#identity is honestly such an important theme to them both

[shreddedleopard]

Not enough people talk about how Levi and Historia both embraced their true names during the Royal Government Arc, and I think that’s a shame.

[falseficus]

I read a physical copy of monstrous regiment soon after listening to the audiobook, and I noticed two tiny discrepancies between the two editions that make an absolute world of difference. when I found out that these discrepancies existed (you’ll find reddit posts backing me up about them), I felt cheated that my first experience of the book had portrayed a less cohesive arc than pratchett intended

if you’re looking to buy or read monstrous regiment, I strongly recommend the doubleday 2003 version or the corgi 2004 version, which iirc contain the original text. The harper collins publications and audiobook both contain these changes, which imo are confusing and severely undercut the themes the book is trying to get across. if anyone knows the status of other editions of the book pls feel free to add on

obviously the audiobooks and ebooks are more accessible than physical books to some people, so if you read one of those just know that the original text is different in some key ways. I still recommend you read the book because it’s crazy good :)

the changes I noticed, beneath the cut to avoid some serious spoilers:

firstly, the last line of Jackrum’s last scene. in the Doubleday version, this line reads:

“Jackrum had turned her chair to the fire, and had settled back. Around him, the kitchen worked.”

in the harpercollins version, the line reads:

“Jackrum had turned her chair the the fire, and had settled back. Around her, the kitchen worked.”

this pronoun change is actually has huge implications. in the scene in question, jackrum, a transgender man, reveals that he joined the army in disguise. he is referred to as “she” throughout his background reveal. however, he then considers where his future will take him, and in the final line of the scene his pronoun reverts back to “he.” jackrum’s pronoun goes from he->she->he, encapsulating the gendery arc of the scene. however, in the altered he->she->she version of the scene, half of that circle is erased. the neat tie-up of jackrum’s journey is left confusingly unresolved, and the importance of his gender to the book’s overarching themes goes underemphasized

the second change I noticed is how maladict appears in the book’s ending:

in the Doubleday version, maladict appears “in full uniform.”

in the harpercollins version, maladict appears “in full female uniform.”

maladict is the last soldier to reveal [their] true gender, keeping up a masc/ambiguous presentation far after all the rest of the squad has come forward as women. “in full uniform” maintains this ambiguity, allowing the reader to decide for themself whether maladict comes forward and presents as fully female or continues to dress masculinely despite the fact that circumstances no longer require it (in fact I believe that the latter is more likely, as maladict says “thought I’d try again,” which could mean dressing in male uniform again). “in full female uniform” removes that ambiguity, and brings maladict’s arc to a somewhat unsatisfying conclusion. it eliminates the possibility of maladict as transgender or gender-non-conforming, and I’m left wondering, “if maladict presents as female so readily, why make such a fuss of it before now?”

both changes undermine the book’s message by eliminating its space for non-cisnormative identity… which is kinda crucial to the whole idea. im honestly really disappointed that these changes were made in any version of the book, because whoever made them clearly didn’t get the point

[mossy-aro]

ultimately i think my insistence on aro positivity honestly is as much a political stance as a personal one.

when i say aro positivity is crucial and that i dislike doomer-ist posts that express sentiments like 'I hate being aro so much I wish I was dead instead’ it's not because I don’t think there can and should be a space for negativity and acknowledging self-hate, or the many ways being aromantic can really suck sometimes. i find that to be very important!

that being said. there is smth here about how self-hate posts are sometimes just arophobia that we inflict on ourselves. and when we put that out into the ether it (intentionally or not) can become arophobia that we inflict on other members of the community. i think there absolutely needs to be a place for negativity and the expression of anger and frustration and self loathing even - these are all good things to talk about because these are things that we experience. that being said, it can also be genuinely upsetting and triggering to people to have what is essentially arophobia shown to them and then have that be validated by other aspec people. your personal thoughts can affect your wider community on a level you may not anticipate. and i understand it i truly do! it took me so long to be able to recover from accepting being aroace - it threw my entire world off kilter and made me question everything about my place in the world.

but my insistence on aro joy and positivity is because ultimately i do believe that building is at the core essence of it all. that ultimately discussions and the purpose of community should be about construction, not destruction. and this is both a personal and a political stance. talking about how much you hate yourself and cultivating online discussions/spaces where negativity about aspec identity is the main and only theme is destructive - if that’s where we let the conversation end. these thoughts can and should be used as a vehicle to look for a path forward!

joy and positivity create a space where the focus can become on forging a path forward, on construction, on community building instead of tearing ourselves and others down with negative thoughts. it’s not productive or healthy when it stops at a place of negativity - it becomes actively destructive to the essence of community.

and i do think that this is especially poignant considering the fact that being any kind of queer, but especially aromantic (and/or asexual) means forging a path for yourself and making your own happiness where there is no obvious way forward. our communities exist mostly online (right now, anyway), there is little recognition of our existence in the real world, the effects of amatonormativity are both pervasive and actively dehumanising, and there are legal, economic and social structures in place actively making our lives more difficult. yes that all sucks! it’s good to acknowledge that. we need to in order to change it. but more importantly, that’s not the end. we are still here and our happiness, our future is for us to determine. even if we can’t change the laws or society, loving yourself and understanding aromanticism as a political identity (as well as personal), as a radical worldview, and as a protest against amatonormativity is essential for both community and personal well being. the personal is political.

tldr. i guess my point is that as a community, we should focus on building, improving, and nurturing ourselves and each other (construction) as opposed to destruction. we should recognise aromanticism and asexuality as political identities as well as personal ones and rely on community and self-love in the absence of anything else as a form of protest and political power. destruction (the recognition of everything that is wrong) is essential as a starting point - but where do we go from there? we rebuild.

[evertomorrowart]

Best of YouTube 2023

Yes, I did spend the first week and change of January on this. I wish I could have had it done for New Years, but too many people came out with incredible work in December, so waiting turned out for the best.

What these creators do are a huge influence on my life, I would honestly have difficulty doing what I do without them. That isn't to say that my favorites of the year are *only* on this image--It was almost impossible to narrow down my favorites. Many creators I wanted to include couldn't fit on a single page, and too many of them made more than one video I wished I could draw too!

But, to all of you, thank you for what you do. You're an inspiration.

For those who don't know, further is an explanation.

At the bottom center is an artistic masterpiece by Defunctland: "Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History." Over the last several years, Defunctland has risen from delightfully-entertaining commentary on decommissioned theme park attractions to occasionally dropping profound statements on the creation of art itself. "Journey to EPCOT Center: A Symphonic History" is worth treating like the cinematic experience it is: No second screen, you sit your ass down in front of a TV, set down the phone, and then you *watch it.* Any Disney, theme park, or independent film fan needs to pay attention to this one.

Bottom left is Caelan Conrad with their piece "Drop the T - The Deadly Consequences of Gay Respectability Politics." While I do think they've done more visually or artistically-daring pieces before, "Drop the T" is one of the most important videos released on YouTube in today's current climate of hate. We as queer folk (and our allies) need to understand how integral every identity of the queer experience has been since the start of the Civil Rights movement (and before!). While we are not identical, we *are* inseparable, and we deserve having our real history easily accessible.

TERFs and other conservative mouthpieces need not reply. Your opinions are trash. 😘

I cannot stop watching and rewatching this video by @patricia-taxxon, "On the Ethics of Boinking Animal People." It's not just a defense of furry fandom and its eccentricities, it's a thoughtful and passionate analysis of what the artform achieves that purely human representation can't. Patricia goes outside of her usual essay format to directly speak to the viewer about the elements that define furry media (the most succinct definition I've ever heard) and just how *human* an act loving animal cartoons really is.

As an artist who can draw furry characters, but never really got into erotic furry art, this video is a treasure. Why did I choose to have her drawn as a Ghibli character, hanging out with one of the tanukis from "Pom Poko?" Guess you'll have to watch, bruh.

Philosophy Tube continuously puts out videos that I would put on this list--I'm not even sure that "A Man Plagiarised my Work: Women, Money, and the Nation" is the best work she released in 2023. However, this video got many conversations going between myself and my partner, and the twist on the tail end of the video shocked us both to such a degree that I had no choice.

At the very tail end of the year, Big Joel released "Fear of Death." On his Little Joel channel, he described it as the singularly best video he's ever done, and I'm inclined to agree. However, for this illustration, I ended up repeatedly going back to a mini-series he did earlier in the year: "Three Stories at the End of the World." All three videos are deeply moving and haunting, and I was brought to tears by "We Must Destroy What the Bomb Cannot." While it may be relatively-common knowledge that the original Gojira (Godzilla) film is horror grappling with the devastation America's rush to atomic dominance inflicted on Japan, Big Joel still manages to bring new words to the discussion. Please watch all three of the videos, but if, for some reason, you must have only one, let it be "We Must Destroy What the Bomb Cannot."

Y'all. Let me confess something. I hate football. I hate watching it, I associate seeing it from the stadiums with some of my worst childhood experiences, I despise collegiate and professional football (as institutions that destroy bodies and offer up children at the feet of its alter as a pillar of American culture)--

I. L o a t h e. Football.

But.

F.D. Signifier could get me to watch an entire hour-plus essay on why I should at least give a passing care. AND HE DID IT. I might think "F*ck the Police," the two-parter on Black conservatism, or his essay on Black men's connection to anime might be "better" videos, but this writer did the impossible and held my limited attention span towards football long enough to make a sincere case for NFL players--and reminds us that millionaires can *in fact* be workers. That alone is testament to his skill.

Sit down and watch "The REAL Reason NFL Running Backs Aren't Getting Paid." Any good anti-capitalist owes it to themselves.

CJ the X continuously puts out stunning, emotional videos, and can do it with the most seemingly-inconsequential starting points. A 30 second song? An incestuous commercial? Five minutes of Tangled? Sure, why not. Go destroy yourself emotionally by watching them. I'm serious. Do it.

Their video Stranger Things and the Meaning of Life manages to to remind us all why the way we react to media does, in fact, matter. Yes, even nostalgia-driven, mass-media schlock. Yes, how we interact with media matters, what it says about us matters, and we all deserve to seek out the whys.

Folding Ideas has spent the last few years articulating exactly why so much of our modern world feels broken, and because of that his voice continuously lives rent-free in my brain. While the tricks that scam artists and grifters use to try to swindle us are never new, the advancement of technology changes the aesthetics of their performances. Portions of Folding Ideas' explanations might seem dry when going into detail of how stocks work in This is Financial Advice, but every bit of it is necessary to peel back the layers of techno-babble and jargon and make sense of the results of "Meme Stocks."

Jessie Gender puts out nothing but bangers, her absolute unit of a video about Star Wars might be my new favorite thing ever, but none of her work hit so profoundly in 2023 than the two-parter "The Myth of 'Male Socialization'" and "The Trauma of Masculinity." There's so much about modern life that isolates and traumatizes us, and so much of it is just shrugged off as "normal." We owe it to ourselves to see the world in more vivid a color palette than we're initially given.

Panels drawn after Kate Beaton and "Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands."

"This is Not a Video Essay" is one of the most intense and beautiful pieces of art I've ever put into my eyeballs. Why do we create? What drives us to connect?

I don't even know what else to say about the Leftist Cooks' work, it repeatedly transcends the medium and platform. Watch every single one of their videos, but especially this one.

The likelihood you are terminally online and yet haven't heard of Hbomberguy's yearly forrays into destroying the careers of awful people is pretty slim. Just because it has millions of views doesn't mean that Hbomberguy's "Plagiarism and You(Tube)" isn't worth the hype. Too long? Shut up, it has chapters and YouTube holds your place, anyway. You think a deep dive into a handful of creators is only meaningless drama? Well, you're wrong, you wrong-opinion-haver. Plagiarism is an *everyone* problem because of the actual harm it creates--the history it erases, the labor it devalues, the art it marginalizes--which you would know if you watched "Plagiarism and You(Tube)".

Watch. The damn. Video.

In fact, watch all of them!

Thanks for reading this if you did.

[northopalshore]

🎐6th House Synastry: Acts of service

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Opener:

🍃 Someone's stellium in your 6th house & vice versa is honestly one of my favourite things to see in a romantic synastry chart. The amount of times I've seen this just written down as one person being enslaved to the other person is crazy.

🍃Of course it could be the case if other aspects line up or if this is a synastry chart between an employee and their boss but it's not going to be like that for every person reading. Especially not in a romantic/close relationship.

🍃Depending on the rest of your charts of course, this could also mean that both parties will make an excellent team i.e doing housework, handling chores, groceries and children if they have any.

🍃There is a theme of acts of service as a means to show how much they care for each other. At first, the stellium person/planet person will feel a natural pull to help the house person be it with the smallest things in their life. It sort of develops into a habit. As time progresses, this habit will also latch onto the house person as they see it is a natural way to reciprocate the appreciation towards the stellium/planet person.

🍃This is common in synastry charts of people who have been married for a very long amount of time.

🍃This is because the 6th house represents daily life. Having someone's personal planets in your 6th house means that part of their lives ( depending on the planet ) fits naturally into your daily routine. Common in couples who are mature & devoted to each other, not the fling type honestly.

Planets in the 6th house

🧤 Having their Sun in your 6th house:

means that their identity, their ego, and self expression align with your daily life. They could enjoy being around you every day even when all you're doing together is laying around watching a streaming service. It's important for them to feel needed & appreciated by the 6th house person.

🧤 Their Moon in your 6th house:

You'll love having each other around to cope with the stress of your daily lives. The moon person uses acts of service as a way to show their closeness or appreciation to you. Feeling loved by being cared for.

🧤 Their Saturn in your 6th house:

You'll feel like they bring stability into your life. If you're the type to lose track of your medication, they will be the ones to remind you or even buy you one of those weekly pill capsules. How cute!

🧤 Their Mars in your 6th house:

The mars person will be a motivator & protector to the 6th house person. They may encourage you to be more physically active, taking care of your physical needs. Going on walks together, going to the gym together. They may also be quite possessive of your time i.e prefer not to share one on one time with other people.

🧤 Their Mercury in your 6th house:

They love giving you advice on how to improve your health, work ethics, and routine. They could unconsciously be thinking about your wellbeing when you are apart.

🧤 Their Venus in your 6th house:

They could love to have dates at home, spa nights, their perfect date plan would include a long deep soak in the bath with rose petals & bubbles in the water after a long hard day at work. Both will be on similar wavelength in terms of love languages. Bringing home flowers, building furniture to help you organise your stuff.

🧤 Their Uranus in your 6th house:

They might shake up your routine in a way. (i.e before you met you just stayed home all day and now you're going out with them more often)

🧤 Their Pluto in your 6th house:

They'll change the way you live, or you work. They could either make it easier i.e taking all the responsibility away from you by providing so you don't have to work, or add an extra person to your routine i.e them lol.

🧤 Their Jupiter in your 6th house:

They could bring luck into your work life, & may expand your to-do list i.e adding events into your life. You'll find that they are very supportive of you & may spoil you with material things. They may add emphasis into this aspect of your life i.e overindulgence in healthcare, over exercising depending on other aspects. They will act as a friend & guide to you when it comes to work, chores & health.

🧤 Their Chiron in your 6th house:

Their presence is very healing to the 6th house person. They may teach you whatever has plagued your mind about chores will not harm you anymore i.e growing up in a misogynistic household where you had to do all the chores. They could experience some fatigue in this area however. Perhaps they may be feeling overworked too if there is no reciprocation in terms of helping the other with housework.

🧤 Their Neptune in your 6th house:

Playing music could be a theme when doing housework together or when on dates together. There could be an emphasis on religion or spirituality between the both of you. Their presence may be very healing or vice versa in your routine.

The difference i.e how this overlay plays out between the couple depends on the sign the 6th house is under.

🌬️ Aries:

6th house in the signs

They might be quite fussy when it comes to chores. Wanting everything to be done quickly & not necessarily tidy. They will be the first to do anything for the 6th house person however, even if they complain about disliking it.

🌬️ Taurus :

Very romantic. The planet person may love cooking for the 6th house person. They may prefer to do chores when they are together instead of doing it alone.

🌬️ Gemini:

The planet person may give a lof of advice to the 6th house person helping them find better ways to do their routine i.e teaching them better folding methods to save their time. They'll add more entertainment & enthusiasm to the 6th house person's routine.

🌬️ Cancer:

Very soft, caring & gentle. Both parties want to provide eachother with as much affection and comfort into their routine/daily life as possible.

🌬️ Leo:

The planet person takes a very romantic & flamboyant approach into caring for the 6th house person. Both parties will enjoy adding fun & romance into their daily routine.

🌬️ Virgo:

Similar to Aries in which they can act tsundere about doing chores, however, there is this natural affinity to wanting to do things for the 6th house person. Making sure everything is done perfectly. They want to be seen as valuable to their partner.

🌬️ Libra:

Similar to Taurus. Both parties make sure that nobody feels underappreciated. Meaning the 6th house person will do just as much as the planet person does for them.

🌬️ Scorpio:

When the planet person starts doing things for you, you better acknowledge that they consider you as someone to love in the long-term. They may prefer to do things that nobody else would do for the 6th house person.

🌬️ Sagittarius:

They may enjoy taking you out on spontaneous dates often. Getting you out of the house or out of a rut. When doing chores, they'll try to make it as entertaining as possible.

🌬️ Capricorn:

Sugar daddy/mommy vibes lol. The planet person will likely enjoy doing most of the traditional responsibilities in a partnership i.e paying for dates, taking care of the house.

🌬️ Aquarius:

Adding spontaneity into the 6th house person's life i.e unplanned dates. Being more rebellious & innovative in terms of work . Preferring to dress up strangely (costumes) at home while doing the dishes lol.

🌬️ Pisces:

They may romanticise their chores, daily life & routine. Adding more spiritual or religious aspects into the house person's life. They may prefer to indulge eachother in holistic healing over modern healthcare.

──────୨ৎ──────୨ৎ────────

*** entertainment purposes only: reader discretion is advised***

Thank you for reading ⁠♡

@northopalshore

[hoyotournament]

FINALS!!! Furina vs Kiana Kaslana

(Propaganda under the cut)

Furina:

the girl who saved fontaine. condemned herself to a life of silent pain and suffering without any warning or preparation. she could confide in no one, seek out help from no one, all while bearing the weight of her entire nation on her shoulders. not only did her willpower save everyone in fontaine, but after the prophecy was averted, she was finally allowed to live a normal life.

Kiana Kaslana:

TLDR: she's kiana kaslana what do you MEAN!!!! kiana is a beautifully written character who fully encapsulates what hi3 is about and she's so full of love and guilt and (most importantly) hope. she's a clone who struggles with her own identity/inhumanity and traumas extending from when she was a young child and her guilt but is so so resilient and so so so so compassionate which ultimately reinforces her humanity :)

kiana's character IS the honkai impact thesis statement. i don't even mean it as in she's the literal main character and face of honkai i genuinely mean it when i say she just IS honkai impact. she reflects every single theme that they portray [hope over nihilism (chapter 25 || the flame chasers and just. the previous era in general), having agency over your identity and your own story (himeko, her being k423 and being so linked to sirin, everlasting flames || the kaslana household name honestly, bronya, fu hua, mei, sirin), believing in the humanity's inherent worth (chapter 25, arc city || elysia <- important since as a current era herrscher, she is a successor to elysia AND as kiana kaslana, she is a narrative parallel of elysia), having faith in the youth (himeko, kevin || the other flame chasers! notably su), etc.] her character being so reflective is also sooooo OUGH to think about when you view it as a reflection of honkai's 50,000 year samsara because kiana is a representation of these themes coming full circle (especially since many of these stretch back to the previous era and elysia).

SHE FEELS SO MUCH. she's so full of love and guilt. she clearly prioritizes others over herself and part of her arc is her learning to value and love herself as well!!! she would give herself for the world ten times over because she holds so much affection for humanity!! (WHILE FEELING DEHUMANIZED BECAUSE OF HER IDENTITY AS BOTH A HERRSCHER AND K423) and it's actively apart of her character's growth :'')

dear god her growth… okok. so i think first you have to understand that a lot of kiana's growth obviously coincides w general maturity as she grows from a teenager to a young adult. but aside from that i think people often forget that younger kiana is incredibly self sufficient since her father literally left her with little to no explanation when she was like. what 8? the insecurity she feels at that! the anger she has to navigate while also balancing it with her own feelings of missing and loving him. basically: kiana has struggled a lot w instability and is thus kinda good at navigating it. ex: she isnt shaken by nagazora and literally tries again and again and again to save mei and convince mei to let her help. the thing is this fucks w her a bit though because a big thing that she does as a means to cope w instability is avoiding them (not reflective of real life of course, but in the fictional hi3 this is partially represented in kiana's repressed memories about her actual origins as k423). she can not stand the realization that she killed himeko that she's so deep in denial and doesnt truly realize it until more than 10 chapters after himeko dies! she's so horrified with her being a herrscher she actively tries to not use her powers out of fear, even when it puts her in harms way (the chapter XI-EX CG!!!!!! her literally trying to kill herself!!) she literally runs away from her friends and loved ones because she's so scared of hurting them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! which is why her promise to himeko to not run away is so important!! because it addresses one of kiana's biggest flaws!!!!! this is especially important bc her refusal to continue her avoidance feeds into her arc during the herrscher of dominion chapters where she both faces her own guilt/identity and deliberately chooses perseverance and hope over nihilism!! she is hope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[animeyanderelover]

It’s been eternities since I’ve written for Death Note. I actually did a request of L and Light falling in love with the same darling but honestly, that’s been so long ago and my skills since then have improved quite a lot so I’ll just do it again.

Tw: Yandere themes, toxic relationship, possessive behavior, obsession, stalking, clinginess, manipulation, delusional mindset, gaslighting, sadism, threats, violence, abduction, isolation

Falling for the same darling

Light Yagami & L Lawliet

✍️​🍰​You'd have to be someone either involved in the Kira case or someone who is close to Light which would make you automatically a victim to L's observation. After all you could be an accomplice of Kira if you were to be someone who Light trusts a lot. Whatever the case is, you will get dragged into this one way or another with those two fighting over you because they will absolutely not share you. Whilst I would say that L would actually be the one who would fall faster for you, especially if you give him lots of sweets, he is the slower one in realizing his own feelings. So whilst Light takes longer to gain an interest in you if he shouldn't have known you much prior to L's involvement, he would be the one to notice his own feelings as well as L's equally big interest in you. It's obvious that the detective has formed an attachment to you as he constantly clings to your side as soon as he sees you and even insists on sharing his sweets with you, not to mention the slight blush he has on his face when you do something that makes his heart flatter.

✍️​🍰​Before Light can even begin forming a plan though, L realizes his own feelings too. It took him only the tiniest bit longer because he has never been in love with someone before and the constant isolation due to his identity having to remain a secret have caused him to not be very in tune with his own emotions yet funnily enough he has noticed Light's interest in you before he fully noticed his own. Now that both of them are on the same page though and both of them are aware of that. From that day on both of them start another warfare behind your back as neither one of them wants to expose themselves to you and to the other just yet. It's still too early. So a lot of hidden blackmailing and subtle manipulation is involved as both of them play tug of war without trying to alarm you just yet. Light and L are constantly testing the other one out as they both start getting more involved with your life.

✍️​🍰​Light initially might have a bit of an advantage over L who has still to figure out how to handle his romantic and obsessive interest with you. He's charming, handsome, intelligent and knows how to flirt with and court someone. So he uses this experience in an attempt to get closer to you as he is a master of acting and tries to manipulate you subtly into listening to him and acting to his liking. He has more freedom than L most of the time as he has a life outside of working together with the police force and L to expose who Kira really is. L is because of the case sometimes more limited as he doesn't spend as much time outside as Light does and especially if you are also in college like Light is, he is aware that the boy has a lot of time he can spend with you. If that is the case he tries to interfere as much as he can by either keeping Light busy or using another cover to just squeeze himself in between the two of you as much as possible. He's like a really pesky leech that refuses to unlatch from you.

✍️​🍰​Your opinion of Kira is important to both of them as they constantly question you about your opinion about him and your own definition of justice as both of them try to manipulate you to agree with their own thoughts. Light has to be a lot more careful than L though because differently from L who makes his dislike towards Kira obvious, Light would potentially expose himself to the detective if he were to admit that he supports him. L might even go as far as showing you pictures of the victims of Kira to mortify you and Light is on the inside always seething as he instantly scolds the black-haired man for his insensitive behavior towards you. Light uses his chances in exploring L's far more obvious awkwardness around you as it is obvious for him that the detective doesn't really know how to behave around you. That leads L to coming over as weird and creepy at times when his dark eyes feel like daggers about to pierce through you, obsessively watching your every move.

✍️​🍰​Despite Light's advantage when it comes to behaving like a normal person around you, L has far more influence than he has. He can easily get his hands on all sorts of information about you and can stalk you by getting all camera footage or even going as far as installing a tracker on you. L is able to keep an eye on you even if you aren't with him whilst Light has to bicker with Ryuk until the Shinigami eventually agrees to stalk you for a bit for Light's sake and in return the boy buys him his beloved apples. Light is fully aware that L could probably take you away by framing you for something within an hour and the only reason he hasn't done it just yet is because he is determined to catch Light in his lies, partially by even using you a bit. I can't exactly deny that both of them sort of explore you to get under the skin of the other one since you're currently their weak spot. They keep their dislike above each other hidden when you are around but as soon as you turn your back to them, they look at each other in discontent.

✍️​🍰​The involvement of Misa is a double-edged sword for both Light and L due to her own obsession with Light. She gets extremely jealous of you because she wants Light for herself and he had to suppress the urge to slap her or even just outright kill her since she possesses the Shinigami eyes and because Rem has also threatened to kill him if anything should happen to her. He is forced to keep her on a tight leash and tell her that she is his only one even if her touch makes his skin crawl. Whilst L is obviously cautious of her because she might be the second Kira, he also explores Misa for his own advantage as he uses her as some sort of cheating code to keep Light busy and hog your attention and time for himself whilst leaving Light silently losing his mind whilst trying to deal with Misa. Tension grows as time passes on though and things start to escalate as Light as well as L start putting you in dangerous situations only to rush to your rescue as your personal hero to earn your trust and gratitude all whilst being the ones who are responsible for it anyways. It doesn't matter who you choose, in the end the one who wins this war also wins you.

Fyodor Dostoevsky & Nikolai Gogol

🍎​🕊️​Surprisingly enough a pair that could work somewhat together although don't just get all comfy because of that. Nikolai already has a weird fascination going on with Fyodor whilst Nikolai is possibly the only member in the Decay of Angels and the only person overall that Fyodor sees as more than just a pawn. The one major problem this interest that both of them share for you initially is Nikolai's desire to free himself from his own emotions. He expresses his wish to Fyodor that he wants to kill you too to free himself from the binding chains that tie him to you and that is one of the few times where Fyodor actually threatens the clown to kill him if he should ever try to end your life. Nikolai can't lie tha he enjoys the fact that he can actually get a reaction out of Fyodor, as subtle as it may be and in an almost weirder sense does he think that the friendship between Fyodor and him deepens as he sees both of them as chained to you because of their shared interest in you. What a wonderful experience this is~

🍎​🕊️​Nikolai is the one who will one day just appear in your life and get in contact with you with his eccentric personality whilst Fyodor remains for now in the shadows and watches everything closely. It's likely that he has made a deal with Nikolai to prevent the clown from possibly ending up killing you by telling him that he'd give him a chance to kill him later as soon as both of them have secured their hold on you. From the very first moment with you, Nikolai is very social and open around you in his own weird ways. Despite his somewhat eccentric ways though, he is actually fun to be around and likeable due to his own quirkiness. He can joke with you and make you laugh and shows you some magic tricks too to keep you entertained all whilst gauging you for every facial expression you can give him. He wants to see everything you have to offer from your joy and laughter to your tears and your sorrow as he sometimes doesn't care when something terrible happens to you as his eyes are glued to your face, gleaming with sadistic joy and fascination.

🍎​🕊️​Whilst Nikolai takes for now over the part of spending time with you and getting to know you personally, Fyodor takes over everything from behind the scenes. He gathers the information about everything else in your life from your family to your friends to your job to your entire past. Both of them exchange intel about you every night over a cup of tea. Most of the time it is Nikolai just gushing and rambling about everything he could observe whilst spending time with you as he switches back and forth between having a sickly infatuated smile on his face to a scarily sadistic grin as he wonders how you would react if he were to kill someone you love in front of you or if he would hurt you. Fyodor just listens calmly to him as Nikolai talks and talks and talks about you, recalling everything about in accurate detail before Fyodor eventually has to interfere or else the white-haired man might talk for hours about you. Nikolai just gets so very easily lost in thoughts of you.

🍎​🕊️​Nikolai doesn't think about stopping Fyodor though when he starts slowly crushing everything you have so carefully built and established in your life. In fact he supports his bestie with this deed as he gets to enjoy you slowly unraveling in front of him each and every day as your life slowly falls apart. He has seen you already expressing joy, surprise and confusion but he has never witnessed you giving him a face full of despair so he sucks your every expression and sound up like a dry sponge with an utterly fascinated and happy grin on his face. The fact that you get freaked out when you notice the smile on his face as he leans closer to you, his gleaming eyes scrutinizing your face closely and carefully to engrave this memory in his mind just like he has done with everything else you've done, doesn't really bother him. Instead he starts questioning you how it feels to lose everything as he chooses to give you some of his quizzes, his scary behavior slowly pushing you away from him. By now it is far too late already though.

🍎​🕊️​You are put in a literal cage by Nikolai's desires as he could spend hours staring at you in it, his hands clutching tightly the bars as a frenzied look appears in his eyes as if he is about to pounce on you every moment now. How does it feel to be a bird without freedom now~? Do you feel the same sweet torment as he does? Or are you just in plain misery? Whatever you feel, he's sure it'll be entertaining. As crazy as it sounds, you almost prefer Fyodor for a while as he is much more calmer than Nikolai as he's the one who actually gives you some information instead of his partner who just toys with you and keeps you on edge all of the time. Sometimes he even apologizes for Nikolai's eccentric and overbearing and if he would have any heart left inside of him, he might even sympathize with you because he is all too familiar with Nikolai's antics by now. If you thought that you were suffering before, you're in a world of pain now.

🍎​🕊️​It is Fyodor who has to establish the boundaries though as his friend is far too volatile as he is guided by his emotions more often than Fyodor. Fyodor and Nikolai obviously both share a sadistic streak so there are times where both of them enjoy your torment and pain together with Nikolai being the more vocal one in expressing his joy over seeing your misery whilst Fyodor is just silently drinking in the sight of your pain. Fyodor knows when to stop though as he punishes you for the most part only until he's broken you and freed you from human's sinful nature, even if he might still sometimes be a bit sadistic. He's composed and controlled but Nikolai struggles with holding back at times as he seems to go back and forth between his behavior. Sometimes he acts like the Nikolai you once knew, all funny and joking with you, and other times he has his hands wrapped around your neck, squeezing until you see black spots dancing across your vision. His feelings have reached a weight, a gravity that pulls him down and even he doesn't know anymore at this point how to feel. He wants to kill-No, he doesn't...But he wants to be free...But can he really...?

Jouno Saigiku & Suehiro Tetchou

♦️​🌸​God, this is going to be so messy because those two just don't get all too well along. They're disagreeing always about something even during their duties and the tension only sharpens as soon as both of them develop an interest for the same person. Saigiku is the first one to notice because of course he can sense Tetchou's quicker heartbeat when around you and all the other sounds from his co-worker's body that go crazy as soon as you are around. In that moment to Jouno feels like this is the worst thing that could have happened to him because from all people it had to be Tetchou. The Hunting Dog doesn't want to share his darling with anyone but especially not with such an hopeless and idiotic optimist such as Tetchou. Now, Tetchou is certainly slower to realize everything that is going on. Chances are that he might be even a bit oblivious to his own feelings at first but seeing how Jouno tries to get involved with you certainly pushes him to notice his own feelings as well as Jouno's mutual obsessive interest in you.

��️​🌸​He knows what Jouno is like so Tetchou doesn't trust you with his fellow Hunting Dog because he has a strong desire to protect and coddle you as much as he can. Saigiku on the other hand is just a sadistic bastard and he doesn't want you to suffer or to feel any pain because of him. So Tetchou makes it his personal mission to protect you from Saigiku as he tries to glue himself to your side as much as he can. Jouno's involvement is funnily enough the trigger that pushes him to reveal his own unhealthy feelings more to you. He's suddenly overprotective and clingy as he tries to get you to listen to him because he tells himself that he knows what is best for you as you don't know how cruel Jouno can be. Because Jouno is as often with you as he can, Jouno decides to step temporarily back and just observe from the sidelines with a displeased expression on his face. What should he do about Tetchou's pesky behavior?

♦️​🌸​Both of them are somewhat limited though, much to their dismay. Both of them are part of the Hunting Dogs after all and the growing tension between the both of them is palpable and that becomes quickly obvious for the other Hunting Dogs as well. They glare at each other, Jouno's words are snarky and aggressive as he constantly provokes Tetchou and tries to get under his skin whilst Tetchou constantly warns Jouno to not do anything with you through clenched teeth as his hands form into fists. There were a couple of times where it almost looked like the situation would escalate and both of them would just fight but eventually Fukuchi gets involved and forces both of them to sit down together with him. Let's talk to each other, okay? Despite those friendly words, he as a threatening and displeased aura around him due to their immature behavior and so both of them are forced to admit what their problem is.

♦️​🌸​Fukuchi looks somewhat bamboozled as he realizes that the main problem is that two of his subordinates have just gotten quite attached to the same person whilst Teruko is laughing her ass off in the back and tells both of them that she'd like to meet the person who made both of them act this way. The old man quickly regains his composure though and reminds both of them that they are Hunting Dogs and that they have a duty to fulfill and that does not include constantly brawling and looking like they're about to kill each other. They have too much value as Hunting Dogs for the government so they wouldn't be thrilled either if they were ever to find out that there is such internal conflict between Tetchou and Jouno. Fukuchi decides to give both of them a chance to figure this out themselves though before he or the government get involved because they can not afford to have those two possibly drag down the efficiency of the Hunting Dogs because of their feelings for you. Either they work this out themselves or you have to leave the picture via Fukuchi or the government.

♦️​🌸​It's a threat that both of them know will become reality, they know better than to underestimate Fukuchi just because of his sometimes questionable antics despite his age. So Jouno approaches Tetchou not long after and whilst the dark-haired man doesn't even want to look at Jouno, he listens as Jono forces the idea of a cooperation out of him. He'd rather nail his tongue on the wall than do this but now both of them have been pushed in a corner with no real other way out. It isn't even the government both of them are worried about, it's more the lingering threat of Fukuchi and the likely involvement of Teruko since she is extremely loyal to her captain that manages to keep both of them on some sort of leash. They argue still though as Jouno wants you locked away and isolated and Tetchou disagrees as he still wants you to retain some right for freedom. Both of them ultimately can agree on moving you into an environment that both of them can supervise more closely. If an enemy would find out about your connection to them after all, this all could get very bloody and troublesome.

♦️​🌸​Honestly, if it wouldn't be for Fukuchi who manages to have some amount of control over them, both of them would have gotten into a lot of serious fights by now. They can never agree on anything when it involves you besides brutally murdering everyone who dares to hurt you. Tetchou is too lenient and weak for you in Jouno's mind and Jouno is too uncaring and sadistic in Tetchou's mind. They can literally not stand to be in each other's presence and so both of them have to be left alone with you because it would end in another huge conflict if they would try to share you whilst in the same room. The relationship is restricting and suffocating because both of them bring the worst out in each other as their behavior escalates. Jouno grows even more possessive and controlling over you whilst Tetchou grows all the more overprotective and clingy. You probably still prefer the dark-haired male though because he at least knows how to express his emotions around you whilst Jouno still struggles to be more vulnerable around you and your preference for Tetchou does not help him to be nicer.

[hummingbee-o0o]

Will Ed ever know?

So I wonder:

will Ed ever know why Stede didn't meet him on that dock?

Stede didn't tell him, probably because to Stede it isn't important, because he's heartbreaking like that. The only thing that matters to Stede is Ed and that they're reunited now. Following the theme of reversal, Stede is done running away, he's now running towards, namely towards Ed.

It does feel like it might help Ed deal with his own issues (his fear of being unloveable stemming from the confusion about his identity) to know why Stede didn't meet him on that dock. It could help them both.

But will it happen? Will it be necessary?

This moment from Izzy might be a hint. In general, the amazing episode 5 (can I hear a askjhfdsjhdgf!!! and a wahoo! from everybody) deals a lot with letting go. Putting things behind. Starting again.

Ed is dressed as a tabula rasa, he's a blank slate, he's in the grey area: he will be beginning again, and it's his choices going forward that will determine who he is.

In general, the story of Stede, Ed and Izzy (the three characters in charge of the plot) is about metaphorically dying, choosing life and being reborn to let go of their fears, which results in them having a better life going forward: Stede knows what he wants and runs towards it; Ed figures out who he is and accepts love and learns to express it; Izzy stops being angry and becomes a unifier.

So perhaps the horrible thing that happened to Stede that night will remain unaddressed, following the message that it's worse to not move on. On the other hand, addressing something is not the same as not moving on, as Lucius's journey in episode 5 shows.

This is honestly the one thing I can't call about season 2, so what I'm trying to say is:

what do you guys think?

Sound off!

[cursedvibes]

jjk having queer-coded villains seems to be an intentional choice. what are your thoughts on this

Honestly, I think the queer themes and characters we've gotten in jjk are pretty great. Yes, some of them are villains and that is a common harmful trope, but first of all it is not just the villains and second you have to look at how their queerness is portrayed and implemented into their characters.

We have characters like Kirara and Hakari and I think you can count Tengen too, who are queer(-coded) and not villains. Their queerness is pretty explicit in case of Kirara and Tengen with Kirara having clearly transitioned and being some flavour of trans and Tengen also openly stating she's lost interest in gender and is if anything a gnc woman. Queerness is also not their entire character, just one minor aspect of it that is honestly not that important. Tengen being responsible for the creation of jujutsu society and Kirara rebelling against the school and then choosing to aid the kids in the Culling Game is much more significant than their gender. Tengen corrects Yuki about being a man and then we move on, it is not actually a big deal. Yuki is more concerned with Tengen's actions than her gender.

The comment from Panda insisting that Kirara is a guy was weird, but it isn't brought up again, everyone just doesn't gender Kirara when seeing them without making a big deal about how "weird" it is for a presumed guy to have boobs like you might've expected in other pieces of media. The implication here I think is just that Panda hasn't seen Kirara in a while nor knows them very well. The comment was unnecessary in my opinion, you could've shown in a better way that Kirara transitioned, but the way it is treated afterwards makes it better. I think it especially helps that we see Hakari so accepting of Kirara, it is something normal and their relationship is loving. Kirara's gender or presumed sex is no issue at all between them and the other characters just roll with it too.

Same could be said for things like Geto and Gojo's relationship for example, the most prominent example of queer-coding in jjk as is also heavily displayed in marketing for season 2 of the anime. Obvious choice, they are by for the most popular ship and tapping into shipping sells. Their the sasunaru of jjk. I don't think you could call it queerbaiting though because contrary to sasunaru you don't have this "jk they both ended up marrying some random women like the heterosexual men they are" and there are literally no confirmed relationships in jjk anywhere except for the people who are married (and those usually don't love each other). stsg have as much ground to stand on as Kirara/Hakari or Muta/Miwa. They are milking that money cow, but with the way it is handled in canon, it doesn't bother me much ignoring their fanbase.

Another aspect we see in stsg that also applies to how we see queerness in some of the villains is that their relationship (of whatever nature that might be) is there to humanize both Gojo and Geto. There is actually some meaning to it, not just shipper bait or an insane villain being gay and that being included as another aspect of him being reproachful like you see with many Disney villains. Geto's bond with Gojo (and his family) is portrayed as the last bits of sanity left in him and also any criticism you'd leverage against that could apply to Gojo as well, a main character.

Similar with the queerness of the other villains. It is either an unimportant detail of their identity or it is actively used to humanize them. Uraume's gender is purposefully unconfirmed, nobody even makes any assumptions and that fact is about as important as their hair colour. It's just part of their identity, nothing more. It is not portrayed as predatory or used for any "trap" jokes. At least not in canon, the fandom is its own beast and I think their behaviour comes from what they are used to seeing in other media not due to anything done in jjk.

Kashimo falls into the same category of unconfirmed gender. Fans and some fantranslators assume Kashimo is a man based on what they looked like in the past, but it is actually never confirmed in the manga. Neither Hakari or anyone else ever genders Kashimo. There being no assumptions made or their possible gender or androgynous appearance discussed. People just roll with it and it isn't made to stand out in the story. I don't think you can even call Kashimo a villain, more like an antagonist similar to Higuruma was one with selfish morality. Their gender or appearance doesn't play into that at all.

With Kenjaku I guess you could see them taking over Kaori as predatory towards Jin, but it is played different than the common tropes. For one, Jin is as it seems aware of the change, just chooses to ignore it. It isn't played as a "man tricked other man into sex" or "man disguised as a woman", in fact the story goes quite out of its way to state that Kenjaku isn't (cis) male actually. Both Wasuke and Jin address Kenjaku as a women, even when they have suspicions. Kaori stays in some form with Kenjaku, she isn't just a cheap disguise and pregnancy overall is an important topic for Kenjaku both in good and bad ways. When Kenjaku says "thank you for getting along with my son" it is the first big step towards giving Kenjaku more depth than just them being a big bad mastermind. Kenjaku cares in some way for their child and doesn't just see him as a test subject. So the time in Kaori's body clearly had value to them as well beyond just getting a vessel for Sukuna. Same goes for their meeting with Takaba for example, which is the biggest example we got so far of Kenjaku being proven to care about other people and gaining depth through it. Their relationship with Tengen could count as well.

So the queer aspects we got of Kenjaku are there, but they aren't shown in canon to be something strange, quite the opposite usually. I think you see it best when you compare Kenjaku to Orochimaru, who clearly, as stated by Gege too, is a big influence for the character. Orochimaru has the body of a woman in the first part of the series, takes over the bodies of children and shows interest in Sasuke that is often seen as gay. Orochimaru is portrayed as predatory particularly towards children/boys, a persistent stereotype of gay and/or effeminate men as well as trans people. When Orochimaru reveals in the fight against Hiruzen that he inhabits the body of a woman, the characters around are disgusted and not only because this means another person's body was violated, the uncertainty of Orochimaru's gender unsettles them. You see the same thing in Boruto. Multiple characters make mean or disgusted comments about Orochimaru because they can't tell their gender and the whole "are you a man or a woman, a father or a mother" gets pushed a lot, often used as a joke. Mitsuki is being supportive and corrects people, but that doesn't stop Orochimaru's gender being brought up almost every time they feature in the series. "omg I can't tell this person's gender this is so weird and creepy" don't you have more pressing concerns like the fetuses swimming in those tanks or the human cloning?

Compared to that, Kenjaku is handled much better. There is no weird fixation on children, they have only taken over adults from what we've seen so far (due to the size of their brain and it being a real organ I think that is even a necessity) and the bodies are also mainly there for practical needs, Kenjaku isn't shown lusting after them no matter the person's gender. Choso goes from assuming Kenjaku is Yuuji's father to calling them a parent. It isn't commented on, we just assume Tengen informed him. Kenjaku being revealed to be Yuuji's mother isn't shocking because "wtf that's a man in a woman's body", it is more so about the implications of them being related. It is also used to show that Kenjaku is actually not a cis man (everyone at that time even doubting Wasuke uses she/her naturally with Kenjaku not objecting to it despite not really pretending to be Kaori) and by being his mother they have a closer personal connection to Yuuji. The fandom usually puts more harmful tropes into this moment than there actually are in the manga. I'm pretty sure Yuuji was more concerned about Kenjaku actually being related to him than Kenjaku being his mother aka exhibiting a gender he might not have expected. The "my father is your mother that's so mind-boggling and weird" is something that only exists in fandom. I don't see a reason why Choso or Yuuji would care and everyone else even less.

Takaba putting Kenjaku in a nurse outfit is also only portrayed as another fun part of their shenanigans, being neither overly sexualized nor seen as off-putting or weird. I think it was actually put there because Gege wanted to emphasize once more that having a female body doesn't unsettle Kenjaku, they see it as normal. It is part of their identity, but that itself isn't the thing being made fun of, it's a joke about sexy nurses that's detrimental to Takaba if anything.

In the same way, Kenjaku being pregnant with Tengen isn't made a big deal either beyond what it means for the Culling Game or the merger. It isn't a strange pregnant man, just another instance of pregnancy symbolism in this manga where cursed wombs are quite a common thing. And Kenjaku's whole deal is motherhood, birth and pregnancy down to the choice of their name, which is derived from an ambiguously gendered or Virgin Mary-adjacent bodhisattva. These pregnancy themes are shown as both a good thing and a bad thing depending on the context and not on principle as disgusting or bad. Kenjaku's gender fluidity has thematic relevance, but it isn't mocked or portrayed as bad by itself.

Beyond Uraume, Kenjaku and maybe Geto depending on how you look at it, I don't think there are any other queer-coded villains? Mahito was a high school girl for a juju sanpo, but that episode was more wholesome if anything and I think it was just there to show his fluidity in sex and gender. Once again not mocked or brought up as a reason for why he's evil (she isn't even that evil in that high school AU).

So yeah, I don't see a problem here, I actually wish more mangas or animes would portray queer characters this way. Make sure villains aren't the only queer characters, don't make queerness their entire character trait and treat the characters with respect.

[s-b-party]

Interpretation/Analysis of Connections between Lan & Yaoshi

Lan - the Aeon of the Hunt

Symbol has a bow (not upright, facing downwards) & arrows

Looks similar to a centaur (like Sagittarius)

Color scheme consists of black, blue, and purple mainly with hints of pink

Yaoshi - the Aeon of the Abundance

Symbol has stalks of wheat

Looks like what a forest spirit might look like

Color scheme consists of green and yellow mostly

Lan & Yaoshi are considered to be enemies & it’s obvious that they’re meant to be opposites of each other almost like foil characters, but it’s interesting how they both complement each other despite their differences

Lan is a destructive Aeon while Yaoshi is considered to be more peaceful, one is followed by death in their wake while the other is followed by life

By setting up this dynamic, it shows the necessity of having both Aeons existing simultaneously

The concepts they represent help curb the other’s more extreme results (for example, Lan’s hyper focus on their revenge pulls in many others who weren’t involved in the destruction of their homeworld, Lan helps create life in light of their violence; Yaoshi on the other hand is an Aeon that can’t allow death or illness as long as they live, which perpetuates immortality, so hunting is what prevents life from going out of control)

They represent the cycle of life & death, which is well-matched by their icons/symbols

A bow and arrows are one of the most common objects to depict a hunter (funny enough when I first saw the symbol, I thought it was supposed to be a deer with antlers but it was only until I noticed the arrows that are more faded in the background that their symbol is actually supposed to be a horizontal bow & arrows 😂 although it’s not supposed to be a deer, it is still good to note that deer are often associated with hunts w/ them being the victims rather than the hunters)

The stalks of wheat that make up Yaoshi’s symbol are often a sign of fertility since grains have been a source of food for many civilizations (farming/agriculture was important for starting out, eventually small groups of people would become civilizations); they can also at times represent resurrection/rebirth since they can grow back as long as there is suitable soil present

Considering the two symbols together, the bow & arrows and the ears of wheat are crucial to the identities that Lan & Yaoshi encompass to the point that they appear in the respective Aeons’ splash art (Lan wields their bow, Yaoshi holds wheat in one of their hands w/ a ring of wheat behind their head); they’re very fitting icons since they’re ancient as well (bows & arrows are one of the oldest forms of weaponry in history, wheat [& grains in general] has been one of the most important sources of food over the course of history)

Another thing to note is the difference between their color themes

Lan’s design utilizes blue & purple which makes them look like they have a nightly aura

Yaoshi’s design uses vibrant green & yellow which makes them look as if they’re part of forests

Now this is just more my own overanalysis but I feel that their color schemes help to establish a connection that presents Lan as the heavens & stars to Yaoshi’s earth

****I didn’t really mean that in shipping terms but I honestly can see it 😂

I love their designs a lot which is why I wanted to look further into their relationship & then I somehow got ideas along the way & fell into a bit of a rabbit hole 😂

****I feel like this thread isn’t finished, I might have to come back to this later; for one thing we’re still in the beginning stages of the game so there’s a lot more that can happen in the future which im very excited for, so I guess this is essentially a WIP (technically I guess all my lore threads are WIPs until the games are done pumping out info about the related topics)

Anyways have my first HSR lore thread ehe

[lychee-angelica]

astrology observations p3 📑🤍

these are just my personal observations, if it doesn’t resonate please let it go 🌬

hello angels, tysm for seven hundred followers x i deeply appreciate the support, having this space to be able to share with you all my practice is a blessing from you all ♥︎₊˚ here are some observations i scrapped up from my drafts hehe x

part one // part two *ੈ🐾‧₊˚

mercury-kirittka can make people very forthright, argumentative, outspoken or just very critically minded. these people may speak harshly in general, even in a humorous//witty way (honestly this is a quite general mercury-aries trait hehe)

venus-uttarabhadrapada these people tend to detest superficialities in love//relationships, they yearn for depth & realness. they are in general quite passive//soft lovers but on the inside they are deeply passionate//intense//wise leading them to wish ‘burning’ to all that is not ‘pure love’ 

mars-jyeshta can make one highly driven by some sort of depravity they may feel internally. jyeshta is all about rising from the depths of states of starvation//poverty therefore, there is great need for these people to achieve//reach great heights. the types to be motivated//fuelled by jealousy or any negative feeling, turning it into a virtue

mars-jupiter these people may have very strong opinions. tendency to be forthright & independent in one’s thoughts, ideas & opinions. one may encounter controversy due to their ideologies aswell. one may have a distaste for blindly following movements & may also love to debate issues//topics

rahu-jupiter intelligent & knowledgeable although may create a rebellious streak in a person, someone who may defy or challenge their teachers. could make someone really lucky with technology, they may often come really close to breaking a device or computer but somehow not. another observation is that these people may gravitate toward cultures//religions that are foreign to them

venus-mars these people are highly passionate, they are both romantically & sexually attractive especially to the opposite sex no matter how they look. there is this carnal sexual appeal about these people that others can sense

earth dominant people with their big three in earth signs tend to be very grounded in reality, they are practical & realistic. they are the types that may seem to have ‘dry’ or rigid personalities & may tend to rely heavily on matter of fact thinking (capricorn is the most dry of all earth signs)

lilith-1st house//ascendant a major theme i notice in these women specifically, is that they are driven to liberate raw femininity in a way that is empowering & transformational to say the least. these women are prone to objectification causing difficult lessons to be learnt, although, these women have the ability to truly transform their femininity into something liberating & powerful. natives tend to exude an unwavering allure & confidence through their bodies & sexual expression

shatabhisha-ascendent i noticed that many first impression of these people is that others think that they are high//intoxicated even when they are sober, this is due there delusive characters, others may get the impression that these people are not ‘all there’ or that they are hiding something. these people are also pretty introverted//reserved due to shatabhisha representing things that are hidden//underworld

mercury-sun these people radiate an intelligent ego & in most cases they certainly are. it is some what an important part of their identity is to be intellectually capable & respected//gives them purpose in their life.

mercury-gemini despite being a strong placement for mercury, giving high intelligence & inquisitive nature, i really suspect this placement to result in anxiety//nervousness. due to mercury ruling the nervous system & the unstable nature of mutable signs

mercury-revati i notice that these people communicate in a very poetic way, i had a friend with this placement who would write poems to me & speak in a very soft//ethereal manner

ashlesha nakshatra these women radiate femme fatale vibes more than any nakshatra. these women are intense, mystifying & seductive. these are the types who are charming//cunning and can easily manipulate//hypnotise others. these women are the most likely to lust for luxury//money and may use their qualities of beauty & intelligence to obtain their desires

[raisedbythetv89]

So this is like the beginnings of a thought so bare with me and it’s very important you don’t take this post literally because I’m not saying there is anything actually sketchy about Buffy and Giles’ relationship but rather the Slayer/Watcher dynamic the council wants there to be and how it mimics heterosexual marriages in A LOT of ways so bare with me!

Thinking about how The Council (said with so much disdain and loathing) is OBSESSED with the slayer being ALONE. THE ONE. No friends - no family - just a watcher and her. And how that dynamic mimics cis-het patriarchal relationships our society is shoving down our throats as “the ideal” (watcher/slayer obviously being without the romantic/sexual aspect but honestly so many of my relationships with men have ended up being them trying to control me and harness my power for their own gain which isn’t love so really how different is it??) but, society is always pushing women to pair off with a man and “settle down.” Aka become overburdened with so much responsibility taking care of others with no support system you have no time or energy for yourself or to do anything to change our patriarchal society.

But both in the Buffyverse and in the real world - a woman (slayer) being isolated with just a man (watcher) can lead to unnecessary harm or early death for her.

These kinds of dynamics can absolutely occur within any relationship regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation because unlearning gender roles takes WORK but for the sake of the comparison between Slayer/Watcher and Wife/Husband I’ll be using women/men language

Many of us have lived the experience of your friends or you getting boyfriends or husbands and literally vanishing from the friend group (made even worse if the man is an abuser or controlling) essentially cutting us off from our community which makes it easier to mistreat and manipulate us. Thinking about the viral weaponized incompetence song on tik tok that literally was ending marriages and relationships and the demonization of “gossiping” which is ESSENTIAL to women’s safety as we have seen with private FB groups in different areas posting allll the details they can about men who they had terrible relationships or dates with and behaviors so other women can avoid the same pain or protect their safety. Community is essential. Just having “your man” can have a severe tax on your emotional and physical health (we know the stats that single women are happiest and single moms have less labor and more free time than married moms)

Buffy is always credited for lasting as long as she did because she rejected the idea of being isolated with just a watcher who according to the council, isn’t supposed to actually love and care for the slayer but remain impartial - thinking about the shit men get when they show they actually love/respect/care for their wives which seems unfortunately rare but when it does happen they get called simp and whipped (derogatory) by the patriarchy at large.

So yeah just noting the themes of women being isolated with just a man vs having a community impacting health and longevity in Buffy and how aptly that reflects our society in the US showing how the council literally represents the patriarchy and watchers are meant to be the “keepers” of these powerful young women which is exactly what the patriarchy wants our husbands to be and how harmful that framework is for us.

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

"The Bad Batch" Season 3 episodes 1-3 review

guys, I woke up at the crack of dawn to watch this because I couldn't sleep (although tbf, my room's heater was way too much and distracting my peaceful slumber anyway). Overall, I really enjoyed the start to the final season. I thought the character directions were good, animation was always beautiful, music was great, and the action was fun. There were a few surprises and somethings I wish they changed, but I'm happy.

spoilers not necessary, but it's fair to say that Hemlock has cemented himself as a truly sinister and twisted villain. Everything about him from his VA's performance to actions are perfection. His theme is also very chilling. We've never seen a villain like him in Star Wars.

Spoilers below

Omega and Crosshair right away steal the show for me. Her upbeat attitude even in the darkest of times is enough to breakthrough Crosshair's darkness. And honestly, that's one of my favorite things about Omega: her hope. Although she's a kid and separated from her family, she still finds ways to keep going. She finds companionship in Batcher (who is adorable), talks with Crosshair, makes a straw Lula, and constantly searches for a way out. I love her dearly. There's something about her pluckiness that's so endearing. Side note: isn't it eerie she kinda resembles Emerie with her hairstyle? I think it was intentional and she's a mirror to her.

Then there's Crosshair. He's my favorite character so of course I was excited to see him. I am a big fan of the direction they're taking him in. He's at his lowest and right now, he has to slowly pick himself back up. Although I can see his transition from "there's no escape" to trusting Omega as a bit rushed, I think it works. They've been stuck for months and I like to think that in the time between episode 1 and 3, her visits kept him going. And that's very important. It's implied that she constantly visits him when she can. His body language also speaks volumes. I could talk for a while about that. Crosshair's words hold a sharp bite to them; he doesn't like being emotionally vulnerable. However, his body language says differently. He does trust Omega's direction, he smiles when thinking of Tech, he readily helps Omega up, and he's surprised when Omega tells him he doesn't deserve to be stuck on Tantiss. Crosshair clearly cares about her and his family even though his words try to shield that. AND HE FINALLY SAID OMEGA'S NAME!!! I am not ok with this.

The other thing about Crosshair I want to talk about is his hands. He either has nerve damage from Barton IV, the torture is getting to him, or he has psychosomatic symptoms from his mental anguish. One of the things that's quickly established about him is that he's a sharpshooter. Crosshair is shown repeatedly to make these incredible shots and never miss. And yet, now he keeps missing because his hands shake. I think it's an interesting choice to make. Aside from forcing Crosshair to fight physically and show how cool he is, this choice does emphasizes how fractured his identity has become. When he joined the Empire, he lost his Batcher identity. The Empire stripped him of his humanity. Then, he lost his soldier identity when taken to Tantiss. Now, the only other thing he has, which are his skills, are gone. He needs to slowly put himself back together and I'm excited to see his journey.

Moving on to Hunter and Wrecker. They need hugs so much. One of the things I noticed was that Wrecker was more subdued and quiet. He's always let his inner child out, but knows when it's time to be serious. I really appreciated the mature approach to both characters. Hunter is struggling with Tech and Omega's loss and it's evident. He secludes himself and the pain is felt in his words and body language. Even their armor design shows the mental toll that last season's events have taken on them. Overall, I'm intrigued to see how their journeys progress. They're both kinda stuck and hopefully that will change as they get closer and closer to finding Omega (and Crosshair).

In terms of story, I did really enjoy that we got in the first few episodes. The clone cadet mini arc in episode 2 was really cool to watch as it finally explains what happens to the younger clones. It shows how they adapt with losing everything they know, especially since they're kids. On top of that, we get the start of the "find Omega" mission. Both stories mesh well together and I enjoyed it a lot. The story with Omega and Crosshair was particularly interesting. The monotony of the Empire is on full scale, as is Hemlock's cruelty. My crack theory is that Palpatine is trying to make force sensitive clones. But I think the mystery behind Project Necromancer is really fascinating and spooky. Both Emerie and Nala Se are interesting in because both feel conflicted about their loyalty to Omega and their jobs. I think Emerie will choose Omega in the end though, just like Nala Se did. Overall, I think both stories are intriguing and will hopefully have some great payoffs in the end.

Of course, not everything is perfect. I didn't expect the time-jump or the escape from Tantiss to be that fast. Honestly, I think we could've waited an episode before jumping right into it. It makes me wonder what's next for Cross and Omega since they left so quickly. I also really wish that we got Crosshair's reaction to finding out about Tech. It's implied Omega told him based on what she says at the crashed shuttle. Still, I would've loved to find out his reaction. That's his brother. I think it's fair to say that Crosshair would've felt very guilty. In the time since episode 1, he's probably made peace with it, but I think it should've been included nonetheless.

Those are my overall thoughts. I hope you all enjoyed the episodes as well and I'm so excited for next week. Until then Bad Batch friends! May the Force be with you!

(also, i hope we see Echo next week!)

[electric-hydrangea]

Istaroth is Paimon (ft Venti & Mona's Master)

disclaimer: the amount of comments i've gotten on reddit saying "Istaroth isn't paimon, she's a branch of istaroth!!" that is literally what i'm saying

Who Is Istaroth?

Istaroth is a God who can control time & wind, a shade of Phanes (Primordial One). She was known in Mondstadt and Enkanomiya, but the people of Mondstadt gradually forgot about her. When Enkanomiya sank, she continued to be worshiped because she was the only shade who responded to them. The worship stopped when Orobashi arrived and banned Sun & Moon (a book all about Phanes, Enkanomiya, and Istaroth.)

The statue in Inazuma is Istaroth. I also believe that the Battle Pass Icon is her. The article itself ties connections between her and the Welkin Moon girl. Ignoring how their appearances are identical, they also have connections with the moon. Istaroth is associated with the moon through “Sun and Moon”. Additionally, “Astaroth” (goetic demon) is the personification of the moon and can control it.

Istaroth’s aliases are “The Thousand Winds”, “Tokoyo Ookami”, and “Kairos”.

The Theory:

It’s better if I compile this more into a list. Starting with the smaller stuff…

The Paimon menu allows you to control time. I honestly feel like this is the best evidence.

Paimon is in all of the marketing, emails, she’s the one who delivers us messages outside of the game itself, but no one in the game knows who she is. When people see her, they think she’s a balloon, a fairy, or a pet.

Paimon jokes about being the God of Protection

Paimon’s outfit has the same details as a fully-leveled Statue of the Seven. Her crown has the same design as the golden bar on the statue. Her boot also looks like the nails sent down by Celestia. 

Canotila the Melusine described Paimon as a balloon floating in the air with her string extending upward above the sky itself.

Phanes created Istaroth; she is a being of Teyvat. Since she is affected by the Irminsul tree, it would explain why Paimon is affected by the tree.

Astaroth is depicted as having a crown, which Paimon has. 

Astaroth and King Paimon both specifically teach sciences and answer any question asked of them.

In Gnosticism, which is where Genshin gets a lot of its inspiration from, Barbelo is a part of Bythos, and Barbelo is both male and female.

In Genshin, Istaroth is Barbelo, and Phanes is Bythos, having created her as a shade. Paimon and Venti are parts of her.

In Ars Goetia, King Paimon is aware of all past and future events, anything that has happened or will happen. This includes “secret things”. 

In Genshin, Istaroth has similar powers; control over time and the whole thing that happened with Makoto and Ei (more on that later).

In Venti’s Character Demo, it says that he is “born from the branches of time.” 

In “Sun and Moon”, they say that Istaroth, “Was the measure of a thousand winds and the sun and the moon”, with Venti associated with the wind and Paimon associated with the moon.

In Gnosticism, Barbelo is one of the most important figures of Gnosticism. She is known as the “triple androgynous name”, or as the “three times spirit”, having three parts of herself. Barbelo/Asherah is another name for Ishtar, who is one of the parts of Istaroth’s name. Barbelo is depicted as a figure that looks similar to the Welkin Moon girl. 

Two paragraphs ago I said that Istaroth is referred to as a thousand winds, a sun, and a moon; Venti is the wind, Paimon is the moon. So who is the sun?

There’s a character in Genshin named Barbeloth, Mona’s master. I believe it’s possible she could be the sun. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why she has the name of this important figure connected to Istaroth. Genshin has a theme of “three”, and Mona’s master renamed herself to be “Astromancer Barbeloth Trimegistus”, which could also tie into the three identities of Istaroth. 

In Venti’s Character Story 3, it says that he was a “single thread of the thousand winds that roared through the northern lands.” Notably, Istaroth goes by “the thousand winds”.

In the quest “Time and Wind”, you’ll hear a voice saying “An ancient tale comes whisked away in the wind.. In time it will grow and sprout again.” Which could be referring to the samsara cycles and how Istaroth (Paimon/Venti/Possibly others) will continue the story. Additionally, the sundials are actually more likely to be moondials.

In 2023’s Lantern Rite, Venti shows up introducing himself with the saying connected to Istaroth. Paimon completes the saying, and then remarks “Did Paimon just unconsciously complete that saying?”

The statue of Istaroth in Inazuma wears a necklace with an Eye of the Storm on it, which is most prominent in Mondstadt. It’s also noted that this statue and Venti’s statue are 6666 meters apart from each other. Additionally, this statue is called “Statue of the Omnipresent God”. This perception of Istaroth is supported in the Ars Goetia as well as in Genshin; Paimon is everywhere. The statue’s moniker is “Thousand Armed, Hundred Eyed”, which is a reference to real-life Guanyin, but I take note of the “thousand”, a theme with Istaroth. 

The Sacred Sakura was planted with the help of Istaroth. When Makoto died, Ei went into the Realm of Consciousness  and said goodbye to her sister. When she came back, the tree was there, and all the people acted like it had been there forever. The Realm of Consciousness is also a domain (not the one we’re used to for battle), where time flows differently. Another example of a domain would be the Eternal Oasis.

The ancient Near Eastern goddess Astarte (Istaroth), she works closely with Baal. I thought that detail was cute considering the story quest.

In Raiden’s 2nd Story Quest, Rifthounds attack the Sacred Sakura’s roots which cause it to ooze glowing blue stuff, and Paimon asks what it is, but there was never an answer. 

This might be a stretch, but it could have something to do with what I call Celestial filth. For example, the Lumenspar is Celestial filth. Like the Abyssal goop, it’s invasive to the Chasm and spreads quickly. The description of it is “A sky-blue crystal that glitters so brightly that it brings forth echoes of the heavens above.” Having your Lumenstone equipped causes the Abyssal text to fade away. The Celestial filth comes from the nails sent down from Celestia, but the fact that the tree goop is blue and glows reminds me of the Lumenspar.

When Yae takes us through the Realm of Consciousness, we see Inazuma being built, and the memories are all of Inazuma, except for these Cecilias. Cecilias only grow in Mondstadt, on the Starsnatch Cliff “where harsh winds blow.” Cecilias are tied to Venti.

You could also say that Raiden storing the visions on the statue is symbolic, considering that visions are tied to both Celestia and the Archons.

Also, when it comes to Paimon’s design, she has a cape-thing with the galaxy on it, and in the Paimon menu, when she floats, she leaves behind a constellation trail. I also tie this with Istaroth’s theme of the moon, but it also reminds me of the general concept of otherworldliness. 

There's a Mesopotamian symbol named the Star of Ishtar (Istaroth), which looks similar to the Deshret symbol and the Khaenri’ah star and it's also closely tied to the crescent moon.

Why doesn’t Paimon remember she’s Istaroth?

The answer could be Samsara cycles. With every samsara cycle, the same roles are always present, but it’s new people playing them. Something happened to Istaroth, and we don’t know what it was, but she’s disappeared and now we’re stuck with the twerp Paimon. I’m not sure how to answer this question. Maybe it’s like the Sumeru archons.

Something To Note

In the beginning of Genshin, we start the game at Starfell Lake. It’s never said where we fish Paimon out, but we could imply that it was at this lake. The lake, which isn’t too far away from the Nameless Island associated with Istaroth. People have pointed out that the background of the Paimon-fishing-out-CG is actually Guyun Stone Forest. In the beginning cutscene, we can see the nameless island in the distance. Paimon says nothing about where we fished her, so who knows. It’s our first time being in Liyue, but she knows that the statues look different because we’re in Liyue, so personally it doesn’t make sense that we got her in Guyun Stone Forest.

More About Welkin Moon Girl

This part is at the end because it’s me just playing with an idea. So it’s called “Blessing of the Welkin Moon". Welkin means “the sky” or “heaven.” She’s blessing us with primogems. Primogems are… From the Primordial One? 

They’re described as “beyond the mundane world” and have the same chinese lettering as the phrase Primordial One and Allogene. Considering that the Gnoses are made from the 3rd descender's remains, would it be out of reach to say that Primogems could be created by/from the Primordial One?

Anyway, you could read it as Istaroth blessing us with pieces of Phanes (or, by association, herself). 

The Welkin Girl’s cauldron has the triquetra on it, a symbol of Phanes and his shades, the same symbol on Paimon’s tummy. The Genshin Impact logo itself has Paimon’s crown, the circlet, above it. Genshin meaning allogenes, and thus tied to Phanes. 

reposted from my reddit & hoyolab

[invested-in-your-future]

I find it odd how you wrote Weiss to be Ruby's first friend she connected with when it was actually Jaune.

Its complicated.

I do agree both ate her friends and that she made those friendships around the same time.

But both are very different kinds of friendships.

Jaune and Ruby share a sense of camaraderie in a brothers-in-arms style friendship. Its a frictionless kind of buildup that just sort of happened. They have drawn inspiration to be better from each other before, but neither really chose to actually deepen that friendship. When it comes to being vulnerable the show didn't choose to have them be vulnerable with each other. Jaune does idolize Ruby so I honestly view it more as a camaraderie built on respect. They are comfortable at that casual level of friendship and it doesn't feel they really ever deepen it during the first three Volumes.

Weiss and Ruby is different from the get-go - namely that it started off with negative interaction and led to both antagonising each other. The relationship only progressed when both allowed to let the walls they built up come down, showing vulnerability they wouldn't allow themselves otherwise. I think I talked in another answer to someone before about how Ruby seems to gravitate towards people that struggle with their identity and that hide behind a smile like a mask. While Jaune friendship just happens, Ruby ends up actively seeking out to befriend Weiss. The only other relationship on this level that Ruby had and actively sought out was Penny. It feels more intimate thst Ruby, apart from Winter is, really, the only person we have seen Weiss intentionally let her guard down and open up when neither usually would go for that. She's also the one willing to poke holes in Ruby's plans and behaviour.

So one has to think about how Ruby would view those two relationships. Would she place more importance on the one she feels she had lost versus the one who is right here? Would Ruby even feel she had actually befriended Jaune?

How would Ruby view and contextualise those relationships after the fall of beacon took away a friend she made (Penny) and a hero she never got to truly befriend (Pyrrha)?

I sort of just took the idea of Ruby keeping people at an arms length and ran with it as a way to rationalize what was and wasn't in the show. It also fits with her severely misjudging what Jaune would want to do going forward and the overall theme of her having to face her flaws and how she never really got to know team JNPR.

[hoyotournament]

Semifinals: Nahida vs Kiana Kaslana

(Propaganda under the cut)

Kiana:

TLDR: she's kiana kaslana what do you MEAN!!!! kiana is a beautifully written character who fully encapsulates what hi3 is about and she's so full of love and guilt and (most importantly) hope. she's a clone who struggles with her own identity/inhumanity and traumas extending from when she was a young child and her guilt but is so so resilient and so so so so compassionate which ultimately reinforces her humanity :)

kiana's character IS the honkai impact thesis statement. i don't even mean it as in she's the literal main character and face of honkai i genuinely mean it when i say she just IS honkai impact. she reflects every single theme that they portray [hope over nihilism (chapter 25 || the flame chasers and just. the previous era in general), having agency over your identity and your own story (himeko, her being k423 and being so linked to sirin, everlasting flames || the kaslana household name honestly, bronya, fu hua, mei, sirin), believing in the humanity's inherent worth (chapter 25, arc city || elysia <- important since as a current era herrscher, she is a successor to elysia AND as kiana kaslana, she is a narrative parallel of elysia), having faith in the youth (himeko, kevin || the other flame chasers! notably su), etc.] her character being so reflective is also sooooo OUGH to think about when you view it as a reflection of honkai's 50,000 year samsara because kiana is a representation of these themes coming full circle (especially since many of these stretch back to the previous era and elysia).

SHE FEELS SO MUCH. she's so full of love and guilt. she clearly prioritizes others over herself and part of her arc is her learning to value and love herself as well!!! she would give herself for the world ten times over because she holds so much affection for humanity!! (WHILE FEELING DEHUMANIZED BECAUSE OF HER IDENTITY AS BOTH A HERRSCHER AND K423) and it's actively apart of her character's growth :'')

dear god her growth… okok. so i think first you have to understand that a lot of kiana's growth obviously coincides w general maturity as she grows from a teenager to a young adult. but aside from that i think people often forget that younger kiana is incredibly self sufficient since her father literally left her with little to no explanation when she was like. what 8? the insecurity she feels at that! the anger she has to navigate while also balancing it with her own feelings of missing and loving him. basically: kiana has struggled a lot w instability and is thus kinda good at navigating it. ex: she isnt shaken by nagazora and literally tries again and again and again to save mei and convince mei to let her help. the thing is this fucks w her a bit though because a big thing that she does as a means to cope w instability is avoiding them (not reflective of real life of course, but in the fictional hi3 this is partially represented in kiana's repressed memories about her actual origins as k423). she can not stand the realization that she killed himeko that she's so deep in denial and doesnt truly realize it until more than 10 chapters after himeko dies! she's so horrified with her being a herrscher she actively tries to not use her powers out of fear, even when it puts her in harms way (the chapter XI-EX CG!!!!!! her literally trying to kill herself!!) she literally runs away from her friends and loved ones because she's so scared of hurting them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! which is why her promise to himeko to not run away is so important!! because it addresses one of kiana's biggest flaws!!!!! this is especially important bc her refusal to continue her avoidance feeds into her arc during the herrscher of dominion chapters where she both faces her own guilt/identity and deliberately chooses perseverance and hope over nihilism!! she is hope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!