#not just the interpersonal relationships(?)

[juney-blues]

For the last time, the Diamond Authority in Steven Universe isn't a stand-in for actual fascism, it's a vehicle for the queer power fantasy of getting your transphobic grandma to understand.

[aroaceleovaldez]

i have suddenly become obsessed with a theme that HoO established but never proceeded to extrapolate on, which is:

You are Percy Jackson, and you have been swapped with a boy who was allegedly everyone's favorite person, but they have decided to replace him with you. They just met you. You stand next to his best friend and the people he's known his entire life. In his home. In his cloak. In his place. They stopped looking for him.

You are Jason Grace, and you have just found out you have a long lost sister who completely replaced you in her life with this girl you just met. Your lives and personalities are mirrors. She is you, living the life you were robbed of.

You are Annabeth Chase, and you have just become starkly aware that you have been inhabiting the void left behind by your best friend's long lost brother. You and Luke were just replacements for him. Now you have to look him in the eyes when he has nothing and know you took that life from him.

You are Piper McLean, and you have just found out your relationship is fake and built entirely on the memories of Annabeth Chase. You have been given a boyfriend when hers has been taken away. You have no idea how much of it is real or not but regardless you feel like if your relationship isn't exactly in their image that you have failed.

You are Leo Valdez, and you have just learned that you are the echo of your great-grandfather. You are not your own person. You just exist to be a mirror of him. A doppelganger. An actor and stunt double facing all the danger he never had to but wearing his face. To be there for his best friend decades later simply because he couldn't. You are playing a role. A seventh wheel and a pawn for a goddess who carefully sculpted your entire life for her own purposes.

You are Hazel Levesque, and the only reason you are alive is because your brother couldn't save your his sister. You are a consolation prize. An apology. Your existence here is misplaced in every way but you inhabit it anyways.

You are Frank Zhang, and you are a shapeshifter. Inhabiting your own body feels strange and clumsy when you could be literally anything at any time. You are anything and everything and live your life with the simple certainty of knowing exactly how you will die.

[faeriekit]

I think Alfred needs his own prompt 👻(dp x dc)

Alfred had died.

(It was a bit of a waste of time— he'd been scheduled to get the boys to and from their suit fitting at this time. Now here he was; languishing. Murdered. Sulking, even.)

(How frivolous.)

As a busy man with children (an adult child) to care for, a house to maintain, and a budget to supervise, Alfred's main goal was to return to Earth, obviously. If he left Master Bruce in charge of the dusting, the man would absolutely let the unused parts of the house go into disrepair. Too impatient, his ex-ward was.

The only problem was that in this green, nebulous, and gravity-free afterlife, there seemed to be only one way out— navigating through the individual worlds that the denizens of this world have molded around themselves, until he finds a being willing to grant his wish to return.

Alfred sighed, checked for the pistol at his hip and the rifle on his back, and marched straight upwards. Or. Well. Downwards. Actually... Never mind.

[neo--queen--serenity]

This episode really highlighted how close Marcille, Laios, and Chilchuck actually are.

The viewer is used to seeing our main characters behave like coworkers up to this point—even friends—and they express normal, understandable levels of concern and fear when their other party members are in danger. But when the nightmare attacked Marcille, it brought out sides of Laios and Chilchuck that the viewer hadn’t seen before.

Laios immediately notices when something is wrong with Marcille, and he tells the others as soon as he’s sure of the problem. Chilchuck and Senshi then follow Laios’ lead as it becomes clear that he intends to make her get some rest.

We see Chilchuck’s hands lay out the bedroll and Senshi’s hands set up the pillow, working in almost perfect tandem as Laios physically wrangles Marcille into bed.

Senshi is in a similar perspective as the viewer, and mostly sits and watches the ordeal unfold. He doesn’t have a shared history, like these three do, so he helps in little ways, but mostly waits on standby for direction.

From here on out, it’s mostly Laios and Chilchuck who take over in planning how to help her.

It’s uncommon for Chilchuck to openly show such distress and worry for one of his party members. He’s used to Marcille being able to defend herself; he’s used to her being capable and strong. He immediately defers to Laios for instruction, (rightly) assuming he will know what to do.

This actually produces a reaction close to real fear from Chilchuck, who outright SMACKS her in a panic to wake her up before getting any further information.

Laios has to quickly stop him, explaining that he could truly hurt her if he interrupts the attack this way. He tells them how he’s going to wake her, and he doesn’t hesitate. He jumps straight in, explaining what he’s doing for the others so that they (Chilchuck) won’t be afraid.

Chilchuck doesn’t question him once. He just does what he can to hurry along the process. He tucks Laios in with his blanket as soon as he lays onto Marcille—an unnecessary action that betrays how much he cares for both of them.

And Laios succeeds in helping Marcille out of the nightmare’s grasp. While trapped in her mind, he reassures her, protects her, tells her how much she’s valued and appreciated. He isn’t embarrassed or sheepish about it, either; he openly declares these things like it’s the most normal and obvious thing in the world.

He gets her out, he saves her. He did the exact thing he set out to do, even though he’d never done it before, and only had Falin’s secondhand information to work with.

Once he wakes, Chilchuck immediately checks on him to see if he’s alright. Chilchuck is clearly still rattled, displeased with having to wait while both of his close friends were unconscious, fighting a battle neither he nor Senshi could see or help with.

Marcille wakes up shortly after Laios, but Chilchuck is still on edge, worrying that she’ll fall back asleep. Laios, too, has a moment of alarm when he makes sure she won’t close her eyes again.

Once he takes the subdued nightmares out of Marcille’s pillow, only then do Laios and Chilchuck relax.

Laios, for his part, remained calm and collected almost the entire time. He did not show panic or fear when it became clear that Marcille was being attacked, nor when he told the rest of the party what he’d be doing to help her. And once the nightmares had been collected from her bedroll, he gently explained what happened, to everyone else’s horror.

Seeing this, it’s not a huge surprise that the Touden party is so successful. We’ve seen Laios handle danger with a level head; we know he’s capable.

But it’s an entirely different kind of talent to face a threat that’s targeting one of your closest friends—which can make even the most competent fighter sloppy out of fear of losing them—one that requires a high-risk, specific rescue style that none of you have ever tried before. And then pull it off flawlessly. Like damn, these guys are lucky to have him.

[deadboyswalking]

Imagine it's like, 10 years later and not only does Sanji realize that Zoro is kind of his best friend, but he also spends all of his time with him??? And he kind of loves him??? And in all of their time together, Sanji has rarely sought out other companionship (rarer over time) and Zoro has never seemed interested in it???

"OH MY GOD!"

"It's not a big deal, cook."

"I HAVEN'T SPENT A SINGLE DAY WITHOUT YOU IN SEVEN YEARS."

"And you've gotten on my nerves every single one of those 2,556 days."

"WE SHARE A BED!"

"I'm almost always on night watch and you're up before anyone else. Waste of space to each have our own."

"BUT WE SLEEP IN IT TOGETHER HALF THE TIME!"

"At least you don't kick in your sleep. And you always bitch about being cold when you're alone, so I'm not seeing the problem here."

"OH MY GOD, ARE WE DATING? WHAT IS THIS? WHAT ARE WE???"

[vaguely-concerned]

sometimes I think of all the on-the-surface warm, well-meaning but deeply ineffectual advice and attention john gives harrow through harrow the ninth (make some soup and get some sleep! get a hobby! don't be so hard on yourself! self care harrow! as long as I need take no actual responsibility in this relationship whatsoever I would have loved to be your dad!) set up against the stark truth that with his other hand he has been staging her attempted horrific murder again and again and again like a living nightmare on the logic that it will 'put her down or fix her'. and then I find that I wish there is a hell. a special hell where twitch streamers turned necromantic death emperors go

[tuliptic]

Maestro of Your Heart: Pulling On Your Heartstrings 🎻

Watch me do a side chassé, a sweet plié Now we gon' be the maestro of your heart

When we’re in a romantic relationship, we sometimes wonder how we’re so affected by our partners, and of course, we wonder if we are also capable of pulling the strings in their hearts, wondering if they are comfortable and trust us enough to let us be the maestro of their hearts.

Close your eyes and meditate on this topic. Then, open your eyes to see which pile talks to you the most/draws you in the most. Once you’ve found your pile, scroll down to the respective parts to see what are the messages for you.

Pile 1 - Pile 2

Pile 3 - Pile 4

Disclaimer: This is solely for ENTERTAINMENT purposes. Take only whatever you feel like it. If it doesn’t resonate, it’s okay to just drop it. Also, I do not consent to my work or images being used by third parties on this platform or other websites as well.

Decks used: Crossing Star Tarot Deck (Major Arcana), Luna Cat Tarot Deck (Major Arcana), Linestrider Tarot Deck, Sweet Dreams Oracle Deck, Starcodes Astro Oracle Deck, self-made lyrics deck.

Pile 1 🎼

One card to symbolise you: The Tower

You’re currently going through something, and this message is loud and clear. However, I’m not seeing much worries? The waves are huge but you’re taking the chance and surfing on it instead of swimming your way to land. I’d say that it’s because of a certain confidence that’s in you, where you’re secured enough that the storm will die and you’ll still be safe no matter what happens. You have heard, seen or any other forms of receiving messages from your guides and the Universe, that things will pass and you’ll still be safe. You have that faith, and you let that voice guide you through the chaos and broken promises that are happening around you. For some, you may not be the one falling from The Tower, but are the spectators as you’ve heard of the warning messages and heeded them, leaving the danger zone soonest. You may be looking at the others who are struggling right now and wonder how to help them, if you should be helping them. There can be quite a few different situations and circumstances, but either way, I do not feel much chaos or pain from this card. This card is more of a statement than a description.

One card to symbolise your person: The Hanged Man

Your person reminds me of a cat, inquisitive and curious. They won’t swat every single thing on the counter down, but will take it up, observe closely, and may accidentally break it. They may have a tendency to get into certain unexpected situations, but they are very well capable of getting themselves out of them too. They’re capable of looking at situations from various angles, but they just have a habit of accidentally saying something that sides with one of the conflicted parties. It just extends further and he just gets his hair tangled on all sides to make sure that things are “fair” (same amount of pros and cons for both sides).  Yet, pairing the energy of Venus and Neptune, your person feels very… Aesthetically dreamy. No, not in physical appearance, but the general vibe of them. There’s a soft charismatic energy that they have, which makes you feel like you want to nurture them. They don’t quite need it tho, despite how they look. They’re capable of masking themselves softer than they are so that the people around them will lower their guards down easier.

1. What power do you have over your person? - Six of Swords

You do not put yourself into situations. You weigh, judge, contemplate the various issues that’s going on around you, and you’re capable of detaching yourself from things that can put you at a disadvantage. For example, you know that your neighbour needs help. You don’t mind helping it once or twice, but you also know that your neighbour will be leaving the house often and will continue to ask for your assistance constantly (based on past observations). With that in mind, you chose to not offer to help them out. You would think you’re just making a rational decision by weighing the pros and cons, but not your person. Your person would think that it’s natural to help those that are in need, and they can be upset over it.  The main theme would be detachment and isolation, where you have the ability to just avoid the murky waters, or not step into the waters at all. You may also be able to get over certain emotional related issues quicker than your person. This will make your person feel bad that they’re still “trapped in the past pain” while you’ve already “moved on”. I put them in quotation marks cuz this would be their thoughts, but not what actually is.

2. What power does your person have over you? - Four of Pentacles

My first thought from seeing it is that your person may be frugal, financially or skill wise. Let’s say that you want to get a technician to fix something, they’ll be like “I know how to fix it” or “I know someone, lemme get them, they owe me one anyways”, and there’s a 50-50 chance where they’ll mess it up or not get the problem fixed on time. Your motto would be if money gets the thing done, you’ll spend the money. But not them. They’ll be fixing things, preparing home cooked food when you mentioned you’re in the mood for a buffet. You know that it’s not something to be blamed, that being frugal is helpful in the long run where you guys can save up more. However, there are just times where you want to splurge on yourself, where you want to see physical and material gifts. To you, it’s something that you can see and feel, it’s something of monetary value. There will be frustration here from time to time, and you’ll need to work on balancing emotionally and getting your point across. 

3. What can be possibly toxic or problematic between you two? - Five of Wands

I would say that conflicts and/or arguments can be pretty frequent in your relationship. You guys are used to your own set of values and rules, finding the other person’s set of values questionable and not aligning with yours. This is definitely due to the different upbringings you both have (family and society play a role here, yes). Every disagreement can spark fights, but some can be debates. Fights happen because of anger and how much you want to be heard; while debates happen because you want to persuade the other person to see things from your point of view. No matter the reason, you need to understand that the main outcome from this is to arrive at a common ground, to understand what are the things or issues you two need to compromise and get used to.

4. How can you two transform/evolve together? - Page of Wands rx

You two need to… Grow up. You both will face failures, may it be with your personal projects, career, or even conflicts or feelings of dejection throughout the relationship. There will be moments where you both may feel that the relationship isn’t worth the struggle and anger. However, as you explore and dive into introspection, you will realise that both of you will continue to have issues with other partners as the root cause (family or childhood trauma) have not been resolved, allowing past patterns to repeat themselves. This would definitely be unpleasant news, but it’s not too scary where you’d pick flight over fight. By being more focused and decisive, as well as understanding your loving habits and expectations in a romantic relationship, you two will be able to grow stronger together. There are themes of renewal and loyalty here, where you two will learn to trust the right people, be loyal to the right people.

5. What can you two achieve together? - The Hermit

The Hermit is one of my favourite cards in this deck, where beautiful flowers grow and bloom from the wounds. It signifies that you two are still able to create new love, new beginnings, new passion from the wounds of your battles. Those battles, may they be with your family; with your past; with your loved ones, have transformed you into a better person, into a stronger person. You two have learnt to not leave the other person, to not let them feel even a speck of loneliness, as you have gone through that personal hell yourself. You two have gotten wiser, kinder, and more patient towards each other and towards yourself. It has been a long journey, but you will notice that the load gets lighter with every step taken as you cleanse yourself throughout the way.

6. The core values in this relationship: Justice rx, The Moon

Fairness is one of the main themes that you both will need to learn and implement in your daily lives. There is a tendency for you two to be biased towards each other, allowing them to overstep your boundaries. You may think that “they’re the love of my life, they can do whatever they want”, but it doesn’t work that way. Sometimes, your person will do something that reminds you of a past trauma. If you do not say or do something about it, your person may continue doing it in the future, and it would not be helpful for you as you slowly associate your person doing something new as hurting you. Setting healthy boundaries as you explore the options will help the relationship flourish. For some reason, I’m feeling that you two can be overwhelmed by the other person easily. The balance of emotion and solitude will be something practiced within the relationship as well. It’s not that you don’t trust them or you feel uncomfortable with them, but more of retreating into your bed and doing your favourite pastime activities to wound yourself down from the excitement of the date. You both know intuitively when it’s time for you to go back into your shell as you recharge and let yourself be prepared for better things to come tomorrow. (Most of you may be introverts, which is why solitude and alone-time is required.)

Overall energy: The Devil, Eight of Wands, Strength

There’s a daredevil vibe here, where you or your person are interested in trying a bunch of new things in life, thinking it would be a waste if you do not enjoy life. You guys may be travelling or are in travel, as there are energies of constant movement here. You do not worry about what’s going on, what will happen in the future, as you know that the Universe plans well for you, that everything happens according to the right timing. From what I’ve gotten in this reading, your main challenge will arrive when you meet your person, as you push each other to be better. All the best during then.

Pile 2 🎻

One card to symbolise you: The World rx

The first thing I’m picking up here is that you have an impatient energy within you where you like starting projects even though your body is tired or you have unfinished projects currently. The cards were impatient and quite a few flew out, which I believe talks about the impulsivity and slightly annoyed energy you have towards yourself and everything around you. There’s a need for you to be able to control a certain aspect of your life, and you’re just… Unable to hold it firm in your hand. Change is often present, and it’s either things are changing around you or you’ve decided to be the catalyst of change. However, that change is external, as you’re still quite in your comfort zone where you are unwilling to move out. You can change people and/or some things, but those don’t apply to you. Some of you may have Earth placements or Saturn as one of your dominant planets.

One card to symbolise your person: The Empress rx  

For some reason, I see this as… Your person’s someone who’s not very in tune with their emotional side. I need to emphasise that the word I’m using here is “in tune”. They’re someone who knows about their emotions and feelings towards things, issues and people. But, they’re unable to understand and work together with those emotions to reach an answer or a conclusion to reach an action goal. MBTI wise, it’s giving me the vibe of an inferior Fi function, where they’re unable (or to a certain extent, unwilling) to explore and express their emotions. There’s a lack of softness and gentleness they have towards themselves, but they’ll do their best to provide for you. I’m seeing some patterns of anxious attachment style, where they would want to do what’s good for you but are afraid that they’ll disappoint you, causing you discomfort as they’ve been debilitated in the past. With the gentle energy of the Empress, they’re working on it bit by bit.

1. What power do you have over your person? - Five of Wands rx

For some reason, I’d say that you have a certain stronghold over your words and actions that can affect your person. The first thought I had when I saw this card was “cold war”, where you two don’t speak to each other, or you just choose to shut down and not communicate your thoughts to your person. I’m not saying that you will do this, but if you ever subconsciously do this (shutting down, unwilling to communicate), the damage you’ll be delivering is going to be much stronger than you or your person expected. They may experience similar issues in the past and have handled it appropriately, but if it’s you, you’re able to mess it up real bad. However, if you use that energy and engage in active conflict and resolve them, you’ll be able to benefit the relationship as you understand each other better through conflict, removing the tension as you two work things out together. You need to know how impactful you are towards your person, and to not use it to hurt them. You can build them, and you can break them, and please, for the love of God, DO NOT be proud of it. Be cautious, be loving, be patient, and be gentle.

2. What power does your person have over you? - Eight of Wands

Weirdly, the first thing I’m feeling is that… Your person can be more comfortable on the financial side as they may be the main person who provides travel related assistance. They may work in fields that require them to travel a lot and hence, able to bring you along on their trips. Or with how frequent they’ve travelled, they have saved up a bunch of mileage points and can use them to bring you around. So let’s say, you guys got into an argument, they can very much easily cancel whatever trip they’ve been planning to bring you with. That kind of power. In which, it will also affect your mood and emotions, especially if you’ve made a bunch of plans and suddenly they’re all gone. However, I’m seeing that they’re a gentle person, so I don’t think they’ll be doing something like that. Still, that’s what they’re capable of providing, that’s their power over you.

3. What can be possibly toxic or problematic between you two? - Five of Pentacles rx

Financial views is something I’m picking up immediately. You two are probably prone to being career driven, which allows you two to be able to earn and contribute financially. However, how you two view money and use them can be different. For example, one of you would use it for trips (huge spending at once) and the other would use it for everyday life (fine dining once a week, or gatherings with friends often). This will bring upon disagreements and sometimes, even arguments, as you two have not properly talked things out and arrived at a middle point, where both sides compromise equally. There may also be a chance where one person earns more than the other, and the one with a lower income may feel imbalance and not know how to stand on equal grounds with the one who provides more, creating internal conflict and not resolving it. They may also end up more dependent and the codependency may worsen with time. It is very important for both sides to recognise this and to work together to resolve this crisis.

4. How can you two transform/evolve together? - Judgement rx

I’m seeing healing and growing, and then transforming bit by bit throughout the journey together. It’s a process that will take a long time, but you two are patient in it because you two know that results are guaranteed and it would be worth it. You two are very goal driven (or at least, one of you are, and the other is willing to go along with it). Instead of working on something that may or may not work, you two are more prone towards doing things that have a secured outcome, taking calculated risks. There’s quite some brain energy going on here, making me wonder if you guys are more earth or air dominant. With that in mind, you two decided that this relationship is worth investing, and hence, work towards it. You two are willing to work through them, opening up yourselves to inspiration, allowing inputs from others and growing together. This pile gives me the feeling that you guys will go for courses together and work through the hurt and pain. Something like couple counseling? Or going through some seminars to understand each other better. You guys are willing to put in the effort as you recognise the importance of communication (through the hard way, probably from your family).

5. What can you two achieve together? - Two of Wands

You two can go far, not just achievement, but also building your life far from your trauma, building something new together. You guys build something totally new, and may constantly come up with something new to keep the relationship fresh. This card gives me the feeling that you are looking at the future together as you have the (your)  world in your hands. Whatever difficulties you’ve gone through in the past made you stand up, and this time, you’re not standing up alone. Your person will be there to pull you up, and you’ll be there to pull them up too.  You guys don’t necessarily throw yourselves into challenges as they present themselves to you guys through shared decisions made. You guys also learn to accept the various downs that have resulted from the shared decisions, and learn to live with them by looking at them in a positive light. Something like learning from mistakes and knowing what’s not good for both of you. For example, you guys went for a buffet for a date night and realised that one has an allergy towards one particular food. Going for the buffet is a shared decision, the challenge faced would be going to the hospital due to an allergic reaction, looking at it differently would be you guys now know what should not be added onto the list of food. Instead of going “I’m sorry that this date ended up bad because of my allergy”, it would be “hey at least we know that we should not have this for our next date”.

6. The core values in this relationship: The Sun, The Magician rx

There’s a bright surge of energy here, where you two will feel childlike wonders and enthusiasm, learning more about them and yourself. It’s like… There’s a feeling of victory here, where you grow from your pain and reach the throne you’ve always aimed for. You guys focus on keeping the relationship young, if that makes sense. Instead of letting that romantic love turn into family love along time, you both make an effort in doing romantic gestures and continue to be in that zone of falling in love over and over again. You guys will be creative too, as you come up with new ideas of constantly learning about each other, from each other. I’m also seeing that your preference for certain things may change throughout the relationship. For example, you used to not like strawberry, but your person likes it, and you slowly learnt to enjoy it too. And… Hmmm… For some reason, you two may be a little too smart. I feel that you two may be Mercury dominant, or have Aquarius, Gemini or Virgo placements. There’s a lot of words and thoughts, instead of feelings and tears. You guys can be a little rigid at times, and I’d say, one of your main themes in this relationship is to learn how to work together to create something together (working for it or manifesting it with actual effort). There’s a lot that you need to work on, yourself especially, where you work with your dreams and your spirit’s energy to reach your highest good. You both will need to open yourselves to new possibilities and welcome new beginnings into your lives. 

Overall energy: The Moon rx, Five of Cups rx, The Chariot rx

Some of you may be going through some difficulties at the moment, especially in terms of emotion regulation. You may be experiencing pain, or despair that cannot be immediately resolved. You may also be experiencing fears, especially fears of failure (failing your expectations towards yourself, returning into a state you thought you’ve finally grown out from, etc). Allow yourself to slow down as you tread on this path. Remember, every step you take is on a new path, no matter how familiar it looks. Allow yourself to fall, allow yourself to take some rest before you run again. Be kind to yourself, and you’ll be able to move from the old to the new easier. Help will come to you, be patient and accept it with an open heart.

Pile 3 🎷

One card to symbolise you: The Hierophant

My first thought from seeing this card is that you’re… More inclined to the traditional values of how you were brought up with. It may not be your family’s traditional values, or the society’s traditional values. It’s more of… A certain concept, I’d say. For example, marriage is supposed to be between two people (monogamous), and you may have difficulties in understanding and/or accepting the concept of polyamorous relationships. Another example could probably be you’re a huge advocate of home cooked food as outside food is all MSG and unhealthy, which is a value that’s pretty much found in Asian families (“We Have Food At Home” by Mom). These are just examples, but if you ask yourself deep, you do know that it’s talking about you, and you don’t really listen to other people who say otherwise.

One card to symbolise your person: Temperance

If anything, I’d say that your person is someone who’s very in tune with themselves. I would also say that they’re a person who constantly renews themselves and to make sure that their information is not outdated. They’re very welcoming to new details, but they also are rather selective, which is a plus point for anyone who sees things from a lot of aspects, making them a rather balanced and critical person. If it took you long for you to meet your person, it’s because they’ve been working on themselves to be at the right place to meet you. For some of you, your person may be your soulmate, where you’re comfortable enough to confide in them on various things.

1. What power do you have over your person? - The Tower rx

I’d say that you’ve gone through quite a lot of significant changes in your life, where you grow from your pain and challenges in life. But also, this can appear threatening to your person as you’re used to chaos in your life, and your person may not be so. Something that appears dangerous to them may be nothing to you, and how you react to it will make them feel belittled, as though you’re not from the same world. I would say that this also stems from the various family values you two have gotten and grew up with.  There’s also themes of imprisonment, where your person may be used to keeping themselves in check so as to not create discord or discomfort, but you are more… “I couldn’t give a damn” kinda attitude, which may make them feel lesser than you. To them, their way of expressing affection is by sacrificing themself for your comfort. Let’s say, they’re more interested in watching movie A, but you prefer to watch movie B. They’ll watch the movie you want with you without you knowing their preference. However, you may be more towards the type of “You should’ve spoken up! Why not, you watch movie A, while I watch movie B by myself or with a friend”. To you, you think you’re resolving the conflict by “Watching what we both wanted”, but to them, they may see it as “you’re not willing to spend time with me” kinda thing, and they may feel that they’re unable to catch up with you in terms of the values in the relationship. 

2. What power does your person have over you? - Page of Pentacles rx

Weirdly, I’m seeing this as your person may be younger than you, or may be less experienced than you in terms of career and finances (they may have gotten into their desired field of work later in their life). With this, it creates a disparity or conflict where you’ll need to compromise with them more. To you, you may feel that they’re more of a responsibility than of a lover. It’s like… You love them, that’s why you feel the need to compromise certain dreams of yours. For example, you’re aiming to go for an overseas trip together in June. However, they have a training session that they need to attend, and you chose to cancel the trip instead of going alone cuz “it feels off”. It’s not like they’re doing this on purpose, but sometimes, their presence may make you wonder if you’re doing enough for them or not. You may also feel a lack of worth when you stand by their side, as you notice their potential to flourish into a King/Queen, and you’re not sure if you’ll be equals during then.

3. What can be possibly toxic or problematic between you two? - Seven of Cups

The first thing I’m picking up here is that there’s a lot of daydreaming here. A lot of “what if”s and a lot of fantasy painting. It’s like… There’s an expectation of plans to fail and you guys can go “a lil bit of daydreaming isn’t bad”. The image I have in my head has two people sitting together on a bean bag (young energy), leaning into each other and discussing plans of wedding and fun activities to do, and then leaving that as plans and not doing anything about it. There may be a hint of leaving future things for a future you to handle kinda energy. Alternatively, the daydreaming may shadow faults and shortcomings. There’s a tendency to paint everything pink or look through them through rose tinted glasses. There are a lot of hints and issues there, but you tend to focus on the prettier items and ignore the more serious questions. It will take quite a lot of time and problems to happen for you to break the bubble and to recognise the issues at hand. The lack of action is highlighted here, as well as impulsivity of choosing flight over fight. This may also be due to the power or financial imbalance existing in the relationship.

4. How can you two transform/evolve together? - Nine of Pentacles

Surprisingly, I’m seeing you two grow individually. Like, you guys go through the life lessons together, but instead of growing together as a couple, you two grow individually, as your own person, and couple together. The best example I can think of is where one’s an accountant and the other’s a painter, where your knowledge is different, but you guys improve in whatever you’re doing and still enjoy cooking together. You guys work and support each other throughout the journey, helping the other person to invest and grow into the best version of yourself.  You guys also learn to communicate more to assure the other person that they’re not being left behind, that all the effort right now is worth it in the future. There are a lot of future related themes in this card, may it be building the future together, having a common goal for the future together, or building a new self together. Individuality is very important for you guys, and I’m seeing less of a compromise for each other. For you guys, it’s 1(you) + 1(them) = 1(you) + 1(them) + 1(a future built together). Hopefully this makes sense.

5. What can you two achieve together? - Four of Wands

I’m seeing here that your life together will be very pleasant. You guys are capable of building a home together once you’ve gone through the challenges, learning more about the buttons of each other and knowing which to push at the right time. Honestly speaking, there’s less of a “trial and error” kinda vibe in this relationship, but more of “oiling the cogs” here. This card is giving me harmony and happiness, as well as a beginning together, may it be engagement, marriage, or partnership. There’s also some form of balance and groundedness here, so if you or your person was flighty or emotional, you will be more toned down and will be able to look at the earthly sense too.

6. The core values in this relationship: The Hanged Man rx, Wheel of Fortune rx

I’m hearing stubbornness here for the both of you. You two are used to your own ways, your own values as you two grew up together, which definitely lead to you two growing individually. You both have experienced stagnation and detachment in the relationship, and effort has been made for you two to evolve and find a comfortable point for each other. There’s a lot of things to evaluate and work together. Assessing the situation, understanding the phase of the relationship where you’re at would be beneficial.  A lot of accepting is needed as you two understand that certain things cannot be compromised, where you two decide to do them differently. For example, one’s a vegetarian and one requires meat protein, and so, you guys choose to not settle for each other's diet by preparing different sets of cutleries and cooking utensils. Different fridges may be prepared too, but if it works, it works. You guys learn to challenge each other’s comfort zones as well as your own, oil the cogs as you find something that works for you both. The lessons are slowly learnt, and once you’ve gone through them, your relationship will prosper.

Overall energy: The Empress rx, Death rx, The Chariot rx

There’s a lack of gentleness going on. For some reason, it can be finance or love related, such as lack of self-love, worrying about financial issues, etc. Basically, anything that’s Venusian themed. There’s a period of change, a period of transition that you’re going through right now, and I’m seeing that you may be lost, not knowing which step to take. Do not push or rush yourself through things right now, as Destiny is realigning itself for you at the moment. Have faith that you’re the co-creator of your life and destiny, and that you will still be able to write your story however you want it. This may be a challenging period in your life, but things will work out as you pick yourself up, nourish yourself and prepare for the upcoming battles. This will be a solo battle, so make sure you’re kind to yourself, make yourself a warm meal (or warm meals) as you move yourself back into action.

Pile 4 🎤

One card to symbolise you: The High Priestess rx

I’d say that you’re someone who’s losing touch of your spiritual side. Not to put it in a bad way. It’s just a reminder that you should tune into spirituality from time to time. A bunch of things have been happening to you and around you, where it’s completely natural and equally important for you to focus on whatever that’s going on externally. However, take some time to perhaps pull a card or two if you do tarot, or meditate and listen to your higher self. Make spirituality a part of your daily life, let your hands feel the running water as you feel it taking away your tiredness and emotional impurities. Find the discomfort, acknowledge it, and let it be cleared out from your system.

One card to symbolise your person: Temperance

My first thought when I see this card is that your person has a balanced air and earth and water energy here. It’s an energy that I’m very comfortable with, where they’re grounded and yet able to resonate with you in terms of emotions, and they’re smart and comfortable with who they are. This is a very assured person, knowing what they want and how to achieve it. For some reason, it feels like they enjoy cooking or making comfort food for the people they care for. Your person may also be your soulmate, and they’re pretty much educated with a lot of things, or they’ve been involved in various projects and activities and hence gaining the knowledge and experience of life. They may have a mysterious side to them as well 😎

1. What power do you have over your person? - Five of Wands

Similar to Pile 2, you have this card here to signify the power you have over your person. However, Pile 2 is more passive aggressive while yours is more… Actively aggressive. You do not think twice about your words and can be rather blunt with how you express yourself. For some reason, I’m seeing that it may be due to you having some sort of insecurity over yourself and the relationship, or you may have some inferiority complex where you do not see yourself worthy of this relationship.  I need to emphasise a little that it’s not your words that’s the power you have over your person, but the mentality of you not thinking yourself highly (or as high as they see you) that can drive your person up the wall. It’s the chain reaction that will make your person feel powerless, not knowing how to help you and to show the world to you, that there are better things in life and that you’re worth so much in their hearts.

2. What power does your person have over you? - Page of Wands rx

Your person is very adamant in communication, if that makes sense. They are vocal and more structured in their speech, and will not stop the conversation there until you fully understand what they mean. This card feels… Not young. Your person has been through quite a number of things in their life and have learnt to communicate effectively, making sure that their needs are heard, and knowing what they need to do. For some reason, I’m also seeing charms? They may be quite charming, good with their words, fulfills the typical definition of success, and people may be drawn to them. That may also be the reason why you’re insecure, since they’re pretty charismatic themselves. 

3. What can be possibly toxic or problematic between you two? - Page of Cups

For some reason, I’d say that you two can be fairly new or fresh in relationships, not having dated much before, or this can be your proper first love. There’s a tinge of inexperience here, something like a young love, where you two tend to experiment much on the various aspects of a romantic relationship. You two may be prone to doing fun activities a lot, hence, ending up not talking much about the practical aspects of a relationship, for example, marriage and responsibilities. This card talks about heightened intuition as well, where one or both of you may be relying only on intuition or gut feeling, and not communicate with each other more. Like… You should be discussing with your person when you’re making plans. Yet, you just decided to go with Plan C because your gut feeling tells you so. Even though they may be free during then, communication and discussion is still important so that they are heard. 

4. How can you two transform/evolve together? - Four of Swords rx, The Hanged Man rx

I’m seeing that you two will be resting together first. You two have been fighting different personal battles, and when you’re done, you guys will be resting together as you recuperate. This pile kinda gives me the feeling of bonding through trauma. It’s through the pain and exhaustion that you learn better about yourself and your person, where you guys learn the importance of the balance of body, mind and soul. You both learn to let go of things that are not within your control, let go of things that are pulling you down. There are themes of releasing pain here, and also releasing guilt. Like,,, you’re holding onto a fault you’ve done years ago, and not letting yourself free from it, forever beating yourself up over That One Thing you’ve done when you were a teenager. The same may be for your person as well, and you two just learn to let the past remain in the past. You will need to expand your horizons, and let yourself try things you never had the chance to mess around with. Throughout this period of time, you both also learn about the tendency of being apathetic towards your own pain (you think that your pain is nothing; they think that their pain ain’t much worth mentioning). Detachment towards your emotions is a thing, making you stuck in the past. Your inner child is not healed, and this would be something you and your person will be working on, to find ways to heal yourselves, enjoying the world with its gifts for you. You’ll learn how to nurture the people around you, but starting from yourself. It’s like… Two wounded small animals hiding under a shade as they licked each other’s wounds. That, but things are promised to be better.

5. What can you two achieve together? - Strength rx, The Hanged Man rx

The Hanged Man rx extends towards this card, symbolising that by breaking past habits and treating yourself kindly, only then you’ll be able to grow stronger together. The topic and lessons about inner self will follow here as well, and may be a lifelong theme where you constantly need to nurture yourself and each other to flourish. The strength you both will gain will be inwards, where you are more gentle towards yourself, more forgiving of yourself, bandaging the wounds that your inner lion has caused. Your passion, desires and anger is the inner lion in you, and you’ll be learning to keep it in check once you understand them and accept them. Imagine going through the five stages of grief, and it ends with acceptance. That’s when you learn to live together with it as part of you.  Remember that strength comes in gentleness too, and that to accept your vulnerability takes a lot of strength, energy and effort. I would also add that once you are at this stage, you’ll be able to combat self-inadequacy and doubt, learning to trust yourself and your partner. It’s a constant growing process, but you have each other to support and help throughout this journey. Together, your strength can be limitless.

6. The core values in this relationship: The Hanged Man rx, The Sun

The Hanged Man rx appeared again. I’d say that one of the core values in this relationship is to learn to open up and accept the emotions (the happy ones and the not so positive ones) you’ve been feeling. You or your person, or perhaps the both of you have had a difficult childhood growing up, where you guys have learnt to repress the various feelings for you to function. In this relationship, opportunities will open up via challenges (discussions, disagreements, compromises, failed plans, etc.), and you two will need to learn to release the pain and anger. From there, the relationship will continue to renew and become stronger, and you two will also be able to heal at your own pace. I’m seeing that one of you may have been working on it earlier than the other, and the one who’s more experienced in self-healing will be able to help the other. Followed by healing comes The Sun that’s hiding behind the rainy clouds. Another core value that I’m seeing here is that you two will learn to enjoy the small and big happiness in your life. Celebration is the theme here, where you two will learn about appreciation and gratitude, growing along the way to celebrate the small and big wins, achievements and building up self-worth along the way. I’m seeing you celebrating for them when they get a pay raise, and them throwing a celebration (or a romantic dinner/gesture) for you when you achieved your goal of maybe not self-deprecating for a whole month. 

Overall energy: The Tower, Death rx, The Emperor

There are quite some strong energies here, both you and your person. You guys are still fighting personal battles and are at the significant stages of your lives, where a split decision can contribute to different outcomes. There’s an energy of autonomy here, where you’re fighting to gain back control over yourself, your identity, and you learn to break free from the cocoon that’s binding you. Things are difficult, values you believed in may start to break down, making you doubt if you’re even doing the right thing. Rest assured as you’ll be seeing messages and signs around you. Your guides and the Universe will be dropping you signs, and you’ll know you’re on the right path. Know that you’re beloved and guarded, take the chance and go for whatever it is you’re fighting for.

[bixels]

Be honest, what are your thoughts on appledash? Do you hate it or its more of not a big deal

Not a big deal to me. I like it, I see all the appeals, I just personally like Rarijack more.

[fantastic-nonsense]

oh my god all this time I believed that what fanon!Jason stans really wanted to read was Helena Bertinelli's books (because of all the relationships and interpersonal dynamics they keep stealing from her to project onto Jason) but what they actually should be reading are Catwoman books

Selina's the one who killed Black Mask and dismantled his operation after War Games. She's the one explicitly protecting the East End (aka Crime Alley) and going out of her way to protect the women and children of Gotham's underworld. She was the one doing mafia kingpin shit in the New 52 while Jason was off messing around in space with Dick's friends. She was the one protecting the Alleytown kids and trying to root out crime by "taking control" of it.

like Selina literally took over a crime family and united the criminal underworld in the New 52 while Jason was off fighting the All-Caste and Crux with Roy and Kory, I can't believe I didn't make the connection sooner

[mermaids-ate-my-dinner]

Hot Take

Heros of Olympus would be so much better if everybody was single.

[heph]

Call me crazy for reading so much into a show like House MD but I think the main theme of House is that despite doing everything perfectly and being a good person, shit happens.

Sickness and pain will be inflicted on you and your loved ones and there's nothing you can do about it, but to persevere, to fight for your life, to keep living despite it all - to love is a part of the human condition; our capability of love is what makes life worth living, despite all the pain that you will inevitably experience.

This show exemplifies the pain of living and the needs and desires of human beings to keep going despite it all

And idk... There's something beautiful about how a show with so many stupid whimsical dumb scenes can impart something so profound in my stupid little brain

[lucabyte]

If you wouldn't mind, could you explain to me in detail how your sifloop works? Would there ever be a romantic relationship between the two (and how do you think they would get to that stage) or do you just think they'll be stuck in this weird messed up obsession and loathing loop forever? Anyway your takes on sifloop are my favourite if you couldn't tell

Oh, I've been depicting it as romantic the whole time (remembers I'm asexual and aromantic and thus my depictions of such are alien at best) Er, though you'd be forgiven for not noticing.

I know I don't draw them being particularly traditionally cute (kissing, cuddling, etc) (even though I do envision that any time it's not literally extremely inconvenient that they are entangled like a pair of magnetised squiddles) particularly often.*

(Though, I do have some hints at that kind of behaviour: (x) (x) (x)) But this is where, hm, my particular readings of these characters' self-assessment comes in.

I believe that I (an aroace tumblr user who has been immersed in nuianced language about such things since i was an early teen) and Siffrin/Loop (a guy approaching their thirties who seems to have escaped social pressures primarily via isolation from their peers) will have some different views on things. Hell, Sif/Loop don't even have words for Asexuality and Aromanticism even if they seem to be able to point toward the feeling with roundabout language.

I think that their relationship, in the way that it would manifest, would first and foremost be Physical. Some real Maslow's hierarchy shit. Both of them are viciously touch starved and given the whole shared-ownership-of-body thing I keep alluding to (x) (x) I think they are prone to being a tangled pile of limbs both clothed and unclothed.

Now I (enlightened modern day asexual) do not think that physical/sexual/romantic are in any way synonyms unless you want them to be. I believe that literally all associated behaviours of these can be platonic if that's how you feel about it. Howeverrrrrrr. I really cannot envision "black-and-white-thinking-world-champion siffrin and/or loop" being able to disentangle that so easily. I think they would have trouble squaring the circle of certain actions not being reserved for romance, at least not until after several years of continued unpacking and philosophical discussion with Mirabelle and Odile.

And then there's the part where Siffrin/Loop (and also Isabeau!) have some absolutely insane Jealous streaks. Not even on the downlow, they just do. I think that combination of jealousy and posessiveness when paired with unevenly splitting time between A Guy You're Established To Be (at the very least on his side, romantically) In Love With, and Your Weird Fucking Clone Who You Keep Being Intimate And Intensely Emotional With, is going to cause some problems when it comes to labelling things.

I do not think Sif/Loop are stupid, but man do they ever lack emotional intelligence in a lot of areas (a thing the whole game hammers home). I do not think that they would be level-headed enough to independently invent the idea of "QPR, but the kind where you do basically fuck sometimes". I think they would just (agonise over cheating, first of all.) call it a romantic pairing and be done with it.

And then Isabeau is also there I guess. I gesture at him and at my aforementioned Iseabeau Torment Nexus thoughts (x)(x). I believe this polycule can work and even be healthy but hahahaha oh man they are gonna have some weirrrrrrd fuckin tension beforehand lolllll.

as for how i think they'd get to that stage? lol, lmao. I think of things with a lens of 'what would be the most narratively intense' a lot of the time, so my answer there is:

They basically act like one right out of the gate, at least to the average onlooker**. This makes the fights feel worse. This makes them both paranoid in different ways about how this affects Siffrin's relationship to Isabeau. This makes it more difficult for the party to go "hey so, your friend, we're all being very accepting of their sharp edges because they're clearly someone who's struggling, but why are they suuuuch an asshole?". They fret about this and it causes more push and pull as either side feels guilty about this relationship they're not 'supposed' to have. Even if their relationship woes could easily be squared away by either categorising it as a QPR or talking to Isa (who is vaugardian and probably thus lax about polyamory) neither of them are going to do that right out of the gate because they lack the language, are prone to being wracked by guilt, often assume the worst will happen should they talk about difficult topics, and straight up maybe just see intimacy/sexuality/romance as a package deal due to lacking the social expertise... You see what I mean.

I don't Know if what I envision is... The literal platonic ideal of "A Romantic Relationship". I don't know that if Cupid came on down and inspected my brain that they'd agree that this is romantic and not just like, something really fucking weird, man. I don't even know if I would call it romantic, necessarily. BUT. I Do Think. That These Two. Would Maybe Label It That Way. Because it would make it easier for them to understand and come to peace with that way. Which is what matters. Labels are Descriptive, not Prescriptive.

What I DO think i envision however is something so fucking aroace brained that i can point to sif/loop's canon labels, point to MY labels, and then give you a big thumbs up hoping that you won't get on my ass for implying several sentences upstream that "they probably basically fuck, or something, idk, does star-sucking count as sex? i'm not a doctor nor medical professional of any kind. you probably shouldn't drink whatever comes out of it though"

Implicit question 2: "Jesus Christ you make them seem to hate each other, is that not contradictory? Is that all supposed to be during them being romantically involved?" Yup! Sorry for the subtle undercurrent I haven't previously explicitly and overtly established literally at all but a good chunk of that percieved hatred is a byproduct of Loop keeping their identity secret. That's the space wherein I set most of my fanart. (x) Once that cat is out of the bag I think the heat cools off significantly because then they aren't both talking around each other trying not to actually say what they're fighting about. They can actually bond about shared experiences out in the open rather than keeping their traps shut in case the party overhears. They still fight and have problems thereafter, but it's not made worse by being unable to directly discuss the core issue (+ the party can actually contribute/try to shut things down rather than being unclear on what exactly the issue is)

The above ALSO not helping when it comes to jealousy/feelings of infidelity re: Isabeau. (When specifically in the context of Romantic Frustration here, since that jealousy extends to the whole party when generalised) So that adds another thing to, not necessarily fight about, but be bitter over.

As for hatred being contradictory. Mmm. Nah.

The opposite of Love is not Hate. It is Indifference. (A theme ISAT notably gets at). Hate is distinctly something you do if you care. Often if you care Way Too Much.

I try not to write them hating each other, so much as feeling extremely intensely about each other. (x)

Feeling intensely Thankful, Understood, Sorry, Trapped, Devoted, Jealous, Protective, Pitying, Indebted...

^ Scary ! Complicated ! Hard to deal with ! Even the positive ones can be overwhelming! It's gonna make things weird!

So uh, Yeah. There's your answer? I suppose tl;dr: I view relationships as nebulous and only defined by those in it. (This is something I have previously yapped about at length in essays about my OCs lol) And generally view that there's no "true" label for any relationship except the one that doesn't cause undue distress. (which. i mean it does here. but it probably works out in the end with enough talking)

Asking me to define if something is romantic is like asking me to pin down the true form of the Human Soul. Like dawg i dont know how to do that i dont even know if that shit is real. there are merely actions and their constructed societal categories. If i tell you I think they kiss sometimes does that clear it up? (It shouldn't, obviously, but you get what I mean)

But yeah. Gestures broadly. Shipping an ace (and maybe even aroace based on some shit that little fella says) character like this means it comes with an essay. Because it necessarily interfaces with their nonstandard mode of interaction in that arena. The part where its weirdo fucking ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ selfcest merely adds a layer.***

... Anyway I'll leave you with this. The mirasifloop qpr "so what is.... romance?" discussion sessions are probably downright dialectical aren't they. Feelings Buddies discuss the phrase "Self-Love" 23467324235 dead 3 injured

*i do have like . 2 wips. that would. include this kind of behaviour explicitly. but i simply have not gotten around to them yet. and also don't worry neither of them are purely fluff both of them still have an air of worrying fuckedupedness about them. yay !

** inkeeping with my "geared for maximal conflict" mind, this can be flavoured with some "technically nobody can say it's not canon, I guess?" during-the-game Sifloop. By handing them the 'started leaning on each other for comfort more blatantly toward the end of a4' thing, since, well, I think exploring the "Loop expected at least one of them to be dead by the end of this/Loop never expected this to end, and thus began filling in that 'Lover' role as comfort/pity/selfishness/mercy given their knowledge that Isabeau is forever out of reach for both of/at least one of them" angle is... Well it's certainly fuckin' compelling that's for sure. Like oops, you let the timeloop malaise get to you and maybe started a trist because you thought you'd be dead before there'd be any lasting consequences. Here's those consequences, motherfucker !! But you won't catch me putting that explicitly in my comics because I don't want to change anything about the raw text of canon when I'm exploring its consequences. However, nothing I do is Incompatible with this read. And I enjoy making things more tortured so. Shrugs and hands this to you. Be free. (....x)

*** those of you that know what i mean by this just had all of it click just now didnt you. lol.

[how2forgive]

its so funny when ppl announce a "social media break" just do it. tell people privately if its really a concern. but most ppl who take breaks i dont notice at all. until theyre back and theyre like omggg im back already that didnt last very long🤣🤣 like im sorry but everything is so overstimulating n content saturated nobodys gonna notice if yr gone for a week.. just be silent about your silence ..im so against social media can u tell 😭 its such a fake sense of connection. talk to ppl directly.. have conversationsssss. tumblr doesnt count as always if u are on here u are a genius and loved by me. 🙏❤️

[varpusvaras]

The not final but kinda comprehensive list of the main reasons I ship Bail/Breha/Fox

They are all underused and/or underappreciated by either the canon and/or fanon

They all deserved a lot better

Fox is my poor meow meow and he deserves to be held good. I think that would fix him

Bail and Breha are the most stable people in all of the Galaxy and I think Fox would like that. Stable people who know what they are doing

The Organas radiate the strongest "looking for a third"-energy I have ever seen

I think they would absolutely love to have someone like Fox and metaphorically nurse him back to health

Despite Bail and Breha being the most stable people in the entire Galaxy, they are both absolutely unhinged. Fox ends up somehow being the most level-headed of all three of them. He has no idea how that happened either. I just think that's funny.

[ghouldtime]

I need more neighbor König getting protective over his little neighbor.

I do believe he can get very possessive, though I'm not sure that's the word I'm looking for. But he's lost so much, so many people in his unit and people he had once considered friends. He won't even visit his own mother because he's scared for her safety. Maybe an enemy finds out some way some how about her and takes her as leverage. Now she gets to see colonel konig with his gear and mask and barking orders and not the sweet man she's come to know. How would he react or feel?

Ofc when she realizes it's just him and throws her arms around him

I'm sorry but I'm answering this because this doesn't fall under my characterization of him 😭 I can do the last part maybe one day when I'm not sick and have planned everything out in my mind THOROUGHLY

I know you meant no harm by this either!! This is just a bit of a rambly tangent to describe WHO my König is and why he's that way.

(Also stating that reader in neighbor isn't explicitly a she nor are they little in the same way. I write gender neutral for a reason! They're a grown adult)

Like I know it's just an imagine and possible scenario but for me I just don't really see it happening unless quite literally EVERYTHING went wrong. He's got plan A, plan B, plan C, D, and E. Always be prepared.

But it strikes me as unlikely in happening at all as he is a VERY cautious man and does what he can to remove his identity as König from his residential life. He keeps his gear under lock and key, he doesn't tell personal details of his work, he doesn't want to track ANY of that back. His field life isn't his personal life and he's intent on keeping that separated. Anything that could be used to identify him, he doesn't keep around or its hidden so NO ONE would suspect it.

It would take some absolute major intel and someone working within KorTac itself to follow him like that - even then, dude is a bit paranoid. He's got a security system for a reason, he doesn't wear his mask in public, his body is covered up usually by the long clothes he wears, he's not out socializing - he's just blending in. He's watching cars that pass, he usually keeps curtains drawn or has privacy film, he knows who drives what car and their schedules - so if it's off, he's picking it up.

The way he's protective is in his actions - that's WHY he won't tell details of his work, that's WHY he works hard to ensure personal life doesn't meddle with what his job is, that's WHY he has backup plans. That's WHY he makes sure they get a security system too, if they haven't had one already. That's why he makes sure they're trained in self defense and have at least some form of weapon at the ready, even though they ARE in a safe area. He's protective in the sense of "I'm doing what I can to prevent that aspect of my life from coming into yours" , he's protective in the sense of "I've seen what people are capable of, I've protected myself so I'm protecting you too as much as I can because you matter to me". He's protective in the sense he's caring, he's going out of his way to make sure you're safe.

But he's not going to be protective in the sense of "let me be with you constantly" or "who were you talking to???" or "Why didn't you invite me". Reader is a grown, independent adult and he's aware of that. He's respectful of that and knows they're capable of caring for themselves too. Being IN their life doesn't mean he IS their life. They both operate in their own lives and have their own interests and both, as such, need alone time and time to spend with others too. That's just how to have healthy relationships.

He's very independent himself and having another person around as his friend has taken a significant adjustment period. Honestly, it takes a long time for him to even register that he can go do things with them. He's so used to being on his own that it has to catch up.

And I'm going to say that my König is NEVER possessive towards people. Never. Possessive implies treating them like an object or piece of property, like they're something that's his alone. Possessive means great insecurity in his sense of relationships to the extent where he's manipulating them and monopolizing their lives for his gain.

He's not, because he's a well adjusted adult who has been to therapy throughout his life to manage his own insecurities, especially involving interpersonal relationships. Hell, when he STARTED to even get feelings for neighbor, he brought it up to said therapist just to be sure he's going down the right path. He's built a set of healthy behaviors to cope with unhealthy feelings that may arise.

He gets jealous, especially initially, but once again - he's a grown adult and is capable of handling his own insecurities in a productive way. Everyone is allowed to have more than one person in their lives and a healthy network of relationships matters.

Protective? Yes. Possessive? Absolutely not. He respects independence as he himself is that way. He wants to spend as much time as possible with his neighbor but he realizes that he too needs his own space and time to recharge, and he can't be singularly focused on one person alone. His primary concern is their safety, no matter what they do.

He's lost many comrades and brothers in arms but that's also bound to happen in his line of work. This might sound brutal, but he's desensitized to it to a degree. Losing someone is never easy, but it's expected. The blow will always hurt but when it's always a possibility, it never wanes. He's wary of it and aware of it, and losing any friends he made happened earlier on in the army before his private contracting days. It numbed him too it and set the precedent for his relationships with anyone and is why he's so guarded.

After then, he's not really had many friends. Not that he had many to begin with but he doesn't go out of his way to get close to others. Acquaintances and work buddies? Yes. But friends are a rarity as he's really rather unapproachable. He's there to do his job, he's there to take people down and get paid, he's wary of getting close to ANYONE knowing they can be taken at any moment. He'll work with them, he'll know them, he'll be proud of them - but making friends and forming personal relationships like that in a private military contracting company is a bad idea, when they can easily swap over to the other side if they're offered more pay. He's seen it happen, he knows it's a real possibility.

That's why he picks any personal relationships closely and takes eons to warm up. His social anxiety, as well managed as it is, doesn't make it any easier. He knows what can happen, so he prepares as best as he can. Which INCLUDES being protective and prepared, and planning accordingly. If he's letting anyone into his life, he's already got a game plan for what he'll do.

And no, he DOES visit his mother, as I've stated! As much as his work allows and as much as possible, he does visit. He just doesn't live with or near her. He can easily visit throughout the year when his schedule allows and its sporadic, with no rhyme or reason. He doesn't take repeating cars, he doesn't do anything in a pattern that can be tracked. He's also made sure she's secure in her home too so it's unlikely things will happen, but he won't flat out not communicate with her and not see her at all. He's just smart and careful about it! He can't bare to never see her again.

I'm sorry but my König just doesn't fall under how most people portray him or see him. He's just a guy with his own personal issues. And like the proper guy that he is, he manages them and knows its his responsibility to do such. He's extensively gone to therapy, he's worked on himself, he knows where he stands.

Sure, he's still prone to jealousy and a touch of paranoia, but that doesn't mean he lacks the skills to work through them. He communicates like an adult with whatever he's feeling. Expressing it can be hard but he DOES get it out there and he also heavily respects reader's own autonomy. They're an adult, so is he. He'll protect them and do what he can, he'll care about them, but he will never seek to control them or treat them like something for only HIM to have. He's not and will never be a "they're MINE and NO ONE touches what's mine" - that's just not him to me. I don't write him as a big, broody dommy guy who is growling every sentence or can't handle others talking to someone he likes.

To me, he's just a dude. An introverted guy who likes to sew ridiculous pillows and tend to his garden who is happy in the home he made for himself. He's comfortable with who he is and where he stands. He can communicate properly, knows how to respect boundaries, and likes seeing others who matter to him happy in their lives as they establish a supportive network. Just because he isn't always with them or going with them doesn't mean they can't take care of themselves or he HAS to be there. He's not some ultra possessive dude because he has healthy understandings of boundaries and knows the world doesn't revolve around him and his wants (also he wouldn't WANT them to depend on him and him alone when its very possible he too will die on the field one day). He's not always going to look over your shoulder or instantly treat any other person as a threat.

He's seasoned with the things he's seen and is wary enough to be protective and to do what he knows to prevent what he's seen happen. He's cautious, he's considerate, he's caring - and he's not a cunt about it. Really, he's just perceptive and accepts what can happen so he tries to set up anyone in his life for success to avoid what he's seen and to keep them from harm. He can't always be there, he knows he can't, so ensuring that those around him who he DOES care about have a proper, healthy network of friends around for support and have a game plan for if shit hits the fan (as well as a system to enact it) is his way of showing he cares and can always be with them and help, even if he's long gone or buried six feet under.

[vaguely-concerned]

not to be so extremely obnoxiously predictable but uh. obsessed with the implications of lucanis' insight that 'he has to live with the fact that if he had only managed to tell her 'no' one time, none of this would ever have happened' as to what solas regrets the most in giving the dagger to mythal in that memory. okay guy who notoriously has not told his grandmother no once in his whole entire life and in fact does not seem to believe that's really an option, existentially. alright. please stand still for a while I need to study you intently for how much of this you realize consciously and how much of it will be Coming For You post-game lmao

ETA: ohoho actually it's even better, I got it mixed up -- it's not the part about the dagger he says that about, it's the part where solas didn't want to take on a physical form but did it anyway. for her. that's even better