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aloesarchives · 1 year ago

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Jujutsu Kaisen Lore Headcanons for "Toji Lives/Megumi Cock Blocks Toji" AU

Warning: Female/Afab! Reader, Author(me) being a really fucking annoying narrator, Swearing, Inaccuracy to the anime and manga, Things that don't make sense but are trying to, Switching between reader and you, Mentions of OCs but reader is not one, Reader is highkey a marysue/OP

!!Disclaimer!!: These are my PERSONAL headcanons, thoughts, and opinions on how Toji would be like if he was alive and would act after the Hidden Inventory arc. Or how the events of Jujutsu Kaisen would be different b/c of reader and Toji being alive. These headcanons also explain Reader’s role and place in this AU how her presence changes many things.

Series: Jujutsu Kaisen

Pairing: Toji x Mama!/Fem!Reader

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 5.5k words

Summary: Headcanons for the “Toji lives”/”Megumi cock blocks Toji” AU, and Mom!Reader being a part of and affects each timeline.

(A/N: I will have a separate post that will further explain the Shibuya arc and post Shibuya onwards with the “Toji lives” AU very soon! I know I said I'll have some posts ready after my lastest one but I was having fun and enjoying myself with the holidays that I kinda forgot about them. I promise I'll upload those posts within January! I apologize for my inconsistency!) [!!Unedited and not proof-read as of December 31 2023 12:05am!!]

General Reader Headcanons:

Reader is roughly around 33-34 during the Plasma Star Vessel arc(Year: 2006). Reader is also around her mid 40s (45-46) in present day Jujutsu Kaisen. Toji is roughly around the same age.

Reader’s technique is exclusive towards her, but the only time someone shared a technique like hers was during the Heian Era/Time Period where one of her ancestors is said to have the exact technique like hers but with personal different methods.

Reader hates the Jujutsu elders and higher ups for the schemes they have brewed. One which ultimately caused the Japanese faction of her clan to dwindle in size when she was around 8 years old. Reader is a certified hater of the elders and higher ups of Jujutsu Society, it runs in the family.

Reader's sorcerer grade is officially recognized to be around Semi-grade 1 to Grade 1 sorcerer. But in actuality, Reader is classified as a Special Grade sorcerer b/c of the rarity, nature, power, and versatility of the technique itself.

Reader is a mentor/motherly figure to Satoru. You are the closest thing Satoru has to a parent/guardian so Satoru favors you over many adults/older people.

Reader is considered a part-time sorcerer as she holds down a full time job in the real world after graduating. This is mostly due to her not wanting to be at the beck and call of the higher ups and Jujutsu Elders doing their bidding, but occasionally does help and do favors for certain people like Yaga. She only became a part-time Jujutsu High teacher shortly before the Hidden Inventory Arc.

Reader met Toji around her early 20s when he freshly exiled himself from the Zen’in clan. She ran into him during a favor she was doing for Yaga. She was on a retrieval mission to get a curse tool for Jujutsu High’s inventory. On her way to the location, she was ambushed by a curse. Before she could exorcize it, the curse sputtered and coughed up its blood as a blade pierced its chest and it dropped dead. With no curse energy, Reader was prepared to fight only to see a strongly built man with a small scar on his lips. She meets Toji, and funny enough he had the curse weapon she was looking for. She was trying to negotiate with him to get the weapon. She didn’t have to for long as Toji just straight up gave it to her and said, “You’re a feisty one, aren’t you? I’ll give it to you because you’re cute. Until I see you again, Ms. Sorcerer~.”

Then Reader randomly runs into Toji both on assignments and in real life. It was at random but in a consistent way. Eventually, Toji starts living with Reader because he is lowkey homeless. Reader first fell for Toji but Toji fell HARD for Reader. Always accompanying her when she has to run errands. Always watching out for her and in the shadows. Hell, he started asking Shui for information on certain people to make sure you’re not getting yourself into trouble. He also starts asking Shui for better paying jobs that he could do in a day then take a few days to complete.

Toji falls hard because of Reader’s understanding and compassion towards him and his past, which she was more than understanding of his feelings towards the Zen’in clan for their god awful mistreatment and ostracized Toji from Jujutsu Society. Yet he couldn’t understand why you had tears in your eyes when you pulled him in for a hug, saying that you’ll be his family now and he can rely on you. Thus, that’s when Toji said, “I need to fucking marry this woman or I swear to God I will assassinate every sorcerer in the world.”

After a few years, Reader and Toji get married and Toji takes Reader’s two last names: (L/N) Fushiguro. Fushiguro wasn’t originally a part of Reader’s last name, but decided to take it up as an alias when Reader briefly left Jujutsu society to live among non-sorcerers. The last name came from a distant relative a few generations back that was married into the family.

After around 29, Toji and Reader had Tsumiki. Then a year later, they had Megumi at 30.

Though your place is small, it was homey and cozy for your little family. Life was good until the year where Tsumiki turns 4 and Megumi turns 3. Toji started having missions where he was coming home less and less frequently. It was starting to bother you because he was starting to miss out on Tsumiki and Megumi growing up. More so, it was devastating to you when Megumi told you he could barely remember anything of Toji, he even faintly describes Toji’s looks but it is starting to get foggy.

It was becoming hard to support your daughter and son on your own, so when Toji came home one night you told him your thoughts. Then an argument happened, not a loud one to wake up the kids, but you were putting Toji in his place. Toji was trying to justify that it was his work and they have been demanding him recently, that it was the good of your family as they were paying him more money to do them. This was when you started questioning Toji’s occupation and what he does. Toji gets irritated about you questioning his line of work and tries to repeat again that it was for the sake of your family and nothing more.

However, Reader is unaware that Toji made a deal with the Zen’in clan to sell off Megumi when he’s around 5-6. He couldn’t tell you this because he knew how you would react so he was going to keep it a secret for the time being. However, he would never tell after the argument the two of you had.

The next thing you know, Toji drops an envelope on the kitchen table and grabs his packed duffle bag as he heads towards the door. You tried to stop him but he says that he needs to leave for a while but he promises he will be back. Kisses reader on the lips and forehead before leaving their apartment.

Reader is hurt and confused until she opens the envelope to see a check that’s already signed. It has $5000 dollars in it. It would last you at most 5 weeks for you and your children. Yet, that was the only check received from Toji as he went completely off the grid. No amount of resources would amount in a helpful way to finding what happened to your husband.

That was when reader was assigned an important mission for the first time in years. Where you and another teacher, Maho(JJK OC) would act as guardians/chaperones to Gojo and Geto. Your jobs were to oversee and supervise the two students and report anything about the mission.

“Toji lives”/ “Megumi cockblocks Toji” AU:

So basically in this AU, not only does Toji live. But mostly everyone else does live, or somewhere along the lines of dead and alive. Well, minus Junpei and Mai. But that’s just me being blissfully ignorant of the canon timeline and canceling most of the events out and just changing them.

So everything in the Plasma Star Vessel arc happens but the only thing that changes is Riko and Kuroi being alive. The way that it happens is you were sent ahead to do some investigating of the Jujutsu High area to see if it’s safe. Then out of nowhere, you were asked to speak to Tengen themself. Unbeknownst to you, you were unaware that Toji, your estranged husband, had attacked Gojo which forced Geto, Riko, Kuroi, and Maho(JJK OC) to run and leave Gojo to fight him.

You were basically told by Tengen to respect the last wishes of Riko Amanai before they merged. But they popped that statement out, you responded with, “what if her last wish is to continue on living and not merge?” At first, Tengen opposed you for your question. Saying it would throw off the balance of their stabilization and balance of Jujutsu Society. However, you countered by saying it’s respecting Riko’s wish and the girl's wish to keep on living. Meaning that technically you’re honoring her wish and you believed that she deserved to live her life.

Plus you argued that there are few Plasma Star Vessels out there, like Yuki Tsukumo, who didn’t merge with Tengen are completely fine. And Tengen didn’t suffer from not merging with her or the other vessels. So after some thought, Tengen briefly allowed Riko to live and not merge with her. However, in exchange, you would have to find a substitute host in place of Riko. While it wouldn’t be the same, Tengen said it would be easier to merge with another host that had curse energy or was a Jujutsu Sorcerer.

Meanwhile, Geto, Kuroi, and Maho escort Riko in front of Tengen’s chamber. For a bit, Geto offers Riko a choice to leave with Maho and him. To not merge and live her life out. Riko expresses this but before she could allow Geto to take her hand, Maho gets shot in the throat. The bullet was meant for Riko but Maho’s change in positioning took the hit for her instead unintentionally. Toji reveals himself from the shadows and says he’ll take Riko dead or alive. Geto tells Riko and Kuroi to run while Geto fights Toji with Maho supporting him the best that she can after learning Toji killed Satoru.

Suguru and Maho get defeated while Kuroi is knocked out by Toji and takes Riko to the Time Vessel association. You come out of the chamber to only find Geto and Maho bleeding out, you take them to the infirmary and have Shoko heal them. Suguru tells you that a man with no curse energy ambushed them, killed Satoru, and took Riko. ‘Wait, a curseless man? But. . . that can’t be’ You snapped out of it and left Suguru to find Gojo’s body to take back. You found where you assumed you would find his body but all you would find was a large blood smear on the pavement. So you went to find Riko in the association. What you didn’t know is that Gojo beat you to it. You snuck in and when they were about to kill Riko, you snatched her away and brought her back to Jujutsu High. However, you asked Riko about Gojo’s whereabouts. She said she last saw him fight a tall man with a small scar on his right lip. Your blood runs cold as you continue to drag her towards the school. She didn’t understand why you stopped talking, but the look of fear on your face told her something.

As Gojo and Toji duke it out for the second time, it was Suguru that caused Satoru to misfire his Hollow Purple at Toji and narrowly missed him. Toji knew that he lost the fight because he would’ve died if he got hit. Let alone, get defeated one-way or another. Since Suguru told Gojo that Riko’s retrieval was a success, Toji knew he wouldn’t get paid for the job and just gave up. He, surprisingly, surrendered himself to the two and was taken to an underground bunker where Toji was heavily sealed and chained up. Doesn’t even bother fighting back at all. Though the mission was a technical success, Tengen didn’t merge with the chosen vessel and there was a sorcerer killer on the premises of the school.

Since you were in charge of the mission and the only one uninjured, you were held accountable and take full responsibility for what has happened. The Higher-ups and Elders were not happy, to say the least, with the results. But specifically that you allowed the rest to get hurt and let Tengen’s vessel free, ceasing the merging. However, they weren’t on Reader’s ass for the first two. They were mostly on her ass because they discovered the identity of the sorcerer killer is Toji. And somehow figured out Reader’s marriage with him. Because of this, they were going to execute Toji and put Reader on trial.

This was also the moment reader’s suspicions were right with Toji doing all of this. She was going through the ringer of emotions when revealed the information in the same room with the very people she despised. So she kept to herself and remained calm. She proposed a deal to them that she knew they would consider. In exchange for Toji’s life and freedom, the reader gave these conditions:

Toji’s weapons would be heavily sealed and hidden away where no one can obtain them. Their whereabouts will be unknown and Reader and a select few would know about the location.

Toji cannot enter Jujutsu Society/High without Reader. For at least a year, Toji can’t be near any sorcerer or enter any Jujutsu building. Reader is essentially Toji’s handler and responsibility. Toji has to be with Reader at all times when on Jujutsu Premises.

If Toji acts out of line, he will be immediately executed. Reader will also be executed or exiled from Jujutsu Society. However, if Reader dies, Toji will be executed. If Toji somehow dies, Reader would be somewhat safe. But if Reader dies, Toji will die with her. Reader’s life is in the hands of Toji’s behavior and actions. While Reader’s entire life and existence is the reason why Toji lives and her dying means he dies too.

These conditions were simple enough but the higher ups were still doubtful. But Reader also adds that after a year, Toji could go on missions if it involved a reward. Mentioning that Toji would be a vital asset to them and keeping him on house arrest wouldn’t be ideal. Reader tells the higher ups that Toji was exiled from the Zen’in clan years ago and would only listen to her. She implies that Toji could wreak havoc on Jujutsu society if it wasn’t for her.

With reluctance, the higher ups agreed to Reader’s terms but warned she would be on a watchlist. Reader just waves it off. Yet after she leaves the room and goes outside, the weight of her emotions get the best of her and she cracks under it all. This was a lot of process and bear but she was the only one to do this.

Strangely enough, a distant relative of reader’s contacted her about moving into an old home of theirs. No prices or charges, they just needed to give the house to her since they were moving back into the clan’s main residence. Reader was like okay, thanks for the free house. Since there wasn’t much at the old apartment, they didn’t need to pack much.

Once Satoru and Suguru were healed up, Reader tasked the two of them to bring Megumi and Tsumiki to the dorms temporarily until the house was ready and Reader dealt with Toji. Satoru may or may not have slipped about Megumi’s true heritage, causing Suguru to bonk him on the head. Megumi doesn’t want to go with the two men but after telling him and his sister that Raeder sent for them, he and his sister followed them.

Reader basically was taken to where her husband was held. She only had less than an hour to talk to him so she had to speedrun their talk and leave some things out. It was strange to her to see her husband, the notorious sorcerer killer, chained up and not fighting his restraints. It looked like he hadn’t eaten in days and the color in his eyes was dulled out. But when you entered the chamber and made your presence known, he perked up because he recognized your footsteps.

As much you wanted to comfort and coddle him, you were furious and beyond disappointed with him. Toji admits his faults and was okay with dying. During which he reluctantly revealed to Reader that he sold Megumi to the Zen’in clan for his technique. With this newfound information, Reader is heartbroken and slaps Toji square in the face. Though she didn’t want to, he did deserve it. So Reader explains the conditions she made to grant Toji his freedom and life back, if he so chooses. Or he can get executed, the choice is his.

Toji doesn’t deserve a second chance but Reader offered one to him. While putting herself and life at risk for a bum who ended up abandoning his family. Reader said he can clean himself up, to step up as a husband and father. The only term she was willing to give Toji if he chooses to come back. In a way, Reader was giving signals to Toji that she still needs him and doesn’t want him to die. Toji thinks about it. He would be restricted to being at home and the outside world, while being on a leash by Reader when entering Jujutsu Society which he doesn’t mind the thought of.

Toji makes his decision by agreeing to the conditions while also promising to pull himself up. Although it made you smile, it disappeared when you remember how your children would react to seeing their absent father again and trying to adjust to his constant presence. Toji said he’ll try his best, but he wouldn’t guarantee Megumi and Tsumiki’s approval. But it didn’t matter to him because his family needs him and he would damn to waste his second chance knowing many don’t get any.

So it was settled. Toji is freed because of Reader with the somewhat of an approval from the Higher-ups, the house was ready to move with the kiddos, and everything was starting to set in motion. It was a hard adjustment for the kids in this new chapter of their life. Moving into a new, nicer, and bigger home than the previous smaller apartment was a big change. Another big change was seeing their father for the first time in almost months. Tsumiki was a little happy to see Toji back at home with them but Megumi was different. In fact, he was indifferent about Toji’s return and tried to completely ignore him. You and Toji completely understand Megumi’s feelings about his dad suddenly popping up again out of nowhere after months of not coming home. You reassured your son that Toji’s staying for good and that it’s okay for him to not accept his dad's presence right away or force himself to.

It wasn’t what it used to be but Reader didn’t mind it. Since Toji was on house arrest in the meantime, he was on house-husband duty. Since you were now working as a full-time Jujutsu teacher(2nd-3rd year teacher) and Sorcerer, you were away from home a lot during the morning and afternoons. Toji struggled in the beginning but he really managed and became good at it. He was an excellent cook, cleaner, errand runner, and even handyman. You still handled the money but Toji never asked you for more than what was needed. He started picking up Megumi and Tsumiki from school, making the other parents drool over him. He honestly likes the domestic aspect of this part of his life, something he never imagined when he was younger.

You knew it was bad but you asked Satoru a big favor. Since Megumi’s sale to the Zen’in clan was still up, you asked Satoru to postpone it or intervene in a way. Reader would have the power but her clan faction isn’t what it used to be and the Zen’in clan hates her guts for marrying Toji. Satoru agrees to help but it would mean that he would have partial guardianship over Megumi. That was fine with you but explaining this to your young son would be hard, considering he will be training and spending some of his time with one of his mother’s student.

Satoru and Suguru become older brother figures to the kids and Shoko being a big sister. They would come to your house to visit just to see the kids. It was challenging at the start since Toji was there and a constant reminder of their weakness. But you talked with them about it, saying that they don’t have to care for your husband and hate him all they want. But never hate the children. This was helpful to Suguru since Riko and Kuroi were living on Jujutsu Tech grounds as a safety precaution since there were still hits on Riko. You also noticed Suguru's depression while soul-searching. You always told him that you considered him family and let him know to come to you for help when he needs it.

Reader is the sole reason Suguru hasn’t fallen to the dark-side and became a curse user. However, he and Satoru almost became one a year later.

A year after the Hidden Inventory incident, Nanami and Haibara were sent on a mission to exorcize a grade 2 curse. You accompanied them because you knew the area better and felt the need to watch the students. However, the information was completely wrong as the curse they were facing was a grade 1 curse that manipulated the earth and surroundings. While Nanami and Haibara had minimal to mild injuries, you were badly injured and bleeding everywhere. While you were able to exorcize the curse, you were hanging on by a thread because your main priority was the safety of the two students. Though you were healed, you did have a faint scar and you were out from doing missions for about a couple of months. Highkey traumatized the two students because their teacher was about to be murdered and they couldn’t do anything about it.

What they didn’t know was that the mission was a ploy to have Reader be assassinated while carelessly adding kids to the mix. All done by the Higher-ups and encouragement of the Zen’in clan. The only reason this information was spilled out was Toji was visiting you in the infirmary and his super hearing heard a low grade Zen’in sorcerer spill it out. He, along with Satoru and Suguru, forced the sorcerer to spill anything they knew. The sorcerer revealed that Reader had been on a watchlist and knew she was dangerous to them so they tried making her death a tragic accident. Surprisingly, Toji and Satoru had this moment of truce between each other. It was interesting to Suguru because both of the two men hate each other’s guts but decided to work together if it involved you. They would’ve stormed in and decimated the Higher-ups and Zen’in clan, which Suguru didn’t mind.

It was Shoko that retrieved them, saying that you were awake and wanted to talk to them. The three begrudgingly made their way to your room. Reader essentially argues that going on a killing spree would make them curse users, they are just tools for the higher-ups and would turn on them at any given chance. She reminds them that if Toji kills in Jujutsu Society, she would die or be completely exiled and Toji would be immediately executed. Leaving her children all alone with both parents gone and possibly dead. Reader admits she wants to change Jujutsu society and take down the current higher-ups and dismantle the old system. But she doesn’t want to drag Tsumiki and Megumi into the mix, especially since Megumi possesses a technique that has been sought after for centuries.

This weighed on the four of them as Reader continued to talk. It doesn’t help that if they do succeed in killing the higher-ups, not many people would follow behind them, like the big three families. She advises that they need to wait, which she is aware that time won’t change anything. But something needs to happen in order for the change to happen and work in their favor. Suguru understands but doesn’t really agree because keeping them around for longer will just continue what’s happening. Reader points out that if they kill the current higher-ups now, possibly the worst people would take their place. A greater evil replacing a mild evil, pick your poison.

The men don’t go through with the killing but are on legit bad terms with the higher-ups. Toji couldn’t give two fucks about them and the Zen’in clan, but he loves you so he’ll abide to your rules. Similar to Toji, Satoru is the same. He does have the power to do all of this, he knows it would put many people at risk. Suguru was the only one who was conflicted about it, they could do it now so why wait for later? But Suguru is only doing this for his friend and you, not for Jujutsu Society.

Reader is aware of Suguru’s breaking point with what’s been going on. She tries to help but knows Suguru has to make that choice to reach out for help as well. He has been sent on mission after mission, breaking him down even more. One night when you were still on mission leave, there was a knock on the door. Opening it revealed Suguru holding two twin girls in his arms. After dragging him inside, giving the girls Tsumiki’s old clothes, patching him up, and making him tea, you asked what on Earth happened? Anxiety gnawing away as you assumed the worst. Then Suguru explained the situation, his latest mission in a village where he found the mistreated twins by the villagers. He didn’t kill them, to your relief, but he was mad and angry how non-sorcerer people could be more cruel than them. These are the people they were supposed to protect and save but they pull off the most heinous crimes, putting a hit on Riko then torturing these innocent girls.

You didn’t deny Suguru was right, why protect non-sorcerers when they have the ability to be as cruel as the curse spirits they fight? But it was not about being the better person and letting them get away with it, no. It was about would it be worth it in the end for Suguru to kill off random humans who they’ll never see again? The village was remote as it is. So for torturing the girls, Jujutsu tech and other Jujutsu sorcerers weren’t allowed to do assignments for the village. Leaving the villagers vulnerable to curse attacks and incidents. While it still was a bad decision to leave them to fend for themselves, you couldn’t let Suguru go on a killing spree.

So Reader helps Suguru take care of the twins along with Satoru and Shoko. The twins had a hard time adjusting but got used to living with Suguru as their guardian/dad. The Twins grow up with Tsumiki and Megumi as they would have play dates and hangout with each other whenever they were at Reader’s home or Reader brings Megumi and Tsumiki to Jujutsu Tech.

With that, Suguru and Gojo become teachers at Jujutsu High. Shoko became a doctor, Yaga became the principal of the school, Haibara is a full-time sorcerer while Nanami left the Jujutsu World after he graduated but eventually returned a couple years later. You still teach at the school but more of a substitute teacher and only going on retrieval and investigating missions.

During this time, you tried your best with your children to mend their relationship with Toji. While Megumi took a little longer than Tsumiki, they recognized that their father was staying and not leaving anytime soon. The household was a lot healthier because of that, putting Tsumiki and Megumi in a better mental state. With Megumi having developed his curse technique, Satoru trains him and spends time with him after school to help him better understand his technique. Though you do help your son, it seems like Satoru had teachings that stick with him more. Megumi recognizes Satoru’s presence, though annoyed for the most part, and sees him as an older brother figure but he’ll never admit it. Toji is more involved with his kids' lives as they get older, making up for their earlier years. They have good figures in their lives, making their lives better. While Megumi still has that surface-level brooding antisocial personality, it’s credited to him being an introvert and picking up bits of Toji’s personality.

Though Toji and Megumi’s relationship got better over the years, they have their little banter moments here and there. It was more for annoyance and teasing between the two. You allow it to happen only if it’s meant to be a joke and not a cruel insult disguised as a joke. Sometimes Tsumiki intervenes but you tell her that’s how Megumi and Toji show their love for each other. Especially when Megumi gets older and doesn’t show his vulnerability as much compared to when he was younger. Megumi grew to appreciate his dad more and Toji values from what his two children have taught him.

With the events of JJK 0, since Geto is alive and a non-curse user, let’s just say that the villain who attacked Jujutsu High was Kenjaku but in a different body of a powerful person. So Reader meets Yuta and the other first years and is shocked to see a Zen’in with no technique. She makes personal note of this while also helping Satoru and Suguru teach them. Reader was also there for the attack that took place on Christmas Eve, which pissed her off because she was supposed to be at home with her family but some powerful bozo wanted to conquer and see the whole world in shambles. Nanami and Haibara were serving on the battlefield. Gojo was literally giving hands to Miguel while Suguru was helping in exorcizing and stockpiling curses.

Kenjaku gets heavily injured and flees the scene, proclaiming that this wouldn’t be the last time they would see him. So after convincing forcing Miguel to come to your side, Reader and Satoru sent Yuta with him to Africa in hopes of finding more of the curse rope Miguel’s clan makes.

Meanwhile sometime later, Megumi was of age to go to Jujutsu Tech. He had a lot of resistance from you to not go there, let alone be a sorcerer. But Gojo talked with you and convinced you that Megumi would become a better sorcerer if he went. Yet it meant dorming at the school and Reader was reluctant about it. But when Megumi showed interest and talked to you about it, you agreed to it but it meant that Satoru would be responsible for his well-being during school hours. Toji also was on Megumi’s side, saying the boy needs to spread his wings and kick ass. Plus Tsumiki will be home too. He’s becoming a young man and you hate to admit it but your husband has a point.

Also in this AU, Tsumiki doesn’t get cursed and goes into a coma. Long story short, you had a gut feeling that something bad was gonna happen. But it wasn't like the air shifted or felt different. Nah, you had this impending doom and you felt so sick that Toji was concerned for you. When Tsumiki left for the bridge, Toji secretly followed after her and saved her just in time. However, one of her friends ended up getting cursed instead. Tsumiki feels guilty but Toji explained about your concern for her safety which is why he went.

Everything still happens as per usual. Megumi meets Yuji, Yuji eats Sukuna’s fingers, Yuuji becomes Sukuna’s vessel, Megumi, Nobara, and Yuuji become a team, etc.

Megumi never really mentions Reader/You, his dad, or sister to Yuji and Nobara because they never asked him. But also, he still is a well-reserved person and doesn’t let information like that slip, especially what he knows about Reader’s status in the Jujutsu Society.

Yuji and Nobara don’t meet Reader/you until after the Kyoto exchange event because Reader/You were in Hokkaido for a bit. But let’s say Reader/You were not pleased with the treatment of Yuji and the Jujutsu Tech students from Kyoto. Todo gets a pass but he’s the only one, Miwa does but she’s a different story.

Reader brings up Maki to Toji and Toji seems interested to see another person that’s very similar to him. Reader brings Toji to school and this is one of the times he is actually well-behaved and watches from afar as he sees the second-years train. He observes Maki quietly as you await his response. Toji just stands up, saying there’s another foil to the Zen’in clan’s plans before leaving the school grounds with you.

Toji does go on missions for Jujutsu Tech but he’s not considered a sorcerer. He’s very similar to Mei Mei in terms of only doing a job if it bleeds money. Due to his Celestial Restriction, he is sent on more dangerous missions. But he doesn’t mind because the paycheck he gets is a fat one that could provide for a year for your household.

Now with the Shibuya Arc, it will be completely different with Toji being alive and an ally. Though tragedy and destruction will occur in Shibuya and afterwards, Toji’s being alive does change the tides against Kenjaku and his evil plan. This is also where Reader starts doing her own thing and pulls some strings that’ll help the main cast. Even if it’s not on legal terms.

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gallavichthings · 18 days ago

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Hello, Gallavich fandom!

I'm organizing the calendar of events for next year and I'd like to get some input from you all before finalizing it. Please check my questions at the end.

Here's a rough draft:

January - Guessing for the Masquerade taking place up to the 31st

Mid-February - Appreciation week / Lovefest (The idea is having an event to talk about everyone's favorite Gallavich related things, including fandom stuff. From favorite episode to favorite fanart, for example. So kind of a mix between the appreciation week and the Lovefest, two events we've had in the past.)

Late February - Sign-ups for the gift exchange start

Early March - Sign-ups close and prompts are chosen

Late April - gift exchange postings

Mid-May - Gallavich Week themes revealed

Mid-June - Gallavich week

July - Summer Camp event is coming back! (Not hosted by this blog though, just adding it to the calendar to avoid overlapping the events)

August - A.U.gust

September - Reverse Big Bang posting (again, not hosted here)

October - Kinktober

November (mid to last week) - Masquerade opens

End of December - Masquerade posting

Now, here are my questions:

1) I've seen some people posting secret Santa gifts recently. I moved the gift exchange in favor of the Masquerade and also so it wouldn't be yet another gift exchange for those of us who participate on several fandoms. So the gift exchange is (was?) scheduled for next year. But now I'm wondering if you even want another one? I don't know if the one that just happened was open to anyone in the fandom or if it was a closed community, I literally just found out about it when people started posting, but if it was for everyone, are there enough people who didn't participate or that would like to do another one so soon? Would you prefer to maybe cancel it or postpone it? Or have another event instead?

2) On a similar note, I know everyone's always excited about A.U.gust and Kinktober, but those events can also be moved around a bit if it would help. Would you prefer to have the Kinktober in March instead, for instance? (with another name, or course lol). Basically, the AUs event and the smut event can be moved to different dates, it's what I'm saying. I think it would be nice not only to have some variety, but also so that they're not alongside similar events for other fandoms (the Kinktober especially, not to mention there's also Inktober for fanartists and other stuff). Plus, it gives us more varied content throughout the year. We only have to be careful not to overlap with the events being done by other blogs.

3) Are there any other events you'd like to see that I haven't mentioned? Or any events you're tired of that you think could be swapped or maybe shortened? Feel free to send me suggestions. I promise to take everything into consideration.

That's all for now. Thank you to everyone who read it this far and especially to those who are going to give me an answer. 💞

#Gallavich #Ian X Mickey #Shameless #Shameless US #Gallavich events #Mod post

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bambi-kinos · 2 months ago

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What do you think of Paul and John 's relationship in 1980? Personally, I think they had at least some sort of consensus of the relationship (I mean, a formal romantic relationship) in 1980, and I don't think Paul started thinking about the nature of the relationship after John's death, i think they both took it seriously in the'70s and decided that what they wanted from each other. It wasn't the Beatles anymore, it was John and Paul, but John's death stopped it.

I don't know what to make of John and Paul in 1980 to be perfectly honest. There's a lot of rumors and conjecture swirling around it like the Crazy Days and Nights post. A lot of the interpretations around 1980 are based in wishful thinking because no one wants to believe that John died without some sort of plan in mind with regards to Paul. The fact of the matter is that there's too much we don't know.

What we do know from the 1970s is that John and Paul's relationship really split down the middle and they didn't want anything to do with each other. They did still care about each other but they had pissed each other off too much. Paul did start reaching out in the mid-70s trying to talk to John but John, and especially Yoko, didn't want this contact. That's why John turned him away from the door when Paul tried to show up (alone!) with his guitar. John regretted that later but I don't think it's wrong to see their relationship as very dead in the water.

And the truth is that Paul didn't actually pursue John that much contrary to some bitching that took place last year in the fandom. Paul's heaviest overtures to John were when he was out of Yoko's immediate presence during the Lost Weekend and then when John went back, Paul kept him at a distance again. The communication eventually became infrequent phone calls (since many were blocked by Yoko on purpose) and that often turned into them shouting at each other. Paul eventually stopped calling John frequently and when he did he was careful to keep their conversations very light and stilted. Otherwise John would just get angry at him. Paul had other things going on in his life, he had to raise his children, be a husband, keep making music, and arrange tours.

I can imagine that John and Paul hooked up occasionally through out the 1970s but the truth is that when John said "leave me alone" Paul did.

I don't think John's last interviews wouldn't be so laden with regret towards Paul if they had something planned in the background.

Paul never forgave John for leaving The Beatles or for giving his life up to Yoko. He did want John back in his life and away from her once Paul realized what she was doing to him, but I don't believe that he was willing to stick his neck out again for John's sake. He didn't know what he was going to get in response. I would think that's why they booked the studio in January 1981, to see if they could operate with one another on neutral ground. But that was a test balloon.

It's possible they did have something happening in the background but John seems too torn up about Paul in 1980 for me to really believe that. He was actively trying to leave Yoko but I think he would have been in the wind a bit if he had, Paul wasn't riding to his rescue this time. And he was right not to.

We just don't know enough to make any firm pronouncements about 1980. Whatever John wanted from Paul it was vague and undefined because they were rebuilding their relationship from rubble. Paul was wary around John and trying to figure out if he could really trust him this time.

Idk I just don't get the "we are together again" vibes from everything that was happening in the Dakota at the time.

#john lennon #paul mccartney #mclennon #beatles meta #my meta

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sportspuckball · 5 days ago

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2024 Writing Wrap Up

I joined HRPF in mid-summer and haven't really looked back. I tentatively put a toe in the water with my first fic in July and then launched an entire universe (accidentally) a few weeks later. I have a lot of plans for more works and universes and making these ding dongs use their words for 2025, so thanks again for liking my words so far. Here's to a calendar turn and symbolic fresh starts.

(List of Fics written this year below the jump)

ONE SHOTS

Secret Keepers (M, 13k) Matthew and Leon are completely convinced that none of their friends know about them. Nearly all of their friends know about them. This gives them the bravery and structure to come out and change hockey in the process.

german wolverine and the st. louis kid (M, 10k) Matthew gets drafted by the Oilers, Leon has a thing for curly hair he can grab onto, Connor is the long suffering one stuck in the middle of their pining, but they finally figure their shit out via Christmas gifts.

We Need a Little Christmas (M, 2k) Matthew had a rough week at home, so Leon decorated their house for his favorite holiday, even though it's July

Commitment to the Bit (T, 2k) Leon cannot believe Matthew sent a text to a reporter to roast him, and yet he totally can, because his husband is a menace.

Light the Lamp, Not the Rat (M, 3k) They get engaged, Matthew introduces Leon to Muppet Christmas Carol, and Leon learns a bit more about the man he's in love with.

Four Christmases (M, 7k) Slices of their lives through four key Christmases

SERIES

chase all the ghosts from your head (M, 50k+) (still posting, will finish early January) Mattia Tkachuk is the best athletic trainer in the NHL, Leon hates her for unrecognized horny reasons, they eventually get their shit together. also, there's a lot of hot chocolate.

Addison Tkachuk Fanfiction Universe

All of these stories are about Single Dad Matthew (referred to as Dadthew) who missed the NHL draft because his very sick daughter needed him, and her birth mother peaced the fuck out. She grew up to be a generational talent of a hockey player, and through Plot Reasons, Leon and Connor realize it. As of this day, it's about 350k worth of words and I think it'll be close to 750k when it's done.

Cedar Park All Stars (M, 102k) Leon lost a bet and has ended up spending the first bit of his summer in Central Texas coaching a girls hockey camp. He's specifically there to coach a generational talent on her passing skills and it takes him about ten minutes to decide that he wants to be a part of making her career happen.

Matthew's daughter is said generational talent.

They'll obviously both be normal about each other.

Edmonton Athletics (U11) (M, 75k) Addie gets tastes of Canadian hockey, Matthew and Leon get tastes of what it means like to be in an actual adult relationship.

Edmonton Athletics (U15 Year One) (M, 150k) Addie’s with the big girls now, and is absolutely getting her ass kicked, and is obviously loving every minute of it…ish. Leon’s looking at the standings, and looking at the calendar, and looking at his family, and wondering when he comes out. Matthew’s chewing on an idea about his future, and chewing on how hard to push on Leon’s independence, and chewing on…well…everything.

(INTERLUDE) Dadthew Bonus Content: Birthday Videos (NR, 2k)

Four birthdays, four videos, four peeks into their lives.

#mattdrai #puck fics #addie fanfiction universe #hockey rpf #mattdrai rpf #fanfic #fandom things #2024 wrap up #all my fics from the year because i'm a crazy person #holy shit did i really write 400k in five months

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historical-fashion-polls · 2 months ago

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Hi! I loved the halloween event so much thank you for making it! is there a possibility that we are going to have an event for the december holidays too?

hello dear anon! 💕

I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed the halloween tournament so much! 🥰🥰

and I'm glad to hear that there's so much interest in me potentially doing another one! ☺️💕 I have additional answers here, here, and here on this topic, but the most immediate answer is that unfortunately it's just not going to be possible for me to do one this year 😔😔 however, given the interest I've seen, I can definitely start thinking about something for next year! ☺️☺️ (I'll also make a little interest poll hopefully within the next week to gauge general enthusiasm 💕💕)

in terms of timing for a potential winter tournament, I was thinking I might aim for mid-january through some time in february? (again, this probably would not be until next next year, jan-feb 2026) I have a few reasons for this:

as I mention in that last ask I've linked, I would do something more "seasonal" that's not directly linked to any holiday, so it would still be seasonably appropriate in jan-feb (for the northern hemisphere at least)

december tends to be a really busy month for me, as the whole first half is usually taken up by writing, presenting, and submitting course papers

and then my birthday is at the end of december! as much fun as running the tournament was, it was also a lot of work, which I would prefer not to worry about on my birthday, if that's okay!

but then there's another birthday on january 18th – the blog's first birthday! 🥳🥳 I could absolutely see that being the start date for a winter tournament, but I just don't see myself having the time to get something together by this jan 18th, which is why we could potentially aim for next year?

I thought I'd put this all out here to get y'all's tentative thoughts on this! let me know what you're thinking if this is something you have thoughts about! ☺️💕

so sorry to turn this very sweet ask into such a long post! ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 but thank you such much for this lovely message, and I hope all my reasoning makes sense! ☺️☺️ if you have further thoughts, please feel free to send in another ask! ☺️💕

#the curator speaks #curatorial correspondences #curatorial updates #on the topic of tournaments

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fdelopera · 2 months ago

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Welcome to the 28th installment of 15 Weeks of Phantom, where I post all 68 sections of Le Fantôme de l’Opéra, as they were first printed in Le Gaulois newspaper 115 yeas ago.

In today’s installment, we have Part II of Chapter 11, “L’enveloppe magique” (“The Magic Envelope”).

This section was first printed on Thursday, 4 November, 1909.

Gaston Leroux cut “The Magic Envelope” from his novel when he prepared the First Edition for publication.

In January of 2014, I published my translation of this chapter. Mine was the first English translation of this chapter to be published.

You can read my translation of “The Magic Envelope” on my blog here.

The text of this section starts at “All the same, Moncharmin was still looking at Richard in a way that the latter did not like at all,” and goes to “'Not on your life!’ cried Gabriel.”

TRANSLATION:

All the same, Moncharmin was still looking at Richard in a way that the latter did not like at all. It was easy to see that Moncharmin was suspicious of Richard, or at least did not trust him. Richard was infuriated.

Moncharmin explained himself.

“My dear fellow, who was it that spoke inside the box, if it wasn’t you?”

Richard raised his fist in rage but stopped mid-gesture. At the moment when he was going to slam his fist down on the desktop, he heard three sharp little knocks coming from inside the desk; his hand remained suspended in the air. The two Managers looked at each other.

“Did you hear that?” asked Richard in an uncertain voice.

“Yes!” said Moncharmin, who had become slightly pale…

They heard it again… They thought about the three sharp little knocks of which Mother Giry had told them.

Indeed, this is what they had clearly heard… Distinctly heard … from inside the desk … for there was no one under the desk…

But there was something on top!… A large envelope on which someone had inscribed an address in red ink. And it seemed to them that the three sharp little knocks had been rapped out for the express purpose of drawing their attention to that envelope.

Richard, who, however much he claimed to the contrary, was not completely devoid of superstition, cautiously reached out a hand towards the envelope, as if he feared that his touch might suddenly set it on fire.

Finally, he picked it up without further incident. It felt light in his hands, which were quick to open it after he and Moncharmin — who was leaning over his shoulder — read the address:

“For MM. the Managers of the Opera.”

“My dear friends,” said the letter, “it was I who spoke inside the box. I was there. If you did not see me, it is because I am slightly mistrustful of the police, who are always quick to make mistakes; although I had made all the necessary arrangements, as you can now deduce, so that if you had entertained the notion of informing them, they would have arrested both of you first, on your own instructions: that, you will admit, would have been quite entertaining… Let this prospect, my dear friends, be a lesson that you always bear in mind in the unlikely case that you should consider involving an outside force in our business.

“Here is how you shall handle the 20,000 francs.

“You shall slip twenty notes of one thousand francs each into an envelope that you shall find here enclosed. You shall seal this envelope and deliver it to Mme Giry one half hour before the next performance; she will do what is necessary. Cordially yours. P. of the O.”

Inside the envelope they had just opened, they indeed found another envelope that was exactly the same, folded in half, which bore the inscription in red ink: “For Monsieur P. of the O. Private.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next evening, one half hour before the curtain rose, an inspector came to see Mme Giry, who was already at her box attendant’s post, and requested that she report immediately to the office of M. Firmin Richard.

The good woman did not seem at all surprised by this message and momentarily left her duties, which consisted of awaiting the arrival of the first operagoers. She quickly went down to the season subscribers’ entrance, crossed the stage, and climbed the staircase. There she encountered her daughter, Meg, on a landing, who was in the midst of playing a prank on a fireman. Mme Giry gave her a slap on each cheek, and then went to knock on the Manager’s door.

“Enter!”

She did not seem to notice that the Managers were staring at her with an uncustomary urgency. She took an envelope, rather heavily laden, that they held out to her. She read the address, and since she was carrying the basket from which she rarely parted, she placed the envelope inside.

“No doubt you know what this means?” asked Moncharmin.

“Of course, Monsieur Manager! It’s not magic! It’s a letter for the Phantom.”

“And you are going to deliver it to him yourself?”

“So it seems. What would you have me do with it?”

“You are going to deliver it to him by hand?”

“Monsieur, I’ve never seen the Phantom’s hands, and I couldn’t tell you whether he has any…”

“But how do you do it?”

“I put it by his seat; it’s as simple as that!… And apparently, he comes to get the envelope. That has to be the way it happens…”

“Has it been long that you have served as his letter-box?”

“The first time that it happened was during the time of Debienne and Poligny, a few days before their departure… M. Poligny himself handed me a letter, but much thinner than this … and I did more or less what I am going to do with this one… Goodbye, Monsieur! With all due respect, I’m on my way… The patrons ought to be arriving, and everyone must earn a living, don’t you agree?”

Richard and Moncharmin did not stop her from leaving. They had not taken their eyes off of Mother Giry or her basket. No sooner had she closed the door than she was followed by Mercier, the Administrator. The box attendant’s every movement was carefully monitored. Her comportment was quite natural and she did not so much as touch her basket until she arrived at Box 5. There she calmly opened her basket and withdrew the precious letter. She left the basket on a stool and entered the box with the letter, which she placed on the shelf by the armrest.

Meanwhile, Mercier in turn took the liberty of opening the basket and found that it contained nothing more than a handkerchief of the finest lace monogrammed with the interwoven letters, “P.O.,”[4] a bunch of keys, a box of matches, twelve sous, and an old edition of the Petit Journal, folded to the section of the serialized novel: The Vampire’s Daughter.[5]

As for Moncharmin and Richard, they both armed themselves with opera glasses and stationed themselves in separate boxes in the upper tier so that they could not be seen, although the letter did not for an instant leave their dual patrolling gaze. In this way, they spent the duration of the performance, both the acts and the entr’actes.

They did not see anything occur inside the box, and yet still they watched the envelope on the little shelf by the armrest. They made arrangements so that after the performance was over, they would convene together with Mercier in Box 5, without interrupting their surveillance on the envelope for even a moment.

Then the two Managers, standing before Mercier, who understood nothing of the events that were transpiring, for he had followed his instructions without being briefed on the details of the affair, opened the envelope with a smile. They believed that the Phantom, who was surely possessed of a practical mind, must have sensed himself being watched and had not dared to touch the envelope. Indeed, they found the 20,000 francs still inside. And so, with a slightly smug air, they returned to their management.

But as they arrived in Richard’s office, they discovered that, sitting there on the desk, in the same location as before, was an identical envelope, which contained a “brief note” thusly worded:

“Candles and chandeliers![6] Brevity is the soul of wit; the Bank of Saint Farce[7] is not legal tender in my Empire. In the future, try to be a bit more serious, or I shall wax wroth once again. Candles and chandeliers!

“Your servant,

“P. of the O.”

It was no longer a matter of “friendly regards.” Needless to say, the Phantom was furious. But how had he known that in place of real banknotes, the Managers had slipped fake notes into the envelope, since it had remained unopened and had not been touched? And as for this latest threat — candles and chandeliers! — how had it arrived in Richard’s office, since after the last letter, Richard, recalling a bit late the recommendation given to them by the departing Managers, had installed safety locks on the doors of his office to which he alone had the keys?

I regret that I must here use an expression which is in no way recommended by the dictionary of the Academy, but no other word would be able to convey with detail and yet with restraint the state of mind of one of the Managers: Firmin Richard was fuming! No exclamations, no curses, no angry gestures. But in his breathless silence, he seemed to radiate fury.

And what infuriated him more than anything, even more perhaps than the absurd business of P. of the O., was Moncharmin’s eye, that eye which regarded him, Richard, with clear malicious irony.

For that ironic look could only come from two things: either Moncharmin imagined that P. of the O. was “making sport” of Richard in particular, or Moncharmin had begun once again to suspect his colleague! And this latter thought crowned Richard’s misery. Oh, to be the pawn, and yet to be thought the mastermind!

Suddenly, he cried: “Mercier! Go get me Gabriel!”

Gabriel, the chorus master, was Richard’s friend. He had Richard’s confidence, and frequently, when Richard was in trouble, he found excellent council in Gabriel. When Mercier had returned with Gabriel, Richard asked them both to sit down. Then, having ensured that no one could hear what would be spoken between the four men, having ordered Rémy, his secretary, who was keeping watch in the adjacent room, to prevent anyone from entering the office, he recounted from the beginning the details of that strange affair. Gabriel and Mercier listened in perfect silence.

When Richard had finished, Gabriel stood up and said: “You must put the 20,000 francs in the envelope, but the real 20,000.”

“That’s also my opinion,” agreed Mercier, and he added: “And we must inform the Commissary of Police!”

“Not on your life!” cried Gabriel.

NOTES:

[4] The letters monogrammed on this handkerchief are “F.O.” in the French, and it is the translator’s theory that this is short for Fantôme [de l’] Opéra. These initials have therefore been translated as “P.O.” for Phantom [of the] Opera. It is possible that the rest of the items in Mme Giry’s basket were meant to be Erik’s possessions, as well. For instance, the matches might be the implements that Erik used to write his various notes, since Leroux described that Erik’s handwriting looked like it was formed using the tips of matchsticks, presumably dipped into his signature red ink. It is also tempting to think of Erik reading a story about vampires, since there are certain aspects of his character, such as sleeping in a coffin bed, that appear to be drawn from vampire literature. It is certainly amusing that Leroux inserted this slightly self-referential element of a character reading a feuilleton within his own feuilleton. However, it remains unclear why these items were in Mme Giry’s basket. Like so many other details in Leroux’s novel, we have no definitive answers.

[5] A thorough search of Le Petit Journal, a Parisian daily newspaper similar to Le Gaulois, from 1863 to 1910 can find no feuilleton by the name of La Fille du Vampire. It is likely that this serialized novel was Leroux’s invention.

[6] This exclamatory phrase in French is “lustre et balustre,” which literally means “chandelier and baluster” (the baluster in this instance is the ornate stem of the chandelier into which the candle-bearing arms are inserted). This particular use of these words may be an expression of Leroux’s own devising, as it does not appear in contemporary books of French wordplay. That said, the words “lustre” and “balustre” frequently appear together in French grammar books as rhyming pairs, so there is likely a subtextual relationship between them. Instead of attempting an idiomatic translation, the translator has chosen a more literal translation, albeit one that captures some of the phrase’s rhyming quality, in order to retain the chandelier reference, since this gives the phrase its menace.

[7] The Bank of Saint Farce was pretend currency, similar to play money.

Click here to see the entire edition of Le Gaulois from 4 November, 1909. This link brings you to page 3 of the newspaper — Le Fantôme is at the bottom of the page in the feuilleton section. Click on the arrow buttons at the bottom of the screen to turn the pages of the newspaper, and click on the Zoom button at the bottom left to magnify the text.

#phantom of the opera #poto #gaston leroux #le fantôme de l’opéra #le gaulois #phantom translation #the magic envelope #l'enveloppe magique #lustre et balustre #15 weeks of phantom #phantom 115th anniversary

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itsmercuriosity · 3 months ago

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Lukola transits (October- December)

This is a post about Lukola transits. I have already posted something similar on TT, but I thought I'd go into details on here where I have more space to write down stuff.

Luke's:

Transiting Venus in his 5th house from Oct 17th until Nov 11th: romantic and social activities characterise this transit. This is the perfect time for businesses related to art and music. I feel like he will be more in touch with his passion and he may also book other jobs and start new projects.

Today the Sun enters Scorpio in his 4th house, Venus is still in his 5th: he will take personal initiative and leadership in domestic and family affairs. When I talk about domestic activity, I feel like he will be more social and express more his creativity in his private. He may be thinking about settling down and maybe moving and buying a new house. Good time for communicating with loved ones. I see him spending his time with his family more. Maybe he will go to Brighton to spend some time with his loved ones.

Transiting Mars trine Venus from Nov 4th until the end of the month: excellent time for actors and relationships. Easy to make money during this transit.

Mercury in his 5th from Nov 7th until mid January 2025: romantic opportunities arise in connection with intellectual activities and short trips, or through association with one's neighbours, co-workers, brothers and sisters, or the groups and organisations to which one belongs. There is likely to be an unusual amount of social activity and communication and comings and goings involving children, romantic partners and coworkers. This is THE perfect time for his career.

Dec 7th Sun enters his 5th house, Venus in his 6th: this is a very relaxed and enjoyable time. He will have a lot of fun and will not take things seriously.

Transiting Venus in Aquarius in his 6th: this is a favourable period for public relations or for dealing with women. The transit is also characterised by communications regarding art, music, entertainment and luxury items.

Transiting Sun sextile sun: communications and short trips involving social and romantic activities often result in new opportunities for expression. I see him travelling in this period

Dec 21st Transiting Venus conjunct Sun, Venus in his 7th: I see harmonious public relations. He will be very much in love and he will want to spend his time only with his partner. This is the perfect time for establishing a relationship. Again businesses related to art, entertainment and music are favoured.

Transiting Jupiter trine Jupiter: increased financial resources, improvement in domestic and family affairs.

Transiting Jupiter sextile ascendant: harmonious period for relationships and self expression.

Nicola's:

Today the Sun is in her 8th house until Nov 16th : she may be drawn to the occult in this period. Some wounds about her past can come back to the surface. I see an increased sex drive and sexual involvements are very likely to happen.

Also transiting mercury is in this house: I see short trips for business reasons and a lot of communication related to money and joint finances. Her talent will be appreciated and promotion is indicated, maybe she will book another project. She may be a target of stalking during this period. Maybe fans won’t allow her to do stuff or maybe she will get papped again, idk. This is a great time to open up conversations about topics that normally might cause waves, such as those revolving around the sharing of power, intimacy and finances.

Transiting Venus in her 9th (Until the end of October): romantic, business and social opportunities may arise during this time. This transit is great for adventures in foreign countries, she will have a great time if she goes on holiday. She may become more interested in other cultures or she may fall in love with a foreigner.

Transiting Jupiter trine ascendant until the end of November: very successful time for public relations, for marriage and other partnerships.

Transiting pluto sextile Venus: perfect time for inspiration, she may have good ideas for business ventures. This transit, that lasts until November 2027, can bring marriage or romantic opportunities.

Mars in her 6th until February 2025: there may be possible misunderstanding and arguments in the working environment. She may become more interested in her health, she will want to improve it. There is an interest also in clothes or changing her personal appearance during this transit. Maybe a haircut? idk

Jupiter in her 4th until Dec 2024: possible change of living place or taking up residence in a distant place. The home environment can be expanded and include more members during this transit.

Dec 7th Transiting Sun in her 10th: she will focus on her work a lot. Romantic or social opportunities may arise through her profession. She should be careful with her reputation as some activities could damage it.

Transiting Venus will be in her 12th house in December: secret affairs could occur in this period and she will spend a lot of time with her partner, just the two of them.

I venture to say that with these transits, especially in December, we might finally understand if Nic and Luke are in a relationship. Something will come up during this time, I guess.

I feel like Luke will have new opportunities career related and will book something new that we may know about. He will also have to deal with something related to his family until November.

I would love to know your thoughts and share opinions.

#astrology #lukola #nicluke #polin #bridgerton #nicola coughlan #luke newton

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da-rulah · 1 year ago

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Soppy new year post incoming...

Whew. 2023 is almost over. Thank fuck for that.

I don't want to put too much pressure on having a better 2024, because frankly, I don't want to jinx anything. This year has been awful in so many ways, but the highs I've experienced have been extreme highs, and they've fuelled me to get through the year in one piece.

But I wanna talk about this silly little fandom for a moment, because it was only in July that I discovered Ghost. And like for so many of us, it changed my life.

For about 18 months prior to finding Ghost, I had lost a lot of passion in my life. As an autistic woman, I struggled with that. I had no hyperfixations, nothing to be passionate over, nothing that I truly enjoyed. It was getting really dark near the end of those 18 months, until my best friend (@her-satanic-wiles) text me one day in July and said "I need to info dump on you about this band I found a couple of weeks ago."

That was mid-July. It took me two days to fall head over heels in love with Ghost.

It reignited my lost passion for music, brought me back to a time where music was my life, it ruled my world and fuelled me daily. It reignited my passion for writing too, which some of you have joined me in. But most of all, it's given me this weird little safe haven of a home in a group of people on the internet who love this stupid little satanic band just as much as I do.

The last few months since I found Ghost, I've been tested mentally for various reasons but now that I found them, it was so much easier to get through those months than if I hadn't. I'm not sure where my head would be at without this distraction and passion, but I don't want to think on that, because luckily enough, I do have them.

I'm so grateful to a bunch of my close mutuals - @her-satanic-wiles, @angellayercake, @thew0man, @portaltothevoid, @ramblingoak, @tasty-ribz, @ghostchems, @leezlelatch, @ibikus/@writingjourney, @kissingghouls and SO MANY MORE of you that I can't tag you all - for keeping me afloat, most of the time without realising you're doing it. Whether it's through accepting me as a friend, supporting my writing, freaking out over Ghost with me or genuinely being there for me when I needed a friend... I adore you for it. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

I feel incredibly lucky to be starting 2024 off with this passion and drive again. I'm not out of the woods yet in terms of mental health challenges, and January is always a tough month for me, but I feel more prepared to take it on knowing I have a home to come to, and a driving force behind me.

Thank you all for the last few months, I hope you'll still be around when I write one of these soppy as fuck posts next year.

I think it's true what they say; "If you have Ghost, you have everything".

All my love, Bee 🖤

#ghost bc #the band ghost #ghost band #ghost #happy new year #ghost the band

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thebibutterflyao3 · 1 year ago

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Day 22 - Prompt: Rough @wolfstarmicrofic

January Daily Series - 907 words

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Remus smirked at last night’s texting conversation with Sirius, which was temporarily interrupted by Regulus and James.

Padfoot’s Dad🐶: I disagree. The Greeks may be visionaries, but the Romans were revolutionaries.

Remus: Just because they built fancy streets and aqueducts?

Padfoot’s Dad🐶: Their infrastructure lasted centuries!

Remus: So? They plagiarised their entire religion and stole both of those concepts from other cultures.

Padfoot’s Dad🐶: They improved them!

Remus: That’s hardly objective evidence.

Padfoot’s Dad🐶: It doesn’t aldnbnsmzm.,,

Remus: Are you okay?

Padfoot’s Dad🐶: omg u r talking ancient civ shite

Remus: ?

Padfoot’s Dad🐶: This is pathetic. Both of you are twats.

Padfoot’s Dad🐶: be nice reg

Padfoot’s Dad🐶: ✨No.✨

Remus: Both of you stfu and give Sirius back his phone.

Padfoot’s Dad🐶: This is an intervention. Grow a pair and shag already.

Remus: Like you & James? Go on, let’s hear all about it.

Padfoot’s Dad🐶: Piss off.

Remus: Slag. What did you do to Sirius?

Padfoot’s Dad🐶: James is sitting on him. He says that he’s very wiggly.

Remus: Tell Sirius to call me when he’s free.

He hadn’t heard from Sirius since, which he assumed meant that they confiscated his phone during their rather rough “intervention.” It amused him to see Regulus was still a menace even after James won him over. Sirius’s silence was less so.

After a quick check of social media revealed that the Black brothers were at a familiar pub, Remus hauled himself off of his sofa and showered. He’d call Lily on the way. She was usually up for a night out. If nothing else, he would get to watch Sirius dance again. That was worth the effort.

When he followed Lily into the pub, the bass pounding through the speakers slapped him upside the head. It was loud. Lily clapped excitedly, then dragged him toward the bar.

“Love this song!” she shouted over the din.

Remus recognised it as one by Billie Eilish and shook his head. Lily enjoyed any pop song that she could dance to, but sassy lyrics sucked her right in. He was just glad that she didn’t demand he dance with her. No one wanted that level of awkward on the dance floor.

After he’d bought the first round, Lily disappeared into the crowd with the promise to check in every hour. It was their standard protocol. Remus had a tendency to wander off and forget that she drove him here, after a few rounds.

“Remus!” Mary called, waving as she made her way through the crowd.

He grinned and waved back. Mary was a uni friend that never went back home. She and Lily clicked right away and had been nearly inseparable ever since. By the time she reached him, he’d already ordered her a dirty martini.

“Thank you, love! If you’re here, Lils must be around?”

“Yeah, she just headed that way,” he said, pointing her toward the DJ. “Are you here on your own?”

Mary shook her head, her glossy halo of dark curls bouncing freely. “No, Alice and Tillie are with me. Over there.”

He followed her hand to the row of booths along the wall and was delighted to find Sirius, James, and Regulus chatting with the girls. That was too convenient to dismiss. Remus followed Mary to the booth and listened closely as she explained their plan for the evening.

“After here, we’re heading downtown to the Grim, then to Frank's Place to sober up.”

“Good plan.”

Mary bounded ahead of him and sidled up to Alice, then plopped in her lap. When Remus reached the table, James waved enthusiastically, then scooped Regulus up one-handed and slid over to free up a seat. Regulus didn’t even break eye contact with his brother as he settled onto James’s thighs. Sirius was chatting animatedly when he slid in next to James, but then stopped mid-sentence and stared.

“Remus?” he said, blinking rapidly. “What are you doing here?”

“Lily and I come by regularly.” Remus turned and pointed out the redhead, who had joined a group of girls in a dance circle. “We usually meet up with Mary at some point.”

Mary nodded. “Lils drags him out of his flat at least once a week.”

“But last week, she came alone.”

“No, she didn’t. I was here,” Remus said, shaking his head. He pointed to a booth on the other side of the club.

Sirius groaned and rubbed his hand over his face. “You have to be fucking kidding me.”

“Caught the Sirius and Lily show, did you?” James teased, leaning in to bump Remus’s shoulder. “It was certainly something, wasn’t it?”

Remus hid his smirk behind his drink. It was something alright. She and Sirius were both pissed and grinding on each other pretty intensely, which was hot enough on its own, but then Mary joined them. He’d stayed hidden in a back booth to hide his tenting trousers.

“You said I wasn’t that bad!” Sirius accused, jabbing James’s shoulder.

Regulus swatted his brother away with a threatening look when James winced. “That’s his sore arm, you prick!”

“It wasn’t bad. Just a little…”

“A little nothing, James!” Mary chimed in, shimmying her shoulders. “It was very sexy!”

Sirius was clearly mortified, though Remus couldn’t understand why. He spent the entire evening wishing he had an ounce of Sirius’s rhythm and even a smidge of Lily’s courage.

What I wouldn’t give to be in her shoes that night.

Next Part>>>

#wolfstar microfic #remus lupin #sirius black #wolfstar #james potter #regulus black #lily evans #mary mcdonald #the marauders #marauders

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aesethewitch · 1 year ago

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Shufflemancy 101: A Brief History & Analysis

Hey! If you like my work and want to support me in my quest for divination theory, digital tools, algorithmic quandries, and research into niche divination tools, consider throwing dollars at my Ko-Fi tip jar! Every contribution helps me keep making posts like this one. (You can also read this post over on Ko-Fi!)

The difficulty with researching something like shufflemancy is that it's a relatively modern phenomenon. I haven't yet found anyone (online or in a book) specifically talking about the origins of shufflemancy as a term or where it might've come from.

So, we start from square one.

What is Shufflemancy?

According to Wikipedia, shufflemancy is divination "by the use of an electronic media player such as an electronic playlist, iPod, or other medium wherein one skips a certain number of songs and the lyrics and/or tune of the song is the answer to the divinatory question."

Simple enough. Use an electronic collection of music that's been shuffled to divine.

This did lead me to the question: What counts as shufflemancy? Does tuning into a radio station count?

It's my opinion that radio divination does not count. There's no shuffle function. Yes, it has an element of chance, and that's what makes it divination. It certainly falls under the wider umbrella of divination via music, too. But it isn't shufflemancy if it doesn't make use of a shuffle function.

So, to make things simple, for something to be shufflemancy, it must:

Use an electronic medium

Involve a randomized shuffle function

Be something the shufflemancer can interpret to answer a question (pretty much anything)

Early Shufflemancy

The earliest form of shufflemancy as we understand it today, using the above requirements, would probably be tape players capable of shuffling music. With the nature of tape, it would take a while for the thing to wind and rewind to find the cue on the tape which signaled the start or end of a song, but it'd work.

With that said, shuffling as we understand and recognize it today would've started with CDs in the 1980s. There were CD players that could hold three to five disks at a time. They could shuffle songs between all disks held in the player, creating a random mix of tunes for listeners to enjoy.

Using either of these methods for divination would work, technically. The results would be somewhat limited, but that doesn't mean it's a bad method to use. Especially if your CD player could hold 5 disks, you could easily put in 5 albums from different artists with all different vibes for a wider variety of outputs.

I certainly remember using my little blue radio that held two CDs at once like this. I'd put in two albums and hit shuffle, and the first song that played would be my vibe and advice for the day. It was divination -- some of the earliest I'd ever done consciously, at the young age of nine. And when I got the bigger one that held three CDs? Game changer.

So this puts shufflemancy's origins somewhere around the mid-to-late 1980s, when Sony put out the first CD player with shuffle. As we moved into the 1990s, CDs became more popular and cassettes faced obsolescence.

The Shuffle Revolution & Early Modern Shufflemancy

In 2005, Apple changed the game again. It had already debuted the iPod in 2001, providing an easy, pocket-sized music experience as a direct challenge to the CD's cultural domination. On January 11, 2005, nearly 20 years ago, Apple announced the iPod Shuffle.

And oh, boy, did it change everything.

I could talk forever about the iPod's impact on the music industry, the death of the in-order album, and the eventual rise of music streaming services. But others have done that to death, so I'll focus in on our topic of shufflemancy.

This is where we start seeing shuffling music as it is now, in the modern day. In my digging, I found mentions of the term "shufflemancy" as early as 2007 -- just two years after the iPod Shuffle was announced. Someone proposed the concept and terminology of "shufflemancy" as we understand it today on a Halfbakery Forum "Idea" post on October 3, 2007.

It's difficult to say whether this is the first instance of the term. In reality, shufflemancy seems to have emerged as a natural by-product of the evolution of music technology. Where there is innovation, witches and diviners will mold it to their purposes. We're a resourceful bunch like that. It grew organically as we moved from buying albums to buying singles to streaming music without buying at all.

People were offering public shufflemancy readings as early as 2009 in places like TarotForum.net. It's spoken about during this era as a "silly" and "new" form of divination that people were trying out. There aren't any dates in that link, but according to the website's data, the first post in the thread was published on June 16, 2009.

From there, shufflemancy saw a gradual rise in popularity. It evolved from using iPods to iTunes, Napster, and eventually Spotify as these new applications emerged.

Shufflemancy Now

If you look up "shufflemancy" using Spotify's search function, you'll receive dozens of results. Many of the top playlists are public ones curated by shufflemancers for themselves and others to use. Options range from general playlists to "mega mixes" containing upwards of 200 hours of music from all different genres, artists, and eras. There are some with a paltry five hours of music, while one that I've seen goes up over the 600 hour mark. (If I can find that one again, I'll reblog it, because... damn.)

Select a "messages from your guides" option from the search or curate your own -- the choice is yours. For one-time shufflemancers, using a pre-made option may be the best, most economical choice. But dedicated shufflemancers sometimes boast multiple hundred-hour playlists for different purposes, all personally curated.

Clearly, it's popular. There are shufflemancers on Tumblr and Etsy offering free and paid services using their specially curated playlists. A quick search is all you need to find someone receiving a divinatory reading via song lyrics, meanings, and vibes. And it seems to work -- sellers on Etsy boast hundreds of positive reviews. Some even offer playlist curation services for personal shufflemancy or messages from deities and/or spirits.

It all begs the question, how does shufflemancy work?

Shufflemancy Methodology

Finding this is significantly easier than pinning down the history of shufflemancy. This post from Tumblr user orriculum, sums it up fairly well. So does this one by the-daily-diviner.

To do shufflemancy, the basic steps are:

Create or find a playlist of songs. A large collection seems to be the most favorable option for a wide spread of possibilities.

Ask a question. Divination 101 -- figure out what you want to know and ask it. Simple enough.

Pick a number. Choose any number and shuffle that many times or skip that many songs.

Listen to the song. Write down lyrics that stick out, messages that come through, and anything else that seems relevant (genre, tempo, vibe, etc.)

Interpret. Take the information gathered during the song and use it to draw conclusions, just like any other form of divination.

Simple enough. Shufflemancy is the sort of method that requires a high level of intuitive thinking. It's very mutable and suits a good amount of personalization.

This is both good and bad, I think. It would be incredibly easy to create a bias in your shufflemancy playlists by selecting songs with primarily one genre, artist, album, emotion, or through-line. The ideal playlist really does have a wide variety of music, and this means selecting songs that the shufflemancer doesn't necessarily like. We all have a genre or artist we hate; excluding an entire genre skews results. Impartial selections of music are critical to the success of good divination. Otherwise, we risk interfering with the outcome.

And speaking of interfering...

The Algorithm Problem

(Note: I'm focusing in on Spotify since it's very commonly used and because it's accessible to me. Shufflemancy can be (and is!) done with plenty of other apps like Apple Music.)

When Spotify was originally launched, it used a version of the Fisher-Yates Shuffle to perform its shuffling of music. In essence, this algorithm takes a finite sequence of data, picks an option from that selection of data, and removes it from the pool. Then, it picks another and another until no more options remain.

At first glance, this seems great! It creates a fairly random output. But as is the nature of randomness, there were clusters. The same artist would play four or five times in a row from a large playlist, and Spotify users complained. It was random, but it didn't feel that way.

The human brain is wired to find connections and patterns. When the same artist plays over and over again despite a playlist being on shuffle mode, it creates a pattern that the brain recognizes. Therefore, the "true" randomness of clustering outputs was unsatisfactory.

So, in 2014, Spotify updated it. Their new algorithm would detect and remember the song it just played and, in shuffling, account for the artist and album to provide a more random-feeling result. The new algorithm detects what's already played and selects accordingly to prevent the same artist from playing twice in a row, just as it prevents the same song from playing twice. It spreads artists out evenly (though not perfectly, to maintain the illusion of randomness) to provide an enhanced listening experience.

What does this mean for shufflemancy, then? If Spotify's algorithm is interfering in the output provided from a playlist, does that mean it's not a reliable form of divination?

At first, I wasn't so sure. I adjusted my thinking -- if a tarot app was preventing certain cards from being drawn (or from being drawn in a particular order) because I'd already drawn them that day or week, would that render the app unreliable? And the answer was yes. It would! It removes the random element from the method, therefore making it not true divination by my definition.

So shufflemancy with Spotify isn't (good) divination, then. Right?

My Opinion & Theory

In thinking about this further, I think it comes down to personal opinion. People certainly have success with shufflemancy via Spotify, or else they wouldn't do it. They definitely wouldn't offer their services (free or otherwise) if they weren't confident in the results it provides.

Thinking that way, I believe there's a way to off-set the algorithm's interference. With enough songs in a playlist, the random element is enhanced despite the algorithm. Not by having the same song multiple times (Spotify would surely detect this and prevent it from playing), but perhaps the same song covered by different artists. Songs with the same vibe, the same meaning, similar lyrics... AND songs from a wide variety of artists and genres, regardless of whether the shufflemancer likes the songs or not.

The person with that 600+ hour playlist for shufflemancy has it right, I think. That's the key. Variety and volume to make up for Spotify's algorithmic shuffler.

Additionally, in listening to my many, many Spotify playlists, I noticed something. If I'm listening to a playlist on shuffle and decide I want a specific song, I can choose to play it immediately. Afterwards, songs I've already heard might play. It seems as though doing this resets the shuffling algorithm in some way. Doing this in combination with a large and varied playlist might be the key to making shufflemancy in Spotify truly, fully reliable.

My Next Steps

Obviously, scholarly research only goes so far in situations like this. In order to properly gauge the accuracy of shufflemancy, I'll have to do it myself.

First, I'll need a playlist. I have a handful of playlists that sit in the hundred-hour range, but they're curated with friends for specific vibes. They're not really suitable for shufflemancy. So making one for myself is step one. I'll use premade playlists as a springboard for ideas, but the end result will be my own. For transparency, I'll make the playlist public and share it as part of the next edition in this series of posts.

The next step is to just... do it. Do the divinations, and do them regularly. Instead of a daily tarot card, I'll do a daily shuffle. I'll form "spreads" and put together a more in-depth methodology that fits my style as it develops.

Then, finally, maybe public ones? For reviews and feedback, obviously. It's one thing to do divination for myself -- confirmation bias and all -- but to do it for others and to be open for immediate feedback is entirely different.

Last, it's a matter of compiling my findings into a coherent document. Easier said than done, but done it must be.

Resources

I pulled from a lot of places for this one. Massive thanks to the Crossroads Discord for listening to me yell about divination for the last several weeks. It will continue.

In any case, here are all the resources I referenced for this leg of research:

Wikipedia - The Fisher-Yates Shuffle

Wikipedia - Methods of Divination

Wikipedia - The iPod Shuffle

PopSci - History of Shuffling Music

Engineering at Spotify - How to Shuffle?

The Verge - The Mixed-Up History of the Shuffle Button

Auntie PanPan (YouTube) - Shufflemancy - What IS It?!?

Halfbakery - Shufflemancy Idea Post

Fox and Faith Wordpress - Radio Divination and Intentional Living in Your Day to Day

Scientific American - How Randomness Rules Our World and Why We Cannot See It

PC World - The CD Player Turns 30

Make Use Of - How Spotify's Shuffle Feature Really Works

Orriculum on Tumblr - Post on shufflemancy technique

The-Daily-Divinre on Tumblr - Post on shufflemancy technique

Empirical Zeal - What Does Randomness Look Like?

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mariacallous · 2 days ago

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The sun shone brightly on 6 January 2021. The birds chirped, children frolicked and thousands of unarmed patriots gathered peacefully in Washington DC for a “day of love”. It was a beautiful gathering in support of US democracy. In the words of incoming president Donald Trump, “nothing done wrong at all”.

Perhaps that’s not quite how you remember the scenes of violent mobs storming the Capitol that were broadcast around the world four years ago. Perhaps that’s not how you, personally, would characterise an event in which more than 140 police officers were viciously assaulted and four people died; a furious riot in which crowds chanted “hang Mike Pence” and set up a makeshift gallows. But it’s certainly how a significant number of people seem to remember it: 6 January seems to have been alarmingly normalised – a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll published last year found about seven in 10 Republicans think too much fuss is being made about the event and that it is “time to move on”.

Other polls also show that, as the years go by, Republicans are less likely to believe 6 January participants were “mostly violent” and that Trump bears responsibility for the attack. A collective amnesia appears to have set in. Across large swathes of the US, a brazen coup d’etat seems to have been successfully recharacterised as a protest that just went a teeny bit awry.

To be clear: when I say “coup” I’m not talking solely about the events that unfurled on 6 January. One of the key reasons, I suspect, that Trump’s insurrection attempt is not taken as seriously as it should be in some quarters is that still, there is too much focus on the riot itself, rather than the broader scheme that it was part of. And the riot, while violent, can easily be characterised as a haphazard, almost absurd, affair. One of the poster boys of 6 January, after all, was Jacob Chansley, AKA QAnon Shaman, who ran through the US Senate chamber sporting a horned headdress, face paint, and a bare chest. (After being arrested he also famously demanded an all-organic diet in prison.) It’s tempting to look at him and think: “bunch of weirdos who got out of control”, rather than “complex insurrection attempt”. But, again, the riot at the Capitol wasn’t the coup attempt: it was just one part (albeit the most dramatic part) of a broader campaign by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election via misinformation, intimidation and a number of complicated legal manoeuvres. Rather than being spontaneous chaos, 6 January was part of a calculated plan.

The seeds for the coup, you could argue, were planted the moment Trump won the 2016 election, when he insisted (with zero proof) that he would also have won the popular vote were it not for people voting “illegally”. Trump continued to baselessly warn of voter fraud throughout his presidency, reinforcing the idea in his supporters’ minds that his enemies were intent on undermining him. When Trump did lose the 2020 election, he immediately cried foul and complained that the election had been stolen. Then the more serious shenanigans began: according to a New York Times analysis, Trump put pressure on state and government officials to overturn the election results in more than 30 phone calls or meetings, starting in mid-November. He also memorably asked Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, to “find” 11,780 votes for him, and tried to persuade justice department officials to open investigations into election fraud.

While all this was going on, the “fake electors” strategy was unfurling. After the 2020 election, a group of 84 people in seven states won by Joe Biden signed false documents claiming to be electors for Trump. The idea seems to have been to create the illusion of a contested election so that on 6 January, the day a joint session of Congress was due to convene to formalise president-elect Biden’s victory, vice-president Pence would have an excuse to block Congress from recognising Biden as the winner, or to delay the ceremonial vote count.

As the critical date of 6 January approached, Trump started focusing his efforts on pressuring Pence to reject legitimate electoral votes for Biden and block congressional certification of Biden’s victory. On the morning of the 6th, when it seemed clear that Pence wasn’t going to play ball, Trump upped the intimidation tactics by urging his supporters to converge on the Capitol building. As the riots got under way, Trump kept tweeting, suggesting Pence was a coward who “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country”.

The rioting delayed the certification process, but Trump didn’t quite pull off his coup that day. At around 8pm, the Capitol was secure and the Senate reconvened. Pence returned to the dais, saying: “To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win.”

That may have been true in the moment. But four years later, it’s hard to agree with Pence’s assessment. Trump’s insurrection attempt has not touched him politically: he’s now the (legitimate) winner of not just the electoral college, but the popular vote. Meanwhile, many of the “fake electors” from 2020 were nominated by state Republican parties to serve again as Republican party presidential electors last year. As for the rioters? While about 1,400 people were charged with felony or misdemeanor crimes for their alleged roles in the 6 January attack, Trump and his allies have recast them as martyrs who were unfairly persecuted. Many of the insurrectionists are now anticipating pardons. Some have even asked courts for permission to return to Washington on 20 January to attend the inauguration of president-elect Trump.

Not only have the insurrectionists seemingly won, the “big lie” persists. On the 2024 campaign trail, incoming vice-president JD Vance repeatedly refused to say whether or not Trump had lost the 2020 election. Nor is the idea that Trump had the 2020 election stolen from him the only lie to stubbornly endure. The moment that the riots kicked off, very deliberate revisionism from certain media outlets and individuals began. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson used selective security video from the riots to portray it as a peaceful gathering that was, in Carlson’s words, “neither an insurrection nor deadly”. The violence that did occur, the likes of Fox News and uber-influential podcaster Joe Rogan insinuated, may have been instigated by leftwing activists, or been an FBI-led false flag designed to undermine Trump. Those conspiracy theories (or “alternative facts”) spread so successfully that, according to the Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released last January, 25% of Americans say it is “probably” or “definitely” true that the FBI instigated the 6 January attack on the US Capitol. Among Republicans, 34% said the FBI organised and encouraged the insurrection. And a full 39% of Americans who said Fox News is their primary news source believe the FBI organised and encouraged the 6 January attack.

Trump is a unique political talent. His shamelessness is a superpower that lets him get away with things lesser mortals could not. I’m not sure many other politicians could have pulled off a 6 January then gone on to reclaim power. (Jair Bolsonaro certainly failed.) Still, the way this has all panned out isn’t just about Trump’s talents: it’s all about misinformation and a fragmented media ecosystem. We may all exist on the same planet, but the way we see the world can be very easily manipulated. That has happened. That is happening. The 6 January coup drama happened four years ago, but it’s so much more than history – it also serves as a lesson for our future.

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