#i'm saying them as a writer and a story analyst

[sapphire-weapon]

My personal take on this whole aeon debate, as a non-shipper is that their relationship is just so unhealthy and I feel like his character deserves a little bit of peace in his life. Ada cannot give him that, and as much as I think she could be a great character - her character was born just from an idea of a James bond-esque sexy untrustworthy spy and....that's it. She hasn't been developed further because it would ruin the mystery.

I imagine Leon flourishing with an honest and capable partner in his life to support him. Maybe as he's estranged from his family (or whatever happened there) yknow if he's not on a mission during Christmas then he could go with her to visit her family, then the soft inner-leon could start peeking out. Or something.

I just don't know what there is to support aeon as a ship bar chemistry. I get the vibe some aeon stans thrive on toxicity. Ada is not nice. Sure she's got a soft spot for him.... But he ended up in a mental spiral because of her.

I'm nervous for separate ways. Capcom has really set up for him parting ways with Ada but I'm not sure I trust them to follow through.

Just my thoughts!

So, there's a lot going on here in this ask.

I don't like looking at ships from the perspective of "What does this character deserve to have happen?" because that's not how reality works, and it's not how storytelling should work, either. There's nothing in the universe that states that if you put X amount of work in or you suffer for Y amount, you will/should get a certain specific outcome.

What Leon deserves? Is the consequences of his actions, whatever they might be.

OG Leon does deserve Ada, because he keeps making the same dumbass fucking mistakes that keep him attached to her. If he can't let her go -- if he can't allow himself to mature emotionally past age 21 in 1998 -- then he deserves the misery and discomfort that it causes him. His horrifying, manic mental breakdown at the end of RE6 when she gets shot is earned. He did that to himself. No one else did it to him -- no one forced him to keep sticking his hand in the fire. RE4make proved that Leon can still care about Ada without becoming obsessive to the point of a horrible downward spiral that culminates in him becoming a functional alcoholic. OG Leon refuses that reality, though, and he reaps what he sows.

Is that what's best for him as a person, in order for him to live his best life? HELL no. But those are two different things. Leon gets/got what he deserved, and what he deserved wasn't what's best.

Don't be nervous for Separate Ways. Leon's role in the story of RE4make is over. Leon and Ashley are done. Separate Ways will deal with Ada, Luis, Krauser, and Wesker. If Ada is still romance-coded towards Leon in Separate Ways, then that would actually be really fucking interesting, because what Remake will have actually done is switch their roles around. Now it'll be Ada's turn to get attached to Leon in a hugely unhealthy way, and she'll get what she deserves for it, same as he did in OG. (This was also kind of foreshadowed already a little bit, with Wesker saying "don't come crying to me if you get bit.")

Personally? I get the appeal of toxic/mutually destructive ships. There is something very cathartic about them, especially if you're a self-destructive person yourself or you've just been through a bad breakup or whatever the case may be. I don't ship Joseph/Kidman in TEW or Tseng/Aeris in FF7 because I want a happily ever after. I ship them because they can never be together, realistically -- it's a dream born from a wish that will never manifest in reality, and I find the pain and longing and the "if only" that comes from that -- from the state of being so close to a person but never actually ever being allowed to touch them -- to be very cathartic.

Aeon is a similar kind of ship in concept, except Aeon goes one step further, and Ada and Leon do actually touch each other, and it just makes everything so much fucking worse. And there is an appeal to that kind of thing. I get it. I do, really, I do. The only reason why I don't ship them is because I think it's written poorly and executed even worse and it fucks up Ada's entire character and screws her over in terms of her contributions to the overall plot of RE.

But the issue from the fandom perspective is that that's not how the vast majority of Aeon shippers actually view/treat them, and that's where my disconnect with the whole thing comes from, personally. I don't understand how someone looks at Leon and Ada and thinks of retirements for them that are happily ever afters, or has fucking family/children headcanons for them??? THAT'S ANTITHETICAL TO THE NATURE OF THE SHIP I seriously don't fucking understand Aeon fandom in the slightest, and that's why I say that it's very likely just a case of a bunch of people self-inserting onto Ada really fucking hard because they want to suck Leon's cock (which, I get it! I'd suck it, too, holy shit I'd suck that man dry).

So like.

Would Leon flourish with a supportive partner? Yes, absolutely. Is that what he deserves? Not necessarily.

I would argue that Remake Leon deserves that, which is why the romance with Ashley has already been set up. But OG Leon? He's on his fuckin own. He had so many opportunities over the years to grow the fuck up, and he never did. And that's on him.

[animentality]

I've always harboured a mild dislike for x reader stuff. I never really held it against people because I don't have the time to antagonise them, but it was so upsetting when every time I opened the fandom tag and all I saw were posts and posts and posts of bland x reader stuff that clearly is ooc with no real substance to them at all. So many of the RP blogs seem the same way.

As someone who tries to make analysis posts and art for the same fandom, it is disheartening when I spend hours and hours on an analysis post about a character and it maybe hits 120 notes while an OOC x reader of the same character soars to the thousands. Maybe it's selfish of me to say but I say it anyway.

The fandom is full of youngsters and I never felt comfortable voicing my opinion for the same because it just felt wrong to tell kids to stop existing in communities. But the amount of times I've been put down for shipping characters with each other rather than myself is an honestly surprising number.

Um. I don't really know where I was going with this.

But your post definitely opened my eyes a little bit on even why I dislike x reader so much. It's sinking in a little bit. My hatred for OOC stuff seeps into this, I suppose. So I wanted to say that. Yeah. I agree with you.

Thank you for saying it.

Signed,

A fellow analyser / artist / fanfic writer lmao

— @lunarcloak

I get you, man.

I know self shippers have always existed.

I don't mind them. If that's how you enjoy the media, then fine.

However.

I just don't think that the sudden rise of self shippers over fan analysis and shipping is a good sign.

I think it comes from a lack of media literacy and willingness to actually engage with a piece of fiction. At least shippers and fan analysts actually talk about the world and plot itself.

self shippers imagine themselves dating a character in an au that is completely disconnected from the story, and acting in a way that's not even close to how they are in canon.

which to me is like... you have a creative writing prompt but it's not a story you're actually engaging with. someone showed you a picture of a handsome man and said write a story about how he'd kiss you.

and it's like... ok. there's no crime in just being horny, but... when that's all a fandom is... I don't consider it a fandom, it's just a masturbation fantasy.

I thought the whole point of fiction was to dive into the human experience and try and understand ourselves better. See the perspectives of others. Live vicariously in another person's shoes.

Fan analysis about themes? Perfect. You're thinking. You're feeling. You're articulating. You're growing as a person as you decide what you like or don't like, or try to put together puzzle pieces so that the whole picture makes sense. Shipping? You're imagining scenarios. You're bending canon to fit your interests. You are developing your own ability to write characters, and growing as an artist and a writer.

But self shipping...?

Eh.

You're writing, I guess, but when you reduce yourself to just... idk, some generic girl that Gojo decides is the Bella to his Edward... I mean I'm glad you're happy and all.

But how happy are you

Are you happy at all, or are you frustrated by this aching loneliness deep in your gut that you just don't understand, and it never quite feels whole bc you keep cramming nothing into it.

And it's not the loneliness or the social awkwardness that I'm criticizing here ok, shippers and fan analysts can be just as lonely. I just think that the human relationship to art should be confusion and appreciation.

you should be trying to understand others or yourself.

you can insist well what's so wrong with escapism? why does everything have to be an intellectual exercise?

it doesn't have to be ... but there's a reason people feel so hollow watching marvel movies.

art without substance is consumption. it's a distraction from your own humanity, it is not anything more.

not to you, anyway.

and I don't know.

that's really sad.

I've made so many friends through ships and babbling about canon and gushing about narrative beats.

I feel like I got something out of fandom, if other people force me to see the world in another light. I feel like a story has done its job if it's made me feel something. and it's really done a great job if I feel invested enough to hope two characters smooch.

but self insert?

eh. so you just like the character and think they're hot. that's fine.

not that interesting to talk about either. requires very little analysis on your part.

they just provoke sexual feelings or romantic feelings , which are easiest for you to process, and then you can move on to the next pretty boy you can turn into a Dom.

it irks me, man.

just a tad bit.

[cursedvida]

The romance with Noa and Soona feels shoehorned lol. It was like halfway through the film the writers remembered that the main lead needed a female love interest. I feel no chemistry between them, and Noa never gives those intense gazes or even looks at Soona for longer than a few seconds, (as compared to a certain somebody *ehem* 👀). I also don't want poor Anaya to become a third wheel all of a sudden 😔

Usually, I tend to stick quite closely to the canon of the stories, and it would surprise you to see how I'm quite a shipper of couples that are very unpopular in some fandoms, but if they're not canon, they're almost like they are, and I defend them to the death even if I'm alone in the battle. But they always have in common that they are well constructed, the characters have chemistry, and there's consistency. In the case of Noa and Soona, it feels very forced to me. I mean, yes, I understand the childhood friends-to-lovers trope, but honestly, throughout the entire film, you completely forget that supposedly Noa has a crush on her. They have to remind you narratively several times, and that clashes with the main idea of any script, which is precisely 'show don't tell.' For me, the most WTF scene when it comes to taking Noa/Soona seriously is the fact that when Proximus makes him choose between her and Mae, he doesn't know what the hell to do. I mean, I get that Noa is a good guy and has quite a few ethical principles and clearly he doesn't want anyone to die because of his decisions. He's the hero, I get it. But come on, you're choosing between a girl you literally met like four days ago and your childhood friend who supposedly is also your crush, shouldn't your first instinct be to save her even if you later reconsider and have moral doubts? It's something I don't see, and honestly, if they really intended to make Noa's attachment to Soona seem realistic, they should have approached everything differently. And I'm not saying this as someone who has other ship preferences but as a simple script analyst here.

[macaronnya]

Since everyone and their mom are releasing their frustations regarding PB's newest update, I'm also gonna give my 2 cents. In short, I'm not angry but sad and disappointed. The game is doomed to end and I can't even do anything about it.

Like, What in hell is bad is so silly and fun. The premise is interesting, the characters are all fun and intriguing, the character designs are even more amazing with how unique and cool they are. I didn't mind the sometimes wonky translations and the, in the beginning, slightl difficulty in getting L cards, not even when they announced the 3 month rule, because it was worth it for me. I like it, I could still experience the world through the stories. I cared about the characters.

This kinda game lives and dies through their story and characters. If the players don't get attached and don't care for them, then it's over. It's why events and merchandise work. You get more about the characters, lore and collectables, in a limited time frame so you wanna work hard. And if there's limited stuff you gotta pay for, that's ok bc you really really like them through all the times you've read about them.

But it's simply impossible to do that now. It's been a while since chapter 5 got released. The last event story was really short and scarce between the release of new gachas and nightmare passes. You need L cards AND their corresponding artifact to read the whole card story. How am I able to read anything? How can I come to care for everyone when I barely get to know them?

You could say, well it's a small company; they need money and more time to get work done. Well, Cheritz was also small but they managed Mystic Messenger just fine (I'm gonna leave The Ssum bc I'm out of touch). Isn't it easier to make a player fall in love with the game so much they want to pay for it regardless of financial sitiation, than to solely rely on the wealthier players? A game is also dependent on the community but what community is left if only whales can play the game? The games' content is already scarce so fans gotta entertain themselves. Well, what about the fanartists, fanfic writers, cosplayers, lore analysts, the yappers, the incomprehensible ones? They're gonna be gone. And soon after the game.

I'm gonna unlock the remaining stories from my L cards but after that....I don't know anymore....🥲

[funnyscienceman]

look s2 was ass and i hate ori in a pod and dictator cait shouldve been explored more and so much and so much theres so much wrong with it, the writers were ass, i fucking hate riot, never trust that company for anything ever, AND ALSO jayvik makes me fucking cry man. i was so deadfaced for most of act 3 (aside from bursting into laughter when it got so absurd i felt like i was losing my sanity) but then they started throwing the fucking flashbacks to s1 at you and there was viktor being himself again, happy and funny and him and jayce nerding out over science magic whateverthefuck, and jayce said "all i want is my partner back," and externally i was like slack-jawed, blinking, shocked. like wait really? we're getting a fucking she-ra ending? this couldve been built up to so much better this is coming from fucking nowhere but really?? jayvik is back it's fucking back it's real??!?!??

and it was so overwhelming. internally i couldve been bursting into fucking tears. im still reeling over it more than a week later, like. is this what it felt like when tfgraves finally got to have their thing in pride 2022? people are saying jayce and viktor died in that explosion and maybe, maybe not, but that didn't feel sad to me. i guess it could be, it's impossible for me to take s2 seriously from a storytelling standpoint, but this isn't about that. like. two guys choosing each other over everything and everyone else. the sheer fucking devotion between them that toed the line of text and subtext since season fucking one. it's right there, on full display, center stage, and this is the actual culmination of the story i guess. wasnt set up at all this cast was way too bloated for its own good, but the fact that it exists. the fact that it's been brought to the forefront, they are FORCING YOU to talk about it. that one showrunner fucking lost his marbles on twitter because it was so hard to ignore, because the love there was just so unabashed and shameless and visible

I'm. I dunno. This is dredging up a lot of old feelings of loneliness being a trans gay man feeling like an outsider looking in to the queer community. It's a lot. And it's like conflicting so much with how ass arcane handled both its queers and poc, like as much as i love jayvik i also haaaate how mel and sky got fucking shafted, like did you have to do it like that??? and idk how much of the jayvik ending itself is queerbaiting or crumbs or whatever — if it is at all, idk, im not a philosopher or analyst in that regard — but. i just dont know if i've ever felt so seen. is that even the word for it??? maybe my feelings are just all over the place because it's so fresh? my feelings could change, i dunno. i still dont feel like rewatching s2 in full, all the way through, because it was such a slog and it disrespected 99% of the characters so hard, viktor included (singed got out mostly unscathed and i still consider that a christmas miracle) the most i can handle are individual clips and thinking about jayce and viktor doing like a reverse Weathering With You in that magic space stuff was… what the fuck man. i'm breaking. i'm falling apart.

(throwback to this one thing i doodled aaages and ages ago hdmdhdndnc)

idk. i dunno if any of this made any sense. im like rambling into the void rn. um. sorry this is a mess 👍

[eldritchamy]

hey, what do you think about stories where non-affini transition into affini? like sui generis and (sort of) affini domestication guide? i really like them and i wanna see way more of them...

I have not read any stories like that yet and therefore do not currently have any strong feelings about the concept, but Sui Generis and Affini Domestication Guide are BOTH on my priority reading list at the moment.

But I know Sui Generis was written by Kanagen, who is WIDELY regarded as the best writer in the entire setting on a technical level, which bodes REALLY well for how I enjoy stories.

If anyone's wondering, THIS is my current Priority Reading List:

Dandelion Fluff

Wellness Check

No Gods No Masters

Nurture And Acquisitions

Ultima Robo Planetarum

Five Lives

Guilty Pleasures

Sui Generis

Affini Domestication Guide

Cross Pollination

A Beast At Bay

Blue Stripe

Negotiations on Shaky Vines

Irregular Orbits

Ramification

One Analyst's Opinion

Milk & Cookies

Soar Higher, Fall Farther

Cat And Mouse

Dog of War

And yes, it is quite long. There are probably over 4 million words worth of stories just on this list. Dog of War alone will be around 418,000 when its final 3 chapters are posted. (and the author has assured me that it will kill me.)

As for right now, I'm ALMOST FINISHED with Divaricated. I'm on chapter 60 out of 62, and I think I'm close enough to the end now that I can comfortably say

DIVARICATED IS THE SINGLE GREATEST PIECE OF LITERATURE I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED IN MY FUCKING LIFE.

It is finally the thing that has dethroned The Grand Folia Hotel for me. This is the most masterfully woven tapestry I've ever seen.

It's science fiction, erotic psychological horror, PROFOUND philosophy, and deeply DEEPLY horny nightmare fuel all wrapped up into a beautifully terrifying and fucked up and intense love story.

I cannot fucking BELIEVE how good Divaricated is, and I WILL be writing a specific post for that soon.

[midmorningsong]

man the trigun fandom has had a grip on me like no other fandom in my life; I've noticed a pretty consistent trend with myself of finding out about x show/book (usually through osmosis via online memes) -> watching said show -> recirculating in the fandom for 1-3 years via fanfic and tumblr memes -> fandom starts waning at some point after the show finishes -> start engaging more with another fandom -> cycle repeats

...and this same pattern is holding true for trigun thus far- except --EXCEPT-- the frankly insane hold it has on me. like I'm sure I've thought about fandom brainrot(affectionate) and all that as a fun little metaphor for being in fandom but no actually this is a valid term for all that I'm experiencing it.

I can measure my obsession with trigun via the very definitive method of 'how many AO3 tabs to I have open on average', because in all my years I'd say anywhere between 3 and 20 (at the absolute most), but right now? the past year? for trigun fics? I actually don't want to go count because it's embarrassing but I would say at least 50 as a lowball, and that's not even considering the entire vashwood big bang collection from last year I'm still working through.

SERIOUSLY in any fandom I'm actively checking for new fics and going through writers' works I might go for 1 in 25 stories I see- but with trigun (saying this now currently in 2024), there will be, say, 8 new or updated fics in the vashwood tag in 24hrs and I am extremely interested in reading like 6 of them. And ALL of them will be some kind of sublimely delicious whether it's a beautiful writing style, extremely poignant character introspection, a super engaging AU with a fleshed out world, the best smut you'll never find again, or, you know, ALL OF THE ABOVE.

I'm so curious as to what perfect storm has made this trigun renaissance- if it's a factor of an old established fandom getting more traffic again with new material, or a certain amount of time passing from the original media (so fandom oldies here for the long haul have had plenty of time to write and read 10k meta analyst posts), and trigun itself being a very complex story that has so many deep themes relevant and relatable to our struggles today.

In any case, I'm just thrilled to be here in the thick of it and am of two minds between having some kind of restriction on myself so I can actually have a good balance of hobbies without descending fully into fandom at all possible moments, OR just enjoying the amazing stories and engagements while I'm on the wagon lol

[thatfeelinwhenyou]

To my fated Nat,

Because you took your time replying, I absolutely knew I had to slide in here again. You addressed so many of my questions even when I was just rambling is CRAZY (I rlly did not expect a response for some of them, like I just be saying things, or rather, typing them, and they don't make sense even to me 😭).

You absolutely do not!!! owe me an apology what, it was like two something days. I assume that if we were in ancient times, a carrier pigeon would have taken much longer and I feel lucky just to receive a response at all!! genuinely. I would've been willing to wait like a maiden under the moonlit courtyard, spending my days inking pages I will never send and hoping the ones I do reach you.

the detour concerns me deeply, but I will not probe. I'm happy to hear you're okay!! and that's all it matters. now it's my turn to respond. *cracks fingers*

reflecting the impulsive nature of humans... I never thought of it that way! you definitely succeeded in capturing a raw moment from mc, a temporary, split-second decision where she acted based on emotion alone. and it's from the first paragraph? like you're crazy. so, so many intricate details about human nature... the eng lit analyst in me is having a field day.

fuck humans, bro; I hope we all go extinct. (that's it. that's the reply dkjfshj)

I definitely agree on the part with mc being independent, not because she was born that way, but because she had to be. she had to survive. it's a strong trait of hers that comes through a lot throughout the story. "She’s practical and hardened by her reality, but at the core of it all, she’s still human, with fragile emotions beneath the surface." I don't have anything to add. you said it perfectly, and I need this tattooed permanently in my brain.

I was very serious about the offer to my bed. Please deliver all 8 of them, one for each night and mc can join us at her convenience any—or even better, every night if she so pleases.

Ni-ki was not that obvious. I was just having fun guessing jdshk in such a heavily angsty story, I greatly appreciated small moments of reprieve woven into the text. subtle, almost invisible, but they're there.

I'm gonna be so honest 😭 I don't take notes for every fic I read jdaskh it depends if I like it enough, if there's even plot for me to take note on (I just read mindless porn with no plot because that's what I need on some days shdkj), if it intrigues me enough to ask questions. and really, it's not a super serious note in a trad way.. I be just writing "I need THAT. I need him." in one instance and "WTF was that" in another. they're live reactions from me. and I like to include them in my reblogs (esp if I asked to be on the taglist)

you're a one-of-a-kind writer, too, and I'm so glad to have stumbled upon your page and gotten to peek inside your mind through the works you choose to share. they don't get that this is my version of consuming literary works. (I promise I spend ample time in libraries and read plenty of physical books too, PLEASE IM A STARR)

omg, our freaks matched.

JAYWON is so crazy in this fic. like man, Im not trying to take ur man (I am.) but like!! also, my opinion on Jay has drastically changed since reading more parts. I feel like a clown for disliking him. I deserve to be stoned to death and burned at stake. JAY, PLEASE FORGIVE ME. my fucking bad for assuming the worst. I was not familiar with your game like that 😔

I absolutely adore you for giving me so much more insights into mc's character. that just gave her sm more depth, and made me love her (and you, always you, for creating her) even more.

cue Fate by Enhypen RIGHT NOW!!! I don't playyyy.

"And it makes sense because If you put yourself first, you stand a better chance of making it out alive." I think you just gutted me again. but yeah.... yeah. you're correct.

Thank you so so so so so much for giving me more insights into the zombies. While reading s&s, I felt extremely compelled to consume more zombie media so I rewatched train to busan, kingdom s1 & s2, the sadness, the walking dead, all of which gave me different types of zombies/ideas on how they function and exist within their own universe. so, when I finally read your work, my brain made a lot of connections to different types of media. yes, rewatching all those series is also why my reviews are like two weeks late. FDJHK I can finally sleep at night knowing my visualization of this series has been perfected. I have nothing else I'm confused about, THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN. your replies gave me so much clarity :(((

THE FEELINGS ARE MUTUAL. that is to say, I love you too.

With love, your dearest <3

are we just going back and forth now or what 🤭 (just kidding you don't have to reply to this!) but i just want to say i really appreciate having someone that analyses so deeply about my works, the eng lit in me is kicking her feet. and that it's also so nice to have someone to talk about it with! i'll forever welcome you in my blog for as long as you want to stay. thank you truly from the bottom of my heart <3

XO, your fated

[sapphire-weapon]

So, in light of recent events, I've been doing a lot of thinking. People ask me a lot how to get into analysis and where to start if they want to analyze characters and media -- and, historically, my answer has always been "start with the themes."

But there's actually a point 0 place to start. I never mentioned this, because I thought it went without saying -- but that was stupid for me to do, because people are coming to me with nothing and I'm expecting them to have something by default. That's dumb.

The real place that you start?

Is with the writer and the target audience. Who is writing this story, and who are they writing it for?

This is the exact reason why I've also said, in the past, that not all readings of a text are valid. The only way to make all readings of a text valid is by invoking Death of the Author.

So, what is Death of the Author?

Very plainly, Death of the Author is defined as: a literary theory that argues that the meaning of a text is not determined by the author's intention, but rather by the reader's interpretation.

A lot of queer media analysts and scholars, for example, invoke Death of the Author in their work, because they know that an author did not intentionally set out to write a story that was reflective of the queer experience -- but their argument is that there's a way to read the text that is reflective of that experience. They're not saying "this is what the story means." They're saying "this is what the story means to me."

And this is a very valid form of literary analysis, because it provides extra meaning to a work beyond what the author intended and makes it more accessible to a broader audience.

But the thing about Death of the Author is that you need to acknowledge that you're invoking Death of the Author. Because if you don't, then you're making a completely different argument, which is: "the author/work intends for us to take this meaning from it." And you can't say that in good faith for all readings of a story. There is no way to make a claim that there's a positive allegory for the trans experience within Harry Potter, because that is most certainly not what JK Rowling set out to do. However, you could make a Death of the Author argument in favor of that -- which would be great, because it'll piss her the fuck off.

That's what I mean when I say that "not all readings of a text are valid." When I say that, what I actually mean is "that is absolutely not what the writers intended for us to take away from this scene/character/relationship/line of dialogue."

So, if you're someone who's coming to me, personally, and asking "how do I do what you do?" -- I don't make Death of the Author analyses. That's not what I do. So, my step zero to writing meta is to consider who is writing the story and who they're writing it for.

And there's a few reasons why I do this.

First and foremost, I'm in the business of theorycrafting. In order for me to try to accurately predict where a character arc or storyline is going and how it's going to manifest in future titles, I need to try to hone my focus on the writer's actual intentions. Because if I can't see things from their perspective, I'm never going to be able to chart out a course for where they might be going. And I'm not always right -- but sometimes I'm really right. Like, really super right. And I can't stop being right. And that feels really good.

The second reason is because acknowledging the writers' intentions opens them up to criticism. It's hard to criticize a writer for a lack of inclusivity if you take the stance that all readings of a text are valid and therefore any of the characters could be XYZ marginalized group. It's hard to criticize a writer for a sexist narrative or a sexist framing of events if you make the argument "but it's possible this completely alternate interpretation is also valid."

Like, I love DBZ. I love Akira Toriyama. I cried openly when he passed. But DBZ has some sexist bullshit going on in it. And you can't criticize it or him for turning all the female characters into housewives and babymakers while also supporting a reading of the text that says "but this is the happy ending that the characters are fighting for in the first place, so it's actually empowering."

So, in the case of Resident Evil...

Resident Evil is being written and developed by Japanese men in their 30s, 40s, and 50s for a group of Western cishet male gamers between the ages of 18-35. That is their target demographic. They are not talking to my coworker who's a 24 year old afab bi enby who desperately loves the series; the series just happened to reach them despite that.

And while everything in RE released prior to 2005 is pure survival horror meant to make you constantly feel like you're on the back foot, everything from RE4 onwards is a power fantasy. There are still horror elements to the games and movies, but RE more turns into a monster-of-the-week series about cool characters doing sick wrestling moves on cool monsters.

The devs and also the majority of their target audience project onto the male protagonists of the series to a certain extent -- which is why there has only been one title released since 2005 with a focus on a female protagonist, and that's Revelations 2 -- and, even then, Claire had to share the spotlight with Barry. Women have been playable here and there and been considered "main characters" -- but they've never really been the focus of any new titles that have come out. Sheva is considered Chris's partner. The RE6 campaigns are primarily about Leon, Chris, and Jake. Revelations 1 is seen as a Chris and Jill game in equal measure. And even though Death Island was supposed to be about Jill -- it wasn't, really. Because every other character had to be there with her, too.

So, when I get shit for taking a "heteronormative perspective" to my RE analysis -- there's a reason why I'm doing that. It's not because this is how I inherently view the world. It's because that is the intention with which the games are being written. That is who is writing the games and who the games are being written for.

Let's take RE4 Remake as an example, here. Capcom had to mash three different women together in order to create Ashley and turn her into an idealized fantasy woman so that she had the perfect face, the perfect body, and the perfect voice.

And the games are being developed by and for men who project onto Leon and see him as a power fantasy.

That is why it's absurd to me for people to say that Leon and Ashley never flirted with each other in the game. Of course they fucking did. Capcom created the perfect woman with giant tits and a small waist and a huge ass and a supportive personality and put her into close quarters with a male power fantasy protagonist. They put the flirting in so that their target cishet male audience could live that.

What people don't understand is that the eagleone romance wasn't created for the sake of the ship. It was made because of:

dudes who want to fuck Ashley and

Yoshiaki Hirabayashi's love for fairy tales.

(What makes me say that Hirabayashi loves fairy tales? He wrote RE5, which has a shitton of fairy tale elements surrounding Jill and Wesker specifically and even an alternate costume for Sheva that's called "fairy tale." To find that he turned RE4 into a fairy tale wasn't surprising to me at all, considering what the source material was. But the RE5 thing is for a separate post.)

Capcom doesn't care about your ships or our ship wars. They didn't create a Leon and Ashley romance because "we ship these two characters together." They created a Leon and Ashley romance so that guys who want to fuck Ashley can feel like maybe they could.

And because Hirabayashi fucking loves fairy tales.

And I also love fairy tales, which is why I love the ship. But I also do recognize that there's a sexist element behind the construction of Ashley's character and am capable of criticizing the ship for that reason.

So. Yeah. Start there. Start with the writers. Start with the intended audience.

I know that RE isn't being written for me. So I have to look at it from the perspective of the people who it is being written for. And if you want to analyze media, you have to do that, too.

[literaticat]

What do I do if I, as an author, don’t know if I’m qualified to tell a story? I’ve been thinking about writing a story that deals with gender identity, but I’m cis. I like the idea, but I almost wish I could give it to someone nonbinary or with more experience…

You don't have to tell every story that pops into your head.

Have you ever seen Seth Meyer's "Jokes Seth Can't Tell" segment? They are up on YT. Silly, but the grain of truth that is applicable here: There are some jokes that would sound shocking or just ignorant as hell coming from Seth, a cis straight white man, but funny, or at least not offensive coming from a Black woman or a lesbian. Any joke could be told by any comedian -- but not every joke SHOULD be told by every comedian.

So... yeah. Same with books, I think. Probably a lot of people would like for me to say "oh, any writer can write anything! if you can dream it you can do it! :D :D :D rah rah write on!"

But actually, I think your instinct to NOT need to tell this story is probably spot on. That's self-awareness, and that's a good thing. My reasoning is two-fold -- one half outward / selfless, one half inward / selfish.

On the selfless side: There are few enough opportunities for marginalized creators -- if a given publisher only has room to publish one Groundbreaking Story about Gender Identity per year or whatever -- why should that slot go to you? "I almost wish I could give it to someone nonbinary..." -- well what's stopping you? Authors share ideas all the time.

(BTW, that doesn't mean a given nonbinary person will WANT to tell the story you've thought of -- or that they will tell it the exact way that you would have told it -- they probably won't, in fact! Because every writer is different! And they have their own ideas! But the point is, there isn't anything wrong with sharing ideas and no reason you can't. Again, you don't have to write every story you've ever thought of, ideas are abundant, etc.)

On the selfish side: That's a lot of work. Feh. Why do you want to make writing a book harder than it already is? There are plenty of narratives about trans and nonbinary people and gender identity written by cis people, and they range from fine whatever to actively harmful. I'm not saying YOURS would be the latter, but it could/would/SHOULD add an extra level of difficulty and care for you to make sure your book isn't harmful, as this is not your area of expertise or experience.

And btw, if you, cis person, write a book starring a trans/nb main character, and the book is published, and you haven't done that work or you haven't done it well enough, and there is anything in there that might be construed as harmful, you can FULLY expect internet forensic analysts to pick apart every single word of the story and drag you for FILTH. Which fair enough honestly! I don't know if most people would be ready for that level of scrutiny. It couldn't be me!

So before somebody says "IT'S FICTION! So-and-so brilliant writer wrote a book about such-and-such different identity from them and won a Pulitzer Prize for it!!! ANYONE CAN WRITE ANYTHING!" -- yeah. OK. For sure.

Just like any person with halfway decent hand-eye coordination and a little practice can probably hit a baseball. If you have it in you to step up to that plate in front of a stadium full of onlookers and knock it clean out the park, fantastic for you. I just don't think most / many rookies would want to bet their career on it.

[mdhwrites]

Woah there, I think you need to take a deep breath. I'm sorry I upset you with my earlier ask. I know you're fed up of people complaining about Sasha and Marcy's parents, and maybe I should have worded my ask more carefully. I apologize if I came off as ignorant or whiny.

I think you misinterpreted what I was saying a little, though. I was never suggesting The Core and The King be 'thrown out,' only that Sasha and Marcy also got an episode or two exploring their relationships with their parents. Yes, I know The Core and The King was about more than just Aldrich's relationship with Andrias; I'm not stupid. I was simply wondering whether the narrative had unintentionally created a double standard between the girls and Andrias, and was curious to see if you had a thoughtful rebuttal to that query.

You're under no obligation to answer my questions, or anyone else's, if you don't want to. I just wanted to clarify things a little, and let you know I'm sorry for upsetting you. Take care.

Okay, so first: Knowing that it is you, and I had somewhat suspected this, helps me a bit because I can actually consider this argument having been made in good faith. That you actually do want a response and may listen to it. I'll pretty much spending the entire blog explaining why I didn't think that because refuting what you said is the easy part. I want to talk about how someone gets to an argument like this because it is...

This is an argument one only makes when backed into a corner, protecting a hypothesis they NEED to be right. It is akin to the mad scientist in a show who is going to blow up the planet in hopes of proving his hypothesis right because he's been wrong for 50 years. And that isn't an extreme because the actual argument you're making, the one that I should take seriously, requires discarding 90% of... Everything to do with Marcy and Sasha? Bare minimum Sasha. Dear god this argument reduces Sasha so you are absolutely killing what you care about for this argument.

Because narrative equality is a AWFUL shield you're using to have fancy rhetoric for a terrible argument. If you were actually meaning the argument you made before, where you brought in how they as morally better characters than Andrias and them being 14 years old mattered, you would not be arguing for Sasha and Marcy. You would be arguing that Maggie, Anne's bully, deserved an episode exploring her parents. Not her. Just her parents.

That is all it takes for me to point out how INSANE the argument you made is. That what your argument literally states is that ALL that matters here is whether or not a show had a character's parents show up. That's it. Otherwise, it is committing a grave sin against some of its cast for not doing so. That it is fundamentally flawed in its theming or narrative because it didn't literally do this for EVERY. SINGLE. CHARACTER.

That is why I say you argue that The Core and the King should not exist. Andrias by your argument is too evil a person to deserve such things such as motivations or backstory. Not when that time could be spent having Sasha and Marcy's parents show up. Are you starting to see why as an analyst and a writer, your argument pissed me off as badly as it did?

BUT.

That is not actually your argument.

Your argument is that by bringing Aldritch in and even potentially exploring his and Andrias' relationship means that Andrias got multiple levels of development and exploration beyond Sasha and Marcy. That these two kinder characters who are also just children were slighted because they didn't get that. They didn't get a full exploration of their motives, desires, etc.

Which... Means bluntly ignoring the rest of the show. You have discarded literally an entire story because these parents didn't show up. Sasha's motivations and desires are such a huge part of her and why she is the dynamic character so many fell in love with. The Third Temple is arguably the only episode with Sasha in it that is not exploring some new part of her personality, motivation, desires etc. The next closest is her introduction where they have to establish her personality. Even then, that one episode paints so many vibrant colors on early Anne that it is a HELL of a twist just by how this one bitch treats other people. Because, you know, as a 14 year old girl, friends have a fuckton of an impact on you.

Marcy's motivations are explicitly clear with the few lines we do get out of her parents and how much that clearly states that her friends matter to her as a character WAY more than her parents. She was willing to discard her parents for her friends, that is how little they matter to her. Meanwhile, we do get her personality and her fears and worries throughout S2. Even with being potentially the weakest element of the show to me, she still elevates herself above most supporting cast members in anything by the fact that she is vivid and properly realized, even if her narrative intent is more clear than with other characters in the show.

Your argument also discards Andrias though. Aldritch is NOT an impact on his son. Andrias literally spends the entire episode questioning his father (which btw, Aldritch is cold and distant, yes, but abusive? GOD NO and will people stop throwing that term around so much. I won't get into it hard here though). Aldritch's final statement to his son isn't about needing to make him proud, it's to fix how Andrias' trust in his friends cost Amphibia the peace and prosperity that Andrias grew up in. That world that actually molded him, that is far more indicative of him than his father, is now GONE in a single action by his friend who betrayed him. Who he sees as having never been his friend and that cuts him to his very core. It's why the letter from Lief beats him WAY more than Anne's fist does.

All of this, all of these character's complexities, you have thrown away for an old asshat who showed up and interacted with his son for less than four minutes. Do you see why I couldn't believe this was in good faith? Why I assumed you actually didn't a single damn about my answer? Because this is not a position you get into when you are actually wanting a discussion about something.

You only do it to keep trying to convince someone else that you're right. And that's why I like Marcy and Sasha less. Not just because of your last ask. It's because I KEEP getting asks like these. This is what? The fourth? Fifth ask I've debunked on why Sasha and Marcy's PARENTS, NOT THEM, THEIR PARENTS being out of the show was some sort of crime. It's the first time I've truly understood what people mean by "The Undertale fandom ruined Undertale for me." Because I like the whole show. I like the frogs, the newts, the toads and yes... The humans. But the humans are not literally the entire show. Marcy is available to be in the show for less than an entire season. So can we stop butchering Amphibia just because these two characters and their angst seem to be all you people care about?

So again, because I will never drop this position (and there's still so many more arguments I could make against them showing up so trust me when I say this):

Your anger about not seeing Sasha and Marcy's parents will literally never be justified.

And, just for transparency: Like with so many topics that admittedly elicit such a strong reaction out of me, there is a personal side to this. When I was nearing the end of my time with the MLP fandom, I made a weirdly high number of erotic one offs that would include a lot of titilation, nudity, etc... But no sex. It would swerve at the end because I felt like the characters' relationship and dynamic was better that way for one reason or another, usually in that wanting romance they stopped looking at the other character as just a sex object. Can you guess the comments I got on those stories? That I CONSTANTLY got on those stories? "When is chapter 2?" And at least with those, it's porn. There is a built in expectation to expect a satisfying climax from them. It still hurts like hell though as a writer to see this story you like and believe you did clever things with be entirely discarded and stomped on just because you didn't include ONE element that your readers have for whatever reason decided is the end all be all for your story to have been good or even complete. It was so bad, I still state it as a major motivating factor for me leaving the MLP fandom permanently.

So yeah, can all stop focusing on a blade of grass instead of the forest? Because requiring the parents to be there isn't even acknowledging the fucking trees.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[rosieblogstuff]

🍄Decriscribe your wip/one of your wips in the format of “_ + =__”

🤔What’s a story you’d love to write but haven’t even started yet?

(asks from the Asks for Writers to Procrastinate list)

🍄 Decriscribe your wip/one of your wips in the format of “_ + =__”

The irony of a question that describes the title for 90% of my WIPs & at least 75% of the fics for this fandom in general. 😂

How about

rare disease + lying about your job = near-death medical mystery

(That's the WIP I've been working on for over a year and someday SOMEDAY will actually finish.

I had this idea that if I made myself not post it until it was done, I'd write faster. 🤣 Turns out this was not the case. But I have 7.5 chatpers/20k words and someday I'm going to post like a whole story in a week. I swear. BUT NOT UNTIL IT'S ALL DONE this time.)

🤔 What’s a story you’d love to write but haven’t even started yet?

Ooooh well. That depends on your definition of "havent even started yet". If I have an idea for a thing I have almost certainly written at least half a scene about it and, if I'm lucky enough to have more ideas about the thing, written down some notes. If I don't write it down at all the details will fall out of my brain like water from a sieve and then I'll be annoyed with myself later.

But ok so an idea I've written very little of. I actually have a couple "big" ideas that I haven't gotten far with. They'd require a lot more outlining to make them come together. But ok.

So someday I'm want to write this fic idea where Matty decides she's just DONE with James MacGyver and she's going to take care of the problem herself. And not by just by sending Mac on a wild goose chase until he decides to give up. She's going to eliminate all possibility of James ever showing up at all by having him assassinated.

And who could do this job for them? Maybe even for free, because it's basically taking out the trash? Murdoc of course! Bonus that he really has a personal thing against abusive father figures.

Of course she can't do this alone. She's going to have to drag some into this mess with her. I honestly have had a tough time deciding if she's going to enlist Riley or Bozer to help her out. I've been leaning toward Riley, although I could see Bozer doing it out of loyalty and sour memories of James. (Jack gets left in the dark again, for various reasons including that she thinks it's best if he has plausible deniability in all of this.)

There will be problems later because Murdoc is still the #1 baddie on Phoenix's list, and analysts get wind that he's up to something locally. Mac and Jack decide this is a great time to hunt him down. It's not like Matty can say no to that, especially when James is probably barking at her to get rid of the hitman who's after Angus.

This is sort of the part where I haven't untangled the rest of the plot because there are so many possibilities. At some point somebody (James? Jack?) is going to get suspicious of Matty's behavior. At some point Murdoc is going to get caught, or almost caught, and there's no way he can stop himself taunting Mac. At some point Riley is going to have to decide if she's going to take the fall for Matty because either way, she's going to end up in trouble somehow.

Yeah so that's as far as I've gotten.

Come to think of it my other big unwritten fic idea also has to do with the problem of James' existance... but that's a fic for another ask sometime. :)

[will80sbyers]

Can I reject the idea that I'm a "byler analyst"? It makes it sound so professional and serious when I'm just saying shit about my favourite fictional characters on a blog online and reflecting about them but I'm just a fan and I'm not and never will be saying that I'm more or less qualified to talk about a fictional story than others are or that my opinions have more value than yours, I'm not the writers and for how much I can think I understand something personally I can't be the authority in these matters and don't even want to be one, you should form your own thoughts about the show like me and everybody

[soul-dwelling]

Eh about the reboot thing I think its wrong to assume that one has to care for it in the first place - for example I liked Shaman king and especially Samurai X (even if its sad how horrible the author turned out to be...) - yet I just didnt bother watching them and dont feel like I lost anything - maybe its because I dont really look into the fan discourse of those shows as I do with Soul Eater.

That’s fair. 

I sure as hell am not going to give Rurouni Kenshin another try, I feel badly for people who worked on that series (especially actors) who had nothing to do with the creator--and I look side-eyed at certain creators (Oda) who can't muster enough criticism and seem to be actually supporting the fucker.

But let me put it another way to clarify where I’m coming from, as I’ve had enough years to think about what I would do if a reboot happened. 

On the one hand, yeah, I don’t have to watch, write about, reblog, or otherwise engage with a Soul Eater reboot. For the sake of my time and health, if I have such an adverse reaction against even the idea, then it doesn’t hurt me or anyone else to skip watching it. 

On the other hand, however foolish this may seem, I do want to see this blog through to whatever conclusion it ever has, and I don’t think I can keep the blog running without engaging with a reboot, for however little time I can. If I honestly just hate even a minute of it, then I tap out and fulfill the small obligation I set for myself. I wanted to set out to make a Soul Eater blog, it is a project that I get to keep working on, and I want to see it to its end, whenever that time comes. 

Also, I think I’m being pessimistic to the point of being annoying. I doubt the majority of fans or even a potential audience is this negative and is more likely willing to give a reboot a try. 

Yes, I have to do what I think is best for me, but I also don’t want to ignore valid potential counter-arguments. I should listen to what friends, frequent submitters to this blog, and those artists, writers, analysts, essayists, chroniclers, and others in the fandom whose opinion I respect all have to say, not to overwhelm my own thoughts by drowning in a sea of other people’s takes, but because, again, I respect what they have to say and am willing to listen to their insights only after I actually engage with the primary text myself. All of these people have shown over and over that they understand what works in this series, and sometimes I get to figure out what works in the series only because these people were already literally explaining it to me.

And, where I disagree with these people, I hope I would at least hear them out. I mean, this is just a comic turned into an animated series, that is one of the few things I think people can agree to disagree on (except for the dealbreaker stuff: Chapter 113 and all the stuff Ohkubo did with Tamaki’s story is still pretty bad and a horrifying hint about his philosophy about girls, women, sex, and humanity). 

So, I hope I would give the reboot a chance--even if all I do is look at a trailer or a still image or a GIF on Tumblr and say, “Wow, this looks awful to me, this doesn’t work for me, no thanks.” 

(I’m already behind on enough other reboots, continuations, sequels, and remakes to watch. I fell off of Spice and Wolf--if just because I really think they should have hired a new director and studio...Massive content warnings there.)

I guess I am stuck still thinking I have to be a completionist and see things through to the end. But I do wonder whether there will be some "official" iteration by Ohkubo, Square Enix, BONES, Kodansha, or some other related party that is too poorly handled and finally makes me say, "I'm done, no more."

[brick-van-dyke]

Okay, I don't usually do this but I stopped reading halfway through the replies by around the third or so post. I need to really make something clear here; totalitarianism thrives off of division, presumed power struggles between marginalised groups and the fear that the lesser evil is all that prevents you from being next. Historically, we have seen this in many different dictatorships and regimes. Many analysts, writers and political advocates have warned of this in their works; 1984, The Handmaid's Tale, The Hunger Games are a few fictional examples of using real world events as inspiration for heir dystopian systems. Every regime in these stories all use this exact method; fear to suppress resistance and hope for something better than he status quo. This needs to be considered before any of the above is even touched; are you acting out of fear?

It's okay to be afraid, I know that sounds contradictory to what I just said but it's important we understand that. It's valid, because this is scary, totalitarian regimes are terrifying. But that doesn't mean we should act out o that fear, because it's exactly that which these types of governments use to suppress their people and prevent potential uprisings. So, where does that leave us?

I'm Australian, but even I would be effected if Trump were elected. Even so, the problem is that I only say that because it's "worse" than what I have right now, which is still a fascist, oppressive government that has been controlled for literal years by a fascist totalitarian rogue state that switches our prime minister's when they don't align with the US's interests. While Biden has been in power, Australia has passed anti gay, anti trans, anti disability, anti indigenous laws and the labour government still acts as if it wants me and people like me dead. I'm not helped by anyone voting Trump out by choosing Harris because the "lesser evil" is exactly what ensures the next "Trump" will get in and ensures the system itself functions as intended; through fear. I don't want Trump in, but it will be a continuation of something much deeper and sinister to allow this system to use our fear of Trump to ensure even more fascists can take power. That is just the reality of totalitarianism and how the US has evidently functioned as one for generations, no matter if you do decide to vote Harris out of fear and you feel that this was the best you could do, that fear and it's very purposeful usage cannot be denied.

So, what do we do? "Well all we can do is vote so we can't let them take that power away by not voting!" You're right about not letting them take out right to vote! But, no, voting isn't all you can do. And especially in a situation where you're denied the right to vote (which is literally what the US does both in its own elections and it's interference in other elections) I think that should be remembered. The right to vote and choose who runs a country is something that needs to be protected; which is why we ought to have an actual democracy and not this fascist system that pretends there's a presidential race when there's just a magical chairs game with the same group of fascists. They'll be back, no matter how much we vote them out. If not now, the next and the next and the next will ensure that only those we fear take a seat while a lesser evil takes the other. What we need to do is remember we're people, and so are they.

They're not so powerful as to enforce a police state when police strike after being overworked (as seen in Australia currently with protests, it's causing us to burn out their enforcement and physical ability to stop us), or throw their military at its own citizens when the military burn their uniforms (as seen in the US) and leave. They can't enforce power when the people that make up that power refuse to comply anymore. Yes, the government is powerful, but don't forget that they are only human and this is a system that relies on the compliance of other people; including each and every one of us. You and the people around you rallying together are powerful too, refuse to comply and cripple the power at these people's disposal. Make a command meaningless by that command falling on ears that refuse to listen anymore.

Sure, you can vote Harris, or not vote, whatever. She'll be voted out next election for a fascist so as much as you say you did your part, you only did for a term, and then we'll vote in another Harris to stop that fascist and wonder why nothing every changes. The US empire is a totalitarian regime that doesn't genuinely allow democratic voting and will reinstate whoever they like by next election, Trump will run again and we'll cry about the lesser evil again and we'll wonder why the US is so dystopian despite voting in the "right" person and why the policies only get worse and worse. It didn't happen overnight, it's always been like this. Trump is the result of something deeper, not a sudden new shift from something good or normal. Trump came from a place that creates Trumps, so no he is not the last. There'll be more and worst, and you'll wonder why your vote didn't prevent it all over again.

If you're truly scared Trump? Turn that fear into anger and and turn that anger into hope; take to the streets and organise, think about what YOU can do, not what a representative could do if you vote for them enough times. Talk to your local activists and local civil rights groups, refuse to comply, refuse to serve in the military and refuse everything you can refuse until the US regime falls. Resist, because votes don't matter in the eyes of a government that can easily switch out whoever is voted in when they go against the system (and yes that has happened here in Australia and in many other countries too, so maybe think about if that happens to your governments too and how much value your votes really have in a system that can dismiss and deny that right). You as an individual can do SO SO MUCH! You don't just only have a say when you write a name on paper, you can do so much more so don't sell yourself short. Gather together, remember the strength we have in numbers and the power we all have as people.

TLDR: Remember who the real enemy is.

If Trump wins they'll let Israel destroy Gaza's entire Healthcare system including American-built hospitals & burn patients alive in their beds, that's already happening? Well if Trump wins they'll let Israel send their soldiers who've killed in Gaza to study at American universities and brag about their war crimes to the students who's families they've killed. That's already happening? Well if Trump wins he'll send American soldiers, missile interception systems, and naval task forces to stop anyone on earth from attempting to enforce the responsibility-to-protect under the genocide convention that the US was a signatory to. That's already happening? Well if Trump is elected he'll hurt ME.

[torialefay]

Hiii sweetheart! I just had to tell you, your work is such a joy to read, i look forward to your posts literally everyday ❤️ (i mean no pressure, you do you and take care of yourself). I love how you write, and how you've paired some of your astro readings with stories. I'm so glad i came across your page.

If it's not too much trouble, can you do me a compatibility reading with Chan? I was born on the 9th of June, 2001, at 12:10 pm in Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Again, no pressure. You're working really hard on each post, ask, and the series. I hope you're looking after yourself.

Tysm for being so patient with the readings!!! Here you are honey <3

Ascendant in Virgo (1st house):

With your ascendant in Virgo, it is likely that you initially come across as intelligent and practical, but CAN be hard to approach at first. One thing I do want to say though is that I look at Virgo as being on the “service” axis. It is likely that when first meeting people, they can see you as being helpful in a concrete and practical way. To reiterate though, I think the only drawback is that you could come across as knowing a lot of information, which can make some people feel intimidated, even if they do not express or show it. This isn’t to say that people won’t be drawn to you. People who are naturally curious and value intellect (like you obviously do from the rest of your chart), will most definitely want to get to know you better.

Chan’s Ascendant is in Gemini, which is a really cool match up because Gemini is the ruler of intellect/learning! Gemini approaches this in a more airy sort of way, easily talking to people about a lottt of things. It’s likely that he would be super interested in what you had to say about topics you are passionate about.

I think if you met, you would initially be able to strike up a stimulating conversation. Which could most definitely lead to more if you find common ground. If you got together, I think you would be perceived as a couple that could actually be somewhat intimidating to others- almost like the perfect couple that were better than others lol. Chan could swindle others with his natural curiousity and charm, and then you would be able to hold their attention. A pretty cool match. HOWEVER, with your Sun and Mercury placements, I think you could channel a lotttt of Chan’s energy as well!

Sun in Gemini in 10th house (MC):

This is a pretty cool placement! 10th house is about your career and how you will advance in life. Since your Sun (personality) is in Gemini, people that know you would still describe you as smart and able to easily relate to others. You probably have interests in lots of different fields. This trait about you would take you far in life if you let it! Especially considering your Mercury (communication) also in Gemini in the 10th house! This shows me that overall, you would be great at having a profession that teaches others about a wide range of topics OR learns about a wide range of topics. This could manifest as being a teacher, a public speaker (obviously if more extroverted lol), writer/journalist, or even a scientist or analyst. Just something that involves your cerebral nature. You also most likely value people who are interesting and you also couldn’t be long-term with someone who doesn’t provide mental stimulation.

Chan’s Sun in Libra is a pretty good match. He naturally molds to your personality, and I actually think you could expand his knowledge and areas of interest. This could especially be helpful to him with song writing, as it could give him new ideas to write about or new perspectives to look at. Matching his Ascendant too, I think people in your life who may not necessarily know Chan as well as you, like family members or friends, would think he is the perfect match for you.

Moon in Capricorn in the 5th house:

You may have trouble expressing emotions as a Moon in Cap. It’s not necessarily that you don’t want to, but you may not know how to accurately describe them to another, feel like others may not understand you, or don’t want to burden onto other people. It’s possible that you rationalize that everyone else is already going through things, so you don’t want to burden others by mentioning your own struggles.

The 5th house rules the creativity you express, relationships, and children. The way that I interpret this playing into your Moon in Cap is through valuing and feeling like you need to put hard work into creative outlets and into relationships. It’s likely that you can do this through a realistic approach.

Your Moon sign tends to be less expressive, meaning emotional expression can be dulled. This is true for Chan as well, but you come to that conclusion from different perspectives. I think this could be a real point of strain in your relationship and you will both have to work hard to understand the others’ point of view.

Mercury in Gemini in the 10th house (MC):

I touched on this before, but your Mercury (planetary ruler of intellect and communication) is in Gemini (sign ruler of intellect and communication) is in the 10th house (professional career and advancement). Because of this, I really stress the importance of how well you are able to deliver information. You are able to tie in a lot of topics and answer a wide variety of questions as well. You are most likely a greattttt communicator when the conversation is one you are interested in.

Chan’s Mercury is in Libra, which is a good matchup for this sign. I do think you would communicate well with each other on a daily level. Still, just make sure to work on incorporating that emotional aspect as well.

Venus in Taurus in the 8th house:

Venus (love and beauty) is actually ruled by Taurus (also a sign of love, beauty and romantic relationships), AND is in the 8th house which rules sex and taboos! This is a pretty intense placement and means that, as a lover, you are totally in tune with your partner. Sexually, you and Chan should get along well. Scorpio (his Venus) is the ruler of the 8th hosue as well, so it is super intertwined!

Mars in Sagittarius in the 4th house:

Not gonna lie, I think this will be the BIGGEST struggle for you and Chan. I’ve already mentioned having trouble fully expressing emotions with one another and keeping them pent up. You and Chan both have Mars in Sag, meaning that you BOTH bottle up emotions and then explode once it reaches your breaking point. I could see fights getting verrrry ugly between you two. It is also in the 4th house, which is the ruler of the home. I think these fights could really upset your home life and structure. You will have to be careful to channel your rational Virgo/Gemini energy and Chan’s flexible Libra energy to fully reconcile after fights.