#not to mention being able to learn something simply by observing it is also a kind of cheat code itself...

[aroacettorney]

tbh i wish aup had more reps for characters who achieve greatness purely through hard work and effort. the emphasis on genius/being special is mayhaps way too much to the point that it feels kinda damn depressing for those who aint born as one.

[familyagrestefanblog]

Jep, this is basically it.

A+ additional tags 👏👏

ML Hot Take

Chat noir is hiding just as much from Ladybug as she is from him, and they are both doing it just so the other is kept safe and unburdened because they both have a flawed understanding of the other, which leaves them both at fault for the ladynoir fall out.

[elysiansparadise]

i luv ur work.💌

can u pls do neptune in the 8th ?

Thanks for loving my work, love! 💗

Neptune in the 8th house

I consider it crucial to start mentioning how skilled these individuals are in sensing, intuiting or detecting when something is off. They have a highly developed intuition as well as a natural ability to decipher any type of thing that seems uncertain or unclear. You can never lie to them, because they possess the mixture of impeccable intuition and sharp observation. They are emotionally deep people, very sensitive to the environments and people they interact with. They are very compassionate and empathetic people, capable of feeling the pain of others very closely. Many times they fear their own emotional intensity, because they know themselves very well in that aspect, which makes them very cautious when it comes to opening up because they fear that people will take advantage of their emotional vulnerability, their devotion and heart. It is very likely that throughout their lives they have experienced betrayals, ones that led them to close down emotionally and not be so patient and soft with the wrong people. It should be added that there is the possibility of going through intense emotional and spiritual transformations, which, although challenging, could also be deeply healing and revealing.

What seems misunderstood, taboo or complex usually catches their attention. They enjoy getting to the bottom of things and it is common for these natives to question themselves existentially and spiritually. They may have an attraction toward esoteric themes, such as tarot or similar. Many of them can find healing through spiritual or unconventional methods for the worldly person. Likewise, when they begin their path through spirituality it is due to difficult or painful experiences, and they can find relief in this field. Many of these natives have the ability to heal and transform not only other’s moods, but also something deeper like their lives. It is very likely that they may have strong spiritual beliefs about life after death and may be interested in exploring, investigating and learning more about these ideas. There is a complex relationship with their dreams, as these natives can obtain clear or meaningful messages with them. In addition to this, they can be people very in touch with their subconscious, even being able to develop [or simply be born] with some spiritual gift.

There is something enigmatic about them, something that simply makes you not stop seeing them, the mixture of mystery, sensuality and that sensitivity that, although they do not show it, can be observed in their mannerisms and once you get to know them better. They look for deep emotional connections, superficial things not only scare them, but bore them. They seek to love someone completely, to give themselves and for the other person to give themselves too. Being one with your partner is crucial, precisely the reason why intimate encounters are a visit to paradise, a bit of heaven to which you can become addicted. They not only make you feel desired or like the most attractive being in the world, they make you feel heard, understood, seen. They seek to know those sides of you that you are ashamed of, not to judge you, rather to be able to love you completely. Internally, they look for that same devotion from their partners, someone who loves them with the same intensity with which they are capable of loving. 

-> Go back to the masterlist

[inqilabi]

Another thing that I have observed over the years is that, not a lot of people are good at relationships. As in they don't know the fundamentals of a good relationship. And with that it follows, that for some people this comes naturally. And for some people this is learned.

A lot of people don't seem to be good at communicating in relationships. Meaning that they will let a thing that bothered them fester until it grows into resentment. And they bring it up once the resentment is bubbling. And obviously, because it's pent up, when do they do bring it up, it's in an explosive manner.

So everyone at some point learns that relationships are about communication. And they tell you this wisdom. But no one actually gives you the details and the formula

Communication is about

1) frequency. So don't let this fester. Bring it up right away

2) type of communication. So positive and the negative. Ie., things that are working but also not working. The positive communication will be, "oh I loved [action], because [what it made you feel]. You are so [the unique attribute about your partner that led to this behaviour]". This is what is going to build connection regularly. Regularly appreciating your partner. And not just in a generic manner. But in an instance specific manner.

Or in the negative "when the [situation/issue], it makes me [feeling], and if this continues to happen i will [feel/consequences]". It doesn't attack the partner and views them an opportunity to rise to meet your needs. And focuses instead on the situation / issue and the effect on you. This is what will maintain the relationship. Prevent it from going down.

3) manner of communication. You should never say "you always do this" "you never do this". That is not an productive way of conveying concern to your partner. That is just attacking them as mentioned in point #2. The person who is being addressed also should listen and not get defensive or criticism. If one person has legitimately brought up a concern, and the other person says "no i don't do that " or "it's not that big of a deal" or "well you did this [unrelated other thing so long ago]", this is a cause for concern. Men often do the latter and imo it's a red flag. A man should be able to listen to your concerns and not feel attacked if you have brought it up in a gentle let's tag-team this issue manner. If a man does get defensive or start criticizing you instead, he has an ego or insecurity problem. Thats one of the things that will chip away at a relationship. Is defensiveness and criticism.

There's other things that maintain relationships like taking interest in your partners interest, when they ask you to look at something or share something with you - then you should take interest. There's many people who might ignore it or outright dismiss it (chips away) or some might simply acknowledge it (maintains), where are some might take an interest and ask you questions on the thing youve shared. Ask you where you learned about it. What you found interesting about it. How it made you feel etc (builds relationships).

Some years ago I wrote a post, which I can't find now. But I found it so surprising in couples that I had observed that a man would so often dismiss his partners attempt to connect. I remember the instance I noticed this - I was at a desi Eid bazaar. And a woman came to her husband who was sitting with their child, giddily told him that she had haggled the price of a cloth down by 20 dollars. And instead of being proud of her and appreciating her, he said something along the lines of "you could have gotten it for 30 off". And I saw the joy disappear from her face. And he chipped away willingly. So bewildering to me that you have an opportunity to connect and build, so easily handed to you - and in so many couples, they reject it. It's like someone offering you a couple of dollars for free in a long-term investment, and you're like - nah thanks I'm good. Maddening!

[seventeenlovesthree]

Koushirou Izumi's clothing style - a meta analysis

When it comes to Digimon and fashion, you can tell that certain characters have - mostly consistent - preferences. Most obviously, every character has colours they are usually (but not exclusively) wearing, certain motives and symbols keep returning... And for some characters, their choice of clothes is - more or less - arc-defining.

While looking for references for some art pieces on Pinterest, I stumbled over one of my favourite Digimon Adventure 02 concept artworks:

We never see Taichi, Sora and Yamato wear their Summer uniform in the series and Koushirou literally only wears it in one episode - but looking at the ensemble here, there was something that caught my eye specifically. And this observation took me down a little rabbit hole in terms of what exactly Koushirou's style is, how it changes through the series - and what it may mean for his character as a whole in my humble opinion.

It simply felt like the perfect opportunity to post all these ideas as a contribution to @izumikoushiroweek 2024 and the prompt "Dressing Koushirou".

Adventure (+ Our War Game), age 10-11:

Analyzing Adventure won't take too long, because we don't have a lot of variety at this point - however, it still gives us the baseline for what we will have to expect for the entirety of the series.

Koushirou wears very "boyish" clothes that can be, more or less, considered to be common for a "computer nerd" in the 90s and early 2000s; wide, if not oversized button-down shirt (big emphasis here!), t-shirt, wide shorts, (colourful) sneakers. It's all "comfort over function" at this point, because, as pointed out, he seems to prefer wide clothes. While his signature (crest) colour is purple, his favourite colour appears to be orange, and there are usually lots of earth/nature tones too.

Honorable mention goes to his trademark Japanese school boy undercut hair with a middle parting, barely able to tame the spikyness.

So let's see what elements he will keep and what will change:

02 (+ Diablomon Strikes Back), age 13-14:

As mentioned, the concept art above was what inspired to make this post in the first place - because I couldn't help but notice his pants there. If you compare the way he wears the Summer school uniform to the way Taichi and Yamato wear it, three things come to mind:

The older boys wear the shirt very casually, whereas Koushirou has tugged it in - which is definitely a change to how loosely he wore his button-downs before.

Taichi and Yamato also don't wear ties in comparison to Koushirou. So far so good, these are the most obvious aspects...

And then there are the pants - which are particularly less "form fitting" than it is the case for Taichi and Yamato. Considering how he used to wear wide shorts in Adventure before, one may think that this is related to "comfort over form" again, but it collides a little with how "correctly" he wears the rest of the uniform. So my assumption here is: In one of the dramas he mentions "one of the female 5th graders in computer club who is taller than me" and we can definitely assume that he was referring to Miyako there. He says that he is "working very hard" to catch up... Which leads me to believe that he wears wide pants in anticipation of getting a growth spurt. Which is not only practical in general - but would also spare him/his mom the stress of constantly buying new uniforms.

In sum, we learned that he is the only male character in the entire season who wears his uniform correctly - with the spunky shoes being the only glimpse of "individualism" there. This is an interesting contrast - and will actually turn out to be quite a pattern for him: When it comes to important duties and business, he will make sure to wear his clothes appropriately and neatly (which, at this point, is important if you consider him taking so much responsibility for the 02 kids as their team mom dad). Outside of that, we still see the habit of wearing more comfortable clothes:

Koushirou definitely likes to wear layers (similarly to but not in the same way as Taichi btw), the good old button-downs or hoodies over shirts in particular, it's all very cozy and simple - and while he hasn't completely abandoned his associated colour orange, he seems to have adopted a second favourite colour to his wardrobe as an addition to the earth tones: Green. We later learn that his mother used to buy the clothes for him, so based on her excited expression in the first shot, watching him put on his green school uniform blazer for the first time, they may have realized how well the colour complements his red hair. The wide shorts and pants are also still there and he also seems to prefer basic long-sleeves (and stripes) at this point (which may or may not have been inspired by his own Digimon partner's colour schemes, very sneaky).

Last but not least we have the hairstyle - he's been growing out the undercut to even everything out and starts the season off with a VERY short cut and a side-parting. Very neat and, at first glance, very easy to tame, since the spikes are a lot shorter at this point. The side parting did not last for long though, so the middle-parting returns through the course of the season and he also grows it out a little.

Overall, the dichotomy of "business serious-casual" and "comfy-cozy" is already coming through, but we haven't come to the heavy lifting yet:

Tri (+ the Stageplay), age 16:

As I have briefly pointed out in the intro, for some characters, fashion is an arc-defining factor. For teenage!Koushirou, his interest in fashion is basically a B- or C-plot that - in my opinion - could have been handled in better ways, but I will get to that.

First of all, let's start with the "easy stuff": Hair and uniforms.

His way of wearing his uniform hasn't changed much from 02; he is still wearing blazer, shirt and tie "correctly" - but his pants are not as wide as they used to anymore, as can be seen on the promo art I have used above. (Since he has surpassed Mimi in height and is basically as tall as Sora, he may not expect to grow much further, so he probably chose more fitted pants at this point.)

The hair, especially the spikes and middle parting, are still pretty much the same and thus - probably - still very difficult to tame. It's notable that he has grown it out more in comparison to 02 though.

Now onto his private wardrobe: We see him confiding in Takeru, telling him that now that he goes to high school, he intends to pick clothes for himself, but... Shopping has proven to be quite difficult for... Various reasons. So instead, he created a software to generate outfits for him, with... Varying degrees of success. So through the course of the first few movies, it's heavily implied that he's making use of that software and also Takeru's advice - who appears to be a little bit of a mix between a "k-pop-fanboy / hobby-novelist with a Starbucks order in hand" and "an absolute fashion disaster" himself, but he seems to enjoy being Koushirou's wingman and assumes that his sudden interest in fashion stems from him wanting to impress Mimi.

And this is where things get a little more complicated. I will not go into too much detail about why I think that this was the wrong approach for his arc, because I have already talked about it in full length here. To summarize it very shortly: Koushirou's arc had ALWAYS been about him learning to be himself. That him being the way he is is perfectly fine and that he doesn't have to hide his true self - being adopted, smart, into computers, with all his flaws and quirks, whatever it may be. Him trying to bend over backwards to impress somebody else contradicts his arc and the only reason to include it at this point is for him to come to the same conclusion again. Of course there are underlying insecurities all over the place - especially since he actively seeks Mimi's approval. The school festival should have culminated in a scene in which he and Mimi - dressed up in a costume that was heavily criticized before, thus criticizing Mimi's way of being as well - should have had a talk that went along the lines of: "You know what? It doesn't matter what you wear, as long as you are comfortable." (Which... In itself leaves room for a lot of subtext as well, but I will get to that by the end of the post.)

So long story short, what we see through the course of the first three movies is him being quite experimental: Overalls, wild patterns like koi karps, lots of layers and a peculiar interest in bowties... He also adds several new colours to his arsenal, reds, blues, even his signature colour purple makes a prominent appearance. All for the sake of appearing "less plain", and to have more variation in his style.

While he has abandoned shorts from his wardrobe at this point, he - just like Taichi - likes to wear 3/4 length pants. One style of clothing he hasn't abandoned is his button-down shirts and (open) collared shirts in general. This has been a constant so far and I doubt that we will ever see it change, since they basically feel like "comfort clothes" for him. The interesting part here is, like we discovered before, the consistent contrast between "private" and "important occasions/business settings":

Once he's out with his parents for their anniversary, once he shows up at the school festival in a whole suit, once he wears his school uniform: He WILL wear the (bow-)tie correctly, the collar will be tight, the shirt will be tugged in, no funky shoes either.

Once he's in a private, less "urgent" setting, the collar will be more loose (!), the shirt will (most likely) be pulled out of his pants, the style will be more comfy, the shoes will be more "funky."

We've seen that since 02 already and it's nicely represented in Tri as well - the stageplay even dared to merge two of his outfits from the first Tri movie, a casual and a serious one, to create the perfectly "nerdy" mix for him: (Shortened) Shirt and vest from the anniversary (with an open collar and without the bowtie), 3/4 pants and yellow sneakers from the "let's look for distortions" scene. So we can tell - he DOES have preferences and may not even need a software to tell him what he naturally gravitates towards!

So let's fast forward a few years to see how it'll all develop...

Kizuna (+ The Beginning), age 21-23:

Unfortunately, we don't really get a glimpse of his private wardrobe as a young adult - but we can still be pretty sure that the patterns we spotted before are still going strong:

First of all, it can be assumed that he stopped experimenting for the most part: The hairstyle went back to the roots, for whatever reason he returned to his elementary school undercut, the middle parting and spikes are still there, but less wild. The associated colour orange also returns - and even makes its way into his business wardrobe, as he is back to wearing neckties instead of bowties.

That aside, we mainly see him in his work attire as the boss of his own tech company: White shirt with the orange tie and a closed collar (short-sleeved in Summer, long-sleeved in Autumn), black pants + brown belt, black business shoes.

And once again: Depending on his surroundings, the difference in how he presents himself is still intact to some degree: The outfit is still the same, but once he's just with his friends, shirt and pants appear to be wider again, whereas they seem to be more tailored once he is in "business mode" - this can be seen in particular in The Beginning, where he function as PR Digimon expert and gives interviews to the media.

Long story short: He kept his dichotomy alive for the majority of the series.

The epilogue, age 38:

Even the epilogue shows us that he could never give up the wide, collared shirts (wide collar, no tie, pulled out of the pants!) in nature tones after all. The most notable part here is probably the hair - not only did he grow it out to the point that the spikes vanished almost completely (aside from the long, pointy bangs), but he apparently managed to FINALLY get the side-parting going after all.

Final thoughts (and a few headcanons):

I've once conducted a whole post on how I felt like Koushirou broke a few gender stereotypes in interesting ways for a series that was created in the 1990s and early 2000s (and not only because he was the only male character who basically never had a male voice actor or because 02 basically turned him into "the mom" of the group). I feel like it's no coincidence that his arc and the way it is portrayed actually speaks to a lot of people who consider themselves as neurodivergent, non-binary or trans. It's a story of self-acceptance, about someone who used to question his whereabouts, who didn't know where he came from, who he was. He didn't consider himself to have much "worth" aside from being a human extension of his laptop and also tended to mask his insecurities (at least in front of his parents) with a polite and very correct demeanour.

The way fashion is interwoven into it all may not have been conducted perfectly, but the fact that it is tied to self-discovery still leaves room for interpretations and headcanons. While his personal clothing style has always been rather "boyish" (and not feminine in the slightest), him gravitating towards oversized clothing in private settings while conforming (!) to a very correct and neat dressing style for important occasions still is a curious contrast in this regard. Hiding behind his computer, hiding behind a software to tell him how to dress (and being uncomfortable going shopping physically), hiding his generally slender body behind (mostly) wide clothing because he may - or may not - experience something along the lines of gender-dysphoria is a headcanon that a lot of people can relate to. Especially if you take Tri overall as a metaphor for him figuring out "his preferences" (in both sexuality and gender and thus the scene in which he looks at a kimono - presumably made by Sora - will forever live rent-free in my head, especially because it is a more feminine piece this time).

In the end, it can all be just a matter of perspective - the most likely explanation is that he simply prefers comfort in private settings, but can easily adjust towards a "serious business mode" whenever the situation requires it. Through the course of the series, you may argue that the characters that had the most influence on his casual style were Taichi (layers), Mimi and Takeru (being a little more experimental). On the other hand, you may also take Tri as your average "the nerd cannot talk to women and doesn't know how to dress, so he makes disastrous choices" trope and call it a day. But personally, I feel like, since Koushirou does have obvious preferences that are mostly consistent, it really is more a period of self-exploration. And like I said before: I wish the outspoken conclusion for him had been: "As long as you feel comfortable, you can wear whatever you want."

[tavshortfortavern]

Companions with a Tav from Modern Earth

Modern!Tav who still has their things from earth

Characters: Astarion, Gale, Karlach

Astarion

Learns that you have never met another race other than your own and he was the first elf you've met outside of stories, he's all smug that he was the first one you've met and horrified of a world without elves.

"Well darling, how is your first meeting with an elf?" He asks, posing proudly. "Must be a momentous day."

You stare at him up and down. "I thought you'd be taller." He gasps and glares indignantly but you kept making fun of his height

When he mentions not being able to see his reflection, you take a picture of him with your phone. He's alarmed with whatever your doing with that strange device until you show him his picture

"Is that me?" he's stunned, reaching out towards where his image is shown. The curse doesn't take into account digital reflection.

You do your best to explain the cellular device but most importantly the camera feature. You've been using it to snap pictures of places, fantastical scenes in this fantasyland and documenting memories

He listens enraptured. You come to almost regret it bc now said phone frequently goes missing. Astarion having pickpocket it to take selfies or simply admire himself in the screen

Soon your memory is almost full thanks to the selfies he's taking. He remarks you should be thankful to have such gorgeous sights immortalized in your device. He's doing you a favor

You will admit he's gotten real good at taking photos of himself. He'd quickly become a popular social media influencer/model back home.

Found out your little hand mirror could also show his reflection. The way your world made mirrors was without silver and could reflect him. You give it to him freely, as long as it means your phone is stolen less

Genuinely thankful for the gift. Keeps it close to him at all times. You know this when you observe him gazing at himself thru the mirror, touching his face with a look that says he can't quite believe what he's seeing. Quickly earns you a lot of approval.

Asks for your handmade soaps and shampoo made from natural resources you scavenged and bought. It eases the experience of roughing it out in the wild

When he feeds on you the first time, its great but immediately notices something wrong. Your blood tastes different somehow.

You explain microplastics and he's horrified. (but if he canonically gets a taste for Gale's blood, he will for yours)

Gale

Can't wrap his head around a world without magic.

Listens to you explain you and the majority of the population believing magic was a fairy tale and never heard of this 'Weave'

Wants to hear about your world, its history and how its progressing having no magic and only containing humans.

He understands this must be a lot for you and is willing to teach you everything you need to know about Faerun

Always interested in whatever device you pull out. Asking plenty of questions. From your phone to a ballpoint pen. Once spent a day studying the taser you had.

Loves the look of childlike wonder on your face whenever a spell is cast. Even a simple cantrip. Gladly shows off and soaks in the rapt attention you give him whenever he talks about spellcraft.

Helps you out with your own casting, if you obtained the ability to use magic, he could provide a little insight in guiding a new power

Soon you'll be sharing your stationary items. Started with the pen, next the multi-colored ones and so on.

Usually protective over kitchen duties but welcomes you to make dishes from your home world. Some even become a staple in camp.

If you have any soda, don't let him drink without warning him. He'll startle when the fizz hits his tongue and maybe choke.

Understands your homesickness. Being torn from everything you've ever known to a dangerous environment must be a lot. Is very patient when answering your questions even if they seem inane.

Show him pictures and videos of your home and he'd be intrigued, the glass towers, structures that pierce the sky, streets lit with colorful lights, and flying machines. Some parts remind him of Waterdeep.

Karlach

Loves soda and whatever fast food you have. Could go months just eating that if Gale hadn't put his foot down.

Introduce her to rock music and heavy metal. Hypes her up for a fight. Even music that's nice to dance to. Will be dancing a lot in camp. And jamming out.

Also learns you're still new to meeting other races. Thinks its great how your willing to help people you might have been alarmed to see at first and being so open minded to befriend anyone

Sympathetic when your homesick. She has her own experience being sent off into a different plane for years with nothing to connect her to home

You talk about modern medicine back home and heart surgery. Both of you wonder if they could just get her engine out and replace it with a normal heart in a hospital. It's a frequent topic of conversation as you work out the logistics

Is also happy to listen to any stories from your world. From classic fairy tales to history. Asks for them whenever it gets too quiet

Wants to see your world some day. If her engines gets fixed wants to visit and see everything you've told her and places shown in the pcitures in your phone

Photobombs your pictures. Its especially funny when she does it to Astarion trying to take another pic of himself, he complains but never deletes the picture

Will go through your photo album and ask about them. Who are the people your with, what are you doing in this, where is this and whats it like there

[sempermoi]

Rant about generative AI in education and in general under the cut because I'm worried and frustrated and I needed to write it out in a small essay:

So, context: I am a teacher in Belgium, Flanders. I am now teaching English (as a second language), but have also taught history and Dutch (as a native language). All in secondary education, ages 12-16.

More and more I see educational experts endorse ai being used in education and of course the most used tools are the free, generative ones. Today, one of the colleagues responsible for the IT of my school went to an educational lecture where they once again vouched for the use of ai.

Now their keyword is that it should always be used in a responsible manner, but the issue is... can it be?

1. Environmentally speaking, ai has been a nightmare. Not only does it have an alarming impact on emission levels, but also on the toxic waste that's left behind. Not to mention the scarcity of GPUs caused by the surge of ai in the past few years. Even sources that would vouch for ai have raised concerns about the impact it has on our collective health. sources: here, here and here

2. Then there's the issue with what the tools are trained on and this in multiple ways:

Many of the free tools that the public uses is trained on content available across the internet. However, it is at this point common knowledge (I'd hope) that most creators of the original content (writers, artists, other creative content creators, researchers, etc.) were never asked for permission and so it has all been stolen. Many social media platforms will often allow ai training on them without explicitly telling the user-base or will push it as the default setting and make it difficult for their user-base to opt out. Deviantart, for example, lost much of its reputation when it implemented such a policy. It had to backtrack in 2022 afterwards because of the overwhelming backlash. The problem is then that since the content has been ripped from their context and no longer made by a human, many governments therefore can no longer see it as copyrighted. Which, yes, luckily also means that ai users are legally often not allowed to pass off ai as 'their own creation'. Sources: here, here

Then there's the working of generative ai in general. As said before, it simply rips words or image parts from their original, nuanced context and then mesh it together without the user being able to accurately trace back where the info is coming from. A tool like ChatGPT is not a search engine, yet many people use it that way without realising it is not the same thing at all. More on the working of generative ai in detail. Because of how it works, it means there is always a chance for things to be biased and/or inaccurate. If a tool has been trained on social media sources (which ChatGPT for example is) then its responses can easily be skewed to the demographic it's been observing. Bias is an issue is most sources when doing research, but if you have the original source you also have the context of the source. Ai makes it that the original context is no longer clear to the user and so bias can be overlooked and go unnoticed much easier. Source: here

3. Something my colleague mentioned they said in the lecture is that ai tools can be used to help the learning of the students.

Let me start off by saying that I can understand why there is an appeal to ai when you do not know much about the issues I have already mentioned. I am very aware it is probably too late to fully stop the wave of ai tools being published.

There are certain uses to types of ai that can indeed help with accessibility. Such as text-to-voice or the other way around for people with disabilities (let's hope the voice was ethically begotten).

But many of the other uses mentioned in the lecture I have concerns with. They are to do with recognising learning, studying and wellbeing patterns of students. Not only do I not think it is really possible to data-fy the complexity of each and every single student you would have as they are still actively developing as a young person, this also poses privacy risks in case the data is ever compromised. Not to mention that ai is often still faulty and, as it is not a person, will often still make mistakes when faced with how unpredictable a human brain can be. We do not all follow predictable patterns.

The lecture stated that ai tools could help with neurodivergency 'issues'. Obviously I do not speak for others and this next part is purely personal opinion, but I do think it important to nuance this: as someone with auDHD, no ai-tool has been able to help me with my executive dysfunction in the long-term. At first, there is the novelty of the app or tool and I am very motivated. They are often in the form of over-elaborate to-do lists with scheduled alarms. And then the issue arises: the ai tries to train itself on my presented routine... except I don't have one. There is no routine to train itself on, because that is my very problem I am struggling with. Very quickly it always becomes clear that the ai doesn't understand this the way a human mind would. A professionally trained in psychology/therapy human mind. And all I was ever left with was the feeling of even more frustration.

In my opinion, what would help way more than any ai tool would be the funding of mental health care and making it that going to a therapist or psychiatrist or coach is covered by health care the way I only have to pay 5 euros to my doctor while my health care provider pays the rest. (In Belgium) This would make mental health care much more accessible and would have a greater impact than faulty ai tools.

4. It was also said that ai could help students with creative assignments and preparing for spoken interactions both in their native language as well as in the learning of a new one.

I wholeheartedly disagree. Creativity in its essence is about the person creating something from their own mind and putting the effort in to translate those ideas into their medium of choice. Stick figures on lined course paper are more creative than letting a tool like Midjourney generate an image based on stolen content. How are we teaching students to be creative when we allow them to not put a thought in what they want to say and let an ai do it for them?

And since many of these tools are also faulty and biased in their content, how could they accurately replace conversations with real people? Ai cannot fully understand the complexities of language and all the nuances of the contexts around it. Body language, word choice, tone, volume, regional differences, etc.

And as a language teacher, I can truly say there is nothing more frustrating than wanting to assess the writing level of my students, giving them a writing assignment where they need to express their opinion and write it in two tiny paragraphs... and getting an ai response back. Before anyone comes to me saying that my students may simply be very good at English. Indeed, but my current students are not. They are precious, but their English skills are very flawed. It is very easy to see when they wrote it or ChatGPT. It is not only frustrating to not being able to trust part of your students' honesty and knowing they learned nothing from the assignment cause you can't give any feedback; it is almost offensive that they think I wouldn't notice it.

5. Apparently, it was mentioned in the lecture that in schools where ai is banned currently, students are fearful that their jobs would be taken away by ai and that in schools where ai was allowed that students had much more positive interactions with technology.

First off, I was not able to see the source and data that this statement was based on. However, I personally cannot shake the feeling there's a data bias in there. Of course students will feel more positively towards ai if they're not told about all the concerns around it.

Secondly, the fact that in the lecture it was (reportedly) framed that being scared your job would disappear because of ai, was untrue is... infuriating. Because it already is becoming a reality. Let's not forget what partially caused the SAG-AFTRA strike in 2023. Corporations see an easy (read: cheap) way to get marketable content by using ai at the cost of the creative professionals. Unregulated ai use by businesses causing the loss of jobs for real-life humans, is very much a threat. Dismissing this is basically lying to young students.

6. My conclusion:

I am frustrated. It's clamoured that we, as teachers, should educate more about ai and it's responsible use. However, at the same time the many concerns and issues around most of the accessible ai tools are swept under the rug and not actively talked about.

I find the constant surging rise of generative ai everywhere very concerning and I can only hope that more people will start seeing it too.

Thank you for reading.

[psychiccent]

The Elephant in The Room: Frederica

I almost made this as a post for Shinkane week but wanted to keep the attention primarily on my fav Psycho couple. The Frederica/Kogami situation might be worrisome for some shippers, but I absolutely ADORE watching the interactions play out between these two characters. When analyzing, we can spot key differences in how both relationships are handled/developed by our PP Overlords.

It is safe to say that Frederica harbors an attraction for Ko... THAT aspect of the story, the writers have made no secret of. Poor Tenzing had to witness Frede pull out the big guns in their initial meeting, noting the arch of Frede's back/chest as she bent forward to interact with Ko. There is even a scene in the Sinners novelization wherein Frederica sets the mood for SOMETHING to happen between them using body language and a suggestive tone. During this scene, we learn something vital about the current dynamic that exists between these two: The attraction felt here is running on a one-way street, with no reciprocation in sight from Ko. What DOES Kogami end up doing in this situation? An obviously attractive woman, neutral in standing for now, is exhibiting a keen interest in getting closer to you. It's an easy way for the writers to establish the potential for chemistry and yet... Deciding that he doesn't know WHAT to make of all that Frederica is silently offering, Ko settles for simply ignoring the obvious and the scene ends shortly after. I believe this serves as another callback to Ko not being a casual fling type of guy. These interactions (and many others) help reinforce the idea that Kogami is not a man easily swayed by traditional beauty standards, despite the man's knack for letting his instincts reign supreme in most situations.

That scene was a bit of a missed opportunity, don't you think? There is another moment wherein Ko introduces Frede as someone from his home country, and we have another male gaze in the room posed to appreciate the obvious appeal that Frede brings to the table. In this scene, writers could have taken it a tiny step further (if this was truly their intent to establish SOMETHING here) and have the merc outright assume that Frede was Ko's woman. But no such conclusions were drawn, no implications of Ko enjoying his newfound company or missing home...nada. The same can't be said for Akane and Ko, whom have enemies nicknaming Akane 'JULIET' of all things, Shion sounding the alarm anytime those two are together, or the fact that Gino's reactions to their (Akane and Ko's) ACTIONS speaks volumes.

Kogami strikes me as a man with a desire for both understanding AND intimacy when it comes to potential partners, and the life Ko has led so far has not been ideal for cultivating that kind of love/connection. We see, through Ko and Frede's interactions that they function well as a unit/team but are still learning about one another. Whatever level of intimacy/understanding that Ko needs to share with his potential love interest is (whoever that may be *COUGHAKANECOUGH*), Frede is a far cry from being able to qualify in that particular category. Frede's dynamic with Kogami is, in my opinion, what a proper Inspector/Enforcer relationship SHOULD have been like between Ko and Akane (with less emphasis on the obvious attraction undertones, of course) and when looking at these two relationships from that perspective, the parallels we can observe are very telling.

I also can't help but mention that in supplementary PP content (I believe it was a game?) , it is stated that Ko is not a fan of having people/girls hanging off of, or otherwise pining over him... they even joke and say that it's the other way around and Akane is shocked to discover this "side" of Ko. I will take that with a grain of salt, but it certainly checks out with what we have seen so far, don't ya think? Is it impossible for Kogami and Frederica to wind up together? of course not, anything can happen! But color me surprised if that is the direction the writers decide to take.

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

so you made a post about hand movements that the ninja need to do but what about wu garmadon lloyd (with gold) and skylor do they need to do anything also for jesse what hand action does he have to do for each ability he has

Wu and Garmadon have had their powers for nearly two hundred years; they're both at a point where they can just think and thus do. I think there's a post that explains that Garmadon's hand motions are mostly for intimidation factor, but he can literally just look at something and burst it to pieces if he wants to.

Wu, meanwhile, also has the habit of 'thinking' things into existence (usually cups of tea), but in more serious situations (such as against Pythor during the unleashing of the Devourer), he's more likely to rely on hand motions for precision reasons, though "What" hand motions he uses are entirely dependent on what he's trying to create + the effect he's trying to accomplish.

As mentioned, once Lloyd fully taps into the Golden Power properly, he doesn't really need to rely on his hands much at all. He takes after his father in this regard, only relying on hand motions for the intimidation factor nksnksnk (though again, that's only on the case of GP; GE is a different kettle of fish)

Skylor is an interesting case, because prior to S4 she doesn't have much of an opportunity to test to fully limits of her powers, let alone the limits of anyone else's elements. Essentially, during the tournament, she's learning the elements on the fly, and despite being an absurdly skilled fighter and remarkably naturally adaptive to begin with, still getting a foreign element to do precisely what she wants is a steep learning curve. Thus, her first time using elements are either sloppy or merely rely on basic maneuvers (like simply thrusting forward and shooting out the element), OR mimicked from what's she's observed from other fighters (and part of why Kai's one of the first she copies the power of; as he is one of the first she gets to witness fight firsthand).

(But once she goes good and becomes a ninja associate, training with the others + getting access to Miranda's Compendium does help her become the refined badass she is –and DESERVES to be— come Crystalized time)

...And now for Jesse:

*claps hands* With his Element being Surprise, technically Jesse could do *any* hand motion and get any Effect; i.e. something granted by his NRG Ability (which he currently doesn't have). And, this would probably be a more effective use of his powers, as that's one more way his opponents would be less able to predict his movements.

HOWEVER

With a) Jesse currently not having full control over all his powers to begin with and b) him being so RELIANT on the hand motions to even get them to work at all, Jesse generally "assigns" a hand motions to each Effect for him to easily remember and readily call upon as needed.

Finger Snaps: Sound* (one hand finger snap, loud boom happens)

Hand Claps: Nature (obvious is obvious), Light* (like clapping to turn on one of those fancy lamps, except with any/all lights in the room)

Finger Motion: Ice (traces ice mirrors), Lightning (two fingers forward for Paralyzer; also requires direct contact with target)

Arm Raise (Vertical): Fireworks (both arms cast upwards to fire off fireworks); Form (one arm cast upward to conure up an after image)

Arm Raise (Horizontal): Smoke (both arms cast out to conjure a smokescreen cloud), Poison (one arm forward for Laughing Gas)

Arms Behind Back: Shadow (clasps his arms behind him before sinking into his own shadow)

Hadouken Pose: Earth (lmao hear me out, he puts his wrists together and shoots outward to charge other elements with Surprise)

Other: Surprise (any hand motion can be used to generate base sparkles), Speed (starts off requiring a two-handed finger snap, but eventually becomes something Jesse can do just by thinking with more practice even pre-Full Potential), Mind (technically the only base power that doesn't require hand motions at all, as it's literally telekinesis), Metal (doesn't technically require hand motions as Jesse just channeling surprise into the metal of his weapon to change its shape), Gravity (Hover activates with a small hop and/or flip first, also no hand motion required) , Nature (...can also be activated via coughing)

*(Sound and Speed also alternate hand motions with each other depending on scenario)

...and Miracle Make (Effect of Energy) can only be achieved post-Full Potential anyway, so only hand motions wouldn't be enough to cut it regardless

[ferie-anon]

Mbti dissections+Astrology (2)

🫧 Infps are literally everywhere, its also a bit easy to tell if they’re an infp. Like quite literally a go with the flow or “everything is fine, at least Im in one piece” type of manner. I have 4 infp friends and they are compassionate yet goofy lil softballs. Like ur talking about something and they will suddenly link it to something random. When we were mentioning bridgerton on netflix, my infp friend went: paddington? Like the bear? And we all went: huh?- Creative lil weirdos, they definitely have a way with words and creativity with their own thinking and ideas.

🫧 Isfjs are quite the giver for humanitarian things or aim to help for the wellbeing of people. They’re the type to donate blood, volunteer, or do work surrounding an organization that helps others. I have a friend who retook the test and got isfj, and altho she was sad cuz she wanted to still be a isfp lol. But it makes sense as she actually does a lot of humanitarian work and cares a lot about the wellbeing of her friends and etc. she volunteered to donate blood once but her iron level was too low, and she was always interested in learning ASL and even thought of being a ASL interpreter in the future. These ppl are naturally giving or drawn to helping others in some way.

🫧 I have a friend who is an estp and he is a very hardworking person and thoughtful person. These types are just as their mbti title suggest: “entrepreneur”. They get a lot of things done and yet with having p (perceiving) in their type, they can tend to over do it and end up lost in their own stuff and overwhelmed. Estps also show their love and care through actions such as doing things for their friends or getting them thoughtful gifts etc, they find it hard to express their love simply thru words and show it thru the quality time spent with their loved ones and physical/tangible affections and actions.

🫧 Astrology + Mbti section 🫧

Observations may not apply to everyone, take wut u resonate and relate with

🎀 Air and earth placements in a birthchart tends to analyze and be very eloquent and prepared on what to say. The air energy allows them to gather information and put together the concepts as earth placements can analyze or fixate upon the details for a deeper reasoning. Often times, these individuals with both these energies in their chart would have a t (thinking) or j (judging) in their mbti. The need to organize their findings and many concepts and ideas they can latch onto make them excellent speakers/debaters and detectives, articulate and precise.

🎀 Air and water placements, especially cancer and gemini, together in a birthchart can make them emotional and receptive to others emotions and social awareness. This leads to them to go with the flow or to try to offer an understanding level, its also why ppl find them easy to talk to and relating - allowing them to talk to these individuals while they offer a listening ear and comforting words. These individuals with these placements may have f (feeling) or p (perceiving) in their mbti. Able to adapt or not be judgmental of others differences, they are open to many different lifestyle, ideas, and people. Additionally with air + water in their chart, they can creatively channel their ideas a lot onto art or appeal to others with their own ways of expression and thinking.

🎀 I notice a few ppl with taurus sun/moon with taurus mercury in their chart could have an s (sensing) in their mbti. The way they think is more grounded with a sense of logic to it, they’re more calm and rational about realistic problems or ideas and may not jump to as much conclusions or assumptions as n (intuitive) type ppl (who may overthink a lot). The way they express themselves is in an honest and levelheaded way, not overly complicating things by sticking to their core principles and logical reasons to break it down.

[thatanimeramenchick]

Five Love Languages: Dark/Yandere Edition

Let’s take a perfectly wholesome good thing like the Five Love Languages and make it dark and toxic because… I don’t know, I’m literally the worst.

TW: Mentions on dub/non con and verbal abuse; Just general dark romance stuff

Words of Affirmation

Words are powerful. The pen is mightier than the sword, as it sways the heart. Your lover here will let you know just how much they care for you and every single detail of what they find lovely about you. This is in the typical compliments, but also can be expressed in sweet love letters or messages. At the same time, they will expect you to reciprocate in like manner. If you two are in a more… turbulent era of your relationship, they may withhold things until you tell them what they want to hear and in the proper sweet tone that they expect.

They may also use verbal intimidation to control you. I see them as knowing how to use their tongue to make you feel weak and helpless without them. Also may be the type to tell you that you're "mine" or "you belong to me" if they're on the more dominant side.

Triggers: A fast way to get yourself smacked in the face is to say that you hate them. There are lots of creative ways to rip their heart out though if you have a fast mouth and wit. Pointing out failures, flaws, relationship issues, past traumas will all really get under their skin, and depending on their personality, it may result in some volatile reactions from your “lover.”

Headcannon Examples: France, Vox

Quality Time

They never want to spend a moment apart from you. If it was up to them, they would have you with them 24/7. This can be impractical though, so, they may simply settle for having you in a closed off space and being able to check in on you whenever they want. I see this also manifesting in nosiness. What are you doing and why? Surely if you aren’t doing anything wrong, you have nothing to hide? Besides this, there is a demand for constant undivided attention. When they want you to watch them do something or interact with them, they expect you to do so.

Triggers: The fastest way to piss them off is to purposefully ignore them. The cold shoulder or the silent treatment will get you disciplined. You want to act like you’re too good for them to respond? They’ll find a way to get your attention, and you’re probably not going to enjoy it.

Headcannon Examples: America, Lelouch Vi Britannia, Russia

Acts of Service

Of all the languages of love, this is the most subtle and faithful. I see these types liking to take the time to “observe” their lover and put in the extra work to make their life pleasant, especially if they’re on the more subservient side. Especially submissive yandere may do all they can to help you achieve your goals. More domineering ones will express this quite differently. Acts of service may also be displayed in wanting you to completely dependent on them. They may upend your life from behind the scenes just so you can be rescued and cared for by them. They can then be your knight in shining armor, saving and caring for you like no one else ever could. More controlling ones may also expect you to assist them in their daily life or with their dirty work.

Triggers: Destroying or interfering with their goals or work. If you’re going to be a spiteful little brat and ruin their life's work, you're going to learn who's in charge around here. While they don’t believe life is tic for tac, you could at least not have the decency to mess with what isn't your business.

Headcannon Examples: Alastor, Germany, Light Yagami

Gifts

It’s said that your money is where your heart is, and these men believe that. These types take a special giddy joy in buying you things that they know you will enjoy and seeing the look on your face when you receive them. Some of these gifts may be a bit inappropriate for the status of your relationship, such as fine jewelry if you are only friends. If they are the stalking type, they may send you presents based on what they have observed you looking at when you are at the store or online.

On a darker note, I see these types as liking to “collect” little gifts from their lover. And I don’t just mean collecting what you leave lying around. Depending on how extreme they are, they will root through your bags, lockers, drawers, and even your trash to find things to remind them of you. There’s really nothing like lying in bed and breathing in your scent through an old sweater they found in your closet.

Triggers: For your sake, let’s hope you never find their little museum of items. Even if you don’t though, you’re going to be in for it if they give you something important, and you purposefully dispose of it or happen to lose it.

Headcannon Examples: Canada, L, Phantom of the Opera

Physical Touch

These are types who may be guilty of forced kissing, hugging, and hand holding, as well as insisting you sleep beside them at night. If you are distressed, their solution may be to sit you in their lap and cuddle you until you calm down. I can see this type as falling into the type who is shy and only likes being touchy feely with you, as well as someone who is just touchy in general and therefore wants to shower you with their “love.”

Despite physical touch being their main way of accepting affection, I don’t see them typically trying to rape you, at least not forcefully. I actually see them as being the least likely to do something like that. Physical touch is an expression of love and tenderness, and forcing themselves on you would be the ultimate betrayal of that love. They aren’t above manipulating you into the act though, which would still obviously be along the dubcon/noncon lines. I just don’t see them being directly violent about it.

Triggers: Being physically violent, especially when they are trying to be physically affectionate. Biting or headbutting them when trying to kiss you comes to mind. Physical touch is supposed to be a gentle expression of love, how could you be so cruel as to not only deny them that, but to retaliate with harshness?

Headcannon Examples: North Italy

[gildedmuse]

If anyone is wondering why I haven't updated, there are a number of reasons. However, a major one is that Crunchyroll will no longer allow you to use old versions of the app. What this means is I am no longer able to take screenshots of record small scenes so I can transcribe them or basically do most of what I do here.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this blog, I am a broke ass bitch with a chronic, genetic kidney diseases I had the pleasure of being born with, which severely limits me in a number of ways. One such way is money: medical bills at expensive and even with insurance I owe something like $1,462.78 and that's just the past year. Nevermind the bills I collected from other hospitals/doctors. The result is I live a pretty simply life, including the fact that I don't own any sort of fancy recording equipment like "a pc". Every screenshot, every gif, every artistic and not so artistic edit, every video recording, every single post and fanfic and reply, that is all done from my phone. It's my one and only portal to the Internet and sole tool to do whatever is is I do.

With that in mind, while I am proud I managed to take my degree in English Literary Theory and learn how to do all of that on an older model Android I've had for a few years now, I also know that then bulk of internet denizens are just WAY more skilled/knowledge at this then I will ever be.

Keep in mind, I have no money (so advice along the lines of "just buy this $99 program, it's so easy!" or "why not just get a cheap laptop, you can get one for under $600 EASY these days" or even "you just need a monthly subscription to this OTHER streaming site, that doesn't have a film blocker" just doesn't help, especially since I don't even have my own subscription to CR so there is no just dropping that to pay for another.) I was hoping someone out there knew a method I could use to record the "latest" episodes.

I say latest but I left off at 1078. I know, I'm ages behind, but there is a good reason for it.

Please, anyone who knows how I can take screencaps (recordings would be useful but not required) PLEASE contact me and let me in on your secret.

I won't tattle, I swear. I just want to be able to watch the show and react about it on this blog since, sadly, I've recently lost all my OP watching buddies to various life circumstances.

Failing that, I need someone to agree to watch every single episode along with me as my "recorder", recording long swatches of each episode and then sending to me when we're done so I can get my screencaps and gifs and the likes. The good news? You'd have someone eternally thankful for your contributions, who would credit you in every post, and I wouldn't even use any jokes/observations/thoughts you might share while we watch without permission. And.... errrr. Did I mention the gratitude? Shit, that's really all I have.

But I have so much of it!

Guys, I hate getting all emotional, but I am having a hell of a year between the dogs, the bad diagnosis and, hey, this is currently my face:

For comparison, when I'm not dying:

Just any help or even attempts at advice would be welcomed. I know it's stupid, but a lot of what I personally get from reading/watching/playing things is in sharing it with others. I shouldn't have to explain that, it's part of why places like Tumblr and AO3 EXIST.

Feel free to reach out in a reblog, comment, tag me, DM, message me on discord (gildedmuse). Whatever is easiest. And thank you, so, SO much for any potential advice or help you can offer.

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

Y’know what, the Fire Vermillion siblings need more love. In general. Because they’re, perhaps with the exception of Mereo, underrated characters. I will admit a few things in the beginning, because they are objectively true, so bare with me. 

The reason why I specifically mention Mereo, is that she’s the only one of them to have had a concrete effect on the events of canon, and those took place in the EOTMNS headquarters, along with, perhaps, teaching about Mana Zone to Yami at Yultim. Though I’m quite sure that Yami would have bene able to figure it out, and since Yami ended up having to be rescued in the firs place, the criticality of it in terms of plot is questionable at best. At least as of now. 

There are a lot of so called filler characters in a lot of shows, even on very “visible” positions, because of how the world is constructed and to flesh out the world. It makes sense to have at least faces and names to those who are supposed to be there. I mean to say that as all the MK (magic knight) captains were introduced, they should be presented in a plot that is so centered within the MKs as a whole. 

And the Fire Vermillions are, for the most part, just that: filler characters. Even the Silvas have more of a place and a role in canon, although that is through Noelle, since she is a part of the main cast. Which explains why they’re not as much of filler characters. They’re there to at least build Noelle as a character. 

However, the Vermillions do have a lot of interesting dynamics and unexplored potential in them that, I think, is overlooked. 

We already know that Mereo is characterized as a ferocious and a strong willed woman, but who also isn’t only hot blooded. Or, rather, she in herself holds a very interesting duality. 

Mereo is very driven, bold, and passionate who enjoys the thrill of the hunt and the battle, but she is also very strategic. She doesn’t dive head first into something without thinking about how to go about it. For example in the EOTMNS headquarters, she indicates that Zora and Asta should step out of the battle field, because, quite frankly, they’re not yet equipped enough to take them on. Which means that she is able to analyze the situation quickly and make accurate predictions of the situation. 

It’s just that her, dare I say, analytical side is shadowed by her boldness and loud personality that is very hands on; cut through. But that analytical side of her is also innate to her. It’s not something that she has studied from books, but rather learned in practice through observation and training. She is, in a word, a genius. Of a kind. 

I wouldn’t call her as a “refined person” necessarily, but a rough one. Which doesn’t mean that she would all the time voice her opinion or thoughts if there is no point to it. She can also quietly observe, and make her own judgements based on it, which is very hunter -like behaviour. She doesn’t need to flaunt, or prove herself, at all times, because she is confident in who she is. 

And she is also a caring person. Because she will protect her family, which I think was best shown by her being out for EOTMNS blood when Fue was put into a coma, but even then she wasn’t engulfed into rage before it was due. Or rather, she was never engulfed. Her rage was always directed, which just speaks of her self-control, which, when looking from the surface, doesn’t seem to be a trait of hers. But it very much is, and adds to her being a tactician. 

Her love language is also pushing people forward, to be their very strongest selves, because “the weak will die”. By which she doesn’t mean political strength, or any other kind of feigned strength. She wants to make sure that her near and dear are capable of taking care of themselves when she is not around. And that is displayed, for example, when Leo talks back at Mereo for Fue doing his best to “nurture” his squad into the best knights they could be, and Mereo simply sees that as him babying the squad. 

Mereo’s love is tough love. But I also think it’s because of how she grew up on her trips, when she was in the wilderness and fended, and hunted, for herself. It’s very clear cut and straightforward. It’s very intense. 

I don’t think Fue is wrong in his approach though. It’s simply that his approach is more ... book analytical than Mereo’s. He wants to make calm and calculated decisions based on what he observes and sees, and has had to study, from books, a lot more than what Mereo did, because to Mereo the things were learned through intuition. 

Fuegoleon is a more studious character. But he is not without passion. And he does admire his sister’s passion and strength, while recognizing that they are two very different people. Their passion, the burning in their souls is different between each other, but they’re both very strong willed and driven people. Their drive is simply to different things. 

And Leo comes after the two. While Fue and Mereo have a kind of sibling rivalry going on, because they’re so close in age, Leo is left out of that loop. Because there is 14&16 years in age difference between him, Fue and Mereo. They’re not supposed to be on an equal standing. 

However, though he is in the shadow of his brilliant older siblings, he is given a hard time about it, because people seem to be blind to it. And I think it’s... a bit similar as to what Fue went through while watching Mereo, because she was just that good “without trying”, because she was learning on her own. But the age difference just tenfolds it. 

Leo does admire both of his siblings, but he’s not getting out of Fue’s teachings everything that he’s supposed to get. Because ultimately, they’re two very different people, again. Fue is trying to help Leo grow, and he’s trying to help through the methods that were helpful to him, but he has grown blind about the methods not working for everyone. And perhaps Leo doesn’t feel the call to try and learn like Mereo, on his own, because Mereo is very eccentric. 

But he doesn’t know from who else to ask, since the two strongest Fire Magic users in the kingdom are his siblings, so he’s stuck, until he can figure it out for himself. Which is what he started doing in Spade. That is where his passion, his strength and growth are starting to show and shine. Because he does have that fire in him too, just like the rest of the Fire Vermillions. 

I think that there is an immense amount of care and passion in the Fire Vermillion family, and they simply show it in very different ways. 

[elysiansparadise]

I just love all your analysis, there is something heartfelt that always resonates. Can you do sun in 9th 🏠?

Thanks for the love, I'm glad to know it resonates. And sure, I can.

Sun in the 9th house

Here we find extremely curious natives with a desire and ease to obtain different types of knowledge. They stand out for their intelligence and enthusiasm when it comes to diving into topics that they are passionate about or like very much. They have an incomparable sense of humor that arises from their social charisma, they are very witty and are capable of lighting up the humor of a site. It is very important for them to project themselves as a capable and intelligent person and they do not like to be fooled. Their pride and self-esteem often lies in the level of intelligence they have or want to have. Something for which they are not usually given the credit they deserve is their unmatched creativity, bordering on genius, they can be people who have that facility to do things that others do something unique by putting their own touch on it. Many of them have a talent for languages, becoming bilingual or speaking more than two languages, this of course depends on many factors, but here is the potential. There is also a potential for esoteric abilities, they are people for whom their beliefs are important and can be very devoted to them, they can develop intuition and other abilities that help them delve into esotericism.

In them there is a desire to be able to enjoy life, either because they feel that they have not been able to fully enjoy it or simply to satisfy that curiosity. They are very interesting people, because they are the classic person who relates to others in an incredible way (perhaps not being very emotionally expressive, but being kind and friendly) easily captivating with their appeal and charm, however, they are also very important for them to have that time to themselves. Introspection is very important to them, as well as getting to know each other from head to toe. Many of them find it difficult to bring out this stereotypical adventurous and incredibly sociable side that is assigned to natives with this placement, but it is a matter of feeling that they are with the people and in the right place. Something that is very faithful to them and I already mentioned a little is their fascination for travel. They love the idea of ​​seeing different places and exploring other things beyond what they are used to seeing. Your mind needs to be constantly stimulated, besides it seems to be a place that you will never finish visiting, and a place that keeps random data in every corner that you don't expect.

These natives are quite observant, becoming very capable of learning important lessons through contemplating the mistakes of others, they do not judge, rather they take what they see and learn. They possess a wisdom that makes them perfect candidates to be the counselors of their friends and acquaintances, who may see them as superior in some way. It is not surprising that they can mentor and guide others (the sign and the degree can give us more clues as to what they can guide others, along with conjunctions or other tight aspects). This placement shows that the natives can be very successful if they decide to complete their higher education, having enough prestige or at least a great reputation. It is likely that some teacher, tutor or guide has greatly impacted and influenced them. Another of the sectors in which they can be very lucky is travel, where fortune, good experiences and happiness augur them. The theme of the father can be quite varied, the native may have a foreign father who was born in another country than the native's place of origin. Other chances are that this is an academic, intelligent man or who works in the education or law sector. Or a father who does not usually see much physically.

-> Go back to the masterlist

[brother-lipsmackariah]

(A Kimtae WIP I'd like to share because I have no idea when I'll be able to finish it)

It's not an unusual look for Kim, of course. He has watched Kim's style go from strictly masculine as a kid, to more androgynous when they became more confident as a teenager, and then more feminine when Kim finally left to live on their own. Sometimes Tankhun would call Tae here just to show him pictures of Kim's Instagram account and gush over his little sibling. 

But though it's not unusual for them, skirts aren't something Tae usually sees Kim in. From his years of observation, they generally prefer pants, and of a certain material. Kim likes clothes that allow them to move freely. 

Not that it would have mattered, as Tae can't look away. He couldn't even if he wanted to, he couldn't even if this was something Tae had seen them wear a million times. That's the thing about Kim, they are stealthy, quiet and reserved, always blending in with the shadows. But they are also a performer, and when Kim wants eyes on them, they make sure they get it.

It's not just Tae, though, who has stopped whatever they are doing to stare. Kinn's mouth is open in surprise, while his older brother is glaring at Kim in offense, still being supported by his bodyguards. That's not even mentioning the complete lack of discipline and professionalism the bodyguards are displaying, simply by looking at one of their bosses in a certain way. A look that will surely get them fired-or worse- if Kinn learned of their thoughts about his little sibling.

The same same way Tae is staring at Kim right now.

Fuck.

[seventeenlovesthree]

Time to do my go-to rare pair for the ship game: Koushiro/Iori post-Kizuna and Beginning

It really is a shame that, at some point in the middle of 02, they just stopped putting emphasis on the relationship between these two, despite the fact that they were STILL continuously mirroring them to some degree. While Koushirou is the brain everybody naturally turns to for help, Iori, despite being very analytical of situations and surroundings, tends to get himself overlooked more easily. And, even as they grow up, this may be something he would need some help and guidance for...

... Especially if you consider their set-ups as "work-a-holics in shirt and tie". The big difference here is: Koushirou is the CEO of his own company, he has LEARNED to stand up for and assert himself through the course of early Adventure already and it's no surprise that this is the reason why he is considered an "expert on all things Digimon" as a public speaker. Iori on the other hand... Is still the youngest Chosen Child in the group and is obviously being exploited as intern at the company he is working at during his law studies. He IS computer-savvy, maybe not to the same degree as his senpai, but definitely just as prone to stressing himself and taking on more work than he can chew. It almost seems like there'd be a lack in balance - and, as mentioned, maybe a lack in guidance too. And remembering their early set-ups, Koushirou may not always be the most tactful person in EVERY situation, but when it comes to very certain people, he IS observant - and very capable of calling them out for their issues especially those he usually also has himself.

Koushirou is among those who never treated Iori as a nuisance and Iori never felt belittled by him - so the confidence boost he'd get from getting praised by Koushirou is something he definitely needs. For his hard work, ambition, wit... He needs to know that he is being taken seriously and considered an intellectual and compassionate equal - which is something Koushirou would definitely provide, even unintentionally, simply by treating him like he always treated him: Respectfully and with kindness (and also in a somewhat protective manner). Iori on the other hand does look up to Koushirou whether he might surpass him in height is still up to debate though and, upon spending time with him, would get more and more comfortable being honest and calling HIM out as well. It's like an automatic mutual trauma response that goes like "I am tired as heck, but I need to finish this task at all costs, but HOLD THE PHONE, YOU WILL GET YOUR BREAK, MISTER". And it might actually work, because they care about each other a lot.

I could imagine them doing research together, with Koushirou teaching Iori how to use his gadgets and sources to his advantage for the sake of his future career - and with the help of the likes of Takeru, they might actually leave their office spaces and spend time outside, doing cultural activities and historical sightseeing. I really think that is something they'd both enjoy and that'd do them good while improving their relationships even further. Frowning over the others constantly jumping into danger and dragging them with them - but they're the voices of reason, so despite their grouchy faces, they'll happily oblige and share knowing, smiley glances about it.

... On a more romantic route, one might argue that everything I've just mentioned might cause Iori to eventually tell Koushirou that he doesn't "want to be seen/treated as you've always seen/treated me anymore", actively taking a step towards confessing. Because even if they're both rational thinkers, they can be very emotional around the right people - and Iori would be the one to initiate, maybe after harboring a crush for quite some time (which I know is a headcanon we can both imagine going down like that!). Koushirou might not be able to respond to something like that immediately, he would take his time for contemplation - and I wouldn't consider it impossible for them to act on it together.