#it's actually something quite fascinating to me

[astrologiadivertida]

Astro observations pt1

Saturn in the 5th house:

Saturn in the 5th house people do not like children.

It sounds horrible, but they actually do😭

But I’m not saying that they’re psychopaths: Saturn in the 5th house people are like old people who doesn’t like loud noises, and guess who makes loud noises? Children!

10th house Sun:

10th house Sun people crave attention, they practically live for it. They love it when they get appreciated for a project or something related to their careers: it makes up a huge part of their identity

So please pat your 10th house Sun friend on the back for a project they worked their asses off: they’ll appreciate it a lot

Pluto conjunct Ascendant:

They look like they’ve seen shit.

Someone I know who has this aspect always gets asked if their family is doing okay because of this aspect😭

Also they look like they can keep secrets very well. So they have a lot of secrets, because people tell them their secrets very often.

Men with hard aspects to their mars(squares, oppositions) are red flags to me. And if they have a moon aspect that’s also badly aspected? Run, girl, run😭 Chances are that he might cheat on you or hit you🚩

Lilith 9th house:

They question god a lot. It doesn’t mean that they don’t believe in god, actually Lilith 9th housers are fascinated with their religion. They seem to have a good grasp of religion from an early age because of that.

But often than not, they could create a version in their heads of god that is quite different from the concepts that we learn in church. They love saying thought-provoking questions about god and religion.

Your Venus sign and house placement+ your Juno(3)sign+house placement can tell you a lot about your type.

Ex) I have Venus in Capricorn in 12th house and Juno in Sagittarius in 10th house: Kendall Roy( from succession)

He is my favorite character. I had a crush on him since I was little. He gives off an endearing vibe, Venus in 12th house people likes that in a guy

Contemporary politicians all seem to have prominent Jupiter/Neptune influence in their charts: Jupiter/Neptune placements in your charts can give you luck(winning elections) but also delusions and unclear thinking

Are we all doing okay?😭

Ex. Emmanuel Macron(president of France since 2017) is a Sagittarius Sun. He has Sun conjunct mercury opposite Jupiter . He also has Neptune in the 10th house,.

Boris Johnson has Jupiter opposite Neptune

Joe Biden has Neptune in 10th house. He also has Jupiter trining his sun and mercury and Venus . He also has Neptune sextiling his sun and Venus and ascendant

Yoon suk yeol(current president of SK) is a sag stellium(sun, moon, mercury) and has Jupiter trining his Neptune, but opposing his mars.

Lilith in 5th house+a difficult mars placements(square, opposition) can make you have weird kinks in bed🤭

Saturn in the 3rd house in a solar return chart is a tough placement to have. You might feel really lonely. You might feel cut off from your friends this year. Your communication skills might hit a new low this year.

But remember, this is a Saturn placement: all of this can be improved by hard work. If you want to know what to work on, check the planets that aspect your Saturn

Ascendant conjunct Mars in SR chart(especially if mars is in the 12th house)

could be bad for you 😭contrary to the popular belief that it makes you more assertive

It can make you susceptible to illness or infections. So if you have this placement in your sr chart, try to stay as healthy as possible.

Leo moons are so endearing to me: They are kinda dorky and cute even if they don’t know it. They’re really close with their moms as well.

Aries moons are so pure. They always think for themselves and their thoughts are so interesting to me. They never hold back and they are so bold in their thinking. They are so fun to talk to.

Uranus in the 1st house people are used to being an outcast: something about them is so different and they don’t seem to fit in at all with a group.

Pisces signs are notorious for being delulu but have you ever met a mars in Pisces?Their actions revolve around their delusions(big dreams) and if they don’t get to make their aspirations come true, they’ll get so sad sometimes.

Like or reblog if you want a part two

[specificpollsaboutbooks]

Fiction Works with Footnotes

Semifinals

Propaganda under the readmore

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell :

The best book I've ever read with no sequel. Read at your own risk, it is an immaculate novel that will probably never get a follow up. The worldbuilding is some of the finest I've read.

The book is filled with footnotes mimicking academic citations and references to innumerable fake books that really make it feel there is a much wider world out there and the book is only centering on this one period of time

So the book is an in universe academic account and the footntes are basically the watsonian author being salty about historical figures. like what more could you want in a footnote. In terms of the book as a whole, its villain was the inspiration for michael shelley of magnus archives fame so something mustve been done right

Bartimaeus :

There are in-character footnotes all the time from Bartimaeus's POV, along with more standard footnotes explaining things less frequently in other POVs. Fundamentally changed my writing style as a child, I bear the brunt of these footnotes.

This series has a lovable (to me) snarky morally gray protagonist. Also it is a demon (djinn).

these books have footnotes by the narrator who is a cool magical djinn and theyre super fun bc they allow him to elaborate on worldbuilding or make snarky remarks that wouldnt otherwise fit in the narrative :3

it's been years since I read them but I still remember them fondly for their fascinating world-building, interesting characters, and their wit, which was often on display in the footnotes

the series is about a demon named bartimaeus who gets summoned by a teenage magician and it's written from the demon's perspective so all the footnotes are from his perspective as well and they're really cool because they give more information about the worldbuilding AND they're also really fucking funny because bartimaeus is a sarcastic bitch most of the time <3

This series is fun and the footnotes add information AND are funny! Seriously one of the best YA fantasy series

Bartimaeus is one of the main characters* of the trilogy**. He's a djinni summoned by the young magician Nathaniel. The story is set in a world where magicians, by binding the powers of magical beings from the Other World, hold all the political power over non-magical commoners.*** Bartimaeus, as a djinni****, can think about many things all at once and this is represented in the story as footnotes.*****

*One would say that HE is The main character (he would say that), but there are two other (similarly) flawed and interesting main characters.

**Actually it's a 'sequence' with a prequel book set in ancient times, but we're seperating that one from the OG story now.

***It's slavery and oppression. Let's call it what it is. Magicians are not good people.

****And as a quite extraordinary and humble creature.

***** Like this! :D

[cherubimcore]

pairing: alastor x reader

part 1 / part 2

alastor paced in his room, still bothered by the strange familiarity of your last name, unable to shake the feeling that it held some deeper meaning. he had half a mind to dismiss it as coincidence, but alastor was nothing if not thorough. deciding he could use a second opinion, he sought out charlie, hoping her knowledge of the hotel’s heavenly alliances could shed some light on the mystery.

he found her in her office, poring over a stack of documents from recent hotel guests. as he entered, charlie glanced up and raised an eyebrow.

“alastor?” she asked, a bit surprised. “need something?”

with a measured smile, he said, “charlie, i’d like to inquire about something… peculiar.”

she put down her papers and leaned forward with a curious expression. “sure, what’s on your mind?”

“the human heaven wants me to court” alastor folded his arms, considering how best to frame his question. “when i finally got her to introduce herself, she gave me her name. (y/n) (y/l/n).”

“(y/l/n)?” charlie repeated, frowning in thought. “huh…that does sound familiar.”

“i thought the same thing,” alastor said, eyes narrowing. “i can’t quite place it, but something about it feels… significant. almost celestial.”

charlie nodded slowly, an inkling of recognition in her gaze. “if it’s who I’m thinking of, that name goes back generations… there was once an angel, long ago, who left a mark on both heaven and earth. he fell in love with a human woman, and together, they had children.”

alastor’s eyes gleamed with interest. “a scandalous love affair between heaven and earth? how positively delightful,” he drawled. “but i assume there’s more to it than just that.”

charlie leaned back, her expression turning somber. “there is. angels aren’t allowed to have attachments like that, and when heaven found out, he had to flee. he abandoned the woman and his children to save himself. they say that such a heartbreak made waves through heaven and hell, like some sort of power emanated from her”

Alastor��s smile faded slightly as he absorbed this. “are you suggesting that this… lineage has left some remnant of angelic blood and heaven wants me to break her heart to get their hand on her and study this strange phenomenon?”

“that’s what i thought when i figured out where her last name was from” charlie replied softly. “it makes sense that anyone connected to that bloodline has powers beyond heaven’s comprehension, a power that heaven would never ignore.”

alastor leaned back, processing this new information. “so, this means our dear (y/n) is in great danger?”

“yes,” charlie agreed, her expression one of concern. “actually she may be in more danger than either you and i realize.”

alastor stood there, silent for a moment as he weighed the implications of what charlie had revealed. a power that heaven feared yet coveted—a power that could be triggered by heartbreak. the very thought twisted something deep inside him, making him feel an unfamiliar pang. normally, he’d relish the idea of manipulating someone so close to heaven, of causing anguish for his own gain, but this felt…different. perhaps because you were different.

“fascinating,” he murmured, though his voice lacked its usual enthusiasm. “it seems heaven wants me to be a weapon, rather than a suitor.”

charlie watched him carefully, as if gauging his reaction. “alastor,” she said gently, “you don’t have to do what they want. you don’t have to hurt her.”

alastor scoffed, his smile snapping back into place, but even he could sense a hint of strain behind it. “of course i don’t have to,” he replied, almost dismissively.

charlie looked unconvinced, her brow furrowing as she searched his face. “if you start something with her—whatever it is heaven wants—it’s going to put her in a lot of danger. they’ll push you to break her heart, to shatter her. and if she’s anything like her ancestor…” her voice softened. “she don’t deserve that, alastor.”

alastor was silent, that cheshire grin faltering as he thought of your expression, that mix of wariness and determination whenever he tried to charm you with his usual unsettling theatrics. the game had seemed so straightforward before, but now? now there was an invisible weight pressing on his every decision.

“if i choose not to do heaven’s bidding…” he mused, his tone thoughtful, “there’s always the chance they’ll send someone else to ensure her suffering. someone less… courteous, besides…”

alastor never told charlie what he would lose if he didn’t agree to do exactly what heaven wants and he wasn’t going to tell her now, that was his business to deal with.

charlie nodded, somewhat understanding his unspoken dilemma. “you’ll need to protect her,” she said quietly, “not just from heaven, but from hell, too.”

alastor let out a low chuckle, dark and almost self-deprecating. “imagine that: alastor, the radio demon, champion of heaven’s little prodigy. how quaint.”

charlie’s face softened. “maybe it’s more than that. maybe… she’s worth protecting. for her own sake.”

alastor didn’t reply immediately. instead, he stood there, his gaze distant as he processed this uncharted path opening before him. protecting you, shielding you from the very forces that had initially made him their pawn—it would mean defying both heaven and hell, something he hadn’t dared in centuries. yet, a twisted part of him relished the challenge, even as another, unfamiliar part of him tugged in a way that was… tender.

“perhaps i shall take your advice, my dear charlie,” he finally said, his voice soft but resolute. “not out of benevolence, mind you. but because i loathe the idea of heaven believing they can manipulate me to their whims.” his eyes flashed with that familiar gleam, but it held a new, defiant determination. “and if keeping her heart intact spoils their little scheme, then all the better.”

charlie offered a small smile, her eyes filled with hope. “thank you, alastor. i think, for once… you’re doing something good.”

he merely chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. “let’s not get too sentimental, charlie. this is simply… an unconventional power play. nothing more.”

but as he left her office, a flicker of doubt crept into his mind. it wasn’t just a game anymore, was it?

taglist: @vxllys @songbirdpond

[saphireeyes9875]

You know, I love all the analyses the fandom is making about the Pristine Cut and Slay the Princess in general, but I haven't seen a lot of people talk about the nature of the Construct. Sure, we all know that the Narrator created it somehow to contain both the Long Quiet and the Shifting Mound, but the actual “fabric” of the Construct is these two gods.  An attentive eye might catch very early in a playthrough that the trees, the sky, the ground - they’re all shades of dark grey and black, with a feathery texture that is unquestionably Quiet. The new Apotheosis showcases this very well. 

But the cabin is different. It’s all light grey and white - Shifty’s colors. I believe that the most notable way this is shown is during our encounters with Shifty’s incomplete form. When we are “at the cabin”, all we can see is her mass of hands and the vessel we brought her - which implies that Shifty is the cabin itself.

And that’s fascinating to me, because the cabin is also, by the Narrator’s design, her own prison. Just as he establishes in his opening monologue that we are on a path in the woods, he also cleverly says that the Princess is within that cabin, and that if she escapes it, the world ends. And, except in the Wild, none of these two statements are ever refuted by either the Hero or the Princess, because to do so is to unravel the very fabric of their false reality.

So even though it seems like the cabin should bend to the Princess’ will, being quite literally her domain, it remains her prison in every other route.

In many Chapter 2’s, but especially in the Nightmare and the Beast, the Princess emphasizes the fact that the cabin will not let her leave - very ironic, since we’ve just seen how the interior of the cabin has been completely reshaped by the Princess’ influence.

I love this line from the Beast, because you can so clearly see how the Narrator’s beliefs have bled through the Construct. I was reminded of it the first time I played through the Princess and the Dragon, because the repetition of “this is what you deserve”, as other people pointed out, seems very much like something the Narrator would tell her.

Notably, however, the Princess can escape the cabin when you are accompanying her. On a meta-narrative level, this makes complete sense: the characters can only escape the cycle of violence they are trapped in when they work together. But within the narrative of the game, this doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the Construct’s rules. The Narrator would never allow such a thing if he could help it, so this must be Shifty’s influence coming through, right?

And this reminds me of another two routes, the ones I’ve seen people describe as the most genre-savvy ones: the Damsel and the Tower.

I'm not sure if this voice line was cut in the final game or if I just couldn't find it when I went looking for the screenshots, but I'm pretty sure that at some point in the Damsel route, the Voice of the Hero asks why the Princess hasn’t escaped already if her shackle is so loose, and Smitten says that “we’ve yet to present her with her freedom”.

On a surface level, this seems like a pretty arrogant, even demeaning line, a trend in this chapter that robs the Damsel of her agency. On a meta-narrative level, this is commenting on how the “damsel in distress” archetype is often a shell of a character that simply exists to reward the “hero”. But I also think this hints at how the Princess, either subconsciously or by the Narrator’s influence, doesn’t believe that it’s possible for her to escape alone - and therefore, she can’t.

Tower, arguably the vessel most aware of the extent of her powers, is even clearer when she tells us that she could easily break her chains and escape the cabin - and she does so in the Apotheosis - but that’s not the story she wants to tell. As much as they yearn for freedom, all the Princesses, by their very nature as beings of perception, want to be perceived, to connect with someone… especially with the Hero, of course.

(this line makes me go feral every time btw, it's so simple and yet so effective -)

Anyway, this was a very long winded way of saying that the Narrator somehow managed to make the Shifting Mound’s “body” into her own prison (which is insane if you think about it) and she can only be freed with the Long Quiet’s help. I’m not sure if this is like, super obvious, but I still wanted to talk about it, soooo if anyone wants to add to this, I'd love to discuss more!

[hoodiedcrows]

A bit more on Tattoo and what he appreciates in a person.

There was the Noticing where Tattoo had the chance to see Aran handle a situation competently despite being quite frantic just a moment before. This is a tiny building block for Tattoo's characterisation as someone who appreciates the ability to calm one's emotional response when it threatens to take over.

We get another look at this aspect of his in ep 9, when Rosé asks Jack to be her partner. Now, Tattoo does say 'oh I wish she'd asked me'. But. This is his reaction to the actual proposal:

Not impressed nor interested, just something to get over with. But this?

This is his response to Rosé being vulnerable ("Did I do something wrong, do I need to change?"), but smiling through her tears and keeping her head up ("Even if I'm not okay, I have to be okay"). She is clearly heartbroken but carries it well, although in her usual silly manner. That is what Tattoo is admiring here: acting calm while emotional.

Now, obviously we see Aran having trouble controlling his emotions in several episodes. In fact, the first thing we hear anyone say to a named character on the show is "Khun Aran, please stay calm", which Aran decidedly does not do. And this is by no means the last time we hear people saying this. However, I think this is part of what fascinates Tattoo to begin with. Tattoo's engineer brain is always mapping how things work; and he simply cannot understand Aran's emotional expressiveness. He's been trying to figure him out, likely involuntarily at first, unimpressed by the rollercoaster. He can't help but wonder - we see him comment on it to Hoy, trying to decide whether Arans "sick, or maybe bipolar" (not that that's how bpd works); and later he tells Aran that he can't understand his 1-minute-4-emotions mind. He wants to understand this creature who is part of his life now.

Also, Aran is on his way to controlling his emotions. He already had practice in gritting his teeth and being polite through a forced smile, but he is now moving towards being able to handle and calm his emotional response. This is indeed the task that the Moon card sets out for him. (And in the later episodes we've gotten several scenes where it is in fact Aran who is asking another person to calm down, as a reversal of earlier.)

There is a change, and Tattoo has been there to help him with this change. We see an example of this in the abovementioned ep 9 scene, when Tattoo runs to Aran after leaving Joke at the mansion, and calms him down with just a touch and a phrase so that he can keep giving directions. This is very likely another thing Tattoo appreciates in Aran, his ability to learn without holding on to any sense of superiority. (And probably also his ready willingness to support Tattoo in ways big and small. And his straightforward expression whether happy or frustrated. And the way Aran expresses admiration for Tattoo's intelligence and ability. And, uh, he is pretty cute, and silly and sensitive and easy to entertain and a good pillow and fun to bicker with, and he thinks Tattoo is cool, and funny, and smart and interesting, and. Well. There's lots of reasons when you get into Tattoo's head and take a look around!)

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

hope you feel better soon!

I am riddled with ailments, but I stay silly!

[drowning-in-cacophony]

5, 19, and 27 for ao3 wrapped! (- thinkingisadangerouspastime)

[A03 wrapped ask game]

Thanks for the ask, Amy! 💛💛 @thinkingisadangerouspastime . As usual I rambled on a bit, but I can't help myself when it comes to writing!

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

A fic I wrote for thasmin (13th doctor/her companion yaz)! My fic blue hour, which also happens to be my favourite fic I've published all year. It's a quiet, introspective sort of bed sharing fic - not much plot or actual conversation between the two. It's a thoughtful piece without that emotional or romantic peak, so I didn't know if people would be interested as much as one where they confronted their feelings. But the reception was so overwhelming - I had such nice comments of people who really got what I was trying to say with the piece, and just such nice compliments too. It really warmed me, because this really is my favourite fic, so the fact that I got so much more feedback than expected/hoped for is just so perfect.

[for anyone interested: I do my thasmin/dw blogging from @my-ghost-monument]

19. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

This one's sort of at a draw, actually, between maiko (my beloved) and thasmin (also my beloved). Obviously, my love of maiko is a consistent thing, and there are two works from my mai week fics (here and here) which intrigue me to what could come next, and I'd like to explore those opportunities - especially since they're both au's, so there's a lot of different things to play around with there. How do our beloved couple come together like they do in canon in an alternative universe?

With thasmin, their end on doctor who has just come and gone, but I've still got so much I want to explore with them. There's a lot of missing scenes I want to build in (especially with the knowledge of when they canonically confess their feelings, meaning to be canon compliant I can't have them do it earlier, but can build so close to it, which excites me).

But, as a really weird wild card, I keep getting some slight ideas for batcat - i.e. Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle from the dc universe. Very surprising to me, but recently I've found myself sort of dipping into the dc fandom and found that there's not much batcat fic out there that hits the exact vibe I'm looking for, and you know what they say: if you don't see what you want to read, write it yourself. I don't know if I will get to explore them - I find the dc universe a little hard to get to grips with honestly, and I'm never that great at writing about stories that take place in cities (I often just throw a warehouse or alleyway in as every place something happens, and it never feels that smooth) - but I'd like to explore them at least.

27. What do you listen to while writing?

This year I've really been getting into those 'writing playlists', or 'collected feelings' playlists you can find on youtube. You know, the 'your character and their forbidden love dance' or 'people who feel this should listen'. I've found it a great way to discover new vocal music pieces without much effort, and a curated playlist means I don't have to stop and think about what's playing, so I just concentrate on the writing. I don't usually tend to match the emotion/feeling the playlist's about to the scene I'm actually writing - I can use a real somber one for a happy scene, and romantic music for tension - but it's more of what I'm personally feeling at the moment.

And just because I'd like to: the favourite songs I've discovered through these lists are Obvious by CHPTRS, State Lines by Novo Amor and Last Chance also by CHPTRS

[starry-bi-sky]

yall ever think Shen Yuan went through like, internet withdrawal after being transmigrated into Shen Qingqiu? Like, he's canonically a NEET shut-in who did nothing but spend his time online, you can't tell me that for the first week or first few weeks of being SQQ he wasn't twitchy.

Like, reaching instinctively to his pockets for a phone that wasn't there, having an obsessive itch in the back of his mind that he should check and see if X or Y novel or webcomic has updated -- only to realize he can't anymore and being irritated by it. Wanting to go and see if there's new posts about this or that, but again realizing that he can't.

When he's bored or uncomfortable or just feels like wanting to escape he tries to go for his phone to distract himself, but oops! Not there anymore, and now he has to find a new and different way to distract himself from his feelings. And going through system notifications, quests, etc only does so much.

And there's that Tetris Effect too. SQQ makes a mistake while writing and instinctively goes to backspace on it except hey-ho that's not a keyboard and now he just dipped his pinkie into a bottle of ink or on a still-drying letter.

With him scrambling to fix his reputation and learn how to be a peak lord, I think his abrupt cold-turkey from all things internet would just be another straw on the camel's back that he promptly Ignores until it goes away on its own after he acclimates to his new surroundings.

[fallloverfic]

I love singNsong again reminding people in Side Story that Dokja wanted other people to read TWSA (he wrote reviews and comments! It was his first wish), and he only stopped bothering because people harassed him for it. He didn't gate-keep the story. When he's avoiding talking to Sangah about it at the beginning of ORV, it's because he knows what happens when he tells people about the story, not because he's gate-keeping it from her. He notes he's not proud of his hobby (likely because he's been bullied all through his life, including for reading the thing he loves): he finds it embarrassing to talk about, and better respects her studying Spanish in her free time (learning another language is a generally accepted thing in society). He assumes she won't care or will look at him funny (or worse) for when she learns about the novel he's into.

Basically anyone writing "let's gatekeep ORV" posts because of the anime announcement or because they dislike the manhwa or some other weirdness, y'all are the villains in the scenario.

The literal climax of the story is about sharing ORV with as many people as possible. What story were y'all reading?

[fictionadventurer]

Well, I didn't get any writing done, but I did watch the Wiggles documentary.

[sysig]

VUXisms (Patreon)

[pyrriax]

hi utopia :] hrrmm what can i ask you. what’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written

hi scooter!! thats a tough question, ooo.....

in terms of true fanfic, i'd have to say thats asomatous . that fic absolutely reconstructed how i go about writing, since it really just turned out Right.

but, if i bend it a little to include some of my more. original-but-still-inherently-fannish works, then i mean. i have to point to where the dust settles (which i swear im working on its not abandoned ive just been plagued by terralith)

[nothingunrealistic]

QUERIDO EVAN HANSEN

TALLER DE 3° ITM, PRACTICAS DE INTERPRETACIÓN EN EL TEATRO MUSICAL 21/22

this is a delight… obviously the production values aren’t the highest but many fun acting and staging choices here, especially the four evans, and i’m impressed that they managed to incorporate the anonymous ones and hiding in your hands without cutting songs

[kalashtars]

planning classes has me going "hehehe *kicking my feet*" but i know as soon as i actually have to attend those classes my brain is going to be like "😐😐😐"

[usodeshou]

I had many things that I had considered doing today, most of it just being some chill video gaming, if I'm really honest. And I did get to do some. Then I started feeling sick.

I thought to myself, oh well, that silly motion sickness again, guess I'mma take a break 🙃

Turns out, wasn't just the motion sickness, though.

Spent the next hour and a half using my toilet as an echo chamber for creative voice lessons. Switched it up every now and again, just to keep things interesting, but the sound was just too good, so I kept coming back for encores. Realised the toilet might be cursed because I could not move away from it for more than a few meters or a few minutes before having to return.

Messaged my mom, who kindly brought me something to help break the curse.

Then spent the next three hours in a curled up position on my bedroom floor, on the carpet right next to my bed (bed would have been to soft), head on my fluffiest pillow, and underneath a warm, cuddly blanket, finally getting some rest and sleeping off the exhaustion.

When it all started it was early afternoon. The sun has now set. I am finally sitting back on the couch, munching on some insanely good pretzel sticks and drinking tea. Feel utterly serene. Could murder someone for a good, cheesy pizza right now, but that might be the devil talking.

[gregmarriage]

date night! i drug you and bring you to my apartment, and force you into letting me take care of you. then we become boy best friends and kill a man together <3