catake | @tex-treasures | @beeon | @tartaglialovemail | @lilacslovers | @kalliopi-ships | @vilehusband | @dragonsmooch | @ribbitships​ (note that I’ve just switched to a new tag list form, so please feel free to fill that in if you’d still like to be tagged in my content!)

This is my first piece of art for my selfship with La Signora! The picture is quite large so you might have to click or tap on it to see it in better quality, but here it is! I was working on it for most of last night~

Reblogs are greatly appreciated, but by no means required! There are also more alternate angles under the readmore! ^-^

See the full post

54 notes • Posted 2021-08-10 23:01:04 GMT

#2

Happy Boyfriend’s Day to all selfshippers who are boyfriends - anyone whose F/Os use that term for them!! Your F/Os love calling you their boyfriend, they love you so so much, and you being in their lives is something they are all super grateful for ^-^

Also, happy Boyfriend’s Day to all selfshippers who have boyfriends - anyone who uses that as a term for any of their F/Os!! They all love you so much, they always treasure every day they spend with you because you mean the world to them, and it makes them super happy to hear you call them your boyfriend!~

(This post does not apply to proshippers or any kind of discriminatory people. They are not welcome to interact with my posts, and never will be.)

157 notes • Posted 2021-10-03 20:14:15 GMT

#1

I would like to wish nonbinary selfshippers, and selfshippers with nonbinary F/Os, a very awesome nonbinary November ^-^

307 notes • Posted 2021-11-05 13:40:44 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review using that link, if you want to!

[myafterlifeisbetterthenyours]

Hi, it's the guy with the classy gentleman Incubus ask from five days ago could you please add loona as well?

Loona with classy, gentlemen Incubus S/O

Funnily enough, you met at a party. Although 'met', probably isn't the right word.

It was more like, Loona got insanely drunk and just about passed out.

However, before she could be taken advantage of by any of the sleezy bastards at the party, you swooped in, getting her out of there.

You tried to get her adress, trying to get her home, but she was too far gone, almost throwing up on you.

So, you got her to your guest bed, letting her sleep it off.

The next day you brought her breakfast and a few aspirin, only for her to scream at you, accusing you of taking advantage of her.

You were angry, of course, but you quickly pointed out that you saved her from another demon taking advantage of her.

The girl refused to believe it, calling you a creep. To which you snapped, telling her that of all demons she, with her nose, should have realised you hadn't touched her.

Unless she's accusing you of molesting her, cleaning the scent off of the both of you and then redressing her.

At that, she shut up.

The girl breaking into an embarrassed blush, the Hellhound timidly telling you sorry.

You just sighed, telling her it was fine and giving her her breakfast.

The two of you actually had a pleasant back and forth, the girl quickly warming up to you and you too her.

After she had recovered, you drove her home, the girl asking you if maybe you'd like to go out for coffee or something.

You agreed, telling her of a rather humble coffee place you knew, telling the girl a time and date, Loona meekly telling you she'd be there.

It was only a few days later that you met, you and the young Hellhound having a rather charming time together.

You found the girls crassness very humorous, and well, she found you... alluring.

She knew all about Incubus', they were well known on every ring for there sexual exploits.

But you.

You were... strange.

You were polite, well dressed and not even the slightest bit depraved.

It was almost unnerving.

The two of you had a wonderful time, your cool, calm personality utterly fixating the girl. While you found her to be an absolute gem, the girl getting adorably flushed whenever you so much as complemented her.

After you'd had your fill, paying the bill you would walk her home, the two of you doing this several more times.

Although with each meeting, your time became more romantic than the last.

Of course, Blitzø, being the overbearing father he was, found out about you. And as expected, he was Not happy.

And when he found out you were an Incubus, he was livid. The Imp convinced you were just trying to 'steal her innocence', the young lady almost strangling him for it.

He demanded to meet you and ehile Loona was clearly hesitant, you agreed, Loona anxiously introducing the two of you.

Being the gentlemen of class that you were, you were polite and civil, and Blitzø was not.

The Imp was harsh and rude, seemingly already not liking you.

You just took it in stride, keeping your cool and answering his questions as politely as possible.

But as patient as you were, Once Blitzø made a comment on how Incubus were all sex fiends and would force themselves on others to get their rocks off.

Then you snapped.

You got nice and close. You told the bastard, That Yes, many Incubus were pieces of shit.

But to label all of them as such, was no different then saying something just as deplorable about Imps.

You understood he was just doing what any father should, but you hoped you could be at least be civil, maybe even friendly. But you won't have him disrespecting you for your race, or Loona's ability to choose a partner.

Blitzø sputtered, but was smart enough to shut his trap for once in his life. Not wanting his daughter to hate him anymore then she already did.

After that, he seemed to have some begrudging respect for you, keeping his thoughts to a low grumble.

Although he did take a moment to tell you if you hurt Loona in any way. And he meant in ANY way, by the time he was done with you, they couldn't tell what your remains could have been.

And with that, your relationship bloomed.

You and Loona spending lots of time together, and well, the girl was utterly in love with you.

You were so charming, calm and kind. You treated her with such dignity and respect, treating her like a lady.

And even better, you only had eyes for her, Ignoring every other girl. The girls teenage insecurities being quashed before they could even appear.

But the most surprising part of your relationship, was how much of a gentleman you were. Like all the time.

Even when she, well, was less lady like, you didn't take advantage of that. Even when she was practically presenting, you seemed to hold yourself back.

Eventually Loona asked, wondering why you never seemed to make a move on her.

You were quiet for a moment before telling her you had gone through a great deal to be seen as a gentleman, wanting to refute the stigma towards your kind.

You worked hard to fight against your base urges, and well, she certainly didn't help.

You weren't used to allowing yourself any kind of freedom, always having to keep a tight hold of the reigns.

After all that, Loona became... wanton

Moving back, Loona pounced on you, telling you she didn't like the idea of you holding back, and well, she'd have to get you to 'let loose~'.

It didn't take much teasing to get you to let loose, you eventually taking charge, and well...

Let's say, it was a good thing you had been at your place because, well, You weren't quiet.

After that, well you were far more open with your relationship. Being intimate with one and other had only strengthened your bond, as well as Loona's possessiveness, as you were now her mate.

Blitzø wasn't happy, but, well, loona didn't care.

The two of you had an undeniable love, and held nothing back in your relationship, Loona becoming quite... frisky~

[interact-if]

Day 5 of the Black History Month Featured Author Interviews, featuring Lou! 

Lou, author of Ascendance 

Black History Month Featured Author

You’re an ordinary college student who is simply trying to make it through your college days and graduate. Your life isn’t eventful and you don’t particularly excel at anything. On what looks like an ordinary day, something completely out of character happens in the middle of a lecture. Are you ready to ascend, or will you turn your back on the unknown?

Read more about Ascendance [here]!

Ascendance demo | Author’s Ko-fi

Tags: 16+, Fantasy

[INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT!]

Q1. So, tell us a little bit about the projects you're working on!

Currently, I’m working on a project called Ascendance. It tells the story of a college student who suddenly witnesses the arrival of extraterrestrial beings to Earth, and worse (or best): also finds out that they have a big role to play in the new world to come. Sci-fi meets spiritualism in this project, and every potential romantic path happens under the premise that the reader has known their chosen partner for multiple lives now, only they don’t remember it yet.

Q2. What inspired you to start writing your current project(s)? Why in Interactive Fiction?

Remaining hopeful given how harsh the world can be is an exercise, one so challenging at times that it becomes almost a virtue. Getting to know philosophical currents that are metaphysical is fascinating to me, and playing with them in order to create a fictional world has become, funnily, a useful tool in helping me stay a somewhat optimistic person.

When it comes to the format, I find that the power of choices, or free will, is an important aspect of the story I’m writing and, that being the case, it felt like Interactive Fiction would be the perfect mean to deliver it. Of course, not to mention the several pieces of IF that I love and have provided me with so much inspiration and joy.

Q3. What is the most rewarding part of creating for you? The most challenging?

The most rewarding part has to be witnessing people from different places find comfort, joy, or any positive feeling in reading my project; The most challenging is having to grow in the process of creating it.

Writing an interactive story is not as simple as it looks at a first glance, nor is writing regularly. Facing my lack of skills in some areas and how much I have to improve if I want my work to look as envisioned can be paralyzing at times. I’m holding on, though =)

Q4. Does your heritage have a lot of influence in your work? How?

My heritage has influenced the way I experience life for as long as I can remember and, so, I believe it will always heavily impact my work.

The storytelling style I use, for instance, is very similar to the one of my mother and grandmother.

It basically consists in keeping it simple and straightforward, while also making it just mysterious enough to keep others engaged. My people have also taught me to be resilient and patient, and I try to bring that to every project I embrace.

On the other hand, it’s inevitable to say that not all of that influence comes from bright places:

Racism is part of reality, and it’s such a complex matter, so deeply ingrained in our society, and so subtle at times, that it’s usually tricky for even adults to fully wrap their minds around it. Growing up, for the longest time, I thought something had to be wrong with me, with my hair, my skin, my nose; My somewhat wide feet.

At a point, however, thanks to some great people and lessons that came in different shapes, I began to realize I wasn’t the problem. We aren’t. Society actually suffers from many illnesses, and this is one of them.

As freeing as it is, that realization is likely one of the pillars of the escapist nature of my work.

Q5. Describe something that you love about your work or are excited about sharing in your story.

I really enjoy seeing Ascendance come together and slowly become one coherent piece. I also love the incredibly supportive community of authors and readers it has allowed me to join.

When it comes to its content, I’m excited to explore and share many aspects of the lore regarding the spiritual world meeting the physical plane; That means fantastic technology, ethereal techniques and new ways of perceiving and displaying love, emotions and touch.

Q6. Any advice to give to your fellow writers?

Our stories are bigger than us, and they can achieve interesting things on their own. In some cases, only with insistence it’s possible to tame our fears and let our creations come to life.

Time’s a friend in that process, and writing a single line a day is as good of an achievement as any.

[kookieswan]

Do the boys have a pet name for MC? 👀🖤🏴‍☠️ like pirate related?? Or just Jungkook has one for her?? What about the ship? 👀

I don’t know why I want to see MC drunk, like yes, she is tough but lightheaded when it comes to alcohol 😂😂 and jk taking care of her (i can’t get Jack Sparrow off my head with the rum).

Do you have a schedule for this already 😨? I’m excited but take your time and 🏷 me when it’s done pretty please 🥺🥺🥺 this would be my first pirate fic to read

Mmmh yes there’s names for Mc and the ship!

The ship is called The Blooming Blossom. Namjoon thinks it’s cute and also hilarious. It’s called Blossom for short.

Jungkook tends to call her flower or petal, but once they start being romantic he’ll call over love too.

The rest of them might call her flower but also opt for her regular name more often.

Funnily enough, she gave them an alias at first and just kind of goes with that.

When MC drinks…

She’s a mess, but a fun mess. She gets really loud and Jungkook honestly loves it so much. He thinks it’s adorable.

Best believe he’ll be following her all night to make sure she doesn’t to stupid shit. She liked to do stupid shit when she’s plastered.

The series isn’t really a series yet tbh… I’ve just been running with it. I think I’ll make it a drabble series meaning I’ll be posting different parts out of order at random time; either based odd requests off whatever I want to write, 1k-2k a piece.

[purplealmonds]

They didn’t go to the Ritz every Sunday, after the Apocawasn’t. That was how Crowley referred to the world not ending. Personally, Aziraphale preferred Notmageddon, but he kept that preference to himself, because Crowley had begun taking more than a few bites of his food at each meal so he was inclined to be more indulgent than usual. He’d also begun to acquiesce more frequently when Aziraphale insisted on feeding him a taste of this or a morsel of that.

Aziraphale sometimes forgot about his own food, as hard as that would be to imagine. Instead, he kept finding himself entranced in the play of expressions across Crowley’s face as the demon analyzed each bite, rolling it around in his mouth to hit the different parts of his tongue. Whatever they called the great intervention really didn’t matter, not one bit—not when Crowley displayed this newfound enthusiasm for Aziraphale’s most favorite passion. Sometimes he let his human guise slip just the tiniest bit and Aziraphale would catch a glimpse of a fork in that tongue, as the demon lost himself in the flavors and textures of the various dishes Aziraphale placed before him. He’d always been indulgent where the demon was concerned, but now? Now he was finding that attempting to spoil Crowley was more fun than spoiling himself.

– Chapter 7 - Menu Surprise - All You Need is Love…and Food by TheWightKnight

Links to the fic and other related artwork are in the masterpost.

Artist commentary under the cut!

Finished this piece a little less than 5 hours before the chapter’s set to be published, phew! I did a couple of things to speed up the painting process:

Eliminated the background altogether in favor of focusing on props in the foreground.

Simplified the rendering technique to be more cel-shaded. Save for the subtle gradient in the background, I don’t think I used any soft brushes.

Stuck to a simple color palette, without falling to my knee-jerk instinct to do color adjustments all throughout. The colors looked a bit drab at first, but I trusted that it would come together in the end. And with the help of some color correction layers and textures, it did!

Because of these time-saving methods, I finished this in record time: two days to nail the layout, and a little more than half a day to color it in! Though I could do without the sleep deprivation, I learned how to further streamline my process this hectic weekend!

And now for a bit of miscellaneous trivia:

All the dishes here were referenced from the Ritz London’s afternoon tea spread, though at the actual restaurant they’d never clutter the table like that! But hey, artistic license! 

Speaking of artistic license, I did tweak little statue at the base of the rose bowl. The angel tempting the serpent with an apple - symbolism and all that! 

Funnily enough, the rose petals were added as an afterthought. There were spots in the table that were empty, so I needed something to fill in the space. It certainly added to the romantic atmosphere! 

[noshitshakespeare]

A little off topic, but I’ve seen some people argue that Shakespeare wasn’t a real person; his plays were written by either a group of playwrights or Christopher Marlowe under a pseudonym (those are just a few of the theories). Their reasoning is that Shakespeare shouldn’t have had enough knowledge about the upper-class to write that accurately about them, so he couldn’t have been a peasant. I personally don’t believe it. What do you think?

Hello @friendlyneighborhoodbadger! Thanks for the ask.

This is not an issue I’m especially interested in, mostly because I think the whole conspiracy fantasy is not worth the paper it’s printed on. I ultimately don’t care who wrote the plays. I like them, and who wrote them doesn’t change my feeling about them. But it is notable that, whenever there’s any level of fame or success accompanied by a lack of complete and detailed evidence about someone, conspiracies will arise, and the better someone is at something, the more inclined people are to try to bring them down. There is also the tendency of conspiracy fantasists to think that since they think differently to the majority of people, they must be in possession of the Truth, and that anyone who fails to see it is deluded.

There can be no doubt that Shakespeare did collaborate, and it’s a later, more Romantic (with the capital) notion that they’re the self-contained works of a solitary genius, unconnected with those around him. But there’s sufficient evidence to suggest that they are, for the main part, the works of a man called Shakespeare, a glovermaker’s son from a small town called Stratford in Warwickshire. There are accounts by others from the time that it was written by this man, who evidently existed, and is envied, scorned, and loved by turns. The writing style of those the works are often attributed to are well known, and Shakespeare’s work bears little resemblance to Marlowe, Oxford or anyone else it’s speculated to be by. The amount of evidence we have of his existing and writing the plays, as little as they are, is still more evidence than there is to suggest the contrary.

As you say, as well, many of those who think Shakespeare couldn’t have written the plays think that he wasn’t educated enough to have written them, or that he couldn't have written plays set in Denmark or Italy if he never visited those countries. This is, frankly, snobbery. One does not need a university education to write well, nor does one have to have been to a place to write plays set there, especially when it barely matters where many of the plays are set. Shakespeare had a grammar school education and would have been extremely familiar with great Latin writers such as Virgil, Seneca, Cicero, Ovid, would have studied recitation, rhetoric and debate, as well as Greek and Roman plays and the bible and psalms. This is more than enough material to draw from, and gives him enough of a vocabulary to draw on.

In other words, from a humanities perspective, his education would have been far more rigorous than what a modern education gives us in the way of classics, oratory and poetic techniques. It’s been shown pretty conclusively that Ben Jonson’s claim in his eulogy to Shakespeare, ‘thou hadst small Latine, and lesse Greeke’ is not really true, even if Shakespeare may have been familiar with fewer pieces of literature than those who had studied at university. He was certainly not lacking by our standards today. Ben Jonson, who evidently thought quite well of himself, seems to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder about Shakespeare. Though the eulogy is otherwise quite flattering, he does appear to be comparing his own more classical background with Shakespeare’s lack of one. Snobbishness about education was evidently present then as now. 

So a lot of early anti-Stratfordian conspiracies do come from upper-class people who were so ingrained in the belief of a superior educated elite that they couldn’t accept that they liked something written by a commoner (n.b. a glovemaker’s son is not a peasant). It was something of an embarrassment that the epitome of English literature wasn’t produced by blue blood or the university system they so boasted of. It’s worth noting too that the same issue was countered on the other side by the Romantics, who revelled in the pastoral fantasy of the genius uneducated rustic swain (hence the term ‘bard’). They share the same foundation of thinking Shakespeare uneducated, and differ only in thinking this charming or problematic.

Funnily enough, I did receive an ask a little while ago arguing the opposite, that Shakespeare’s ignorance is what makes it apparent that he wrote the plays. It’s curious that the same material appears ill-educated to some and too educated to others. But most of all, it’s bizarre how many people are more interested in this kind of debate than in the content of the plays themselves, as if the plays are more or less valuable depending on who wrote them.