#having an equal person is usually defined as someone you view as equal or almost equal to you

[narcissisticpdcultureis]

npd + plural culture is feeling completely apathetic/unemotional and your& partner texts you looking for love and because you& love them you reply in a super loving way because you& want them to feel loved by you even if youre having a hard time feeling a specific emotion at the time.

side note: does this make them my EP?

.

[communistkenobi]

re: several recent discussions I’ve seen on here about the dangers of bio-essentialism, in the authoritarian personality the authors find over and over again that highly prejudiced individuals (ie those most likely to be fascists) believe very strongly in A) innate human differences that cannot be altered or negotiated, and B) their own personal ability to categorise people based on these differences with a high degree of precision. the highly prejudiced individual can “always tell” when they meet someone who belongs to an outgroup. This discussion is usually framed in the context of antisemitism, with prejudiced people insisting they can always tell when someone is Jewish, that it is impossible to hide.

There is also a section in the discussion chapters of the book about low-scoring individuals - people who are strongly anti-prejudice (or anti-antisemites, as the authors sometimes call them). These people are not just non-bigoted, but take a conscious stance against bigotry and respond with anger when asked leading questions by the interviewers about minorities. like, “what do you think about the Jewish problem in America?” is almost always answered with some version of “there is no Jewish problem,” or “it’s a Christian problem, not a Jewish problem,” which is not an answer to the question so much as it is a rejection of the question’s premise. This is contrasted with the responses from highly prejudiced people, who treat this question as if it’s completely reasonable and outline what they think “the problem” is, though they often attach qualifiers to it (“the Jews aren’t all bad”) to temper their bigotry. Which is to say, there is an understanding on the part of the low-scoring participants of the role rhetoric plays on prejudice - that “just asking questions” is not an innocent, apolitical act, but one that comes preloaded with assumptions on what you think the answers to these questions should be, or the types of answers you think should be produced.

And to place this in another context - the trans panic that is currently dominating right wing discourse - we can observe extremely similar behaviour. This is best exemplified by the common twitter joke of posting a picture of a cis woman and claiming she’s trans, just to watch transphobes reply with all the ways they can “clock” this woman and tell that she is “secretly” a man. and, it’s worth discussing, that bigots frequently and especially define “male” traits as those commonly found in black and brown cis women, that they are especially fixated on white femininity as the measuring stick by which to judge all other women. but we can see the way that this idea of essential difference in humans undergirds all reactionary thought - without essential ontological categories, you cannot advocate for a worldview that argues for the “good” groups to have dominance over the “bad” ones. But they never prove this base assumption! They point to the very fact of variation within human beings - whether that be skin colour, facial features, ability, sexual organs - and claim that these are indicative of some deeper worth (or lack thereof), but proof of that hierarchical view of variation is never provided.

Which is why when bigots claim they’re “just pointing out the facts,” or say shit like “oh so we can’t even say women and men are different now? We have to ignore biology?” this is an inherently bad faith question. They rhetorically marry “variation” with “measure of value,” and force you to now pivot to talking about the fact that like, human beings are different from one another, rhetorically ceding ground to the premise that human variation inherently determines the value of a human being.

And following this logic, the only way for us to achieve a perfectly equal society would be for us to live in a world where every human being looked and behaved the exact same. And like, uh, how exactly would we achieve this? Which set of parameters for appearance and behaviour would we be following? Who gets to decide what those parameters are? The ONLY logical conclusion to this essentialistic thinking is state sanctioned mass death and subjugation programmes, because there is no other way to get rid of ontologically “bad” people. These hierarchies only have value when they are socially and politically enforced. This is why you should be wary of anyone “just pointing out” that human beings have different physical characteristics. They are not pointing out a neutral biological fact about human genetic diversity, or sexual dimorphism.

edit: altered the spelling of anti-Semitism to antisemitism. Apologies for the improper spelling!

[oddygaul]

I Watched Three Time Loop Movies in a Row

Round and Round

I mean, it’s wild that Vic Michaelis is the star of a Hallmark movie, right? My partner and I had to watch it.

yes, they really do just let her do Vic Michaelis stuff the whole movie, it’s quite good

Round and Round almost immediately breaks what I consider a rule of time loop movies: establish building block events ASAP. These are the bread and butter of your time loop - a strong visual series of repeating events that reinforce the existence of the loop, establish reference points so the viewer knows what part of the loop we’re in at any given moment, and provide opportunities for the time loopee to demonstrate their learned mastery of the world around them.

This… doesn’t really do that? We have Rachel dropping the donuts, yeah, but then… I dunno, the curtains catch fire at the very end, I guess? Outside of that, things happen differently enough each loop it may as well be a sequential narrative. They use that time pretty well - the movie feels like it has more fresh interactions with non-looped characters than average - but this trope is a trope because it’s innately satisfying to watch, and it feels weird to just skip it.

My favorite thing about Round and Round is that when the time loop concludes, the male lead’s memories of each loop are restored, meaning the couple, in the end, have fallen in love on more or less equal footing. Time loop media is often about falling in love, but the way it’s usually only happening to one half of the couple presents an inherently creepy power dynamic. It was nice to see deliberate steps taken to rectify that flaw of the genre.

Palm Springs

Palm Springs fuckin rules. I’m not someone that rewatches movies often - I don’t know why, my brain is weird about it - and yet, I’ve watched Palm Springs at least four times now. It’s just rock-solid start to finish. The premise of starting after the protagonist has already been stuck in the loop for ages is great, the way they examine what that would do to someone is great, the acting is great, it’s funny as hell… I love it.

Unlike Round and Round, this movie goes for all the Time Loop Classics and knocks them out of the park. Repeating events? We got em: “that’s a good leg”, the jump into the pool, the wedding speech, etc. On top of that, though, Palm Springs introduces a unique twist - the time loop has multiple people stuck in it simultaneously. This immediately changes the tone of the movie - rather than the grinding, solipsistic loneliness that typically defines being stuck in a time loop, it’s about people coping differently, and the friction that creates. It also gives the ability to see how different people cope with the situation.

And the different approaches are great - Nyles’ nihilism, Sarah’s drive to move forward, Roy’s wanton violence and eventual zen. Some special attention to Roy, by the way, because what a great subplot - it lampoons the way some time loop protagonists immediately lose all sense of morality* and commit depraved acts because they know there’s no consequences, never stops being funny, and still ends up being poignant when all’s said and done.

*see: fuckin Groundhog Day, apparently

can we really do this, Sandy?

Meanwhile, Nyles and Sarah get to have their time loop fun in more wholesome ways - they really explore the space here and come up with a bunch of fun scenarios that usually are more centered on their joy, even if they are a bit at the expense of the non-looped folks.

Palm Springs also nails home a really interesting theme I’m surprised I haven’t encountered more in this genre - that you can’t change the past. No matter how much you as a person change during the loop, no matter how differently you do things that day, you can’t change what you did even one day earlier, even if it feels like years ago subjectively. In other time loop movies, the protagonist often succeeds in changing their whole outlook on life - from everyone else’s point of view, they woke up as a changed person and lived happily ever after. Palm Springs acknowledges that even if you change inside, the perception of you that exists in the minds of others can’t be changed in a day - and yet, that's no reason to quit.

Groundhog Day

We decided to finish off our time loop binge with Groundhog Day, since neither of us had seen it and it’s pretty foundational.

Well, it’s foundational alright, but woof.

I know this was the era for it, but BOY they do not stop with the sexual harassment in this movie. I mean, Phil being an asshole is the premise of the movie, sure, but there’s only so much aggressive verbal non-consent you can watch. Particularly after watching two modern time loop movies that took a lot of care in balancing their romantic relationships, it was jarring and creepy. A lot of the ‘comedy’ is based around it, too, so laughs were surprisingly hard to come by in Groundhog Day.

Also, it’s wild how quickly Phil goes off the deep end - my man is already committing wildly hazardous acts and putting innocent people’s lives at risk on loop THREE. Bro’s not even a week in, and he’s already ready to throw lives away? Clearly he was in a pretty bad place to begin with. It was a big contrast having just watched Palm Springs - some of the characters do some pretty debauched things there, sure, but that’s after the characters had been stuck for decades in the loop. Phil, meanwhile, wakes up on day 3 and chooses violence.

I guess it’s good to know where the modern American time loop movie all came from, though. It seems to inform some of the thematic focus of the other two we watched, honestly - why focus so much on consent in a time loop romance, or the value of a life amidst a world clouded by nihilism, respectively? Probably because the writers grew up watching something so unbothered with either.

Conclusion

So after three of these, it feels like I should have some deep thematic conclusion on what time loop movies say about the human condition, right?

Nope!

[h-worksrambles]

A personal bugbear of mine in Xenoblade 2 discussion is the idea that Pyra is somehow the ‘fake’ personality, usually when people are saying why they like Mythra more. So often, I see people claim that if someone prefers Pyra to Mythra, they’re missing the point of the story, and proving Mythra’s self worth issues right.

Because, like…that’s really not how the game frames it at all.

Yes. Mythra absolutely came first, and she constructed Pyra as a different self. As we are fully shown in Torna: The Golden Country, she made that personality not only to conceal her power for fear it would only hurt people (again) but also as an expression of her own self perceived shortcomings. Mythra’s comrades criticised her for being too brash, too quick tempered, too eager to jump into a fight and being overly difficult to work with. So she made an alternate persona that is gentle and self conscious, a people pleaser almost to a fault who doesn’t like fighting.

But it’s worth remembering that Mythra is also capable of being many of those things too and vice versa. Mythra can be just as empathetic as Pyra. We see her taking the time to bond with Poppi and show her softer side or allowing Nia to confide in her. Likewise, Pyra can be as fierce or driven as Mythra. We see her wield Mythra’s power at great personal risk to protect her friends (and yes, the fact that Pyra was so quick to lay her life on the line is a whole other, much heavier, topic but one thing at a time). Heck, even the more trivial stuff like Mythra being insecure about being bad at cooking and Pyra conversely being great at it. Don’t forget that Mythra’s Miracle Parfait is the most OP item you can make in Torna. All Mythra needed was practise.

Pyra isn’t just some flawless, shallow fake image of what Mythra isn’t that the player is meant to discard. If anything she’s the embodiment of everything Mythra thinks she isn’t due to her own doubts, but always had the potential to be. Plus, Pyra is still someone with a defined identity and her own thoughts, feelings and struggles. And it’s not like Mythra treats Pyra as a mere mask. They consider each other sisters and talk to each other internally, there’s no conflict between them.

That’s precisely why the game makes such a big deal out of the fact that Rex appreciates both of them. Zeke explicitly asks him if he prefers one over the other. Not only does Rex not choose between them but even directly says they’re more alike than other people think. It’s his ability to appreciate and care for both of them, neither dismissing Mythra for being too unapproachable nor Pyra as being fake, that makes him a great Driver and companion for them. The game wants to value both Pyra and Mythra with equal weight in the narrative. If we were meant to view Pyra as a facade, she would have been phased out of the second half of the narrative as Mythra took more precedence. But she isn’t. They’re given mostly equal screen time from after Mythra’s awakening. Because they both matter and always have.

To be honest, I rather wish the game didn’t have the decision in Chapter 8, since even if it exists more for the practicality of what to call Pneuma, it only serves to muddy the point that Rex doesn’t pick favourites.

Of course, it’s fine to like Pyra or Mythra more. We all have characters we like more or less. But sometimes, the logic I see thrown about in these kinds of discussions feels kind of warped. I can’t help but wonder if takes like this are partly born out of a desire to one up other people in ‘best girl’ debates or shipping wars, rather than good faith character discussion. I dunno, I just wanted to get some brain worms out about why I find these two so interesting.

[pigeonsatdawn]

law school ep 15 (and solhwi overall)

gonna put in my two cents for the line that singlehandedly caused the solhwi nation to implode.

(apologies in advanced because my thoughts are too messy for me to neatly put it in a post but i want to say it anyway—also this is just the way i view solhwi so please don't come screaming at me if you disagree!)

i'm a diehard solhwi shipper and i love their relationship, and think they have one of the best relationships out there in the fictional world, and also definitely one of the healthiest. but to me, their relationship extends far beyond the romantic relationships we so often see portrayed in media.

kim beom said in one interview that this relationship between HJH and KS is kin to that of a soulmate relationship that's not necessarily romance, and i find myself agreeing with that notion. while soulmates are typically used to describe romantic partnerships, it doesn't necessarily have to start with romance. (many people have pointed this out in other posts so i won't go further down the fact that HJH x KS's relationship is a friends-to-lovers slow burn but you get me.)

but in fact, this bond between soulmates (or at least how i define it), in my opinion, is far beyond what we usually see in romance. as in, it's not just someone you like, but it's someone whose changed your life in a certain way. i know some may be averse to the idea of having to change for the one you love because loving is the notion of accepting someone in spite of the person's flaws, but what i mean is that when you love someone in this way, you want to change because of them. you see them, and they inspire you, and you grow in your own way. once again—growth is a very subjective idea, and even for HJH and KS we can see them grow in different directions—but we can clearly see how they have impacted each others' lives.

it's quite obvious, imo, how KS's life has been impacted by HJH's. she's,, not the "smartest" out there, and we can't deny that. we know she probably won't make it through law school if not for HJH's help. HJH is always there, a step ahead of KS, but he's not just being proud about it, instead opting to help her understand what the laws are and why they are the way they are, which KS especially needs, being a particularly empathic person. but we've also seen that HJH has helped KS beyond simply academics. he's always been there to protect her—almost all their interactions have proven that (the camera outside her house, the hungover soup, the switching seats—i think literally everything?..?..?.??). maybe she doesn't necessarily need protection, but surely thanks to his protection she's much better than she might've been without, especially knowing her terribly miserable life.

but i often wonder why HJH is so heart-eyes of KS of all people. i mean, i know love is love and sometimes you just catch feelings, but i believe there's more meaning behind their relationship than meets the eye. like you don't just look at someone so lovingly for it to be just a crush, y'know? the first reason that comes to mind is clearly simply KS's amicable personality. she definitely stands out: she's not that intelligent, struggling and barely surviving, but she has insane passion to pull through even despite truth attacks (like SJH saying she should reconsider her life decisions, saying that a chance of passing isn't something to be proud of, etc). she treats everything with such a positive outlook, and, well, KS is just an adorable human, so it's hard not to have a little crush her.

what makes KS stand out most, the core of her personality, is that she has hope, despite everything. she's been through shit because of her circumstances—left by her twin sister without a word, been in juvie, has no money to deal with it—you know, entire backstory. but instead she fights her weakness, even though she feel like it should've been her sister, even though she's not smart enough, because she has to do this. she keeps going, even though things keep turning out for the worse for her, holding hope when circumstances are most dire. but why? because she strives for justice. she doesn't want to be wronged. she wants the law to own up its mistakes, wants to make sure the law gets its own revenge. that's why she wants to work in law, yeah? and so she keeps fighting, even when hope seems lost.

okay but why did i mention this? because i think this is what HJH sees in KS. why? because this is what he needs.

HJH had lost hope. in an episode (i don't remember which), he mentioned he doesn't trust anyone, and it's obvious why: his uncle. it's the worst kind of betrayal that causes your ideals being burned down. he realized that even people who work in law can be corrupt, people who he thought he could trust above all others, people who seemed utterly good. and then he just begins to regard everyone with baseline amity, and no further. many have pointed out he doesn't have real friends (other than KS), even though he looks outgoing and friendly. it's not quite shown, but it must've been lonely. and a lonely fight, trying to prove that he will be a better prosecutor than his uncle was. and we know that HJH's nature as a person is to be calculating, objective, seeing things through facts and statistics; it's what makes him so intelligent. what that also makes him is realistic, and more often than not, that is almost equal to pessimistic—because reality just... sucks, as has been proven by the betrayal of his uncle. and further into the drama we see only more corrupt people in the business, so we certainly don't get out hopes fueled.

there's scarcely anyone in what we see who's actually pursuing law because they're passionate about the law, or if they are, they're not often very... human in doing it. examples: YJH, SJH, KSB are all very cold and indifferent types, people who really just come and do what they do, focus on studies (in the case of YJH, his teaching), and interactions with others are treated as "lesser". SJH and KSB in particular—they're good at the law, sure, but they seem to prioritize their position in law first and foremost. SJH and KSB don't hesitate to call out their losses, and even would rather not intervene for justice if it meant their position would be compromised. not that they're bad characters, not at all; i mentioned them simply to compare them to KS, who, despite not having the brains to do half the things she's supposed to do and earning herself nosebleeds everytime she tries, still does what she does for justice, passionately, hopefully, all for righteousness.

okay this was longer than i intended WHEW so i'll cut to the chase: long story short, HJH needs KS because KS gives him hope. hope of a humanity where people actually work in law and choose to fight for justice against all odds, even if the system itself is infiltrated by filth and corruption. KS is someone who, in her first lecture, was grilled the fuck out by Yangcrates, yet the first thing she does after she nearly throws her guts out is ask HJH whether he can tutor her. she does not ever lose hope, and that, truly, is what stands out to HJH, what he needs.

and KS needs HJH because he is her hope as well! hope by itself does no good if you can't actually do something about it, and KS knows this. HJH, despite seemingly just being someone to help her in her studies, is someone she needs if she wants to achieve her goals, if she wants to get back on the law the right way. which is why, in the end, KS and HJH are, while independent in their own way, dependent on each other in terms of their growth—KS gives HJH hope in humanity, HJH helps KS realize (make real) her hopes that would have been dreams if not for her.

oh my god i've rambled on this long without stating my point: THE DAMN LINE.

HJH saying he owes her makes sense in this light because, indeed, KS's positive outlook in everything keeps him going. it gives him a reason to keep wanting to work in law, because she is a reason to believe in goodness and justice, that there will be people who keep fighting for justice against all odds. he owes this to her—and perhaps that is why he goes all out to help her achieve that hope, perhaps that's why he goes out of his way to care for her. because they are each other's missing puzzle piece, the other half. soulmates.

sigh ok this was long ONE FINAL POINT. everyone has their own opinion on a solwhi ending, so i might as well chip in mine.

certainly, as a solhwi shipper, i want them to end up together. i believe they're really the best of soulmates, two people who just complement each other so well. but in the current timeline, them having a romantic relationship out of the blue would be,,, simply unnecessary, imo. they're still very much in the stage of friendship, and are both dealing with their own personal baggage, that shoving a romance would just take away the focus from their growth. i personally think even this platonic relationship is already a beautiful one, one that outshines many of the romances i've watched, even without having to flood everything under the romance light—which i think many can agree with me, seeing as how solhwi is shipped so much. i still want to see them end up together, though, so SEASON TWO LAW SCHOOL MANIFESTATION. please please please directors writers make it happen i am begging you. thank you.

sorry for this long ass post, thank you if you do read it and leave any thoughts! again this is just my opinion, you're free to let me know if you think differently or anything, or shoot me a message if you want to scream about solhwi or whatever i'm just solhwi brainrot 24/7 🤸🏻‍♀️

[dameronology]

one hell of a mandalorian {din djarin}

summary: actions speak louder than words - which is good for din djarin, because he's not very good at words. (this was a commission for an anon! i hope you enjoy).

warnings: language

enjoy!! if you're interested in commissions, you can find out more here :)

- jazz xx

Din Djarin was a man of few words.

That had become clear not long after you'd met.

It wasn't that he didn't like talking, or that he was rude - he'd just never had the need for it. The Mandalorian could spend days and days in hyperspace, on his own with nothing but a frozen bounty to keep him company. And they were hardly chatty, even before they were thrown away into the trawling depths of carbonite animation. There were a few select geniuses who tried to make conversation with him in a last-ditch attempt to appeal to his humanity and beg for mercy, but so far, they'd had a zero-for-zero success rate. It wasn't that he didn't have any humanity to appeal to it - because he did, and his weird, green surrogate kid was an absolute testament to that - but it just took a little bit for it to come out.

The beskar made him seem a little...robotic. Like a droid, which was ironic, because he wouldn't have gone near the things with a ten-foot-barge pole. Din had just become so used to people seeing his mask and his intimidating posture before him that having human traits, like feelings and thoughts and opinions, had never been any use. Having defining traits and a personality was all well and good, but nothing helped you through the galaxy quite like the ability to put the fear of God in people.

The Mandalorian was something, but Din Djarin was somebody. He was good; not necessarily pure and golden-hearted like a typical comic book hero, but he had a strong moral compass. Sometimes, it pointed in opposite directions, but he helped those who needed it and he paid his dues. That was probably a lot more than anyone in the galaxy could have said for themselves. In the fight of good and bad, in a world that existed entirely and black and white, there was nothing more grey than an honest man. Somebody who refused to pick a side held the power of both. For that, Din could have either been extremely smart, or extremely dumb.

Sometimes, he was extremely dumb. Made the wrong moves in combat, or got too cocky, however out of character it was for him. It was the losing fights that truly brought out the human side of Din, and it took a very, very specific eye to see it, sometimes to the point where even he missed it. It never went over your head, though.

You'd joined the crew on the Razor Crest as a mechanic - then you became a baby sitter, and his partner-in-crime, and the closest thing he'd ever had to a friend. His non-verbal nature meant that most of his emotional cues came in the physical form. It went over the heads of everybody else, but between your intuition, and the time spent in such a cramped space, it quickly became like a second language to you. Helmet tilts when he was confused, and little nods when he was pleased; tensed shoulders when the Mandalorian was nervous and balled fists when he was about to absolutely lose his shit.

Today was one of those days. Even though you were both in one piece and the baby was - by some absolute fucking miracle - asleep, it almost hadn't been that way. Nevarro had been quieter than usual, and Din had let his guard down; finally convinced himself to relax a tiny bit and ever-so-slightly loosen the stick that was firmly up his backside. His sudden lack of awareness for your surroundings had meant that someone managed to track the Crest, however briefly. The kid had barely noticed, and you weren't phased by what had been a simple, human mistake. Din, true to nature, was already beating himself up for it.

That was evidenced by his heavy footsteps, and the way he'd immediately retreated to the cockpit and slammed the door. Common sense would have entailed that he wanted to be left alone, but you'd long surpassed the point of any of that. Common sense didn't exist in a galaxy like this one. Doing the obvious thing was, nine times out of ten, usually the wrong way. Expecting the unexpected was the right way to go.

You'd paced outside the door for the better part of fifteen minutes - to go in, or to not go in, that was the question. You were torn between wanting to give Din space and wanting to be there for him; a cranky Din was often an unbearable one, but you cared deeply for him. Maybe a little too much, but that was a can of worms to open later.

"Din?" You gently called. Nothing. "I know you're brooding, or whatever it is you do under that helmet, but talking is good."

"I'm fine."

You sighed. "The scale goes great, good, bad, awful, world-ending and then fine."

"I've never heard that before in my life."

"Yeah, I just made it up on the spot." You murmured.

Resting your hand against the doorknob, you pondered for a moment. Did you want to risk it by going in? Making him mad when he was literally shutting you out? It was hard to know what to do with Din - it wasn't like he came with an answer key, or even a vague manual that could point you in the right direction. It was all just guess work.

"Is the helmet on?" You softly asked.

"Yeah."

You took that as a sign - with a deep breath, you gently opened the door and stepped inside the cockpit, shutting it quietly behind you. The tense atmosphere inside was almost enough to swallow you whole. The man practically radiated angst.

"Talk to me." You took a seat beside him.

"There's nothing to say."

"Bullshit." You murmured. "You might have a thousand inches of beskar hiding your face but your body language is a dead giveaway."

"I'm meant to protect you and the kid." He replied. It wasn't much, but it was better than silence. "It's my job to catch bad people and outrun them when I need."

"You did outrun them." You reminded him. "I'm safe. You're safe. The kid is safe. Does anything else matter?"

"It shouldn't have happened in the first place." Din said. "I was relaxed-"

"- you allowed to relax." You cut him off. "Despite your best efforts, you're a human being."

Reaching out, you gently placed your hand over Din's ungloved palm. He didn't resist or try to brush you away. His hands were soft and callous in equal measures, which felt like a fitting metaphor for him on the whole. You tangled your fingers in his and held on tightly, perhaps in a sad attempt to remind him that you were there.

But Din knew you were there - he could feel it constantly, and he thought about it just as much. Every day of his life prior to you had been filled with rigidity and angst, then you'd come waltzing in and for the first time in years, he'd untensed his muscles and stopped looking over his shoulder. Learnt to take a breath and enjoy the simple things in life, like Grogu laughing or you accidentally tripping over a tree branch. You'd become so important to him that the prospect of losing you was too much for him to even fathom. He'd come close today - too close - and it had been an eye-opener. The irony was that telling you why he was so fucking scared was more frightening than the entire thing itself.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." The gentle pull of your voice lulled him back to reality. "Please?"

His grip on your hand tightened. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." You breathily smiled. "You don't have to apologise."

"I never thought I'd have someone like you." Din admitted. "Coming so close to losing you was terrifying, even if it wasn't that close at all."

He'd never been so open about his feeling towards you before. Obviously, you knew that he viewed you in a way he didn't see anybody else, but that knowledge had been based entirely on physical cues and mere guesswork. You'd never expected him to vocalise the way he felt, or even acknowledge them. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, or even something you considered to be detrimental. The words came as a nice surprise.

"You mean a lot to me, Din." You said. He'd always loved the way his name sounded when you said it; nobody had used it for years, not since he'd lost his parents. It was something to vulnerable and personal. You were the only one he trusted with it.

"I do?"

You didn't mean to laugh at that - you really didn't, but it just came out. A low snort of disbelief; shock at his absolute inability to read the fucking room. Din was as intuitive as they came, with the ability to read criminals like a bedtime story he'd been rehearsing since he was a kid. Then it came to you, and he knew nothing. Absolutely nothing. To call him clueless would be the understatement of the century.

"Maker." You murmured. "Of course you do - more than anyone or anything."

"You're special to me." Din replied. "It scares me sometimes."

Din was straight forward with everything he said - it was just finding the courage to say it. He'd gone into battle with Imps and Republic Rangers alike; fought krayt dragons and droids and fellow Mandalorians and yet this entire thing shook him to his very core more than anything else.

You didn't know it, but you were perfectly holding his gaze. Staring right through it and looking right into his soul. He forgot he had one sometimes. It was probably a little dusty and covered in cobwebs, but it was there, and you were bringing it right out of him and back to reality.

Din used his grip on your hands to pull you a little closer - a moment later, he gently pressed the cold metal of his helmet to his forehead. It was the closest you'd ever been to him, even if it wasn't that close at all. You could hear his soft breathing through the modulator, the sensation acting as a stunning reminder that there was a person underneath there. There were times when you forgot, or felt a little disconnected from the idea entirely. You'd never felt the need to see his face, though - you hadn't a clue what he might look like, but at the same time, you had an image of him in your head. It was as clear as day; as bright as the suns on Tatooine and as persevering as the kid's insistence that he receive all your attention, all the time.

You knew what the action was; a Keldabe kiss. The Mandalorian had recounted its meaning to you not long after you'd met - he'd finally let his barriers down and let you plague him with questions about his culture and the creed, and you'd stumbled on the subject. Initially, you'd been entertained by the fact that it two such vastly different meanings. On one hand, it could be a headbutt. A beskar punch to knock the daylights out of anyone who particularly annoyed you. On the other hand, it was almost a romantic gesture; a way that Mandalorians could show their affection to one another without having to remove their armour.

Din had the latter meaning in mind, but also so much more. He was giving you a piece of his culture - including you in the very thing that defined him as a person.

"It won't happen again." The Mandalorian gently said. "I'll never let you get hurt again. I promise."

"I know." You softly smiled. Your eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of the cool metal against your forehead. "For what it's worth, I have your back too."

He softly chuckled. "Thank you."

You gently pulled back, eyes meeting again (not that you could tell).

"Seriously!" You said. "I can be a bad-ass."

"You can be a lot of things." Din replied. "You're one hell of a girl."

"And you're one hell of a Mandalorian."

[thegrapeandthefig]

Ive got a real academic in reconstructionist hellenic polytheism, but as someone who's spent the past few years studying Christian theology at university, I'm cautious of not reading my own concept of God, theology etc. into a different tradition - something I've been wondering recently, is it correct/proper to say the Greek Gods love us in the same way we would say of the Christian God? Reading some ancient sources it can almost seem as if the Greek Gods are somewhat disinterested in humanity

The involvement/interest of the divine in mortal matters is a debate people worshipping those gods have been having for hundreds of years (cf. Stoicism vs. Epicuranism). This question is very much also present in early Christianity (about that, see Did God Care? Providence, Dualism & Will in Later Greek & Early Christian Philosophy by Dylan M. Burns)

It is, frankly, a question that will not be solved. We are mortals, and no matter how much we try or convince ourselves, we have no way of knowing divine logic with certainty. I can only advise to read both stances, compare with your own experience with the gods and choose your stance.

That being said, the question of divine love (either from the gods or from us to them) is more complex. Even from a stoic point of view, I still would argue that it's not the same concept of "love" found in Christianity. For a late stoic (eg. Marcus Aurelius), the gods are perfect beings that define goodness, and yet this doesn't necessarily mean it equals to love in the Christian meaning of the word.

Which brings us to the word "philos" in a religious context, which Mikalson defines/explains as such:

φιλος, as adjective, ‘dear’. φιλος and φιλια are complex terms about which both the ancients and moderns have written books. They are problematic to translate in their noun, adjectival, and verbal forms. In a religious context an action may be φιλον to the gods or a person may be θεοφιλης. These and their verbal equivalents are often treated as ‘god-loved ’, but we must be sure of the nature of that ‘love’ because it affects so greatly our understanding of a god’s feeling for man and his actions. Φιλοσ, in classical Greek, as a noun is ‘friend’, that is ‘a party to a voluntary bond of affection and goodwill, and normally excludes both close kin and more distant acquaintances whether neighbors or fellow-citizens’. Usually with the genitive, as ‘friend of Philip’. φιλια, as the abstract noun, is ‘friendship’, ‘affection’, or ‘mutual affection’. But φιλοσ as an adjective, ‘dear’, may be applied more broadly, beyond the range of ‘friendship’ to family members, other kinds of acquaintances, and even objects. Usually with the dative, as ‘dear to the gods’. The verbal forms (φιλειν) may reject both the noun (‘to treat as a ‘‘friend’’ ’) and the adjective (‘to consider ‘‘dear’’ ’). Given the limitations of English, I transform some of the verbal expressions (for example, Χ φιλειται υπο των θεων) into a ‘dear’ form, as ‘x is dear to the gods’. ‘Dear’ seems to me best, though certainly not perfectly, to capture the adjectival and verbal uses of φιλος in a religious context without introducing inappropriate connotations of ‘love’.

- Jon D. Mikalson, Greek Popular Religion in Greek Philosophy

Alternatively, still on the interpretation of philos, Buckert says this:

Regularity of custom brings familiarity. A Greek can address a god as his dear god, philos. ‘Dearest Apollo’ cries the master of the house in excitement while looking at the statue which stands in front of his house door. When Hipponax calls on his ‘dear Hermes’ while he is obviously about to commit some theft, this familiarity seems somewhat suspect; and ‘dear Zeus’ may sound even more ironical. For Euripides’ Hippolytos, Artemis is ‘dear mistress’, indeed ‘dearest Artemis’; and yet she abandons him. ‘It would be absurd if someone were to say that he loves Zeus,’ is the blunt judgement of the Aristotelian Ethics. The poets ever since Homer proudly say that a god loves a special city or an individual man. But to be man-loving in general would be beneath the dignity of Zeus; this qualification is left for Prometheus or Hermes, at best. The same god who at times loves can also conceive hate and work destruction. The bond between a man and a god never becomes so close that it could be expressed by a positive pronoun: Greeks do not pray ‘my god!’, as Hittites or Hebrews do. The despairing question: ‘My god, my god, why hast thou forsaken me,’ is countered by the defiant assertion: ‘Father Zeus, no god is more destructive than you.’ It is left for men to endure as long as they are able.

- Walter Burkert, Greek Religion, 1991

This is where the concept of kharis takes its place. Because kharis is something that defines your personal relationship with the divine, it is less about "do the gods love us?" and more about "do I have a good relationship with this deity?"

Sorry if this answer went all over the place, but as you can see this is a packed question to which the answer depends a lot on what you perceive love to be and how you define your own relationship with deities.

[neuxue]

Hi....how are you? If you don't mind me asking, who is your favorite love interest in MXTX three novels (luo binghe, lan wanji, or hua cheng)? And why?

And who is your favorite protagonist in MXTX three novels (shen qingqiu, wei wuxian or xie lian)? And why?

Sorry if you've answered this question before....

I absolutely do not mind you asking; I will usually take just about any excuse to go on about stories/characters I enjoy, much as the fact that it’s taken me several weeks to respond to this may suggest otherwise.

So! Without further ado!

I can only answer for TGCF and CQL(/8 chapters of MDZS) but:

Favourite love interest: Hua Cheng

I love Lan Wangji, I really do, but Hua Cheng just hits so many buttons for me and has made a strong case for himself among my overall fictional favourites, much less by any particular category. There’s the obvious, for me: extraordinary competence and a particular brand of arrogance to go with it but at the same time extreme self-loathing, moral neutrality, a past (and to a certain extent present) full of pain, absolutely out of fucks to give (except for the things about which he does care, greatly), the sarcasm, the Aesthetic... you know, all the things designed to make a character My Type.

But also it’s some of the specifics. The whole relationship he has with his own... existence in general and personality in particular. The way he very much does have a strong personality and character and place he occupies in the world, when you’re looking at him from an external perspective, but from his own perspective all of that is... ephemeral, changeable, transient, bearing no value in and of itself except for how it can be shaped. That’s a hard thing to pull off even just from a technical/storytelling perspective - a character who treats their own personality as an extremely secondary afterthought, but who still has enough personality and presence to carry a story - but it’s also just. Man. There’s... probably an entire essay I could write here on the interplay between competence/capability/versatility and the tendency to then define yourself by what you think you’re supposed to be for whatever reason, and within that having to figure out who you actually are or want to be.

And then, the way the story isn’t about him having to change. Yes, there’s growth and self-recognition and coming to know as a person and equal the one he looked to as a god, but. Here is a largely morally-neutral character, perceived by most of his world as a villain, whose story isn’t about needing to be redeemed, or soften his sharper edges, or fundamentally change who he is - instead, it’s a character who goes into the story ready to change literally everything about himself to suit another, and whose story is instead more about accepting himself as he is. It’s about recognising what that self means, and the fact that he can be and is loved not for what he could be or what someone thinks he should be, but just... himself: ghost king and moral neutrality and sharp edges and oddities and all. It’s... I just feel like in so many stories it’d be about fixing him, or showing him another path, or whatever else, and instead it’s saying ‘no, you don’t have to change who you are, you just have to see it’.

I’m not sure I articulated that last bit very well but it really does just hit me like a metric tonne of bricks every time I think about it. What matters is you, and not the state of you, I just! Scream! A lot! 

Favourite protagonist: impossible tie between Xie Lian and Wei Wuxian

I really, truly, genuinely cannot choose between these two. I think perhaps what it comes down to is that we’re seeing them at different points in their own journeys. Yes, we see the absolute low point for both of them (and in each case it’s a favourite moment), and that’s a large part of the appeal - that, and the immediate aftermath, and the way they react to (and mask, and deflect, and hide) pain, the way they dismiss their own hurt and accept so much hatred or ridicule as no more than their due...

But then beyond that, Wei Wuxian’s story picks up... later for the rest of the world but not much later for him, whereas we pick up with Xie Lian eight centuries later. And we see almost none of that interim time except in offhand comments (ow) and whatever you can piece together from fragments dropped by other characters or implied by other events. 

And so where Wei Wuxian’s present-day story is a little more about a second chance and loose ends and consequences and finding a way to move on and all the ways the past clings to the present, Xie Lian is more... ‘settled’ isn’t the word I want, because when we meet him his life is about to be upended again, but with him we get perhaps a more unusual story in some ways in that he’s had some of that interim time, and while his coping mechanisms and how he views himself may not always be healthy, they’ve had a long time to develop. So we’re seeing a kind of... what happens when, after accepting your place in the world as an immortal drifter and laughingstock, after watching the people you loved leave or die or fade or pass beyond your reach, after learning to smile through anything and accept pain, something comes along and shakes that quiet, someone comes along and sees you. It’s just... fascinating and lovely and very different in some ways to Wei Wuxian’s story (for all that in other ways it has certain parallels), and makes it hard for me to pick favourites.

[tipsycad147]

Why do people become Pagan? The top ten reasons

by Michelle Gruben

“Why are you Pagan?” If you were to ask this question of a dozen people, you would probably get a dozen different answers. For Christians (and others who believe in one true God) the revival of polytheism may be confounding. For others, it is hard to understand why a sensible modern person would seem to turn their back on science to worship the gods of old.

Before we get too far along, let's cover some background info. Paganism is defined broadly as non-Abrahamic religion that is Nature-based, polytheistic, or both. Wiccans, for instance, generally worship a creator Goddess and a God who is Her consort. The Wiccan cosmology does not acknowledge the existence of the Christian God (or the concepts of Satan and Hell).

Wicca is the best-known of modern Pagan religions, but there are many sub-groups and branches of Pagan belief and practice. Druidism, neo-Shamanism, Greek/Roman reconstructionism, and Norse Heathenry are just a few. There are also eclectic Pagans who combine elements from various traditions to make their own “flavor” of Paganism. While occult practices (e.g., divination and spellcasting) are common in Paganism, not all Pagans participate in these practices. Conversely, not everyone who is involved in the occult is a Pagan.

Most Pagans are polytheist, meaning they recognize the existence of more than one God. But there is more to Paganism than “the more, the merrier!” Here are some general traits of Pagan religions (keep in mind that not every religion will have them all): Rejection of Judeo-Christian cosmology, observance of seasonal rites, reverence toward Nature, rejection of religious authority and focus on individual experiences, paranormal/psychic beliefs and practices, emphasis on personal responsibility over sin or evil.

Not surprisingly, a preference for one or more of these traits is what attracts many people to Pagan religions—but we’ll get to that in a moment.

At the risk of stating the obvious, religion is a choice. If a person follows a Pagan religion, they are expressing a preference for Paganism over another religion, or no religion. Thinking about the reasons why people choose to become Pagan can lead to better understanding of Pagan friends and family. If you are Pagan, you may even learn something about yourself!

For the record, I’m Pagan in a mixed-religion household. This (totally unscientific) list is based on my own observations within the Pagan community. I’ve tried to present them in a way that’s inclusive and fair. Without further ado, here are some of the most common reasons why people choose to follow a Pagan religion:

1. They were raised Pagan.

Contemporary Pagan groups began forming in the 1930s, and achieved breakthrough status with the emergence of Wicca in the 1950s. Before that time, very few people in the West were raised Pagan. If you wanted to be initiated in a Pagan tradition, you had to seek one out—often at great expense to your personal or professional reputation.

Nowadays, that’s not the case. Neo-Paganism as a social/demographic phenomenon is in its third generation. It’s fairly common to find adults who were raised Pagan, or even whose parents were raised Pagan! It’s also possible to find those who were raised Pagan, but left Paganism. “Mom used to go out in the woods with her friends and do weird stuff—I never really got into it.”)

Some Pagan clergy will participate in the general blessing of infants and children, such as the ritual of “Wiccaning.” However, most Pagan paths do not have formal initiation for children. Pagans also overwhelmingly value religious choice. If someone continues their Pagan practice into adulthood, it is likely because they found something meaningful in it.

2. They want sexual acceptance and/or sexual freedom.

Of all the world religions, Paganism is arguably the most tolerant of the varied expression of human sexuality. Sex is considered a divine gift and a sacred rite. Lusty Gods and fertile Goddesses appear in all the major pantheons. (Along with gender-bending, raunchy stories, and other sexy fun.) For most Pagans, sex is just no big deal as long as it’s between consenting adults (or deities).

Pagan groups almost universally accept gay members, and some traditions even have queer or queer-leaning branches (Radical Faeries, Dianic Wicca). Pagan activists have been on the forefront of the struggle for equal rights. Compare that to the sluggish response of churches—even liberal churches—to embrace LGBTQ members and clergy, and you’ll understand why sexual minorities have been so attracted to Paganism. For people who are used to hearing their sexual desires called dirty, sinful, or shameful, the difference can be life-changing.

It’s not just queer folks who embrace Paganism as a safe­­ haven. Horny folks do, too. In most Pagan belief systems, sex is not considered a sin but a morally neutral act. Sex for fun is fun, sex for magick is magick. It’s not how much sex you’re having, but your intention that characterizes the act. The only moral imperative is in how you’re treating yourself and your partners.

Partners? Oh, yes! Polyamory, group sex, and (legal) exhibitionism are accepted within some Pagan communities. That’s an undeniable treat for people who want to enjoy these activities without religious shame.

3. They don’t care for dogma and/or authority.

There is no holy book, no central governing body, and no real priestly authority within the mass of related beliefs filed under Paganism. This is great news for people of a certain temperament—religious rebels and militant agnostics. (“I don’t know, and you don’t either!”)

As a social movement, neo-Paganism is deeply indebted to the Transcendentalist writers of the 19th century. Their poems and essays held the germ of the idea that fuels Pagan practice: That God speaks directly to everyone—often through Nature—and not only to a specially qualified few, inside special buildings.

Some Pagan groups do have ordained clergy. But there are still significant differences between Pagan clergy and those of more established organized religions:

First, Pagan titles like “High Priestess” are usually self-conferred or passed along from student to teacher. This does not mean that they’re not “real” clergy, but it does mean that their power is limited outside their own group or coven. (A Pagan leader may also be ordained as a minister by another organization, such as the Church of All Worlds or the Unitarian Universalist church. This allows them to receive certain legal privileges that independent Pagan clergy usually do not enjoy.)

Secondly, Pagan clergy tend to function more as community leaders than authority figures. Pagan priesthood does not confer any real power over others, either temporal or spiritual. Most Pagan leaders encourage discussion and self-study by their students and congregants. Certainly a dedicated Priest or Priestess will have more experience working with their deities than a beginner. They may have the skills to do rituals or advanced deity work that a novice does not. In a sense, though, every Pagan is their own Priest or Priestess—and the best Pagan clergy respect that. This makes Paganism very attractive to those who don’t want to experience God(s) secondhand.

4. They long for a connection to Nature.

The earth, the trees, the sky, the sea—most world religions recognize these wonders as the work of a mighty creator God. And yet, most leave it at that.

Not so with Paganism. Pagan religions are sometimes described as “Earth-based”—meaning the Earth and its cycles are central to what Pagans hold sacred. Most Pagans profess a deep reverence for natural places, the seasons, the web of plants and animals, and the processes of birth, aging, and dying. While it’s not technically required, many Pagan services are held outdoors. “Skyclad” (nude) rites are another way that Pagans shed the trappings of modern society and get back to the core of being.

Some people come to Paganism as an extension of their environmentalist or eco-feminist views. Others simply want to reconnect with Nature as an antidote to the alienation that comes with busy, digitized lives.

5. They’ve had negative experiences with other religions.

It’s a sad but undeniable fact. People who turn toward one religion are often, with the same movement, turning away from a religion that has hurt them. If you spend enough time in Pagan communities, you will certainly meet some of these displaced folks.

Perhaps a certain religious doctrine—such as the prohibition against homosexuality—is causing the person emotional pain. Maybe they’re frustrated with persecution, corruption, or hypocrisy within the religious group they came from. Or maybe they’re rebelling against the religious beliefs of a parent or spouse. Whatever the case, Paganism appears to offer a chance for a fresh start, one with less restriction and oversight than they may be used to. Pagans don’t evangelize—which may make them seem more trustworthy to folks who have been burned.

As with all life choices, there are right and wrong reasons to become a Pagan. And you can’t ever really know someone else’s motives. The best thing that Pagans can do is treat religious refugees kindly, answer their questions honestly, and wait for them to figure out if Paganism is right for them.

6. They have trouble with the concepts of sin and evil.

Of all the barriers between Pagan beliefs and Abrahamic religion, the idea of sin is the thorniest. Original sin is a tough doctrine to swallow, even for many Christians. Who wants to suffer for something that happened before they were born? That Paganism has no equivalent concept to sin and sinfulness is one of its biggest selling points, so to speak. (Pagan beliefs about the origin/existence of evil are so diverse I won’t even try to tackle the topic here.)

As mentioned earlier, there’s no single Pagan concept of God. Still, one idea you see over and over in Paganism is the doctrine of non-dual immanence. God/Goddess existing here and now, and not in some distant place or kingdom to come. Lack of meditation or participation or acceptance can distance us from the sacred, but God/Goddess is always there. Furthermore, divinity is present within the material world, and the world is inseparable from its creator.

All of this is pretty difficult to reconcile with Judeo-Christian ideas about original sin and the fall of man. (Some Hermetic Pagans do accept them as metaphorical/alchemical truths—but that’s a whole other beaker of worms.) In Biblical cosmology, the world is created by God, but separate from God. The world we know is basically fallen and can only be redeemed through God’s intervention. In Paganism, the world we know is basically holy and does not require redemption. (Only observation and celebration, if we want to be happy and—perhaps—please the Gods.) The other worlds are holy, too—not more, nor less.

As for behavior? Paganism emphasizes individual freedom and responsibility over moral absolutism. Most Pagans live by an individual moral/ethical code, but shun universal behavioral codes. Pagan ethics have been heavily influenced by the Wiccan Rede: “An it harm none, do what ye will.” This in turn derives from Aleister Crowley’s “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law”—possibly the most mis-interpreted eleven words of all time.

It’s not that Pagans believe that you can or should do whatever you want. On the contrary, Paganism teaches that actions (and even thoughts) reverberate through the universe to affect oneself and others. There’s no real concept of sin, but Paganism is not amoral. In encouraging moral behavior, Paganism substitutes concepts like karma, duty, interconnectedness, for a paternal god figure keeping score.

7. They yearn for representations of the Divine Feminine.

Dion Fortune wrote “A religion without a Goddess is halfway to atheism.” Women’s bodies are the carriers of life. And yet, many world religions downplay or denigrate the contribution of women. In Abrahamic religions, women can be vessels and saints, but are rarely prophets and never God. Many people yearn for distant time—real or imagined—when women’s bodies could also be a representation of deity.

As a social phenomenon, the rise of Wicca and Goddess spirituality has coincided pretty neatly with the expansion of women’s rights. As long as women are to be regarded as equal to men in society, there are those who feel that patriarchal religions can never be wholly legitimate.

Everyone has an earthly mother and a father. If you believe in God, it makes a kind of intuitive sense that everyone has a divine Mother and Father, too. Yet religions that include a Goddess are usually labeled polytheist and Pagan automatically.

8. They want explanations for psychic and paranormal events.

Out-of-body experiences, premonitions, telepathy, ghost encounters—weird stuff sometimes happens. If you haven’t had an inexplicable experience, then you likely know someone who has. Pagans aren’t alone in experiencing the paranormal, of course. But they tend to be better equipped to talk about it than the average person.

Imagine a person who has recurring paranormal experiences, or experiences they believe to be paranormal. Mainstream science tells them that these experiences are illusory. Mainstream religion—when it’s not condemning them as evil—seems mostly too embarrassed to talk about occult happenings. It’s no surprise that the person would be drawn to a Pagan community where psychic stuff is openly discussed, accepted, and even encouraged.

Don’t get me wrong—mental illness and paranormal delusions do occur, and can cause great harm. But the not-crazy among us still yearn for a safe haven to discuss our psychic lives without condemnation. I believe—though I can’t prove—that so-called paranormal experiences are actually quite common among the general population. I’ve also observed that persistent psychic curiosity is one of the major reasons that people turn to Paganism.

9. They’re attracted to the power and control offered by magick.

I once read an academic paper that was trying to explain the rise of Wicca and witchcraft among teenage girls. The conclusion was that when a young women lacks a sense of control in her life—i.e., economic, sexual, or social autonomy—a religion that offers a secret source of power is immensely attractive. (Who wouldn’t want to be able to cast a love spell on a crush, or curse a bully?) The author observed that many teen girls become practicing Pagans in junior high and high school. They tend to lose interest after finding another source of personal power (a job, a relationship, a better group of friends).

As a young Pagan woman, I found the tone of this particular paper to be condescending, bordering on insulting. But one thing is obviously true: Occultism purports to offer power to the powerless, esoteric means to an end when exoteric means have come up short. Why else would there be so many people interested in fast answers—love spells, get-rich-quick spells, and the like?

Lots of people approach witchcraft and/or Paganism because they want to learn to use magick. They see it as a way to fix their lives in a hurry or achieve undeserved success. Many of them move along when they realize that real magick is real work.

10. They’ve been called by a God or Goddess.

A burning bush, a deathbed vision of Christ, a miracle from the Virgin Mary—these are the types of religious experiences that are familiar to most people. But Pagans have religious epiphanies, too. Although most of us don’t talk about it outside of trusted circles, our Gods and Goddesses call to us in dramatic and in subtle ways.

Like any other type of religious conversion, some people drift gradually toward an acceptance of Paganism, while others are thrust toward it by a single epiphany. Some people may scoff at the idea of elder Gods asserting their presence in the 21st century. But it's certainly no wackier than what other religious people believe. (And it's hard to be so cavalier when Odin’s keeping you awake at night with a to-do list.)

For most Pagans, one or more of the above reasons has contributed to their finding their religious path. There are certainly other reasons that aren’t on this list. Of course, the best way to find out why a particular person is Pagan is to (respectfully) ask!

https://www.groveandgrotto.com/blogs/articles/why-do-people-become-pagan-top-ten-reasons

[readingsbylibramc]

birth chart reading for @screechingbangtansonyeondanrmpie

hello! welcome to your reading. I’m gonna give you a quick overview of what I’m going to analyze about your natal chart. feel free to ask me anything if something isn’t clear, of course. you’ll find out your dominants’ influence on your persona, your physical appearance, impression on others and the way you approach the world; your ego, identity, the real you; your reactions, your desires, inner emotions; your way of expressing your feelings, your mind and ideas; your desires and approach to love; your energy tank, instincts and temperament; in-depth analysis of each house with their rulers and analysis of heavy aspects; love life + soulmates/karmic partners interpretation; your relationship with your friends; your family life; your approach to career and work in general + possible jobs suggestion; your style, fashion sense analysis; life purpose and past life description; basic transits’ analysis to describe your current mood and, last but not least, your secret skills, how to make the most out of your soul and manifest what you desire based on your birth chart.

🦋 chart shape, dominants

your chart is a locomotive shape. this means that you're a very ambitious person, with a lot of energy. saturn has a big influence on you, and your life revolves around achieving your goals and dreaming in big. the empty part of your life is what you have to develop, hence your relationship with friends and lovers.

your dominant planets are venus, the sun and saturn. you are very creative, you probably come up with innovative ideas easily as you're able to understand others' emotions. you're also extremely smart and intelligent, you are strongly motivated to pursue your goals, even though you could sometimes be a bit bossy.

your dominant sign is libra. you're overall a peaceful person, you try to avoid conflicts if possible, even though sometimes you could have a sharp tongue. you're a romantic person, maybe too much. you hold unrealistic expectations of people, hence you often get disappointed when things don't turn out the way you thought. you're able to see both sides of an argument, and that's both good and bad. in fact, you're very objective, and most probably your opinions are right; yet, it may be annoying for people that are venting to you, as you could constantly point out their mistakes, even though you don't do it out of malice.

your dominant element is air. in your life, you adore seeking for knowledge of any kind. you may be interested in studying different subjects, from those you study at school like science, maths, literature etc. to more unconventional ones, such as astrology, psychology, criminology and so on. you enjoy interacting with people; even if you’re not that sociable, you’ll still be interested in their point of view and their ideals, as you see it as a way to expand your own mind. you’re also interested in vintage, and you may have a retro aesthetic or just like history in general.

🌎 ascendant in libra, 16° / 2nd decan ruled by venus and uranus

you're naturally likeable, you have a particular charm to you that makes everyone drool over you. you're very nice and outgoing, you always try to make others feel at ease. you're very considerate of others' feelings. you strive for fairness and justice, it's the way you approach others and the world. basically, you treat others like they treat you: if they're kind with you, you'll be very sweet. otherwise, you'll turn very sarcastic and harsh, almost cold at a certain point. you're very opinionated, you always feel the need to express your thoughts as you're very proud of them. in addition, since you always decide whether something is right or not, you may come off as a know-it-all. on the other hand, you're very sociable and you enjoy being in company, doesn't matter whether you're with your family, friends, lover etc. you may get to know many people throughout your life, but your friendships may not be much stable. you are surrounded by people, but you could feel lonely particularly often. I also need to point out that libra is ruled by venus, the planet of beauty. you're most likely very attractive and magnetic. even if not necessarily conventionally, people find themselves attracted to you. you may have sparkling doe eyes, with also full lips and a defined cupid's bow. your face is more on the longer side, perhaps you have an heart-shaped face, with high cheekbones and a pointy chin. you may also have naturally amazing, fluffy and flowing hair. your body is also very feminine, with a lot of curves and softness to it. it's very romantic, to sum up. also, your hair is probably naturally beautiful; it could be curly, or at least it's very thick and healthy-looking, even if you don't take much care of it.

libra ascendant conjunct libra sun: you're a genuine person, and you show yourself for who you are. you don't wear a mask, and you want the same authenticity from others as well. you leave a positive first impression on others, as you're very friendly and kind. you have this particular charisma to you, that makes you look both bubbly and mysterious. you have a bright personality, you're always kind to others. yet, there's something in your eyes that projects all of your fears and inner emotions. it's very magnetic, but some people may take advantage of that. think twice before opening up to someone, as not everyone is as honest as you are. this placement may give one a big ego, but combined with insecure 12th house placements, I think it's a great combo. you're confident, but not bossy. or maybe, you have contrasting feelings; one day you could lead a riot, the other day you just want to hide under your sheets.

libra ascendant conjunct libra mercury: you enjoy communicating and intellectualism. you’re very curious about everything that surrounds you. you love expanding your knowledge, ideas and mind in general through communication, interactions and media. you have the ability to adapt quickly to new situations; your mind is fast, usually impulsive, even though this energy may not be much prominent; it may be perceived differently due to your libra energy, in fact. that’s because libra prefers organizing things, rather than acting impulsively. yet, this placement still helps you being adaptable to changes, even though you may only be able to see it after a few years if you manage to balance it well. you may also be able to match the energy of the people you’re talking to in order to be perceived as more likeable and connect with everyone on a deeper level. you may be fond of books, poetry, literature… both writing and reading. it’s also a way to let yourself tune to your emotions. since you’re constantly mentally active, physically you may also tend to play with your fingers or hair, or maybe you tend to gesticulate while you speak. appearance-wise, I assume you’re at least of average height, with long limbs and fingers. you have something small about your face; you may either have a small nose, or eyes, lips etc. same thing goes for your bones. you may be naturally skinny, or perhaps you have healthy curves. you also tend to look younger than you actually are, especially when growing up.

libra ascendant conjunct libra mars: your approach to the world is spontaneous, you don't like thinking before acting. you don't really do this with malice, though; you're just very honest. even though you appear really confident to others, you may find yourself feeling a little insecure. that comes from the fact that you're a perfectionist, even though you want to be perfect to show it to others rather than for yourself. hence, you feel pressured. even though you may appear as rude, once you get to know someone you truly care about you're willing to control yourself, just for them. that's how far you'd go for someone you love. physically, individuals with mars conjunct the ascendanr are usually very fast, active and athletic in general. you may walk fast, and you have quick reflexes. they are also fit; even if they're overweight, their body will still look good, with a nice and toned structure. you may have strong, almost masculine features: thin lips, thick eyebrows and lashes, broad shoulders, sharp nose...

🌞 sun in libra, 19° / 2nd decan ruled by venus and uranus

this is the most romantic and kind-hearted libra decan. you are very intuitive, you understand others’ real feelings very easily. you’re very polite and mannered, you have this innate elegance about you that could make people jealous. you may even come off as snob. even though your libra stellium may make you look flaky, once people get to know you you’re actually very reliable and trust-worthy, as you are a person of strong morals. you may unconsciously manipulate people, but you don’t do it with malice. in fact, you’re probably not even aware of it most of the times. you’re reserved, and you don’t like being the centre of attention, despite craving compliments. nonetheless, you still like getting to know new people; you’re the type to know everyone, but you may struggle to find actual best friends, as your bonds with people are quite undeveloped and superficial. you have a nice sense of humor, and you may rely on sarcasm a lot. you’re also the type that doesn’t like to accept her mistakes. probably, when you were a child you used to scream 'it’s not my fault!’ in every occasion. in life, you strive for equality and fairness. for example, you don’t want to give less than someone else, you would feel guilty about it. at the same time, you don’t want to be the one that gives more either; you’re afraid that people could take advantage of you. therefore, balance is what you find the most pleasant.

libra sun conjunct libra mercury: you express your ego and identity through your words and ideas. you’re very opinionated and you protect strongly your beliefs. after all, you probably came up with your ideals after thinking deeply about them, you were too precise to be wrong. you’re also probably an avid reader, and you could do well in writing yourself, as you’re able to properly convey your ideals with your words. also, your heavy libra dominance makes you naturally good at writing poetry, or even romance. your mind is very active, and you feel comfortable letting all your thoughts out. it’s actually a way to relieve stress. you also have a wide vocabulary, and you’re capable of making a formal speech if you have to. you have a memorable way of speaking, as your words are very sharp. it’s hard for you to be ignored for your intellect.

libra sun conjunct libra mars: with this placement, you may be way more straight-forward than the typical libra. you are very impulsive and honest above all, you say things as they are. you don't get hurt easily, you're able to be very brave when you want to, and even if you do get emotionally hurt, you know how to stand up for yourself again. you strive to achieve your goals and make your dreams come true, you're an hard-worker. some may call you impatient, and you may actually be, but in reality you just can't wait for things to happen. for example, let's suppose you're going to the mall to buy the playstation you always wanted. you'd start only thinking and talking about that playstation until you actually get it in your hands. you get easily excited. also, this is another placement that indicates that is hard not to notice you. you have a very strong charisma that makes others stare. you strive to be the number #1 at whatever you do, you're a serious competitor and you'd do anything to win and achieve your goals.

🌙 moon in libra, 5° / 1st deca ruled by venus

the most romantic and affectionate libra decan. in life, you strive for equality and fairness. for example, you don’t want to give less than someone else, you would feel guilty about it. at the same time, you don’t want to be the one that gives more either; you’re afraid that people could take advantage of you. therefore, balance is what you find the most pleasant. ironically, you struggle to keep the same balance in yourself, though. you may appear a bit emotionally cold, as you don’t feel comfortable showing your true self due to your secrecy. you come off as kind of analytical, but you’re actually very romantic. you wish the world was just filled with love and peace, and you that you didn’t have to worry about malice or anything of that type. you hate vulgarity, and you try to be as kind as possible with your words, even though you may be too straight-forward and fail at that. even if you’re an introvert, you may know a lot of people. yet, you have troubles actually creating close bonds with others. you basically have more acquaintances than friends. you’re a nice mediator, you know how to get along with others and make others get along.

libra moon conjunct libra mars: you aim for greatness. this is where your strong desire to be the #1 comes from, pretty much. you're very proud of yourself, and you don't like to acknowledge your mistakes. you always want to look like you have your life together, even in certain moments when you feel lost. I would say that this is a sort of self-sabotaging mechanism, as you can literally go as far as forcing a smile if it shows the world that you can stand by yourself. overall, I would say you deal with your emotions in a very 'child-like' way. you tend to preserve yourself more, unless someone really special to you is involved. in fact, moon conjunct mars makes you really protective of your loved and trusted ones, even though they're not many because of your high standards. you're also very honest, you speak from your heart. while it's a positive trait, you may be too blunt and ruin your relationships because of that. you're both smart and fast, hence you may get annoyed when people mishear or misunderstand your words

libra moon conjunct libra jupiter: you're an outgoing and warm person, who always tries to make others feel at ease. I assume you try to be nice to everyone, but you can't help but be a little awkward around people you don't know. you go with the flow and don't shy away from challenges. they're moments to prove your potential and abilities. you are an extremely open-minded person, you rarely judge a book by its cover. you probably despise racism, homophobia, misogyny etc. with a passion (as you should tbh). you may also be into poetry, philosophy, and just anything that can stimulate both your mind and feelings. in fact, your mind is constantly wandering somewhere else, allowing you to travel with your fantasy. you're also probably attracted to foreign things, like people, music, fashion, languages, movies etc. you love learning about anything, and you may also have a good memory. in fact, it’s common for you to be the one who explains things and possibly even leads a group, and this could unluckily make you seem as a know-it-all. you do take pride in your wisdom, indeed. your deep way of thinking is also where your desire for freedom comes from, as you wish to be able to expand yourself through travelling and new experiences. when you get angry, you can actually get very rude and offensive, even towards authorities. you’re short-tempered, and you despise being told what to do. you’re also a good, loyal friend, and you’re the type to stand up for them and defend them during a fight. you’re friendly, especially with people you feel comfortable with, and you probably love talking. you’re able to put a smile on others’ face just by telling your stories, even though you never truly go in-depth. you're quite optimistic, as you see good in everyone. yet, while this is a good trait that allows you to be more at ease in relationships, you may also be fooled easily due to your blind optimism.

🗣 mercury in libra, 25° / 3rd decan ruled by venus and mercury

you're very diplomatic! you always try to be nice and gentle with your words, you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. your tone of voice is extremely soft, sometimes it could even be hard to understand what you say, as you could naturally have a low voice. you're extremely balanced, you have amazing problem-solving skills as you're able to see both side of an argument. it's natural for you to understand what's right and what isn't, and most of the times you're actually right. when you're with someone you're not really close to, you could even be the accommodating type who allows others to speak over your voice, or maybe you let others speak first as a gesture of kindness. I feel like with your libra dominance you have very strong opinions, and you're actually particularly proud of them. luckily, this placement makes you able to communicate them with diplomacy. you could often get angry if someone tries to prove you wrong, but aside from that, you try to be very elegant and formal when you speak. you're probably not fond of cursing, or at least you try to appear as mannered as possible with people you're not comfortable around. last but not least, you're such a charismatic, smooth talker that you result very persuasive. you're able to trick people with your words, which appear very diplomatic and calm.

libra mercury square cancer saturn: this placement gives you limitations and lessons regarding the way you think and talk. it may be that you’re too shy to approach others and to say what you think, so you just don’t try. otherwise, if you actually take action and try to overcome this problem, you could get into troubles. that’s probably caused by the fact that you don’t really pay attention to your words. you’re quite straight-forward, and due to your mars energy you always seem as if you’re up for a fight. you may be particularly pessimistic, or maybe you lack confidence in social interactions due to these problems, which could be possibly caused by your parents, or perhaps interfer in your relationship with your family. in fact, you may argue quite often with others, and misunderstandings are also common. this is something that gets naturally better with time, but in order for it to happen you need to take action. you may for example start speaking with others more at school, anything that allows you to challenge your mind and voice, in order to make you gain experiences and become a master at it. many celebrities, once they mastered this hard aspect, got loads of success. you can do that too, you just need to work on it.

❤️ venus in virgo, 10° / 2nd decan ruled by mercury and saturn

in your group of friends you’re most probably the late bloomer. in fact, it probably took you a while to experience romance. that’s because love isn’t your priority, even though you crave emotional affection and security. you’re not the type to fall for someone at first sight, you’re only into people that are willing to commit to you. you seek a partner that is hard-working and takes care of themselves, both physically and mentally but, at the same time, that would only look at you. it could take you some time to feel totally comfortable around your partner, but once you trust them, you’ll stay with them for a while. it’s hard for you to show your love with words, hence you do it with little gestures. you probably remember things like their birthday, their favorite food etc., and you wouldn’t mind receiving the same kind of affection back. when it comes to love, you’re not a risk-taker; you probably prefer being courted rather than court others, and if you do it, you make sure that the other person likes you back. you enjoy helping others, you’re the type of friend or lover that wouldn’t hesitate to do favors. yet, you want to be appreciated, otherwise you may just feel used. you may be quite hard to satisfy, but you’re surely very loyal.

☄️mars in libra, 10° / 2nd decan ruled by venus and uranus

there’s this stereotype that libra mars people are passive-aggressive. it may be true, but only partially. in fact, you try to avoid conflicts exclusively when you’re in public, or maybe with someone you don’t know well. in that case, you can eventually try to avoid the problem. with people you’re close to, you’re pretty much the opposite. you may say the worst of things that you probably don’t even feel, you may even have the istinct to throw hands. you’re driven by a strong sense of justice, and you probably were the class’ snitch during daycare/primary school. you also strive for equality, hence you may get very defensive when it comes to proving your innocence, or just really anyone’s. overall, you’re a fair person with strong morals, who acts based on the situation you’re in.

libra mars conjunct libra jupiter: you are driven by a strong sense of justice that makes you want to discover the truth. you hate lies of any kind, you want sincerity from those around you and you're the first to be constantly honest. you value your freedom a lot, your life motto is most likely 'live and let live'. you think everyone should live their lives by their own standards, without feeling afraid of being judged or criticized. you're a very pure and genuine person, you hardly ever judge a book by its cover, and you're also extremely open-minded. you're thirsty for knowledge of any kind, you're always up to learn something new. you may also be interested in foreign languages and cultures, as well as philosophy, literature... anything that can teach you something new about the world. you may be quite impulsive, and when you get angry you tend to be very blunt. you may say things that hurt others, as you're brutally honest, even though that wasn't your intention. you may also appear as flaky, since you don't like feeling tied to something or someone. you could often change your favourite colour, food, singer... you despise boredom, and your need for freshness may also manifest in your relationships.

🏡 houses

your 1st house is in libra. you have a peaceful approach to the world; you most likely don’t like conflicts, you prefer avoiding them, even though you may have some troubles with that due to your impulsive and fiery mars energy. you probably care a lot about your appearance, and because of that you could get insecure from time to time. usually, people with libra in their 1st house look for themselves in others, as their chart is basically upside down. you struggle to be independent, and people could try to take advantage of you for your kindness. the sun and mercury are also placed in this house: your ego feels fulfilled when you express your opinions, ideas and creativity. people probably see you as an intelligent, wise individual. maybe even as a know-it-all. you care about both your inner and outer self, which may be the cause of your confidence issues. you try to fit into society, and you tend to change your approach to people based on who you’re interacting with. while this gives you great social skills, it may confuse you quite a bit. in fact, you may forget who you are. you may often have identity crisis, especially since you always feel as if you have to fit somewhere.

your 2nd house is in scorpio. this placement can make you seem a bit selfish. in fact, you’re extremely possessive of your possessions, you don’t want to share them with others. there’s a lot of karma around your finances. in fact, if you’re too stingy, it may bite your butt. you need to give in order to receive, so I’d suggest you to share your things more with others. you could share a meal with a friend, for example. you’ll surely get something positive back from it. your finances may not be stable either; they are in constant change, and while this placement can make you earn quite a great amount of money, it can also make you lose everything you have. no inbetweens. the 2nd house is also about self-esteem, your relationship with your appearance. you have contrasting feelings about it; some days, you’re very confident. other days, you hate yourself. you may find flaws in every single picture you take or every pants you try on. it’s a very intense placement, as you may often feel as if you need to change your appearance in order to love yourself. based on other placements in your chart, it could manifest in spending money in a new wardrobe for example, as you feel like changing your style would help you boost your self-confidence.

your 3rd house is in sagittarius, with also your pluto placed there. this is an amazing placement for a writer! you’re extremely open-minded and philosophical. you’d probably do great at poetry or just literature in general. you’re thirsty for knowledge, you aspire to learn everything you can, you enjoy being smart and educated. you most likely love comedy, and you have an amazing sense of humor yourself, you’re able to light up the room and make everyone burst into laughter even if you don’t mean to. you’re also very intelligent, you’re able to memorize things fast and you’re also a fast-learner. you may be less into gossips than other libras, as you’re very benevolent and considerate of others’ feelings. in addition, you’re able to see the good in everyone, there’s no reason for you to talk behind someone’s back. actually, it’s the opposite. you’re quite impulsive, you say things as they are. you probably love witty jokes and sarcasm. you’re extremely honest when you think and speak, and most of the times you have no problems expressing your opinions. you could possibly be very good with words and be good at convincing and manipulating others. your mind is very deep, you’re probably not really into small talks. you may also love anything that is considered taboo, like astrology, horror, nudity, death… you’re also quite secretive, you’re seen as an enigma. you don’t want to share much about you. last but not least, you value honesty above all. you only speak the truth, and hence you also want it back. you may as well be into conspiracy theories, science and anything that can expose what’s behind the universe, the government etc.

your 4th house is in capricorn, with also neptune placed there. I can tell that your childhood was quite complex. not necessarily bad, I don't see any kind of trauma, but you probably had to grow up way sooner than other kids. your parents could have been very hard-working and focused on their jobs, possibly wealthy too. they were very responsible and cared a lot about you, they always made sure you had everything you needed, even though they could have been slightly absent from time to time due to their jobs. people with a capricorn ic usually find something missing in their childhood, they had to deal with responsibilities from a young age. it could even be that you started working when you were still a teen, or maybe you had to take care of the house or of your siblings for them. you weren’t much extroverted, you preferred staying in, drawing, playing games etc. it could also be that one of your parents may be absent; they could be divorced, or in the worst case they might have died when you were pretty young.

your 5th house is in aquarius, with also uranus sitting there. you’re extremely creative, your ideas are very innovative, and you may have particular hobbies, interests or taste than others. when you’re able to fully express yourself, you gain full security and you start experimenting and inventing new things. you could be the type to start new fashion trends, music styles, art styles… basically, you’re a creative genius. your hobbies may also involve astrology, as well as human studies like psychology, or also anything that has to do with technology. you may be into videogames for example, tv series, social media… they’re your way to spend your free-time and relax. your relationships may also be very unconventional; you could usually date people online, or perhaps you may have the potential to meet someone through dating apps. they’re quite unstable, they may end out of the blue for example. yet, venus here makes it better; in fact, you’ll be able to achieve the best of your luck through creative outlets. again, if I were in you I’d definitely try writing something! you may also dedicate yourself to fashion, art, music, etc., anything that stimulates your creativity.

your 6th house is in pisces. in your daily life, you hardly ever have a structured schedule. you go with the flow, you take things as they come. you may often have your head in the clouds, you could get distracted easily and you may literally creative oscar-worthy movies in your head instead of doing what you need to do. your job may involve arts, images, possibly even fame. you should definitely use your creative talents for your possible career. also, you could benefit from helping others; you could be a psychologist or therapist of any kind, a nurse… any place where you’re able to help others. again, you could also help others through your art, hence with your lyrics, books, etc. when it comes to diets, workout routines, skincare routines etc. you could lack consistency, even though your libra energy makes you more motivated to take care of your appearance. you may sleep a lot, it’s easy for you to feel tired and stressed even when you’re not over-working yourself.

your 7th house is in aries. love is most likely not your priority in life, even though you're very romantic. you need independence, and you’re able to stand up for yourself on your own. you don’t need someone else to help you. for you, love is a want, not a need. you tend to attract partners in your life that are hot-headed, stubborn, assertive and goal-oriented. they strive to be the best at everything they do, they’re extremely competitive and willing to do anything to achieve their goals. basically, you attract very dominant partners, but you don’t want to be dominated or controlled. you may often experience power struggles between you and your partner, which cause you issues in every relationship you get in. at the same time, you wouldn’t stand someone too submissive either, as you still need someone that would mentally stimulate you. they may actually be quite selfish and self-centered, they’ll care more about their own development rather than that of you two as a couple. an aries 7th house indicates that while you’ll have a very active, passionate spouse, you may also experience lots of arguments and discussions in your marriage life, perhaps even physical violence in the worst case, even though your mars isn't harshly aspected so don't worry about it.

your 8th house is in taurus. you have the most stable, stubborn sign in a house that requires constant change. you probably hate changing your routine and stepping out of your comfort zone. changes are hard for you to accept; you find it hard to change job all of a sudden for example, or even letting go of a toxic friend of yours can be stressful for you. also, you could be quite materialistic and fond of material possessions, causing you to be a bit too stingy, which isn’t good for your karma. another reason that this house contrasts with your 2nd house in scorpio is that you feel like you constantly need to change, but ironically slow taurus makes your changes way slower than usual. sometimes, when they happen, they’re so subtle that you probably can’t even see them or at least notice them at first. this placement may also indicate that you could get an inheritance, especially since your venus isn’t harshly aspected, and you’ll most likely have a peaceful death.

your 9th house is in gemini. gemini in the 9th house cusp usually makes people a bit close-minded, as they are very logical and careful in their approach to the world. you may change your ideas and opinions quite quickly, to the point that you could seem unconsistent. when learning new things, you like exploring different matters and subject, from maths to literature, but you may struggle to focus on only one. as a result, you may lack precision. you're probably a fast-learner and you're very witty and curious, you like learning about anything you can. you probably like studying, not necessarily at school but studying in general, and you may also be skilled at foreign languages. you could also be interested in foreign matters, such as cultures, music, etc.

your 10th house is in cancer, with also your cancer saturn conjunct the midheaven. your career needs to be private. that doesn’t mean that you can’t become famous of course, but you prefer being more hidden at job, you may even work from home or from a young age. many celebrities with this placement, in fact, started working when they were still young. also, cancer indicates that your future job will give you the opportunity to express and / or deal with your / others’ feelings and emotions. you could become a writer, a singer, an actress, as well as a nurse, a therapist… anything that allows you to express your emotions while also communicating something is suitable for you. you could possibly also choose the same career as your parents, or you may handle the family’s business for example. you could also end up doing the job of your childhood dreams. you feel the need to pursue a meaningful career in your life, you want to feel emotionally connected to it. you don’t only want something that allows you to earn money, you also want to gain wisdom and maturity from a job, and hence you could even be a bit picky in choosing your future career. you also have saturn in this house: you may have to work hard to become financially stable and have a good reputation, perhaps you could be underestimated and / or discriminated throughout your first years of work, but after your 30s you're going to become a very respectable figure. you could become some sort of authority, like a boss, ceo, a president... this placement also indicates that you'd make a great teacher or professor.

your 11th house is in leo. with this placement, you’re probably very popular among your friends, you’re most likely the most talkative or funniest member of your group. you may also attract very popular people yourself in your friendships, perhaps even celebrities. possibly, you could even make friends that allow you to gain recognition and / or popularity, doesn’t matter whether it’s in school, job, etc. you could also have very big dreams for your future, probably regarding your career and finances. you most likely aspire to be wealthy and financially independent, you are very hard-working and possibly even a bit materialistic. you attract a lot of people in your life. whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, you’ll always be able to have someone by your side, even though you may struggle to create stable bonds. friends come and go, basically. you may attract very fierce, almost violent friends. they’re very energetic, and probably extroverted people who like socializing and enjoying life to the fullest. you're also very hard-working, and you aspire to achieve all of your dreams. your virgo venus is also in this house: you most likely feel the need to befriend someone before getting into a relationship with them, perhaps you may often crush on your friends or maybe you are going to marry someone from your group of friends. you could also meet your lovers online, for example through a dating app.

your 12th house is in virgo, with also jupiter, the moon and mars placed there. this is another placement that indicates that you are an amazing writer! in fact, the 12th house is about secret skills too, and virgo is ruled by mercury, the planet of communication. you do the math. with this placement, though, I feel like you may feel restricted from pursuing your goals, or even a career in the public eye, as you’re quite sensitive to others’ criticism about you. you strive to be perfect all the time, and your libra rising wants to constantly have a nice reputation. a scandal, or even simple haters, would probably be the end of you. you also have venus placed here, meaning that deep down, you actually crave affection from someone else. yet, you may be afraid, or perhaps too shy to approach a possible partner. but remember, the 12th house is also the house of secret talents! in fact, especially with your libra rising, you’re extremely likeable. you shouldn’t be afraid of not being liked back, for example. remember that your love life will get better with time, as you become more mature in that field. with jupiter and the moon here, you are probably extremely spiritual. you may dream a lot, and these dreams could hold messages to them that you need to interpret. you could even predict the future. you're also very private about your feelings, you don't like exposing yourself too much, and combined with your 12th house mars you could end up being a little passive. you may be indecisive and insecure, therefore you could miss some important opportunities in your life.

❤️ love life, soulmates

in love you attract aries, aquarius, capricorn and / or virgo traits or placements. your future spouse will most likely have capricorn and aquarius traits or placements, maybe a capricorn-aquarius cusp; they’ll be very smart, creative, bold and confident, but also with a hidden insecurity to them. it could be love at first sight, and they are most likely one of your soulmates or even your twinflame. you may dream of each other often, for example, and you may have a spiritual connection. your children will most likely have aquarius, cancer or capricorn placements in their chart: they'll be very intelligent and creative, but they'll also be quite attached to their parents.

👶🏻 family life

your mother is probably a very caring person that knows how to stand up for herself when she has to, but she may struggle to do that. she’s very smart, caring and empathetic, even though she may be a bit childish or strict at times. she could have cancer placements in her chart, possibly capricorn, libra and pisces too. your father, on the other hand, is a bit more serious and focused on work, but he always made sure you always had what you needed. he was probably the strict parent in the family, but he still has some sweetness and nice humor to him. also, he may have capricorn, aquarius, pisces or cancer placements in his chart. if you have siblings, they most likely have sagittarius, scorpio and / or pisces placements in their chart. they could be foreign or skilled at foreign languages, and you may feel very at ease with them. you have an amazing bond with them, you’re able to both relax and have fun together, even though you may discuss often. you could have been very jealous of each other when you were kids, maybe.

📊 career

as I've already mentioned above, you're going to pursue a career that will allow you to interact with others. you would probably do amazing at a job that requires you to help people, you could make a great nurse, therapist or psychologist for instance, you're going to be a very nurturing figure for others. you may also work as a teacher of any kind, not necessarily a professor or school teacher. I definitely see you being successful in whatever you choose, you could become very independent and financially stable thanks to your job. possibly, you may also have a business with your future spouse or family. you could also work with children or for family, as a counselor for example. anything that allows you to interact with and help others would be great for you, as it would make you more empathetic and sensitive to the external world.

👚 fashion sense, style analysis

I imagine you put a lot of effort into your outifts, yet you don’t show it. you want to look effortlessly good, you don’t want to give the impression that you tried. your style may be quite minimalistic and simple, with lots of jeans, sweatshirts, plain t-shirts… I see you being more into natural shades, like white, grey, beige etc. you’re also not very fond of using too many accessories, you’re stylish but still very simple. you have this natural charm to you, hence you still look good even though your outfits may not be too complex. you could as well be fond of high quality, possibly designer clothes.

👁 past life, life purpose

in your past life, the focus was on yourself. maybe, you had troubles with self-esteem and identity in general. you had to work hard and finally understand who you were to fulfill your past life purpose. hence, this lifetime your focus will be on the bonds you create with others. even though at first you might feel almost scared to the idea of marriage, especially having mars in the 7th house, this lifetime you're here to develop this matter. after all, you may despise love for your troubled past. with your north node in the 7th house, you're naturally lucky in love. there's nothing to be afraid of, you only need to take small steps and open your heart to someone, putting your worries and insecurities aside.

🤔 major transits analysis / june 15th

jupiter is currently transiting your 5th house, making a conjunction with your natal uranus. you may experience random luck in these days, for instance you may find money on the ground while working or you could casually meet a new friend or partner. with transit mars in the 10th house being conjunct your natal mars, you could be more impulsive than usual and you may end up arguing with others, most likely with your parents, so be careful with that. on the other hand, you feel very motivated lately, you are more hardworking than usual, it's the perfect time to start a diet or a routine of any kind, as you're most likely to get it done.

🧿 manifest what you want, secret skills

you’re very in contact with your spirituality, making you more sensitive to higher affirmations. you have the ability to visualize what you want. that’s the key to activate the loa: travel with your fantasy, and visualize what you desire. do you want a new car? imagine yourself doing road-trips on that car. a new phone? visualize yourself making calls with that phone. you can even literally create a story involving those topics and it will come true. you can also help yourself by writing and listening to your own affirmations, maybe covered up by some music. you just have to believe in your power!

and this is it! thank you again for booking a reading, hope it resonated with you :)

[egotheplanet]

One Soul (Chapter 2)  Din Djarin x Reader

Summary: Din and his new wife are finally back to work after their honeymoon. What they don’t realize is they’re opening a whole new chapter in their life in the form of a small fussy alien baby.

Word Count: 6.5K

Part One

•••••

‘My hair is getting long. Way longer than I like .’ Din thinks to himself, holding his chin and turning his head side to side to get a good look at the state of his hairy appearance.

The Mandalorian is at the emergence of a longer do and a stiff stubble with a defined mustache.

Beneath the sink is the cabinet filled with soaps, razors, extra papers of all sort, and scissors which beckon him.

His hand reaches down and pulls up his straight razor. He decides the first thing to go is his god awful beard.

‘Well.. I may hate it but I know someone who didn’t.’

He smirks slightly as the memory of a few days ago reappears in his mind. His wife was very expressive in remarking her opinion on the hair.

“F-Fuck, put your tongue right here!” Her fingers guide his lips to her most sensitive spot. The bundle of nerves almost twitch in anticipation.

His facial hair brushes against her inner thighs and creates an even juicier friction than she was used to.

His tongue flicks quickly up and down while he forms more saliva to lubricate as he sucks on her clit. His middle finger sinks into her down to the knuckle, squeezing and flexing inside of her as he continues his pressure.

Her thighs squeeze his head tight, his longer hair providing plenty of grip for her as she begins to see stars.

“Don’t stop! Go f-faster!” Her back arches and he shakes his head from side to side as he sucks her bud, his finger starting to bend in the ‘come hither’ motion as well as sliding in and out. “Fuck! Fuck! I’m cumming! Din, don’t stop— ah!!” Her body convulses, her eyes squeeze shut and she curls her toes while her ankles link around his body.

He doesn’t stop when she hits her high, he continues to push her through it. Prolonging her orgasm for a few seconds before she finally rests limp on their bed. Din pulls his finger out of her throbbing core, sucking his finger clean before wiping it haphazardly on his skin to rid himself of the moisture.

“That was a long one. I counted about thirty four seconds straight.” He climbs up her body, planting kisses on the road to her lips where he leaves a feverish smooch.

He rolls off of her to lay on his back. His hand interlocks with her own, squeezing in reassurance.

“It’s the beard.” She speaks, breathlessly while her chest heaves. Her nipples rise and fall dramatically in addition. “The extra friction just makes me dizzy. Don’t ever shave it.” She turns her head to her husband, pleading.

“It’s scratchy. And ugly.” He grumbles and scratches his cheek. “Not to mention, patchy.”

She laughs and turns her body so that she’s laying on her side, her breasts pressed against his ribs.

“Well I love it.”

The razor makes quick work of the abrasive little hairs. Falling into the sink, he stops every few strokes to brush them into the drain. A slight pet-peeve of his gorgeous wife, but he’s a man with a silly routine.

Taking a damp rag to his cheeks, he drags it across his face before dropping it into the sink.

Looking in the mirror and once again taking his chin in his hand, he turns his face from side to side. Ensuring he got every last hair, he smiles in satisfaction. He reaches under the sink to put the razor back and returns his hand to the top with the scissors.

They’re old and raggedy and he definitely hates this part of the year. His semi-annual haircut takes him almost an hour. After all, if he does a poor job he could end up looking worse than before. Not that he would usually care since it used to be hidden by the helmet. But now he had someone to impress.

‘Maybe I should just let it grow and be a full wookie.’

“What’s going on in here?” Y/N hugs the doorframe and smiles at his reflection, which returns the grin.

“Shaving. And in a few moments, trimming.” He lifts the scissors up to show her. “It’s getting a bit long for my taste.” He shrugs and sets them clattering down into the sink.

“Not the beard too!” She comes forward and gently touches his cheeks with the pads of her fingers. “Damn it. You knew how I felt about the beard, Din.” She huffs and drops her hands to her side in defeat.

“I’m sorry.” He smiles lovingly and maybe even a little teasingly, his fingertips playing with her hips gently.

He turns to pick the scissors up again and with one hand, chooses a random piece of hair to snip first.

“Whoa, you’re just going to cut your own hair like that?”

He pauses and turns around to face her once again, arms still poised to trim.

“What’s wrong with the way I cut my hair?”

“You look like a crazy person. Let me do it.” She gently removes the shears from his hand, leading him to sit on their small stool so he’s at a low enough level to reach.

“I’ve cut my own hair since I was a child, I know what I’m doing.” He mutters.

“Yeah, well you don’t have to cut your own hair if someone else is willing to do it for you.” She presses a soft kiss to his temple before beginning to style.

His body is rigid as she gets going. Her speed and proximity to his scalp is cause for concern but Mando has to rely on his instincts to trust her.

Minutes pass and suddenly he feels the hands on his head pull away.

“Done! What do you think?” She proudly dusts off his shoulders as he stands to take in his reflection.

He’s quiet as he assesses his appearance.

“I like it. Thank you.” He runs a hand through the brown strands, more than content with the results.

A beep sounds from further in the ship and gathers their attention.

“Sounds like we’re all gassed up. Did you finish tying down the supplies in the cargo area?” The mandalorian speaks softly while walking out of the restrooms threshold.

“Yes, everything is ready for take off and return to Nevarro.” Y/N mentally checks off their list as she walks through the ship, ensuring all of their supplies are in place and will be kept there during the rocky ascension.

Three weeks of complete solitude on a small sunny planet was the perfect way to introduce the couple to married life. A honeymoon fit for bounty hunters was tough to come by but not impossible to find.

They enjoyed countless hours of talking about their futures, hiking the nearby areas, swimming in the lakes and rivers, having tons of sex in their ship, and basking in each other’s presence. The Mandalorian spent most of the time helmet-less, of course.

But the time had come to resume their duties as bounty hunters. Their supplies have begun to dwindle. Besides, bounty hunters start to get paranoid when things go smooth for too long.

Their living reserves aren’t the only thing running low. The stash of units has begun to diminish.

Y/N carefully wraps her jewels, rings and necklaces in soft tissue paper. Once they’re covered properly, she puts them in a small box to keep them safe. Opening a drawer in her shared dresser, she fits the box snuggly between sweaters and shirts.

Closing the drawer and dusting her hands off, she smiles at her handiwork.

The jewels were definitely not her idea, oh no. They were her beloved husbands surprising affliction. He loves to adorn his new wife with the finest jewels they can find.

In fact, it’s something that he enjoys seeing on her naked body. Nothing but gold and silver encrusted with designer jewels on her savory s/c flesh.

Her smile widens as she feels two arms snake around her waist, squeezing her to a toned chest. A soft and clean shaven cheek pressing against her neck as he plants soft, wet kisses to her collarbone from behind.

“You know we wouldn’t leave so early if it wasn’t for your vigorous spending.” Y/N softly speaks, a layer of comfort surrounding them as she lazily caresses his forearms.

“You know our sex wouldn’t have been nearly as incredible if I didn’t treat you like a goddess the way you deserve.” His smirk as he speaks sends her heart into an overload.

Her face is flushed with embarrassment and she pulls away.

“Let’s go already, you big flirt.” She walks over to the ladder leading up to the cockpit.

Watching her figure as she climbs up, he sighs to himself.

Time to get back to work.

The mandalorian grabs his helmet from a nearby table, holding it between his arm and rib cage as he climbs up to pilot them home.

They make quick work of flipping switches, pressing buttons and setting courses.

Before they know it, they’re in the air headed deeper into space.

“Jumping into hyperspace in three.. two..” He warns just as the ship begins to rattle, the two of them pressing into their seats more than usual at the extra force presented to them.

Once they’re used to it, the resume their usual postures.

“I’ll be dropping out of hyperdrive in a few moments. It’s time to put the helmet back on.” He leans his head from side to side to crack the pressure buildup in his neck, sighing as he lifts the helmet up.

“I’m not ready to say goodbye yet.” Her voice is soft but holds plenty of emotion, pulling his eyes over to her.

“It’s not goodbye. I’m still here, just under some beskar.” He speaks equally as soft, one hand dropping from the helmet to reach for her.

“I know but.. it’s goodbye to your nose.”

“My.. nose?” He’s bewildered but interested.

“You have the cutest nose! It’s almost bird like.” She uses her right hand to trace her own nose.

“I’m going to pretend that’s a compliment.” He slides the helmet on.

In response, it hisses and clicks into place.

“It is a compliment.” She squeezes his shoulder and buckles into her seat to prepare for the rapid slow of the ship as it drops out of hyperdrive.

“Dropping out of hyperdrive in three.. two...”

A larger jolt occurs this time as Nevarro comes into sight.

“I did not miss this view.” Y/N sighs as she unbuckles and heads down the ladder to prepare the landing equipment.

Din guides the ship safely through the atmosphere and onto the dry planets surface.

Parking just a ways away from the guilds cantina, the pair readies themselves for an interaction with the guild.

The ramp opens slowly, the couple slipping weapons into their holsters as they walk down.

“I sent a message to Greef Karga before we left asking him to keep the higher paying jobs aside for us once we get back.” She walks on the left side of Din, keeping up with his surprisingly brisk walking pace.

“And?” He looks straight ahead, walking to the doors.

“He said ‘congrats’ and that ‘he’d think about it.’”

The mandalorian scoffs out, “Of course.”

Walking into the cantina, the pair ignores the stares from their rival patrons.

They deal with stares on a regular basis and can definitely ignore that much, but they cannot willingly tune-out whispers.

“That’s the mandalorian!” An alien who’s skin holds a blue hue frantically whispers to her counterpart.

A few men on the opposite side of the cantina whisper amongst themselves.

“That’s Y/N.. I heard she chopped some guy up for copping a feel.”

The woman smirks to herself at the mention, proud of defending herself despite the fact she didn’t really chop anyone up. It was more of a swift punch in the throat and kick in the groin.

“Rumor through the coms is that they just came back from a private mission. Someone said they got paid for the asset.”

The pair covertly tune into that conversation, clueing onto ‘the asset’.

“There’s no way they got that job and succeeded. Do you see his stingy armor? I bet they’re living off eating womp-rats.”

Y/N stops in her tracks, glaring and griping her blaster that rests on her hip. A few chairs screech as patrons stand abruptly, clearly prepared in case anything goes down while the room stills.

Before anything comes of it, a booming voice welcomes the duo home.

“Mando! And the ever lovely Y/N. So great to have you back.” Greef Karga proudly gestures for the couple to join him.

They silently walk over, the room slowly resuming its previous boisterous volume. Their heads remain staring ahead, acting aloof in comparison to Kargas direct eye contact.

Their entire demeanor commands ‘no bullshit’ and it seeps across the table to their companion.

“You received my message.” Y/N says, her words concise.

“Ah, yes. You two never want the quick and easy. Not anymore at least. I remember when you first joined the guild Ms-“

“Mrs. And please, don’t bore us with stories of yesterday. What do you have for us?”

The outnumbered and almost outsmarted man clears his throat and shifts in his seat uncomfortably.

Din smirks beneath his helmet, proud of his wife for standing up for herself.

‘Never needed a mans help in any way and never will.’ He silently praises her independence.

“Well.. Nothing of high value has drifted around these parts for weeks. And whatever did come through, I had to give out as they were time sensitive.”

“Just tell us if you have something or not. Don’t waste our time or our fuel.” Feigning nonchalance, she speaks softer while leaning in. “I heard whispers of an ‘asset’. Tell us about it.”

Greef clears his throat and leans back just as far.

“I’m not sure you want that one-“

Y/N glares harshly, her lips parting to protest but closing quickly at the touch on her thigh under the table.

“Don’t choose anything for us.” Mando finally utters, rubbing a small comforting circle on his lovers leg.

Greef scoffs and reaches into his pocket.

The duo reach for their blasters since it appears he’s doing the same.

“Relax. I’m just getting.. this.” He sits a chit on the table.

The couple glance down at it and back up, clearly waiting for elaboration on the client and the target.

“All I can offer at the value you’re requesting is this. The asset. The whispers and rumors which revolve around this.”

He holds up the chit once more.

“No puck. Face to face. Direct commission. Deep pocket.” He nods as he continues. “Do you want it or not?”

Y/N clenches her jaw as she thinks it over. Looking to her side and up at her husbands helmet she can tell he’s doing the same. Their gazes meet and she takes the small device.

“We’ll take it.”

******* This is a time skip indicating a significant jump in setting. *******

The IG-11 droids blasters make quick work of breaking through the containment door where the bounty is hidden away. Y/N squints her eyes at the bright sparks it produces and assists in kicking down what remains of the door, granting them entrance after a lengthy battle with the guards stationed on this Arvala-7.

The sudden approach of a hidden guard is a surprise but not for the Mandalorian who blasts him down immediately.

“The tracking fob is still active. My sensors indicate there is still a life form present.” IG-11 scans the area as they walk through the junk surrounding the ground.

The tracking fob beeps erratically in Y/N’s hand as they approach the vessel which supposedly contains their prize.

Din hesitantly presses a button on the pod which causes it to open with a whir.

Nestled in the blankets, the trio stare into the cradle to see an infant who visibly appears no more than a year old.

“Wait. They said fifty years old.” The Mandalorian is bewildered and slightly angry at the aspect of eliminating a child target.

Y/N looks up at him in concern, not knowing if she can go through with this bounty.

“Species age differently. Perhaps it could live many centuries.” IG-11 emotionlessly drones out.

“As if that doesn’t change the fact we were sent here to assassinate a baby!” Y/N holsters her weapon and takes a step back. “Are we really supposed to.. blast it? And you said it could live for centuries?”

“Sadly, we’ll never know.” The droid lifts an arm to drain the life from the seemingly helpless infant before it.

“No!” The Mandalorian stops its arm. “We’ll bring it in alive.”

“The commission was quite specific. The asset was to be terminated.” IG-11 shifts it’s gaze from Din to the child.

It lifts its arm once again and Y/N looks away, not wanting to see innocent blood spilt.

A resounding blast echoes through the room and her eyes burst open at the sound of clattering metal hit the floor.

“What did you just do?” She bends to the droid which lay on the ground in bits.

“I’m not killing a kid. I know you didn’t want to either. We’ll take it in alive.” The Mandalorian offers no room for debate.

“You’re right, I didn’t want to kill it.” She frowns and rises once again. They both look into the cradle as two large eyes stare back.

The child coos.

Din reaches a hand out to it, a finger extending as a place to grip. The baby reaches out, taking the finger curiously.

“Right. Let’s get the pod back to the ship so we can bring the kid to the client.” Y/N says, attaching the pod to her husbands wrist command.

“I wasn’t planning on bringing a baby back onto our ship. We don’t have supplies or the knowledge to keep it alive until then.”

“What do you propose we do? We can’t leave it here and we aren’t killing it. Besides. What’s so difficult about keeping a weird little baby alive?” She smiles down at the child. “Plus, it’s good practice for us.”

The Mandalorians eyes widen beneath his helmet and he clears his throat awkwardly.

“Let’s just head back before anything happens to the ship.” He turns to walk out the busted door, the pod following close behind.

As if he was able to see the future, the Mandalorians premonition of difficulties surrounding the ship come true. Jawas raid the ship in their absence. With the negotiation skills of their trusted friend Kuiil, an agreement was made in exchange for their parts.  

An egg was mentioned and quickly produced in exchange for the missing pieces of ship. Angry mudhorn do not provide fair wrestling conditions. In the end, Y/N had to sneak into the lair to retrieve the delicacy while her husband received the brunt end of the horn.

While in the cave, she missed an interesting development regarding the ability of their new prisoner.

Lifting the mudhorn and tossing it aside, the child aided his captives in winning the match.

Finally back in their ship and able to clean themselves off, the couple takes a moment to wind down before take off.

Y/N sits in front of the cradle, hellbent on trying to get the child to smile at her. She’s sacrificed her dignity with blowing raspberries, crossing her eyes and waving in an over exaggerated fashion.

The baby stares for a while, deciding whether or not his captives are to be trusted. But as normal babies do, he quickly decides they’re the best of chums and rewards the large female with giggles and a green little grin.

She gasps softly at the development and uses the pad on her index finger to rub the child’s wrinkled forehead in adoration.

‘So sweet.’ She happily enjoys the company of her little friend.

The Mandalorian sits at their small table, reading a layout of the systems to decide the quickest route back to Nevarro.

He glances up slightly, his eyes training on his wife making a fool of herself for the child.

“Don’t get attached. It’s still a bounty and going to our client.” He speaks honestly and rather callously.

She stands back up, straightening her posture and clearing her throat as if she was caught doing something embarrassing. Which to her, she was.

“I won’t.”

She turns to the ladder to climb up and start the ship only to stop halfway at the sound of small cries.

Two pairs of adult eyes turn to the cradle where small hands grip at the air and the child inside sobs loudly.

They both make their way to the pod, looking in with matching concern.

“What do you think’s wrong with it?” Y/N asks as she removes the tiny blanket covering the majority of the child’s body.

“Maybe it’s hungry. That or..” He vaguely alludes to the diaper being full and his wife quickly steps back, arms crossing against her chest.

“No way. I did NOT sign up for any of that.”

“Neither did I.” Din looks at her through the screen of his helmet and shrugs.

They stay eerily quiet despite the continuous cries of anguish coming from the pod, mutually deciding to ignore it.

But the cries intensify and the child looks desperate for interaction.

“Okay, we have to feed it.” Y/N says, rubbing her temples which have begun to throb in response to the noise.

“We don’t have any food suitable for a baby.” Mando quickly walks to their pantry, scanning all the labels and jars.

“There has to be an outpost around here somewhere. It can’t be that expensive to feed a kid for a day.” She says, looking at the same map her husband was checking earlier.

Sensing a solution coming soon, the child begins to quiet down. Sobs turn to cries and cries turn to sniffles.

Before they know what’s happened, they’ve arrived at a small community outpost run by locals on a tiny desert planet.

Tucked away from the main area, the ship is hidden well so as not to attract unwanted attention.

Placing his blaster back on his hip and a second one on his ankle for extra measures, Din suits up to head out.

“I’ll go get the food, you stay here with the kid.” He finishes tying his shoe and stands back up to his full height.

Y/N lifts the sniffling child out of his nursery pod, holding him gently against her chest. She pats it’s back with enough force to offer comfort but not enough to cause pain.

“Alright, try to be quick. I love you.” She smiles as she starts to bounce slightly in an attempt to make the little green person happy.

Watching his wife hold an infant, despite its green complexion, made the future seem closer than usual for Din. He never put much thought into having children before he met Y/N but later fell in love with the idea of having a house full of mini versions of her. He felt his heart clench at the sight of her taking on such a caretaking role so easily.

“I love you too.” He walks off the ship and into the vegetation surrounded streets.

He wanders for a moment before finding his bearings, leading him directly to the market.

It’s not long before he comes across a food vendor with plenty of varying jars. He narrows down the possibilities to a few filled with mush.

He picks them up, walking over to a stall worker.

“Is this stuff meant for babies? Children?” He hopes he doesn’t look at lost as he feels.

The attendant glances up from another customer and nods before looking back down and continuing their conversation.

Din takes the jars to the other counter, swiftly paying and grunting in frustration at the price.

‘This bounty better be worth it.’

He shoves the jars into his side bag and makes haste back to the ship. Climbing the ramp and opening the bag to put the jars on the table, he doesn’t get very far into the ship before he’s confronted by his wife.

Covered in an unknown substance, hair pulled from her elastic band and child tugging her nose downward, she’s the epitome of the word frazzled.

“Where have you been! You’ve been gone for almost two hours, Din!” She’s panicked and for some reason the child is diaper-less.

“What the hell happened when I was gone?” Din looks around his home, beyond surprised at the state of things.

“It exploded! We need some sort of cloth or diaper or whatever you can grab to cover it to keep it from spewing!” She says, holding the child out in front of her an arms length away from her body.  

He starts to back out of the ship onto the ramp, nervously taking in the situation.

“Should I go get diapers from the outpost-“

“No!! Don’t leave me with him!!” She pulls the child back to her arms since he started wiggling in protest of being further away from her.

“Him?” Behind the helmet, the mandalorian raises a brow.

“I found out he’s a boy pretty quickly after he peed all over me.” Y/N shudders at the very recent memory.

The child coos as he looks around the room, craving to get down and waddle around like he was when the Mandalorian was out.

“Great.” Din comes back into the ship, shutting the ramp and beginning to ruffle around a dresser, finding an old shirt.

He rips it up and sets it aside on the same table he puts the jars of food on.

“Let’s clean him off first before we feed or dress him.” Y/N sighs out softly, looking around the room at the wreckage.

“I can do that if you clean up the mess.” Mando takes the baby from her arms and to the bathroom, washing him off thoroughly.

“You’re a lot of trouble, aren’t you? Ya little womp-rat.” He whispers so his wife doesn’t hear him reprimanding the child.  

The baby looks up at him and giggles, enjoying the chrome reflection of himself.

Finished with the bath, Mando wraps baby yoda in a towel. He carries him back to the living area which has been cleaned in record time.

Y/N aids her husband in dressing the child in its tiny tan clothes. The diaper fashioned out of an old shirt and safety pins took some coaxing but ultimately worked.

“There! Now we can feed him. What did you get?” Y/N rubs her hands together in excitement.

“I don’t really know.. I was told this was baby food and I grabbed a few different flavors and got outta there.” He rubs the back of his neck over his shirt, suddenly worried his selection is lacking.

Lifting the child and putting him back into the carrier, Mando sits on a chair beside his wife in front of it. He takes the soft spoon that came with the jar and dips it into the first option. It’s blue and has a strange language on it that neither of the hunters can read.

The baby turns his head away after a small sniff of the spoon and whimpers. The couple can hear it’s stomach growl in anticipation.

“He doesn’t like that one.” Y/N urges and bites her nail in anxious form.

“He hasn’t even tried it. How could he not like it?” Mando grumbles as he continues to try and put the spoon up to the baby’s mouth.

Again and again, he continues to turn away.

“Try the brown one.”

“Okay.” Mando grabs it, opens it, and submerges the spoon. Trying to feed it to the baby, Din feels his frustration levels start to rise as the child turns his head again and begins openly crying. “You have to pick one! How can he dislike it if he won’t even eat it?”

“What if his species is only vegetarian?” Y/N thinks aloud.

“The blue one was vegetarian, I think. The brown one was meat.” Trying once more to get the child to even take a small lick, Din leans back abruptly and puts the jar back on the table. “Maybe he doesn’t eat at all.”

Mando grumbles in annoyance and his wife nudges him suddenly.

“Look he wants that green one!”

Looking up, he sees the child reach for the green jar.

Mando grabs it at the interest of the baby and dips the spoon in.

The green monster actually looks enticed and takes a large munch off the spoon. Some of the content dribbles down his face. This results in another upset.

Mando quickly uses the edge of the spoon slide against the chin and cheeks of the baby in an attempt to gather the excess food.

The child grows even more agitated and Dins temper begins to flare at the difficulty to appease.

“Be careful with the way you’re scraping the spoon against his face.” Y/N says as she leans across her husband to reach for a napkin on the table.

“I’m not scraping it against his face.” Mando says with a false calm and a slight tone, making Y/N side-eye him.

“Yes, you are. You’re doing it to hard and it’s upsetting him.” Y/N says, standing up and straightening out.

The baby watches the two of them, trying to read the rooms tone and decide whether to laugh or cry. He, of course, chooses the latter.

Mando stiffens up and his frustrations boil over.

“I am not doing it too hard! If you want to do it you can go ahead.” Mando grunts and gestures his shoulders and arms forward at the baby which stares back.

“I will do it just give me the spoon.” Y/N reaches over him for the jar but Mando takes it back in his hands quicker.

“No, I’m doing it fine. I’m not doing it that hard.” Mando says as he leans forward to try and feed him once again.

Baby doesn’t like the tone and starts a whole new whimper.

“Look! You’re upsetting him.” Y/N says and swats lightly at mandos shoulder as if to say ‘way to go’.

“I’m not upsetting him. I’m not even doing anything! You’re the one who’s getting upset for no reason.” Mando says, his voice slightly raising.

“I am not upset, I’m just saying you’re doing it so hard you’re upsetting him. Which you already did which is why he’s crying.” Y/N says, not hiding her offense.

“He’s not upset he’s hungry because you’re not letting me feed him.” The Mandalorians aggravations manifest into gesturing with the baby food and the spoon.

It’s silent for a moment save for the soft cries coming from the pod before them.

“Look, just let me do it so we can get out of here.” Y/N says rolling up her sleeves and trying to take the food.

“No I’m— fine, here. You know what? You just do it.” Mando finally gives up and hands the jar and spoon to her, leaving his chair in the process and walking to the cockpit ladder.

“Thank you, that’s what I wanted.” Y/N sits in his seat and uses a cloth napkin to dab at the baby’s mouth.

The tears slowly come to a stop in his large, dark eyes. The baby suddenly comes to the decision that his captors are no longer friendly. He bites Y/N’s hand as she wipes the stray food off his mouth. She reels back and seethes in pain, her chair screeching against the floor and the food dropping to the ground, the glass jar in shattered fragments beneath the pod.

Mando starts to climb the ladder but hearing the noise and looking behind him to see his wife bleeding, he rushes to her and grabs a clean cloth.

“Are you alright? I’m sorry.” He holds her hand with pressure to stop the bleeding and immediately regrets being short with her.

The injury makes all thoughts of being overwhelmed cease to exist.

“I’m fine, it’s fine.” She says laughing slightly, shocked the infant retaliated.

His gaze lifts from her hand to her face, her glossy eyes reflecting back at her in his helmet.

“I’m sorry for raising my voice.” Mando says, and it’s heartfelt.

She nods, “I’m sorry for being so demanding over something so trivial.” she says and it’s heartfelt.

He brings a hand up to the back of her neck, pulling her head forward to join their foreheads in a loving keldabe kiss. The cold metal from his helmet causes goosebumps to rise on her skin.

Baby yoda stares at them, softly hiccuping from his latest tear session and then looks down at the remnants of his food.

He begins crying again out of hunger.

Y/N parts from the gentle embrace and unwraps her hand, the bloody cloth forgotten in her husbands grasp.

She lifts the infant back into her arms, mumbling apologies and forgiveness for the bite. He quickly calms in her arms and coos once she bounces gently.

“I wonder why anyone would order the elimination of such a strange little creature.” She says, allowing the baby to grip her finger the same way it gripped Dins earlier.

“I don’t know but something tells me he’s tougher than he looks.” He points to her hand which is slowly healing while being held by a tiny green claw.

They exchange a look of surprise and look back down at the child, clearly exhausted from the feat. It’s wrinkly head rests against her collarbone tiredly and his eyes look around all slow.

“I guess this is why the guild doesn’t ask questions.” Y/N mutters and sighs, regretting ever taking on such a demanding bounty.

The baby looks up at the table and notices the brown jar once more, reaching for it weakly.

Y/N sits back down to feed him, more than happy to finally get some food into the cranky little brat when he turns his head again.

“He’s still not eating it.” She says as she drags a hand down her face.

“Now you get what I was trying to tell you. I guess he’s not eating it because you’re trying to shove it in his mouth.” Din tries and fails to jest about the earlier argument.

“I’m not trying to shove it in his mouth, you were the one scraping the spoon against his face.” Y/N completely misses her husbands attempt at a joke because of her exhaustion.

The Mandalorians brows furrow in offense.

“I did not scrape anything against anybody’s face— look I’m not doing this again. If we can’t take care of it until the drop, we’ll just return it back to that garage.”

Her head snaps up at the mere mention of taking the child back.

“How can you say that?!” She’s horrified.

Baby yoda looks up too but seems unbothered since he doesn’t understand what’s being said.

“I’m not just saying.” He shrugs. “We could if we needed to because if we can’t keep it alive, we’re doing the exact thing we wanted to avoid in that hangar. Just slower and more inhumane.” Mando says as if he’s speaking logically.

“Din, ‘it’s’ just a little baby. We can’t just drop it off wherever and forget about this! Someone wants him dead! Someone wants to kill a little baby and you’re okay with that?”

“It’s 50 years old!” Dins exasperated and running through every possible option in his mind.

“So? It’s still a baby! You heard what the IG droid said! ‘Species age in different ways’. The least we could do is get him to the client alive and try to get an explanation.”

“We have had this thing-“ Mando begins but stops and clears his throat at the glare of his wife for referring to the child as a thing. “Baby.. for hours and it’s already exhausted us of our energy and our units.”

“The food was not that expensive. And don’t be so melodramatic. I’m not even tired!”

“Yes, you are. I can see it in your eyes and the way your posture is leaning down. You’re beat and want to spend more time with the child before we have to turn it over because you feel guilty for taking on the bounty. You can’t fool me.” He shakes his head and steps forward, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m not trying to-“ She feels as if she’s been caught for having feelings and looks anywhere but at him.

“Y/N, my heart, please don’t get any more attached than you already are.” He whispers out as if he’s a little disappointed.

She feels like he thinks lowly of her for having emotions. As if she’s gone ‘soft’ in the ways of bounty hunting.

Offended, she runs her hands over her face after sitting the jar of baby food on side of the table nearest to the infants crib.

Baby yoda wastes no time in sticking his hand out of his pod to reach the jar, pulling it to his lap. He shoves his hand in and then into his mouth, gorging himself on the mush.

“I’m not attached! I’m not tired, I’m not leaning down and I’m not putting him back in that trash hole just because we can’t figure out how to feed him!!” She stomps her foot in anger as she pushes Dins hand away.

It’s quiet for a split second as both Mando and the child stare at her after the explosive episode.

The couple slowly turn to the crib at the sound of suckling to see the child gleefully eating. They feel dumb for not realizing he only wanted to feed himself the entire time.

“I-I’m sorry. That wasn’t.. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled. You’re just looking out for me-“

“It’s okay. I know.” He pulls her into his chest for a tight hug. “Let’s just close the pod and you try to get some shuteye for a couple hours.”

“It’s too dark in there and what if he can’t breathe too well when it’s shut? Are you sure I can’t just.. nap with him in our bed?” She looks up from her feet with a small smile.

“Are you kidding? It’s not even potty trained! Why do you want it in our bed?”

“It’s only for a few hours. We both need to rest. I’m sure he’s beat after crying for so long, finally eating and doing whatever he did to my hand.”

They look down at the child who licks the inside of the jar as much as he possibly can.

“Fine. Only for a few hours.”

He takes the jar and sits it on the table, bending down to start cleaning the glass and blue food littering the floor.

“But we’re only about a day away from Nevarro so don’t get too attached.” He points a finger up at her, knowing fully well his own emotional strings to the child have begun to form.

•••••••••••••••

Taglist:

@jedi-jesi​

@xxsirensong​

@killtherandomness​

@epaige0914​

@randomness501​

@coonflix​

@vancouver-canucklehead​

@sebastianstanslefteyebrow​

@qweenrogerina​

@frozensobanoodles​

[mashounen2003]

Sonic opinions - 1

Honestly, I think it's time for me to give closure to the “Sonic fan phase” of my life. I’ll keep playing the games if they pique my interest, but in terms of the stories they tell and how their characters are portrayed, these games no longer appeal to me. The comic currently published by IDW isn’t complete garbage nor does it have so much drama and controversy surrounding it, in addition to having Whisper and Tangle, two characters I really like at least on a conceptual level, but the story and characterizations are leaving me deeply disappointed and sometimes fall even lower than the recent games written by Pontac & Graff, namely with regard to the characterization of Sonic himself.

The continuity of the TV series Sonic SatAM and the comics published by Archie was always the branch of the franchise that truly caught my attention and is my main source of inspiration for writing stories; in fact, SatAM was the way I found out about Sonic and became a fan in the first place. But this “North-American continuity” is already as dead as the Mega Man Legends saga, and it looks like the vast majority want to forget it as if each and every one of its elements and ideas inherently had just been a massive nightmare regardless of its execution by the writers. At best, the fandom currently sees this branch of Sonic as some silly “edgy” attempt to take the franchise seriously, something that may have been laudable but was always foolish and doomed to fail and is such a risky gamble that it's not worth trying again.

I'm also getting fed up with the Sonic fandom in general, despite sharing a lot of opinions with some individual fans. Yes, I know there are already many who have declared this for the most varied reasons, be it the “shipp wars”, something in Sonic or even the franchise as a whole suddenly becoming “cringe” due to a whim of a majority portion of the fandom, or the way Sonic reuses "hackneyed" tropes in an alleged demonstration of lack of originality; however, when someone gives Sonic the middle finger for this kind of reasons, they usually do it hypocritically.

No, what got me tired of the Sonic fandom is the way everyone becomes obsessed with picking one branch of the franchise, calling it "the true Sonic", claiming this is the only pure and genuine incarnation of the “soul of Sonic” (if there really is such a thing), marking as “foreigner” every character, concept or element from any other branch of the franchise, and demanding from the fans of those other branches to get on their knees and be thankful that the "True Fans (TM)" even allow them to stay in the fandom. Note that I’m not accusing fans of only one specific portion of the franchise: there are such people among fans of the videogames’ continuity, @skull001 being probably the worst offender, but there’s also that kind of people among the SatAM and Archie-Sonic fans, such as the “nostalgic” delusional pissbabies, blatantly homophobic and conservative, who are now supporting Twitter hashtags like “Rally4Sally” and “Udon4Sonic”. You may think this is actually something typical of all fandoms, but it’s not: this is truly something unique to the Sonic fandom; I don't see huge hordes of Mega Man fans bullying the Legends fandom or making fun of them for the way their favourite saga ended two decades ago; even in the Dragon Ball fandom, despite constant discussions about what is canon and what is not, there’s some kind of tacit consensus that GT and Super are two offshoots of the franchise, equally valid although not coexisting in one same fictional universe (although Shūeisha itself seems to officially support this view, which certainly helps prevent some discourse), while the only part of Dragon Ball universally despised (and rightly so) is Dragon Ball Evolution.

I'm sorry if this hurts some people’s sensibilities, but if I decide to write a story with any given set of characters, elements, concepts, setting, internal rules and whatnot, the only thing in my mind will be to write a mildly decent story. I'm not here to “honour” -let alone honour at all costs- some supposed legacy and traditions that some people say should be upheld by each and every Sonic content creator. And let’s be brutally frank: we’re talking about a franchise that started as platformer 16-bit videogames whose sole purpose was to show SEGA’s consoles were better and handled speed better than Nintendo's; SEGA never really intended to tell a story or portray its characters consistently, only later did the cast begin to receive more defined personalities and the games start telling stories because SEGA suddenly saw this would make them sell more, and even that varied wildly according to whatever seemed more convenient at the time; not to mention SEGA's unique habit of entering vicious cycles of failure and over-correction, where Sonic Team makes a few mistakes in a game that did everything else more or less well, SEGA throws away the entire game along with the foundations on which it was built and the story that was told by that game, Sonic Team makes a new game with absolutely everything replaced and makes mistakes again but those mistakes are different from those of the previous game, the process is repeated ad nauseam and no-one is ever satisfied with anything. A few Sonic fans trying to impose on every other fan a supposed single Sonic canon with some kind of official approval seal by SEGA & Sonic Team is something quite backward, because that single official canon almost never really existed, and if it does exist, it makes no sense and is internally inconsistent, dependent on the creation of new games, and very likely to be retconned, overwritten and modified at any time.

There are other "bad habits" of the Sonic fandom that have led me to break ties with them. One of them is the way many fans take one trait of a character, be it simply one of many facets of their personality or even a physical trait, and turn that into the entire personality of the character; many of those same fans are also massive hypocrites, complaining (albeit rightfully) about how SEGA oversimplifies Shadow into either “Sasuke the Hedgehog” or “Vegeta the Hedgehog”, but then they do the same as SEGA. One of the cases in which this is most evident is when they make Sonic's personality boil down to "gotta go fast" and "be a free spirit"; based on that, they denounce that Sonic saying "I would slow down for you" to one of his closest friends (even if Sonic and Sally weren’t a couple when he said that and/or you don’t support that shipp, it can be said she was at least one of his closest friends in the SatAM-Archie continuity) contradicts the very essence of the character, or they do something even worse: saying that "being a free spirit" means being away from your friends and not having "ties" (like... literal ties, made with ropes, the ones that are actually a bad thing) with anything or anyone. It's like when Goku is portrayed by Dragon Ball fans as far more insensitive than the actual way Akira Toriyama had conceived him and always wrote and portrayed him in his official work.

There are also the plainly disturbing ideas many fans seem to have about personal relationships, judging by the opinions they give about the relationships of Sonic and the rest of the cast. In addition to making everything revolve around vaguely defined words and concepts they throw right and left almost without thinking about their actual meaning, they also seem to believe that having friends and caring for them, or any kind of responsibility no matter what kind it is, is nothing but a drag, like rat-s*** stopping you on your way to "freedom" (this is just amazing: they say the entire Western canon is edgy and the British comic’s Sonic is a jerk, but if you think about this for a bit, these fans’ version of Sonic turns out to be even edgier and more of a jerk than Shadow in his spin-off videogame); in the case of Archie-Sonic, there are all the abuse apologists supporting Scourge and Fiona being a couple, even though you don’t need any “meta” analysis to see he’s (at the very least) verbally abusive towards her and had attracted her by posing as someone else in the first place.

[a-crimson-lion]

Katsuki Bakugo And Minoru Mineta Are Funny For All The Wrong Reasons

In this essay I will

No, but seriously, this is a problem. Spoilers and all that jazz. Let's start with the obvious.

Minoru Mineta

Minoru is the poster child for this topic. He's a complete scumbag, but is kept around because he's funny, when in reality he'd probably be expelled somewhere down the line.

While he does have some funny moments, there's only a small amount that don't come from his perversions, which is highly concerning.

His brand of humor isn't particularly inspired either. Let's go through some of his moments.

Hero Costumes

Minoru flashes his thumbs up when he looks at Ochako's uniform, stating that he loves the school. This is less funny and more unsettling, but it gets a pass 'cause Minoru is still relatively new to viewers.

USJ

Minoru grapples onto Tsuyu's breasts twice. He gets dunked on the first time. He gets nearly drowned the second time. We laugh... but it's not because Minoru is funny. Seriously, dark humor is one thing, but Minoru's actions are just plain creepy and borderline sexual harrassment. The fact that he nearly has to die to get us laughing doesn't help matters (he's scum, but scum should face long lasting consequences, not temporary bouts of comedic violence).

Changing Rooms

Almost forgot about this one. Minoru tries to peep on the girls. Kyoka notices and skewers his eye. We laugh. Not because Minoru's funny, but because we're suppose to enjoy his suffering. Imagine if everyone DIDN'T bash him upside the head! (There would probably be content apathy if there wasn't at least a small outcry for reprimands, to be honest.)

Obstacle Course

Minoru clasps onto Momo's gym uniform to pass the Obstacle Course, and he has a nosebleed. Momo calls him the worst. Again, relying on the fact that "Minoru sux" in order to get a laugh. That's sad.

Class Rankings

Mina says it best: guys like Minoru are only endearing when they're stupid, or something along those lines. If they're stupid, that lowkey implies that he has the potential to learn better. But Minoru already knows a lot, which os MORE unsettling than the alternative. Now, common sense doesn't equal intelligence, but the fact that Minoru is considered smart when he continually makes the stupid decision to try and get some in horrible ways is just... the worst.

Swimming Pool

Minoru and Denki collaborate on getting a view of the girls in swimsuits. (Before you bring it up, yes, Denki is also a perv character, but unlike Minoru, he actually has more going for his personality instead of just having a running gag joke define 90% of his character. And the most Denki's done on his own is attempting (and failing) to flirt with other girls.) Denki and Minoru are shocked when the rest of the boys show up, and Denki is disheartened to find that the girls are wearing school-issued swimsuits. Minoru, of course, finds the scene nice nonetheless. This is less of a "HAHA!" moment and more of a "*groan*" moment.

Hot Springs

Minoru tries to violate the girls' privacy just so he can see them naked. Luckily Kota is there to stop him. He swats Minoru off the wall, leading him to fall pathetically back to Earth. And we never speak of it again. You see a pattern with his stunts yet? Also, Tenya did not deserve what he got at the end of that scene.

Provisional License Exam

Granted, this is where Minoru is at his least perverted, but he still finds a way to be annoying. "The hierarchy is falling!" Oh gee, it's not like you had a tragic backstory and underwent actual character growth which helped you grow as a person, Minoru. You being smug is doing nothing to help your character.

Before The Interview

In the anime exclusive season premiere of Season 4, Minoru starts creepily talking about a potential female reporters breasts, before he gets restrained by Mr. Aizawa. While most of us thank him for stopping the pervert's actions, keep in mind that this is the one of the few times Mr. Aizawa ever tries to actually do anything to curb Minoru's behavior. Then again, since Horikoshi likes Minoru and Katsuki, they basically get immunity from Mr. Aizawa's actual character.

Joint Training Arc Aftermath

Sometime during the JTA, Minoru ricochets off of Mina's chest. Mina (rightfully) calls him out at this, and we're later treated to a scene with Minoru in a straightjacket with his eyes forced open while Mina keeps an eye on him. Physical punishment will do nothing to Minoru; at this rate he'll develop an immunity. What he needs are concrete consequences that will actually get him to think about not being perverted.

Izuocha Reaction

This moment is... admittedly tame. After Izuku and Ochako share a fist bump in Chapter 256, Minoru makes this weird gremlin face while asking himself what's going on. It's harmless at first... until you remember that Minoru is a shameless pervert who has a vain physical infatuation with most girls, Ochako inclued. Minoru's reaction is basically an entitled Lv. 1 gamer looking at an experienced Lv. 50 and going, "Why the hell isn't that me?"

Of course, there are other moments where Minoru is perverted, but it isn't funny, a la he hopes to see Eri again in 10 years or something like that. I've heard he's been mellowing out a bit more in recent chapters, but I'll remain cautiously optimistic for now. The fact that his main shtick is that we should despise him, and therefore laugh at his karma, is... kinda sad. That type of thing could work for a villain or a really unlikable character, but the fact that Minoru is a supporting character who we see progress with his classmates with very little growth in his character? What a waste... Moving on, then.

Katsuki Bakugo

Ah, King Explosion Murder. Most of you will know how I despise him. And unfortunately, part of the reason is similar to why I don't like Minoru:

His AnGeRy BoI tantrums get old really quick. Let me explain.

Catchphrases

"DIE!" "I'LL KILL YOU!" "EXTRA!" If you've been paying attention to Katsuki, he says these things s lot. He's been letting go of "extra" recently, but he'll still spew the first two comments without hesitation. He probably doesn't mean it literally, but that doesn't warrant his excessive aggression. It's one of the worst character traits I've seen in a while to be honest, and it's heavily concerning that a 15 (now 16) year-old has this kind of mindset. The fact that it's played for laughs ("DIE!" or "GO TO HELL!" while Izuku states deadpan off to the side) isn't any more assuring.

Gremlin Face

Katsuki will do this for a multitude of reasons. His base appearance treads a fine line between pretty boy and disgruntled madman, but when Katsuki gets more pissed then usual, he goes full gremlin. The faces are somewhat funny out of context, but they're kind of petty in context.

Bus Ride

The kids call out Katsuki on the bus ride to the USJ. This is basically a way to tell the readers that Katsuki isn't much of a big shot anymore, but the fact that it ultimately holds no water later down the line is... disappointing. Within several chapters, people will be flocking to him, regardless of his garbage personality.

Eijiro's Analysis

Eijiro brings up how Katsuki should be all "DIE! DIE! DIE!" while they're fighting villains, to which Katsuki ironically responds in kind. It's a "Bakugo sux LOL" moment, but the fact that this is how likely most students see him and they STILL flock to him is just... wut? Plus, Eijiro was originally skeptical of Katsuki after the Battle Trial, and his sudden support of Katsuki here is... half-heartedly executed. And while Katsuki has shown that he treasures the relationship he has with Eijiro to a degree, it's pretty clear that Eijiro holds it in a much higher regard.

Less Than The Best

Gremlin face returns when Katsuki gets 3rd (and therefore not 1st) in the Sports Festival's Obstacle Course. Katsuki screams when he gets 2nd (and therefore not 1st) in the Cavalry Battle. It's "funny" now, but I fear for the day when this guy has to regularly do interviews and doesn't get the Number One Hero spot for the first few months (if he ever gets it at all).

Sore Winner

This is probably the one joke I can say is the least funny. Everybody remembers the whole Katsuki in bindings and acting like an animal bit, right? Yeah, no one is sane in this universe... And even if Katsuki's desire to reject the first place medal is understandable, he isn't exactly cordial about the whole thing (I mean, I'd be miffed if someone had be bound like that, but I doubt more growling is gonna get him out... the teachers need help). And then we still see him with the medal in his mouth sometime later, and Gremlin face show up when the class is talking internships. Where's the therapist again?

Teeth

Katsuki telling the germs in his mouth to die as he's brushing his teeth. It's only funny because of the absurdity of the notion. In reality, telling microscopic organisms to straight up die in such a threatening manner is hella concerning. See "Catchphrases" for why I still don't think this is okay.

Knife

One of the more tame jokes. Katsuki's good with knives, Ochako brings it up, Katsuki is offended. Honestly, I'd prefer more of this type of humor compared to... whatever Katsuki's doing right now.

I'll Kill Him

It's an exam, Katsuki, AN EXAM! This moment during the Provisional License Exam is only funny for a moment, because when you think about it, the purple dude has a point (even if he's still a stuck-up elitist) and Katsuki would have failed if Eijiro and Denki didn't follow after him. Still, does he think he can get away with saying he'll kill villains in the actual Hero world? Good gravy...

Stop Being Nice

This is a trend we've seen post-Deku vs. Kacchan 2. Izuku complements Katsuki or makes a remark about him. Katsuki proceeds to tell him to back off in some or fashion. If it's his winter costume, Katsuki will chew the speech bubble. He'll reflexively tell Izuku to get out of his way. When Izuku mentions Katsuki's technique, Katsuki will tell Izuku to stay away from him. I know some of Izuku's habits are borderline-stalking, but he's not being overtly creepy. And in a narrative where Izuku and Katsuki are supposed to be "good friends," this does a poor job of showing it.

Ninja Star

Katsuki looses his temper when Izuku brings up Blackwhip, and throws one of his head pieces at Izuku like a ninja star. Izuku gets injured, but the entire thing is played off like a nice joke. Except it isn't. Izuku wasn't about to spill anything about OFA when he talked about Black Whip; Katsuki's just stupidly jealous and annoyed when anyone like Izuku talks for too long about their achievements. It's basically telling readers that Izuku's gonna get shoved around for having pride in himself. That sucks...

I Win

The latest incarnation of Gremlin face, and Katsuki's stupid winner's complex in general. I've already talked about it in this post, but Katsuki's assertions in Chapter 257 were highly immature and disrespectful. All Might tells the boys about the OFA users and their short lives, how they weren't chosen ones but were still entrusted with the Quirk, hoping to pass it on and hoping to beat AFO. What does Katsuki say about them? They had lame Quirks; they were a bunch of nobodies. He goes out of his way to tell Izuku he'll lag behind while mastering the next Quirk while Katsuki ensures his victory. All if that "character development" and he still pulls stuff like this. How do I put this?

A few steps forward followed by long periods of regression is not character development, that's bad writing.

Katsuki's seemingly humorous outbursts would be terrifying in the real world. He's got serious issues and he needs help. His anger is no laughing matter. It'll hurt him, or rather, continue to hurt him. It's already hurt other people, and continues to do so.

TL;DR Katsuki and Minoru's one note humor is damaging to the narrative and to their characters, and unless it's properly addressed, it will continue to do so. Thank you for your time.

-Crimson Lion (19 January 2020)

[aestheticritique]

For young men (Part 1)

In my latest lockdown induced depressive episode I have been meeting some new people online. They are all young, male, mostly heterosexual, very nice and extremely considerate. However, they also are often afraid becoming a burden, insecure in their appearance or social skills, and often struggling with mental health. Given this, they are also usually extremely afraid of never finding themselves having sex or getting into a meaningful relationship in the late stage neoliberal capitalist dystopia we find ourselves in. To be honest I didn’t understand them at first, especially their obsession with sex. But the more I am thinking about it, the more I realize that we are united in the same dynamic of seeing sex or love as magic verfication of... What?

Growing up, I used hookups as a way to prove to myself that I am worth something. I thought that my value was defined by men’s desire. I originally in writing this wanted to show my perspective from the other side of the same coin, but after realizing how much of an undertaking that would be, I decided to start with the two most common answers from men used as justification to why they think they won’t get laid. These are things I find will help these kinds of people out, but as a great thinker once said...

“I can’t mom you through this one, boys. You are on your own.” - Contrapoints

(I link songs I like through out btw, the underlined text are links you can click on)

Foreword: Social factors

The average age of first intercourse has been rising in the US. Teenagers have less sex than ever before. These changes will affect you. In teen movies and shows charakters often experiment with sexuality before the age of 18. Everything else is played as an abnormality. If we compare ourselves to this misrepresentation of teenage sexuality, of course we seem like the losers.

“The proportion of young people who have had sexual intercourse increases rapidly as they age through adolescence”. It’s very likely, at least from my view, that you are just going to grow out of the awkward zone of wanting intimacy but not getting it. Just like you grew out of other things, such as bad musical taste or that one gaudy outfit. Don’t stress over this one specifically either.

Adolescence is weird for all of us. Even if your first encounter is after college, let’s be real here: having such a good thing in your own place without your parents looming or having to share your room with a roommate you barely know is so much better anyway.

The Ugly fuck too

A common answer to my question why they think that they will never have sex is that they are “unattractive”. The implication being, that sex is the prize for looking a certain way.

But is it? We are so used to the perfect, porn-ready bodies in the media that we forget that the Ugly fuck too. We never see the foldes of fat and skin, never see acne warriors or moles, never see people who actually look like us.

In the movie “The Parasite”, there is a scene where the husband of Gook Moon-gwang, the former housekeeper, is implied to have sex. (the clip, starts at 3:00) It gave me weird feelings of discomfort, as the illusion so stereotypically found on the silver screen was not present. These two characters are not pretty. They look old. She is fat and he is a balding skeleton. They are not special, and that’s okay.

Being fuckable does not equal beauty. Being fuckable does not equal beauty. It was a terrifying thought initially for someone like me who defined their value over beauty & their beauty as being fuckable. It might also be a scary thought for someone who doesn’t think that they deserve love and intimacy because of their looks. I promise you that you still deserve love! Sex did not cure my problems with my appearance, or the fact that I based my self-esteem on the way I look. It will not make you feel normal. It will not make you feel better, prove your worth or even give you more self esteem in the long term beyond the initial rush of dopamine. It is not a caravan to fulfillment.

Beauty is a concept that is based on exclusion. Allow yourself to feel the pain of being excluded, of not reaching the impossible beauty standards and the disadvantages that come with it. Allow yourself to feel the fear of not being “man enough” and be happy in spite of it.

“Patriarchal masculinity teaches us to control our pain, but it can block us from experiencing the grief that is part of a full life. Chasing pleasure and controlling pain is patriarchal. Opening ourselves up to joy and grief is to be fully human.”

”Those of us in that skinny nerd category are especially prone to thinking that we aren’t “man enough.” [..] But the more I talked to men, the more convinced I became that almost all men at some point in their lives don’t feel man enough. Even the men I thought were the “real men” were scared.

That’s not surprising. Masculinity in patriarchy—that is, masculinity in a system of institutionalized male dominance—trains men to be competitive, in pursuit of conquest, which leads to routine confrontation, with the goal of always being in control of oneself and others. But no matter how intensely competitive one is, no matter how complete the conquest, no matter how many successful confrontations, and no matter how much one stays in control—men are haunted by the fear that they aren’t man enough, that they can never stop proving their masculinity.” - Robert Jensen

Stop comparing your appearance to other men’s. Start talking and bonding with them over your undoubtably shared insecurities rooted in society’s relentless toxic masculinity. Unlearning the things you’ve been indoctrinated into since conception is damn hard. I am still in the middle of it personally, but I promise you it is worth it. It will improve not only your relationships with other men, but also with yourself and that one girl you’re pining after.

There are a ton of resources targeted at women about self acceptance, but not many for men. Robert Jenson comes from a tradition of critical men’s groups. Even though I don’t agree with him on everything, he manages to scare most men (especially the kind I mentioned in the first paragraph) to their core, but also improves their lives drastically with his kindness and radical ideas. I implore you to look him up, and try your best to keep an open mind.

“A person who functions normally in a sick society is themselve sick.”

The other most common answer  to the initial question was “being socially maladjusted”, implying that sex is something you earn by behaving a certain way. It is ingrained in the way we talk about love. “Deserving love” is the best example. Neither love nor sex is a product of work. Love and intimacy are a lot like sleep. It is a slow but unconscious process. You slowly work into it, with no idea of what comes next, and then, after an agonizingly long moment, you’re there. The fall is not often expected or easy, is always exhilarating, but never the product of conformity to anything except comfort with who you are.

I do acknowledge that social settings can be weird, existentially unsettling, and full of unseen complexities. This is especially true if you are neurodivergent and / or struggling with mental health.  Being neurodivergent or struggling with mental health goes against the impossible, hegemonically masculine standard of always being in controll. It’s a common cause behind feelings of emasculation. Disregard that feeling, and remember that you deserve love, no matter how manly you are or are not, no matter how you behave.

Learning social settings are lot like learning to skate. In the beginning you will be covered in bruises, but with enough effort, you will be better at it. The chance of mistakes will get lower, but never zero. You will always have awkward situations, but that doesn’t mean that you are bad at them. It just means that you have room to improve still. Maybe consider getting lessons or joining a skate crew.

We tend to hyperfocus on the accidents. Think about how many nice conversations you had over the internet, text or otherwise. I ask you to value them. Value these positive experiences, value your friendships and acquaintances, value the people supporting you, online and offline. We tend to hyperfocus on meaningfull longterm friendships, just like we hyperfocus on love. Value your social enviroment, value someone who just made you feel ok for a moment. You are socially adapted, because you have a social enviroment you feel comfortable in, where you have relationships with people. The depth of a relationship is not messured by time, nor by physical touch. Being mindful of your feelings for the people around you can make you realize that you are less alone than you thought.

Some Tips

If you want to make friends additionally to that, here are some tips from someone, who is bad at social clues:

Join a group with a common interest or struggle: Book clubs, activist groups, selfhelp groups, they are great settings to meet new people and you already have a topic to talk about :)

If you feel save about it: Being open about your issues can help other people adapt to you and understand you better - especially in early on in relationships.

People sitting at the bar or smoking outside are generally more open for conversation

Don’t be afraid of getting rejected: They don’t reject you, when they reject a conversation with you. The reasons people don’t want to talk to you is very diverse. Stay respectful and polite.

Don’t expect to much: No one owes you a long conversation. A smalltalk is perfectly fine.

Learn to make compliments casually and learn to compliments that aren’t based on appearance.

Find a common ground (politically, a interest ect.) and talk about it

Take a improv class, seriously TAKE A IMPROV CLASS! (there are online ones, and sometimes it’s even free)

Here are some youtube videos by Anna Akana with more tips. (1) conversations, (2) how to be a better friend, (3) overthinking

Here are is a piece about being bad at relationship I liked.

Footnote: Trophies and muses

“We do not want to do the work of helping you to believe in your humanity. We cannot do it anymore. We have always tried. We have been repaid with systematic exploitation and systematic abuse. You are going to have to do this yourselves from now on and you know it.” - Andrea Dowkin

Behind the whole obsession with sex is often a distorted perception of women. Just remind yourself that women are human? Access to female bodies is not a human right. We are not trophies to push your ego. We are not there to inspire you or heal you. We are humans with agency. We desire love and being loved, just like everyone else.

I am tired, but I believe in your humanity...

xoxo,

aestheticritique

[mbti-notes]

[1] Hello, INTP here. I have a problem that seems to be related to underdeveloped Fe. For basically all my life, I feel like I can’t connect with anyone and wouldn’t miss them even if we parted ways and were to never see each other again. I know it’s egoistical, but I don’t know how to change it.

[con’t: The main problem is about my mother. She’s a person who really cares about others and misses me a lot ever since I moved out. However, I don’t reciprocate her feelings and I feel incredibly bad because of this. I grew apart from her when I was about 13 because she became emotionally manipulating and controlling because of some personal matters that spiralled into paranoia. I know she didn’t have ill intentions, but it still screwed me up and made me distance myself from her. I think this has also contributed to the problem mentioned before (at least, regarding her). The thing is, I know I should miss my parents like they miss me, but I just… don’t. My mother gets incredibly upset and starts crying whenever I tell her this, and I feel bad for doing so, but I think it would be harder and crueler for everyone in the long run to just fake emotions I don’t actually feel. I’m tired of being so emotionally numb, but I don’t know how to change it. The most surprising thing is that I’m not a cold person regarding other aspects of relationships (I’m usually genuinely kind and respecting of others, for example), only when it comes to get attached to them. Do you have any advice on how to start bonding appropriately with people? Thanks in advance.]

Yes, Fe problem, which also means Ne problem. INTPs are emotionally blank when they severely lack extraverted development. Being an Fe type means that you have to engage with the world in order to feel things, you have to push yourself outside of your comfort zones in ways that trigger (new) feelings and emotions. Inferior Fe essentially boils down to deep-seated fear of emotional life. Being existentially scared of feelings and emotions means that you don’t get to have them unless something literally forces you to have them by smacking you upside the head, therefore, many TPs perceive emotional life as being quite unpleasant and, of course, don’t want anything to do with it. Then you’re always reflexively pushing feelings away, ignoring them, downplaying them, devaluing them… until you can’t feel anymore (use it or lose it). When you can’t feel, then you’re lost, because you’ll have absolutely no idea how to care for yourself and your psychological well-being let alone others’. If only for the sake of knowing how to take care of yourself, you should want to have a healthy emotional life - that’s a big part of what it’s there for. You call yourself “egotistical”, which is kind of funny since an egotistical person only cares about themselves, yet you are actually incapable of caring for yourself.

You can’t force yourself to feel. Feelings must arise organically. However, what you do have control over is how OPEN you are to feeling feelings. If you don’t develop your extraverted functions, you have no openness, your existence is completely closed in upon itself as Ti-Si loop just stays in a self-defined “safe space”, never feeling, never impacted, never moving, never changing, never growing. Be honest, is that really where you want to exist for the rest of your life, essentially never mattering or doing anything that matters? Do you really want to live your life as though already in a coffin? Using the inferior function has a high chance of failure, so your attempts to use Fe haven’t done enough to make you understand how important relationships are to living life fully. To live life fully means that you must engage with life, and that is what Ne forces you to do. Ne is your bridge to Fe. You must open yourself up by choosing to take an interest in the world, by making commitments, by doing things that matter (through the impact that they have). The way to disarm Fe dysfunction is to develop auxiliary Ne so that you are able to think in possibilities, rather than just defaulting to the unhealthy Ti paranoia of believing that the whole world is conspiring against you. Developing Ne makes your judgment more accurate and objective by ensuring that you’ve tested your ideas properly, especially when it comes to the way that you judge people and relationships.

I can’t comment on your relationship with your mother because I can’t be sure that you’re giving me an objective view of the situation, since it’s likely that your judgments are distorted by Ti-Fe dysfunction. It could be that your mother is dysfunctional, it could be that you are, or it could be that you are both screwed up. Therefore, I can only address your side of the issue. If I had a dollar for every time an INTP complained about being “manipulated” by someone, I’d have a much nicer home to live in, it’s almost gotten to the point of sounding cliche. Dysfunctional Fe results in grossly misjudging people and social situations. Whenever I have the opportunity to hear the other side of the story, it often turns out that the other person was simply trying to show that they care, though, to be fair, they perhaps did not choose the best way. And without fail, the dysfunctional INTP always interpreted normal caring behavior as “invasion” or they might say something like “I didn’t ask you to care about me”, which is basically like shouting to the world “I don’t want to be cared about!” If you go through life not wanting people to care about you, don’t be surprised that you end up feeling alienated, since dysfunctional Fe eventually morphs into Fe grip - the voice that continuously haunts you with guilty feelings about being a “useless piece of trash”, which doesn’t bode well for your self-esteem. Perhaps you think it easy to ignore those feelings so far, but I guarantee they only get louder the longer you put off dealing with the problem. Are you resigned to this ending? Are you putting effort into a different ending for yourself? 

Being in a relationship isn’t only about the other and “doing your duty” out of guilt. This is a very narrow, limiting, and one-sided way to conduct a relationship. There are two components to consider in relationships: 

The Social: performing the “contractual” duties and responsibilities appropriate to your role in the relationship. Knowing obligations and carrying them out ensures that both parties benefit relatively equally; on a larger scale, this is the foundation of social stability, and everyone reaps the benefits of living in a stable and healthy society. Your role as someone’s child, sibling, friend, colleague, etc, comes with certain obligations. When people fail to carry them out, the relationship tends to become one-sided, either you take and don’t give, or you give and get nothing, which leads to resentment and unwillingness to continue with the relationship. You make the choice to commit yourself to relationships when you understand that they are necessary for good psychological well-being, and performing your duties well is good for other people’s well-being, i.e., you’re doing something that matters, which lends substance to your existence.

The Emotional: fostering the feelings and emotions that are necessary for building and maintaining a sense of connection with people. Knowing how to nurture care, love, concern, empathy, compassion, etc, ensures that everyone feels invested in the relationship and motivated to continue it. A large component of human motivation is rooted in feelings and emotions, so if your emotional life is dead, motivation to do anything becomes very hard to sustain. If there is no feeling behind the relationship, then it becomes empty, just going through the motions, eventually realizing there’s no good reason to continue. Of the INTPs I’ve spoken with, the biggest obstacle in this department is usually Si loop. They harbor many old resentments, old pain, old failures, old fears, old betrayals, etc, that they don’t want to confront and resolve (due to fear of feeling). Being unable to let go of the past means that you cannot build something new for the future. For example, it’s hard to love your mom when you’re holding old resentments against her, isn’t it? 

If your relationships aren’t or haven’t been mutually beneficial and rooted in love, why not? It can’t always just be the other person’s problem. What about your side of the problem, how do you create the shortcomings? Are you able to create mutual benefit? Are you open to loving and receiving love from others? Are you capable of approaching relationships with a clean slate? I don’t know your history, so I can’t tell you the answers, it’s for you to reflect on. If you’re really having trouble digging into yourself, perhaps it’s worth working it out with a therapist.

[theshinobiway]

do you see tenten as ace?

Discussing Tenten’s Sexuality

As a personal policy, I abstain from concretely assigning sexual preferences to any fictional character unless it’s clearly stated by the author or discussed within the text.

Instead, let’s take a look at what content there is within the Narutoverse that addresses how Tenten experiences attraction and her thoughts on romance.

Tenten as a Lesbian:

In Japanese anime, WLW and lesbians have a specific coding: It’s either stated/shown that they’re gay, or they’re considered ‘not.’ When you look at characters such as Michiru/Haruko from Sailor Moon, Ymir/Christa from AOT, or Chizuru from Bleach, it’s very clear to the audience that they’re lesbians. Sailor Moon declares Michi/Haru a couple, Ymir/Christa was confirmed by the author, and Chizuru is open about her orientation.

Now, I consider Chizuru a terrible representation for Lesbians–she’s written to be predatory and sexually harasses another female character (Orihime) for fanservice. While this trope needs to die, it’s par for course with shounen anime–an anime genre that caters mostly to Japanese men. Naruto does this with Naruto’s girl-on-girl sexy-no-jutsu. Kishi is not exempt from utilizing this troupe. Sadly, almost any WLW indicators within shounen will be written out as fanservice for the audience–just as Kishi does.

Ymir/Christa from AOT are the exceptions to this rule, but they were confirmed outside-of-text. In comparison, Kishi has neither confirmed her sexuality nor given Tenten a female partner (…or any partner.)

Shounen anime, as a general rule, will not waste time with implicature about certain characters unless it’s directly tied to the plot. This means that because romance is not the focus of an anime such as Naruto, preferences, sexualities, and pairings will be made clear to the audience.

In addition, Tenten has shown (brief) attraction to men early in her appearances in Naruto chapters 35 and 65.

While it is indeed the experience of many young WLW to “perform” heteronormativity, I don’t credit Kishi enough to assume he has that intricate of a vision for Tenten–or, more importantly, that he understands enough about WLW experience to write it. He merely understands that WLW exist for fanservice.

**It is important to note that Tenten only comments on Sasuke/Kakashi’s appearances, not on her romantic desire in them. I’ll revisit this later.**

To summarize, Tenten is not coded as a lesbian and shows an interest in men. It’s also highly unlikely Kishi ever wrote her with the intent to be one.

Tenten as Ace/Asexual/Aromantic:

This is where it gets interesting. For what little representation there is of true LGBTQA+ in anime (and not as stereotypes), asexuality is only represented as the “absence of..” romance. This is because Japan does not have a formal (or favorable) view of Aro/Ace as an orientation.

There’s a gender-based stereotype on the sexuality within Japan that only applies towards men. Japanese men will be referred to as Soshoku danshi, or “herbivore men” if they are disinterested in romance and marriage. As you can imagine, it’s not a particularly nice stereotype either, often used in conjunction with the equally unpleasant term, NEET. For women, there exists a partner term: Nikushoku joshi, or “carnivorous women.” This refers to romantically aggressive women and is seen as an unflattering quality. Women do not have an equivalent term for “herbivore” to my present knowledge.

Aro/Ace has also never been explicitly stated in any anime/manga I’ve encountered. It’s not a heavily researched topic in Japan, and the absence of attraction is usually seen as the result of a personal “defect”. For more detailed information on Aromanticism and asexuality in Japan, I recommend this essay.

Now back to Tenten: Yes, she’s shown interest in the appearance of men. This is very different from Sakura/Ino/Hinata/Karin…and every other depiction of a crush in the Naruto anime. Post-Chapter 65, Tenten was never portrayed in any sort of romantic light. The next mention of Tenten’s romantic preferences finally came from Konoha Hiden. I’ve mentioned Hiden here, but here’s some further explanation:

Konoha Hiden: Chapter 2

“Ever since last night, for some reason or another, thoughts like that kept circling around her head. Something was nagging at her. What was bothering her? The truth was, she already knew the answer.

“Marriage, huh…well it’s a nice thing…” Tenten exhaled, leaning against one of the stakes. Her hands silently played with one of the kunai she’d collected.

This was what had been bothering her. Naruto and Hinata were getting married. It was a happy occasion. Tenten herself had always been getting caught up in thinking about shuriken or kunai or flying guillotines, so she’d never had a boyfriend. She lived her life without any thoughts for romance or femininity.

Hearing about someone close to her getting married suddenly made one disturbing thought fly into Tenten’s mind and refuse to leave: Was it really okay for her to be like this?

From morning until night, it was always Ninja Weaponry, Ninja Weaponry, Ninja Weaponry… Was it really okay for a young woman to be like that?”

The text explicitly discusses Tenten’s thoughts on romance. She’s disinterested in relationships and instead wants to pursue her interest in weaponry. Tenten is also deeply concerned with others’ perceptions of her. 

To be clear: when Tenten says “…to be like this?” She is not talking about her interest in weapons. Tenten is discussing her lack of interest in romance. This phrase is juxtaposed against her comments about marriage, not weapons.

This all falls heavily in line with the would-be Japanese depiction of “Aromantic.” Tenten knows that she prefers weapons over boys and never had “any thoughts for romance or femininity.” She also knows this is out of the norm (especially for women), and is concerned as to how people might view her–which is exactly the Japanese attitude towards aromanticism. 

My reservations about labeling characters aside, there’s probably a solid argument that can be made for Tenten as an aromantic character. She seems to have a preference for men, though she is completely disinterested in a relationship. I do not believe Kishimoto would use the term “aromantic.” to describe her due to different cultural understandings.

And as for me, I don’t mind however someone defines her sexuality, so long as--if they're making claims about Tenten's canon--they keep her in character. And for Tenten, part of being in-character means being single. The female characters of Naruto were strongly defined by romance–whether we like it or not. Tenten is the glaring exception insofar as her explicit “absence of..” romance/attraction. Ignoring this essential fact about Tenten is the same as ignoring Hinata’s crush on Naruto, or Sakura/Karin’s crushes on Sasuke. You can change a personality in fandom, but you can’t use [the changed personality] to say what canonically “is” or “isn’t” true about the character.

[Edit] Interpreting her scenes with her teammates as romantic at all is flat-out false and bad analysis. I want people to stop portraying their shipping desires as "analysis" of this series. All female characters with romantic interests had their interests explicitly made. Shounen–a genre that caters towards men–does NOT cut corners with portraying romantic attraction BECAUSE it is NOT the focus. They WILL NOT waste time with implicature. Kishimoto was never adverse to denoting which female character liked whom. All of the girls' crushes were obvious. The fact that Konoha Hiden was published was, in fact, Kishimoto's final say on the matter: Tenten was never a romantic character. She never held feelings for her teammates. This book was published with this EXPLICITLY said because, again, Kishimoto does not write romance. He says they either like or do not like each other and moves on. Why in the WORLD would he allude to some "great, hidden romance" of Tenten? He would–did not. He is NOT that kind of writer.

Fanon does what it wants, but that goes without saying.

When I write Tenten for Reader-Insert, I fully acknowledge that I have to make her OOC for it. She’s also the most difficult to write for because of this. I use the collective experiences of real-life friends who are aromantic and in a relationship to form her “romantic” side.

Thanks as always for contributing to the blog!