#recap of todays further events .

[carcarrot]

well that was a shortlived good feeling about my job

[justenjoythegossip]

CHRIS & ABBA’S LATEST PR STUNT & THE VISIBLE ENDGAME OF THE PR STRATEGY or… “WILL YOU JUST GET OVER IT ALREADY? IT HAS BEEN TWO FREAKING YEARS”…

Recap of recent events: 

Yesterday was the premiere of Red One in Berlin. Go Germany. Chris didn’t walk the red carpet before Dwayne as he was supposed to, arrived late with his wife, walked the carpet (after almost missing it) without her, played with the precious very ostentatiously for the cameras, she and Chris shared a moment together as they hugged and she gave him a look of... disgust(?). Then they were filmed sitting together for the movie and Chris seemed angry/pissed(?) at her as he gestures, seemingly does a nervous tick by pressing on his glasses and she rolls her head… #couplegoals LOL

Side note: kudos to the PR agent sitting next to Abba for her clapping as it seemingly helped indicate to her she was supposed to applaud her loving husband and also served as miraculous blocking from this angle, to show us only what they want us to see. 

She was always going to be there…

I have been asked many times if I thought Abba would show up at the premiere. And I always answered that I was 50/50 on the matter. When we learned that it was actually Justin who arranged that podcast for her, I was leaning towards no. Because why would she feel the need to go on a podcast no one asked for, if she was going to get the exposure of a big Hollywood premiere soon, right? Then we got the Avengers’ PR stunt where they endorsed Kamala Harris and Chris was flashing his ringless hand so ostentatiously. And then I immediately thought, of course she will be there. Her saying her marriage year was terrible coupled with his non wearing his wedding ring was meant to manipulate his fans into thinking the end was near and like always to add shock value to their next PR stunt. 

And of course she was going to be there, this is actually a big part of why he did this PR stunt in the first place. He wanted the world to know he was a married man and there is no better platform than a Hollywood event to push a narrative… even when you push it as discreetly as you can so that you don’t offend your fandom and the general public any further…

Why did we get a remake of what happened at the Ghosted premiere and what does this mean?

If people remember the Ghosted Premiere, they did not walk together as they infamously made their red carpet debut for the Vanity Fair party. At the time, I theorized that the reason they didn’t was because they wanted to ease his fans in as they knew there was quite a lot of backlash from his fans but also from the general public. I still think that was the case but it’s even more obvious after today’s stunt, as this was a win-win for Chris. He gets to sell the married man brand he is craving so desperately while putting his kinda wife in a corner.  Go Berlin! She gets to come but has to make sure she is not seen too much as her presence could offend his fans and a part of the general public and more importantly have an impact on his movie’s box office and his career more generally speaking. And look how his “fans” take this as a victory… 

But it’s not, it’s just more manipulation and gaslighting on Chris and his team’s part. 

Because clearly all the content of the 2 of them was not meant for the general public but destined to his fandom. And as you can see they didn’t make it to the Just Jared article this time. But they did get to sell the “we are real and private/we are just PR” narrative. Badly like always because it’s the point. 

https://www.justjared.com/2024/11/03/dwayne-johnson-lucy-liu-chris-evans-more-premiere-new-holiday-movie-red-one-in-berlin/

But now we finally get a clearer sense of why Abba felt the need to go on a podcast no one cared about for the first edition of a small festival that got little to no media coverage! She is basically reduced to a prop that has basically no voice or agency but is taken out for minimal lowkey PR stunts when it’s absolutely necessary. But since she a Nazi sex worker, I am guessing we should all be ok with this. But more on that later. 

The latest appearance of the precious ring and its use from a PR standpoint… 

I have already discussed the ring profusely and even recently when he went to the walk of fame for Kevin Feige. Here are a couple of posts where I give my 2 cents about it.

Before I dive into the latest shenanigans with the precious, it’s important to note that playing with wedding rings is very “in” right now. And so what Chris did last night was textbook CAA. Just look at what Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck recently did with theirs or even more ridiculously how Dakota flashed her engagement ring during an arranged papwalk. 

Here you can see a video of Chris with the very purposefully loose ring:

As people have pointed out, the ring is way too big, isn’t it? And clearly that’s the whole point since it feeds the “it’s only PR” narrative, isn’t it? But that’s not even the most interesting part about this little clip. Look at where the fans are on this video, then pay closer attention to the camera placement. Can you see how much emphasis the person who is filming (not a fan) is putting on the loose ring and how CURATED this all is?

And now look at Chris playing with his ring so naturally and organically (sarcasm) as the photographers are taking his picture. 

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A post shared by Chris Evans Army (@cevans_army)

They want you to see it, they are showing it to you, as ostentatiously as it gets. Even when Chris plays the game of “hide the ring”, it is to draw more attention to it while trying to gain sympathy from fans who are so desperate to see a glimmer of regret in his demeanor. 

The programmed obsolescence of Team Real/Team PR and the endgame of the PR strategy 

I have discussed months ago, how this strategy of “divide and conquer” which was symbolized by the discourse and fighting between Team Real and Team PR was just a starting point. A PR strategy can only be understood and appreciated when it can be analyzed in the long run. Those 2 trolling teams were the loud extremist voices that were obnoxious and repulsive enough (in their tone or rhetoric) to drive fans away from them and the narratives they were selling, paving the way for the more reasoned and rational Team Middle. I wrote a post about it if you want to check it out. 

As Team PR and team Real have become completely redundant, all that is left is the narrative Team Middle are pushing. Notice how they purposefully keep blurring the line to disorient (classic manipulation tactics by the way) and make people accept what they are selling. And today they might distract you with the loose ring, the presence of her relatives, the not walking the red carpet together or taking pictures together (but just you wait for the NY premiere as it is just around the corner), their bad body language around each other, the awkwardness and coolness of their exchanges, her cheap outfit while he is dressed in designer clothes by his scientologist and rapist apologist stylist, or they will point out how over the top and fake he was in his reactions at the premiere and I could go on and on… All of this is true BUT it is all a distraction and misdirection. 

As they have pointed out repeatedly, it has been two years, so you should just accept it or move on. The fandom no longer needs your services if you are not capable of enjoying the content they “so kindly” provide for you. They will feed you the crumbs showing how fake it is to appease you and to distract from Chris’ complicity and manipulation as long as you behave. 

The seemingly counterintuitive promoting of this girl by plants, their vicious trolling and what purposes it serves..

So many plants allegedly hate Abba but talk about her constantly. The amount of attention she is getting from them seems incommensurable. Like posting her numbers religiously or obsessing about what she is wearing and so forth.

If it weren’t for them we would hear very little about her. For example, we would have known she was going to do a podcast in her home country only after she posted about it and not a long time before hand. It's also important to note that most of the time she is mentioned, it is in a very negative way as they usually make fun of her and humiliate her. As you know, “there is no such thing as bad publicity”. But in this instance, it’s interesting to ask ourselves why and also what purposes it serves more specifically.

Well, I have just mentioned that bad publicity is still publicly, but another key rule is: know your audience. And obviously Chris’ fandom dislikes her so intensely that talking about her in a negative way, showing animosity towards her is the smart approach to gain the trust of his fans you want to manipulate. The goal here is to paint her as an absolute villain. I am not defending her by the way as she is an awful person but she has 0 power in this story but she makes for a hell of a scapegoat in this shitshow. And indeed, people can easily project all of their disappointment, anger and negative emotions onto her in order to soothe their frustration. 

You see the industry makes you do things you don’t want to do if you let it, talent agencies are as unethical as it gets and will play an awful game if you let them, the PR wife that you selected (or agreed on) might be a POS… but at the end of the day, it’s all a reflection of your own choices and of who you are… 

NB: special thanks to friends and mods who provided me with content and shared with me their smart observations. If I don’t thank you by name it’s to protect you from being blocked LOL

[alienssstufff]

JUANAFLIPPA CASE COURT HEARING (A very thorough) RECAP

APRIL 12, 4:00PM PST (2023) FAMILY COURT COURTROOM NO.2

JUDGE: Maximus (SapoPeta) PROSECUTION: SLIMECICLE (Charlie el Backflipo), Quackity (esp), Jaiden, Fit, BBH, Foolish DEFENSE: MARIANA, Roier JURY: Dapper, Leonardo777, Tilin, Trump, Bobby, Ramon

OBJECTIVE – To determine whether a crime was committed by the Defense, finalise Flippa’s custody amongst parties (divorce)  

Link to the full update timeline of the JuanaFlippa case can be found HERE

A/N: The following was recap was taken from Slimecicle’s (and a bit of Quackity and Philza’s) POV. This is 4 fucking pages long.  

PRE-TRIAL HIGHLIGHTS:

A small courthouse was built for the event - presumably during server maintenance.  

Mariana, Charlie and Quackity dressed up irl in suits for the stream! The couple + Jaiden’s minecraft skins appear in suits too! This isn’t relevant to the case but I respect the dedication :]  

Private conversation where Mariana asks Foolish to represent him in court. Foolish rejects :[

Initially Charlie had hired Roier to be one of the Prosecution’s representatives but had backed out last minute - choosing to instead take Mariana’s side on the Defense.  

Charlie had also requested to hire Philza to be one of the Prosecution’s representatives, to which Philza rejected the offer because of Charlie’s murder attempts on his son Chayanne.  

Individually, Charlie speaks to each of his lawyers in private. As of prior to the hearing, none of them are aware they are not the only lawyers representing the Prosecution.  

A few emotional words were held between Mariana and Charlie. Mariana via Twitter DMs sends Charlie a photo edit of them and JuanaFlippa together as a happy family. They cry together – it’s snotty and kinda gross ://

THE TRIAL:

SapoPeta opens the trial under court of law and representatives of both the Prosecution and Defense introduce themselves to the stand. It is here where all five of Charlie’s lawyers discover there is more than one representative (but it’s cool they play it off and agree to work together).

In defense of himself, Charlie argues that by everyone’s willingness alone to defend him should more than prove the strength of the Prosecution’s case. Quackity (esp) further reinforces Charlie’s first point and brings forth the opening statement outlining three objectives the Prosecution aims to achieve in the following hearing: 1 -To revive JuanaFlippa 2 -For Charlie to have complete custody over JuanaFlippa in the divorce 3 -To sacrifice Mariana to Satan  

As Charlie’s second lawyer, Jaiden drops probably one of the hardest statements in today’s hearing. It’s so sick I’m including the full transcription: “This case isn’t about winning custody. It isn’t about divorce, or even bringing back the life of a child. It is about Justice. Justice that was taken away from an innocent egg JuanaFlippa. JuanaFlippa’s childhood was born into a broken home, but that doesn’t mean she’s any less deserving of life.” “We’re here today standing before you Your Honour to write the Wrong that happened to a defenseless egg that simply wanted love. My client el Backflipo is a good parent. He cared and provided for JuanaFlippa, was always there for her, and at the end of the day Showed Up. All things the Defendant did not do. He knows the family isn’t in the best of situations, but he still did everything within his power to give JuanaFlippa what he could.” “In this case we will be revealing how the Defendant, el Mariana, was not present as a parent, not a good partner, was a bad influence on JuanaFlippa, consistently showed zero care for anything he subjected to her – and now is the ultimate cause for her untimely death.” “The facts in this case are straightforward and we are able to supply evidence and witnesses to stand to prove this point. I believe the Defendant, in a rage of not being able to escap el Backflipo’s custody papers, plotted to gain just enough of el Backflipo’s trust to be left alone with JuanaFlippa where he could then take her life.” “All el Backflipo wanted was to give JuanaFlippa the best childhood he could. He wants to right the wrong that was made in the hands of Mariana. For all those reasons and after you’ve heard all the evidence, at the end of this trial we ask you to return a verdict in favour of el Backflipo. That you find the defendant GUILTY of murder and to have his soul SACRIFICED in the resurrection of JuanaFlippa. Thank you.” (holy hell.)

Roier argues in good faith that Mariana is a good person (by shared history) and father who would never intentionally hit his daughter. The Defense pleads instead for manslaughter and that JuanaFlippa’s death was by a misclick.

Jaiden (sent by Charlie) brings new photo evidence to the stand in harm of Mariana’s image, bringing light to an affair between him and Foolish. Foolish is thrown under the fucking bus and is actively against the Prosecution (he is fired during recess). Principle of the item countering the Defense’s claims of Mariana being a good partner.  

Roier brings new photo evidence in harm of one of Charlie’s lawyer’s image of Tilin saying Quackity was also in an affair (???). Jaiden objects as the item is not relevant to the JuanaFlippa case. Objection accepted.  

Roier demonstrates the fragility of the egg beds - easily destroyable by a single click. He challenges the court to review the quality of egg beds in precedent of the murder. This statement is overruled by the Judge for irrelevance to the JuanaFlippa case, saying that such issue must be brought up in a different trial against the company providing the egg beds. The Judge however agrees that Mariana’s kill was an accident.

BBH from the Prosecution argues for the fragility of egg-kind, showing a reckless disregard from Mariana. Video evidence showing the night of the murder (footage wire-tapped by Charlie) is presented.

Roier argues against BBH bringing awareness to the species of the eggs being birthed from a power dragon (dragons are tough).

The Judge presents an audio file, a conversation between Mariana and JuanaFlippa. Due to technical difficulties in the Global Transcription, Quackity ‘translates’ saying “Daughter, I’m gonna be absent for a very long time therefore you need to start eating dirt so your defenses rise up and you don’t die as quick. Motherfucker.” Roier objects in defense that Mariana is a cc and was being a lil silly slash /j.

The Judge declares Recess as he comes up with a verdict.

Nothing much happens during recess other than a failed assassination on Charlie but it’s whatever ^_^!

Fucking Tik Tok edits were submitted as evidence as leverage to Mariana’s image in proof he is a good father to JuanaFlippa.

More photo evidence of Mariana’s and Foolish’s affair are brought to the court to counter this presented by the Judge. He objects himself for this has nothing to do with the murder, he just put it up there cuz it was funny.

Video evidence of the murder was brought up again. The Defense argues Mariana in fact destroyed a JuanaFlippa decoy - not the real JuanaFlippa. Theory debunked due to the current absence of JuanaFlippa today.

Charlie argues, on which will always transcribe (also hard as hell) the following: “And he (lil Satan) told me that he would burn my family to the ground if I told you this, but I don’t have a family left to burn. SATAN TOLD ME THAT IF I KILLED PHIL’S EGG, HE’D GIVE FLIPPA A GUN TO PROTECT HERSELF AND THIS IS THAT PHOTO RIGHT THERE OF BABY’S FIRST TOY, IN A CIRCLE OF FIRE AS WE MADE AN ACCIDENTAL PACT WITH THE DEVIL. AND HE SAID HE WOULD KILL MY DAUGHTER IF I DIDN’T DO AS HE SAYS. I’M SORRY BUT I WAS DOING WHAT A GOOD PARENT WOULD DO!” The Judge disregards the evidence as it is not relevant to JuanaFlippa’s murder. The murder of Chayanne (and Charlie’s homicidal tendencies) would be left for a different trial.

Fit in representation of the Prosecution brings four netherite ingots to the court as a bribe. It is revealed that the ‘netherite’ was forged.

FINAL VERDICT of today’s trial, in case of JuanaFlippa’s death, that she would be given another life. Both Mariana and Charlie would be sentenced to the QSMP Federal Prison for ~10 minutes. Request for divorce has been denied and parents of the Flippa family must work together in couples therapy.

POST TRIAL HIGHLIGHTS:

Mariana and Charlie are thrown in cages as people throw tomatoes at them. They sing together and do a duet of Careless Whisper on the harmonica/kazoo. Cute!

They escape underground just in time to see Flippa get resurrected. The family are reunited. Aww :,]!

Both Mariana and Charlie (WITHOUT KILLING her this time) tuck JuanaFlippa to bed and promise to work together on their relationship from now on. Yipee ^_^!

Both streams finish with Mariana and Charlie having minecraft sex. The end!

[capriciouscapsss]

How Will You and Your F/S Spend Your 1st Valentines Together ✧

BOOK A READING WITH ME 💞

Hi guys I’m back! Life’s been...catastrophic BUT that’s for another day so enough on that and lets quickly redirect and focus on the fact that reading requests are open again!! Alsooo open requests means PACS full of love being written 🙏🙏   soo yeahh… today’s pac will be made in honor of Valentines day just sailing by, a PAC dedicated to how your Valentines will be spent at the side of your F/S. Now this will focus more on your first Valentines together so keep that in mind when choosing....so with that being said LETS GET STARTED 💞

todays's muse of love is my idol elizabeth taylor in Cleopatra, a true icon and master of romance, who else to tell you how to spend the day of love with the one we love than the queen herself. we have four piles; intuitively choose the one you're most drawn to. 

Pile I. A Wink Worth Billions

[2oS, 4oW, 7oC, 2oC, 10oP, KnoC]

Stop being so cheeky pile 1. We get it you’re god’s favorite damn. Literally what other cards could have been more perfect?? Pile 1 get ready for the prettiest Valentine’s Day ever. Most of you haven’t had a Valentine’s Day where things went right, and this person wants to make sure that it goes perfect. Honestly your first Valentines will probably be spent in the early stages of your relationship. Like I’m not getting that you guys will be together for a long time before Valentine’s comes. So you both are in the state of mind of wondering if you both should play it cool and go casual your first year or if you guys should actually go all out and throw caution to the wind. And you know the thing about you both being together is that you both immediately feel the love with one another.

You both don’t fall in love gradually, it’s more like it comes hard and strong and one minute you both are meeting and the next you both are scrolling for hours on your phones trying to come up with the perfect gift. As I was writing this I got the vision of one of you going back on text convo’s to see if the other person has mentioned something they’d want or liked. Like that’s how much one of you is stressing. Although I don’t think it’s in a bad way, more like in a “the possibilities on what we can do are endless” kind of way. For the people that are barely getting to know your person, because I do feel like there’s that select few who won’t be serious with their F/S on Valentines, will be asked to bring things to a next level that day. Say we have a couple who’s barely getting to know each other and want to take it to the next level, the more masculine energy of the two will be more proactive and plan to make the connection more serious. For the people that are already in a relationship with their F/S the day off, I’m getting that they might pop a big question the day off. I’m not getting marriage lmao don’t worry, more like talk on the future like moving on or meeting each other’s parents. Or even planning a trip. Something that signifies making things more serious.

Also, I think that the masculine energy in this connection could be feeling real nervous about planning this as well lmao. Like there’s an element of “things are going so well, I don’t want to mess it up” combined with “but things would be even better if they said yes.” Ultimately I think your first valentines will make you both stronger at each other’s side. The bond will be strengthened and new steps will be taken moving forward. So to recap, with the masculine energy it’s going to be all about planning an event around making your relationship more serious. Something pretty that strengthens your unions. And for the other in this connection, it will be more focused on finding the perfect gift. Finding a gift that’s perfect for them but also doesn’t look like they’re coming on too strong. Lmao the energy the other person is exuding is equally as nervous, they’re going to want to take it further as well but will at the same time be nervous about initiating the conversation. Instant red flushes and heart palpitations when their partner initiates though, they’ll feel breathless. + Little tidbits I see include you saving them from doing something emberassing. Say they’re talking and walking but almost slip, you’ll help them last second. Or it could even be something like, if they’re the masculine energy and you the feminine, they could be talking to try and approach the elephant in the room but start trailing off nervously as they get closer leading you to prompt them enough to broach the topic. I also think that attire will look darker Valentine’s Day.

You both will be wearing darker clothing and if makeup is involved it’s more on the lighter side. Kind of elegant chic. NOW for a special select bunch of you I do see a proposal. I know, I’m sorry!! This is just for a select few of you I promise, and it’ll have to do more with you both being friends before the connection even started. Cause again, the love is still new, but sometimes when you have a long story with someone you just want to marry them as soon as you finally have them in your arms. So nothing out of the blue, don’t worry, more so this is for those going from friends to lovers. Also there will definitely be s8x okay that’s it bye. 

A little visual of the energy I'm getting

Pile II. The Royal Treatment

[KnoP, 5oW, 7oP, The Justice, 3oP, 10oW, QoP, the chariot]

baby pile two’s you are all so stubborn. And your future spouse is too. You guys probably have known each other a long time before you guys actually spend a Valentine’s day together. I’m getting almost like a sad vibe here? Like one of you has physically watched the other go on dates and so on in Valentines day. It could be that you both were friends before you were lovers and going out together is something new but also bittersweet? One of you keeps thinking what it would be like if you both just realized sooner and got together earlier. You guys both want this to be beautiful and right and amazing but you two don’t want to communicate when trying to talk about it. You both are acting like you guys are on the same page when I’m not even sure you guys are reading the same book

. You both are acting like this is no big deal because the other person is doing so as well. But in reality it’s a very big deal and you guys want to rejoice that finally!! you guys are together. You both might be talking to your friends and family members like “I just want this to be special”, and the whole time the other person assumes that you guys aren’t excited. Like I mean this probably happens and goes on until either a day before or the very day of the event. I even think you both argue when the truth comes out. The feminine energy in this connection will not lash out but rather retreat inward and stop talking? Almost like they want to complain but they’re going to feel like they’re making a big deal out of nothing and will retreat forward. Now I think the masculine energy in this connection is more new to this whole dating and emotions thing, and even though they don’t really understand how to fix this (that’s also been bugging them) they don’t want to be shut out on a day where things are supposed to be happy and okay. So I think they approach but it just spirals into a fight. Again you both are soo stubborn so you both will probably be just afraid to admit that you want this day to be celebrated more.

I can see you both arguing. Until one of you just snaps and admits that it’s not fair. As I wrote this I started to hear what it would sound like and it not only sounds, but it feels very in the heat of the moment. “I wanted this to be special and you don’t even care.” is what I heard. The other’s very confused, not even sure about what they’re talking about until they start piecing it together. I imagine it going from something very tense and angry to still and warm. A trickle of realization and hope. The masculine energy was the one doing the prodding I think, asking a bunch of questions in alarms and defensiveness. Asking what they did and why are they being ignored. The other then suddenly getting fed up and blowing up. Telling them the truth just to shut them up. I think that you guys are then going to be silent for some time before eventually talking and apologizing. It sounds almost like you both are then taking the time to finally talk about your feelings and leave it all out in the open. After time, we have the chariot card describing the last of it so I can see you both deciding to do something. A quick plan where you both have a destination in mind. One of you is smiling softly while the other’s making quick jokes as they drive over there. Hands are being held and smiles are being shared. Lots of eye contact once you both arrive to wherever it is you went.

No letting go. + Little additional tidbits I can see is the plans being made after the argument being very adventurous. Maybe it’s a long drive to where you both are going but it’s a celebration to the realization of feelings. A celebration that should’ve been planned a long time ago. I can see you both touching each other a lot as well. Hands around the waist of the others, neck kisses, kisses on the top of the head, etc. I think people didn’t really expect you guys to last long either or even have much in common which is why it was even more important that you guys celebrated the day of love together, and when you weren’t doing it like it deserved you both felt bummed. We have the masculine being more of a social butterfly in this case so yeah they’re definitely going to be the one that is badgering and demanding to fix the problem. In this case I could see the feminine being more of an introvert and instead choosing to keep it all in. Yeah, to end this off, I do see a long drive ahead of you both when you choose where to go. 

A little visual of the energy I'm getting

Pile III. Entrancing and Falling

[4oW, 3oP, 7oP, PoP, The Hermit, The lovers] 

Pile three you guys are the ultimate couple. Now let me start by saying this, MONEY IS BEING SPENT here. Like loads of money. I don’t know if you guys know about the couples that spend close to thousands of dollars for Valentine’s day and treat if like it’s nothing big? Yeah that’s you both. There are some cultures where it’s like that, where Valentines day is meant to be celebrated in big and meant to go crazy with the theatrics and you both do not disappoint. To be completely honest with you, I keep trying to summon the energy of you guys individually but it doesn’t really come out leading me to believe that you both are locked in and really solid when the days rolls by. Are you guys the type of people that lose their identity when they fall in love? No. That being said, are you guys so enamored that you both think of each other as their world? Yes. So do you both not want to talk to anyone but your own partner the day of Valentines? Again yes lmao.

This is kind of giving me Scorpio Venus energy. Like “I share you every day please just be mine for today.” Or days. Like mentioned before your partner wants to go big. And its liely that each year aftet that they’ll go bigger until they run out of ideas and even then they’ll ask around if that’s’ their last option. Why last option? Your person likes thinking of their plans for you. They pride themselves in being the one that knows you the most. They pride themselves in having you see how much effort they put into their gift since to them, their act of service, means more than just picking something out. I could see you both going out to little Valentines day parties before the actual day and people asking you and your FS what you’ll be doing and your FS just grabbing onto you and shaking their head. They’ll be telling no one about their plans by the way, they don’t care for others telling them if it’s a good idea or not like this person is so confident in their abilities of knowing you lmao. I can see them planning a trip for you both. Almost like a surprise getaway. It could be to an actual spot outside the country or to something as simple as a weekend spa. Whatever it is it will only involve you both. It’s going to be their version of a relax spot away from the world. Away from problems and into a world shared only by you two.

Like I said this is so Scorpio Venus, because even though it looks very flashy and big, all you both really crave are closeness and intimacy. There’s layers to this. Sweet words are exchanged. Thousands of I love you’s. I think you guys might even be told by other people that see you what a wonderful couple you two make. You both are also very patient with one another in the days you disappear. No rushing, just relaxation and love. Walking to a restaurant holding hands and buying flowers from someone nearby. Feeling the night warm up and being able to wear a more revealing outfit. This is another reason as to why I think you both are going to go on vacation, when trying to intuitively channel I get hot and humid weather. The kind that makes hair curl. Wearing more summer based outfits.

So to recap it would be something beautiful because of the attention to detail. Everything done bigger than need be. But at the same time it’s special because of the intimacy that you both share. It’s quiet in the way that there’s peace but electric because of the sensation you keep on sharing that “hey! I think they might be the one.” + additional tidbits I’d like to add would be that the feminine energy in this connection is holding on more. Kissing, hugging, they’re the one initiating the contact. Your FS could be a fire sign, particularly Aries or Leo. You both are already very comfortable with each other by the time you go out. One of you could be a serious workaholic that yes gains great money but also doesn’t have much time off so this could again be something that you both are particularly excited about since it means more time together. 

A little visual of the energy I'm getting

Pile IV. Seductive Woman

[QoW, 5oP, KoW, 7oC, AoC, 4oW, AoS] 

Pile 4, my previously heartbroken pile. Honestly you don’t know what to expect the day of Valentines. You’ve just decided to go on a new date not long ago prior and you’re not sure where it’s headed. The date you go to before this happens ends up being your future spouse. It’s exciting and fresh and new and honestly no one can blame you from being excited. They’re intelligent, well-spoken and charming. I mean they seem like the complete package. Like I mentioned before you probably haven’t had the best of luck with love when you’re close to meeting them. It’s possible that you could’ve just gone through a break up that left you feeling emotionally battered. You’re not wanting to do the whole love thing anymore. Ever dated someone that made you lose your spark? Your previous relationship will have you feeling like this. You’ve gone from being someone full of life, vivacious and bold to maybe someone more insecure and guarded. Protected. So going on a date was something really big for you.

And then going on a date on Valentines day? Something even bigger. But I don’t think you’re getting your hopes up. Almost like you’re excited because speaking with this person was fun. But at the same time, you’re just going with the flow. Letting things fall where they may. They on the other hand, are coming ready. Like they have thought and thought of about a million things they could possibly do at your side that wouldn’t be too much or too boring. You know it’s funny how most of the piles have been trying to keep between that imaginary line of it being just perfect and not too this and not too that. Like Goldilocks, it must be just right. I can see them checking the reviews for places on Yelp or just talking to people around them on what places would be good to dine in or what places they’ve gone to that a person like you would like. I got the funny image of them describing you to the person they talk to like “they’re like this and they do this and etc.” and honestly, they might just nail it. This is a more lighthearted version of Valentines.

There’s shy looks and glances but also hand holding and the occasional kiss. There’s so much banter and dry wit passed around too. I get the image of you both talking with big smiles on your faces as you eat dinner. It’s not like your trying to keep the smile up, it’s more like it won’t like your face. You both are just so amused with each other, like you’ve met your perfect match. You share the same humor and you see of yourself in each other. What they are is what you are as well. I think you both start acting much more romantic as the night is ending. Like you guys start seeing at each other’s lips, or casually touching at each other more. The attraction is real, but so it the chemistry between you as people. So to recap, we have you and this person being together after a tough period in your life. Nothing serious but leading up to it as the night goes on. + Additional tidbits I get from this pile is the Aries like behavior that you both have when together. Being brave and bold with one another, laughing and teasing the other person. They will be more well off than you are so be prepared to have them pay for everything. This is the type of person that even because it’s your first dates out with each other, they will not allow you to contribute a single penny. They’re definitely more affectionate as well, you being more awkward and not knowing how to respond to the flirtatious remarks but being a pro at handling the teasing. They’re very well spoken like I mentioned earlier so be careful cause they are great at flirting and making someone blush. You both talk about interests a lot the day of Valentines, and you guys could focus a lot on doing little things for each other. For example, say you go out to dinner; one person will put their hand on the small of the back of the other, push out their chair, etc. You both will be very attentive to the needs of the other person. I could see them also being in a field having to do with Law, that message came to me very randomly but take that as you may. 

A little visual of the energy I'm getting

Okay that's all! That was a long reading and it definitely has so many mistakes but I hope you enjoy reading! Have a great day/night and take care xx 💕💕💕💕💕

[ofmdrecaps]

07/11/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Erroll Shand; Nathan Foad; Vico Ortiz; Madeleine Sami; Ra Vincent; Dominic Burgess; Darby Family Foster Kittens; Rose City Comic Con; Adopt Our Crew's You Bear Fine Things Well; PA In Person Events; Fan Spotlight; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika.

== Rhys Darby ==

The Hungry Games: Alaska's Big Bear Challenge is live on Peacock! Rhys had several articles mentioning it-- as well as some great reviews you can check out below!

== Taika Waititi ==

Taika is out in Piazza del Popolo -- in Italy! He was directing the Indoor Garden Party there, featuring Russell Crowe, The Gentleman Barbers, and Lorraine O'Reilly!

Source: giorgiociccanti Instagram

Some behind the scenes of the show!

Source: RussellCrowe's Twitter

Annnnnnnd.....Another fun interview with Taika and Jemaine talking about their old friendship and Time Bandits!

Source: Cairn's Post

Special Note: Apparently Rachel is also in Time Bandits! I didn't know that either, I love how many of the AoNZ crew are!

Source: Rachel House's Instagram

And finally, below, a behind the scenes shot of Taika and Jemaine from Time Bandits!

Source: Fotc_fans Twitter

== Erroll Shand ==

A rare appearance of Erroll! This was from Day 1 of the script read through for Season 2 of 'The Twelve'!

Source: StevieCruzMartin's Instagram

== Nathan Foad ==

Some shots of Nathan from Jan - Jun this year!

Source: laurenecarse's Instagram

== Vico Ortiz ==

Season Finale of Date My Abuelita First Podcast is up! You can listen to all the episodes of Season 2 here!

Source: DateMyAbuelitaFirst Instagram

== Madeleine Sami ==

A few days old but this was a fun clip of Mads and the Deadloch Crew from the Season 2 announcement!

Source: PrimeVideo AuNZ

== Ra Vincent ==

A rare sighting of our dear Ra Vincent, showing some love for his previous and current projects<3 "Just when you thought you’d reached your favourite all time project another new favourite comes along. #timebandits #artdepartment #ourflagmeansdeath"

Source: Ra Vincent's Instagram Stories

== Dominic Burgess ==

Our good friend Dominic, Jeffrey Fettering, is up at a crazy hour! Hope you get some rest Dominic!

Source: Dominic Burgess' Twitter

== Darby Family Foster Kittens ==

More kittens! Rosie is keeping us appraised of these adorable foster babies!

Source: Rosie Carnahan Darby's Instagram Stories

== Rose City Comic Con ==

News from Rose City Comic Con! Rhys and Matthew will be joining Kristian and Vico! Will you be in Portland OR in September? For guest and ticket information check out:

rosecitycomiccon.com/guest

rosecitycomiccon.com/badges

Source: RoseCityComicCon's Instagram

== You Bear Fine Things Well ==

07/11 was the day all! The Hungry Games have gone live on Peacock! Our fantastic crewmates over at @adoptourcrew have been keeping up the hype with daily themes! "Day 3: Which fictional bear do you think would join the crew of the Revenge?" I'm a day behind on this but Rachel, aka bbviago on twitter was kind enough to submit Fozzie From Muppets Treasure Island! (someone I would have also submitted!)

Source: bbviago's Twitter

"Day 4: Vote for the Hungry Games Bear you think will win!"

The Bear Madness was busy all day over at @adoptourcrew headquarters and on twitter! It was close there for a while but Quad Mom won the day!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

== In Person / Online Fan Events ==

= Philadelphia PA: Calypso's Birthday =

Are you near Philadelphia, PA? Consider stopping by Tattooed Mom for games, crafts, and fun Saturday July 20th! 6-10 PM!

Source: FerventRabbit's Twitter

= PA: Spoken Word Porn-A-Thon Fundraiser =

CW: NSFW! Do you like NSFW fanfiction? Do you like helping out Queer Fundraisers? Well look no further! Some of our crewmates over at Harold & Maude's in Millvale PA will be writing smutty fanfiction (some OFMD, some not!) which will be read at an in-person/virtual event in return for donations to benefit the Queer Resource Center of Millvale! The event will take place at 7 PM on July 18th! Don't have the funds right now? You can also enter to win a pair of tickets for you and a friend by tagging a friend on Queer Witches instagram! Each tag is one entry into the raffle! The winner will be pulled on 7/13! Visit the QueerWitches website to purchase tickets!

Source: QueerWitches/Harold's Haunt/ @ringasunn on Instagram

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Cast Cards =

And we're back with more cast cards from @melvisik! The first, Michael Heidemann is one of the English Seamen!

Second up we have another "Emmy submission, for Outstanding Music Supervision in a Series for Impossible Birds - AdoptOurCrew", Maggie Phillips!

Source: @melvisik's Twitter

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies, I have had a cold and have been swamped with work so I'm severely behind again with everything going on. I apologise for no personal love notes. I figured I'd share some more love from others, but know I'm thinking of you and hoping you're going into the weekend well crew. First is from the fabulously kind people over at @ positivelypresent

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dani DiPirro (@positivelypresent)

Source: positivelypresent's Instagram

Next is very wonderful affirmation from TheLatestKate -- when you're having a bad day, these are some good words to remember:

Source: TheLatestKate's Tumblr

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

Today's gif is courtesy of the lovely @snake-snack-stede <3 One of the best scenes from Fun and Games.

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

02/13/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Kudoboard; CaseyBloys/David Zaslav Shenanigans; Cast&CrewSightings; Samba Schutte; Con O'Neill; Ruibo Qian; Wendy Andersen; In Person Events; WatchParties; LubeAsACrew; People of Earth; Articles; Netflix WooAsACrew; Love Notes;

== Kudoboard Last Chance ==

Throwing this up top so you don't forget-- anyone who wants to add anything to the Kudoboard please message me tonight so I can get you the password to post. I'll be up for the next two hours so we've still got time.

== Casey Bloys ==

Whelp, Casey Bloys stepped in it again by posting an article by The Wrap about how True Detective was the most watched season on max. As you can imagine, a good chunk of the crew started calling BS on that, what with the Parrot Analytics stats from yesterday. Well, some of our favorite hashtags started trending this morning... #OhBloysHeMad and #TheNumbersWereThere

And in case you needed to see some more data that Bloys was full of crap--- Thank you to our dear friend @quirkysubject for pulling in Rotten Tomatoes Average Tomato-meter Ranking in with the Parrot Analytics Data in this awesome chart!

Not terribly long after, apparently the comments on The Wrap article really started to irritate ol Casey boy because he turned off comments on the post.

BUUUUUUT Our dear crewmate @spanishjenkies was kind enough to save a video before hand! So there's evidence of the trolling. Visit their twitter thread here.

Some of the crew has decided to go a bit further with the glorious Passive Aggression and started sending Casey Bloys gifts! @single_cat_mom sent him a Casio Compact Calculator to help him with his future numbers!

Annnnd our crewmate @ofmooshd got a cockroach at the zoo named after ol Casey Bloys!

Truly legendary levels of Polite Menacing today, m'dears! What a day!

In other WB/Max related news:

Did you know there's a petition to get this ... person... fired? If you wanted to sign that, here you go: Only if you wanted to of course.

== Cast & Crew Sightings ==

= Samba BTS =

Samba went hog wild today with the BTS, some lovely folks on tumblr posted the videos. (THANK YOU SAMBA!)

Just a couple of highlights, please visit this post to see all the pictures. You can also visit Samba's IG.

BTS Video 1: Cast Reading - ty @fuckyeahworldoftaika,

BTS Video 2: Con & Rhys - @fuckyeahizzyhands

BTS Video 3: Izzy Flipping the Bird - @fuckyeahizzyhands

= Con O' Neill =

As usual, our favourite Unicorn, Con O'Neill is over here supporting the hell out of the saveOFMD effort and sharing the Parrot Analytics results.

= Ruibo Qian =

Our Venerable Pirate Queen Ruibo Qian is back on Instagram with more inspiring words for us.

= Wendy Andresen for #TaikaTuesday =

So I know that normally #TaikaTuesday is a thirst factory (and don't worry it still was) but I just had to make a shoutout to our absolute gem Wendy Andresen (one of our Red Flag crew) for posting a picture of her pup Peanut cosplaying as Taika for #TaikaTuesday.

For those of you unfamiliar with the reference shirt:

She was kind enough to post more too when asked!

I adore how much she supports the #SaveOFMD effort and she is always a delight to chat with. Sending all the love her way! <3

== In-Person Events! ==

Today at the Our Flag Means Death Matelotage Processional several of our crewmates came out in costume with signs and showed support at the WB Gates! Thanks to all the crew who attended! Thank you @aimeekitty for sharing these pictures! Their IG and Twitter

== Watch Parties ==

= Lube As A Crew =

It's baaaaack! Valentine's Day: 4PM PST, 8 PM ET, 12:00 AM GMT S1 Ep 8, 9 10 with @astroglideofficial

If you've bought Astroglide recently please consider doing some reviews! They would love the support. You can @Astroglide and use #ReviewAsACrew

As you can imagine, the memes are back too <3

== Feb 15: Uncle Season 1 ==

This is mainly for UK folks but non-uk folks are welcome to vpn in as well! Here's an article on how to join via vpn!

Thurs 02/15/2024 + Friday 02/15/2024 - GMT - 8 PM, ET - 3 PM, PST - 12pm

WatchParty Hashtags:

#ForTheNewUncle

#SaveOFMD

#AdoptOurCrew

== People Of Earth S1 Ep 5, 6 ==

#PiratesOfEarth has been going great these last couple days! Thank you again to @iamadequate1 for organising it! Next episode 5 and 6 tomorrow the 14th! at 10PM GMT / 5PM EST / 4PM CST / 2 PM PST /

== Netflix #WooAsACrew Video ==

More love for the streaming platforms! 🌹💕🐙 Vocals: @sgtbeatlespotter Video: @giulianaazr on Twitter

== Updated #WooAsACrew Calendar! ==

Looks like tomorrow the goal is to WOO FX! Twitter / Instagram / Tumblr Tomorrow is also a great day to be creative! Make some cakes! Or flowers, or drawings! Anything! Let's see some sweet stuff!

== Articles ==

Have we seen this one? I can't remember anymore, some more Parrot Analytics from January. Ty to @drcfxtina on discord for sharing!

== Uk Crew Updates ==

Thank you to @queerly-autistic for capturing this! Guess who's front and center on the top recommendations? You guessed it! OFMD!

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies!! Guess what time it is? I've had too much caffeine and I've taken my adhd meds on time so I'm Here, Queer, and ready to Cheer!

Look at everything you all did today! Do you see this list? And that's just a minuscule coverage of the pure polite chaos that ensued! I literally cannot add any more pictures because just so much has happened. We are 36 days in the Gravy Basket and you all are just ramping things up!

The tenacity, and creativity of this crew never ceases to amaze me!

There are more fundraisers in the works... (I'll post more when I know more) there's a slew of events, watch parties, and pure camaraderie everywhere! Everyone's making amazing memes, and artwork and fics! Seriously, you all should be proud of yourselves!

Not to mention, some of the most important things of all-- I am seeing SO MUCH SELF CARE. You are reaching out to the crew for support, you're taking days off, you're having fun and being creative for you... getting back to pet projects and doing things you enjoy!

You all are doing SO WELL. You are kicking ass, don't forget that! We'll have our down days, but no matter what you are making waves all over the place, bringing positive things to this world! As a side note, I wanted to mention, I know tomorrow can be a tough day for a lot of people. It can be lonely, or bring up good or bad memories. Please be sure to reach out to your crew for love if you're struggling. We love you, and even if it's a platonic love, it's overflowing here for you. You are wonderful, and we want to send you all the love we can.

That being said, I'm gonna end tonight with another note from @thelatestkate that I needed to hear a lot recently so I'm gonna share it with you too <3

You got this! Sending so much love m'dears!

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

These were the two gifs that murdered me today so I hope you enjoy. These goofy buggers always make my day.

Rhys Src: @bizarrelittlemew Taika Src: @ofmd-ann

[makshu]

Ok. There's something going on and I need to talk about it.

We've all seen that AidaIro is posting new art every day, and on the 18th there will be a new chapter.

But I noticed something, all these arts are about the last arc and are telling the story of it again.

Let me show you

The first one we had was on chapter 111, which shows Yashiro. Everything is normal, but behind her we can see typical theater spotlights, it could just be something mundane or reference her school play rehearsals. Well we started with this.

So we have this art of 12y Tsukasa. Referencing when Yashiro and Mitsuba ended up in the past and found 12y Tsukasa talking to them. He said a rumor about the big clock that further opened the theme of this arc, really an omen for everything.

This art by Sakura is worth mentioning, as she is part of the broadcast gang. She is behind everything, and theories about her being the god or something powerful are increasing more and more. It's worth mentioning that she wished something for Tsukasa, everything he's doing is because of her (because of Amane too, but he has a bond with Sakura). Sakura is an extremely important piece in this puzzle.

Let the fun begin! Next in the series we have Mitsuba and Kou enjoying their time at the festival. Eating and playing together. We were informed, the festival has started.

More moments at the festival. This scene happened in the manga, it is the beginning of the festival that we see. Hanako and Yashiro in the haunted house made by Kou's class. Until that moment everything was normal (or so we thought).

This one is curious. We only see seal Tsukasa in this arc after the plan is initiated. But I believe he was also out there enjoying his last moments. And you can tell that it's really Tsukasa and not the creature. Well, now we're getting close.

Ohhh look what we have here! President and vice-president enjoying the festival as well, despite their work they still managed to find some time to have fun. Natsuhiko had already confronted Akane earlier and Teru had already discovered the black crane, they were probably already alert for anything suspicious. But, everything's still normal.

We return to Sakura, now in her maid outfit. We also have Natsuhiko's first appearance in these arts. This was possibly before or during the festival, but following the chronological line it must have been during. Note that until then this was the only art that did not have a black border (I will talk about this later). Moving on to the next...

From here things started to get serious. The plan had begun. This moment happens in chapter 105. Blood had started to spread throughout the auditorium and Hanako noticed that something was wrong. We are just a few steps away from entering No.1 boundary.

And finally we have today's art. The revelation of the immortal human, Natsuhiko. Breaking the timeline, in this art we go back to chapter 104, where Natsuhiko spreads his blood across the clock, thus executing the plan to go after the last yorishiros.

And these were all the arts released so far, the arts that reference the arc in this case. They all seem to be retelling the story of the Festival arc. Now why? Why would AidaIro be recapping the last arc?

We know that the past has changed and everything has a chance of being different from what we know. We go back to the beginning of the festival, where nothing had happened yet. Therefore, none of these events had happened, if everything really changed, the arts are telling an alternative version of history, the version we know.

Moving from analysis to theory... did you notice that almost all arts have a black border? Black borders are used to indicate flashbacks, the past in JSHK. Now, why would they be using this artifice? Assuming the present has changed, this would be the past. But not a past like something that happened years ago, but a past that no longer exists, in the sense of what it was before this current one. That's why the black borders, indicating that this would be the past.

What breaks this theory is Sakura's art in her maid outfit, as it doesn't have a black border. Maybe the borders are part of the new AidaIro style and are something made to style the arts, or actually have a connection to something. Well, that part is just a crazy theory.

But what do you think of this analysis? The images seem to be telling the arc of the festival all over again, and for what reason? Maybe we'll find out on the 18th, when chapter 112 comes out.

[vyorei]

Live coverage of the 28th of November 2023 is now closed.

Here is a recap of today's major events.

It is 12am in Ireland now so I have to go to bed.

I'll be back to resume live updates in the afternoon.

For continuous updates while I'm gone, click the link below:

[its-jaytothemee]

Until I Met You - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Cure

Pairings: Halsin x Tav

Word count: 4,915

Rating: Currently M, will be Explicit in later chapters.

Read on AO3

Previous Next

Summary: The party decides what path they want to take to rid themselves of the tadpole. Introducing Withers too because I might have forgotten him earlier...... Part 5 of the slow burn fic. Halsin and Tav POVs

Tags: Slow burn, hurt/comfort, fluff, love confessions, eventual smut, light angst, implied past rape/non-con, graphic description of injuries.

A/N: The tadfools learn about the share bear. I struggled with this chapter at first, but now I'm kinda in love with how it ends.

Someone take these idiots away from me...I can't stop writing about them.

With her wounds healed, Tav could easily change back into her normal casual outfit. It took multiple passes with a comb, but she was finally able to tame her long hair back into a sleek braid. She grabbed Clive and the shirt Wyll had given her before she joined the rest of the group. When she arrived, there was already a heated argument in process.

“Our priority should be purification. We cannot afford further distractions and detours.” Lae’zel’s gruff voice cut through the air.

“Our priority should be finding the cult and ridding Faerûn of this evil for good.” Wyll countered.

“The Creche will have the means of ridding us of this tadpole. Even if we defeat this Absolute, there’s no guarantee that we will be cured.” Lae’zel had been insisting they find the Creche from the moment they met.

“And the cult has my father!” Wyll yelled back.

“You guys want to fill me in on what you found today?” Tav walked up into the center of their small camp.

All their heads turned to face her, they looked flustered and exhausted.

“Nice to see you back on your feet.” Wyll smiled lightly. She tossed the shirt she had been wearing to him.

“So…what did I miss?” Tav asked.

Everyone immediately started talking over one another, trying to explain their version of the events of the day. Out of all the yelling, she was able to piece together that a Duke from Baldur’s Gate had been captured, they killed an entire enclave of Zhentarim, and they had potentially found the location of the Creche that Lae’zel had been searching for after taking out a githyanki patrol. The recap of their activities quickly devolved into fighting about their next steps. Tav pinched the bridge of her nose trying to ward off the headache that was already forming.

“Everybody shut up!” Tav shouted to be heard over everyone. Her sudden outburst seemed to at least startle everyone into giving her their attention. “If you want to sit here and fight like children, I’ll treat you like children. Here…” Tav held Clive up for everyone to see.

“New rule – unless you’re holding Clive, you don’t get to talk.” She received plenty of glares and pursed lips, but they did remain quiet. Halsin was off to the side, fighting to hide a smile.

“I do not understand this ritual. Is this customary for your planning of battle strategies?” Lae’zel asked, obviously confused.

“It is now.” Tav decided.

Wyll held up his hand, and she tossed the stuffed bear to him.

“The path forward is clear. We must head to Moonrise towers and chase after this Absolute. Not only is there a chance we can be cured, but we can strike at the heart of the cult and rescue my father.” So, the Duke who was taken was Wyll’s father, interesting. Lae’zel snatched Clive out of Wyll’s hands.

“Our path should lead to purification. Moonrise Towers does not offer a certain cure for our affliction, the Creche does. We cannot help anyone if we turn into mind flayers ourselves.” Lae’zel countered. Tav was surprised to hear her say ‘we’ in her statement, does that mean she would want to chase down the cult even if they were cured?

Shadowheart was the next to request the bear, Lae’zel begrudgingly handed him over.

“With all due respect Lae’zel, what assurance do we have that this purification would be extended to us as well? We are not githyanki.” An understandable question. One that Tav had wondered about since Lae’zel mentioned the Creche. Shadowheart handed Clive back to Lae’zel.

“This is a very inefficient form of communication.” Lae’zel grumbled. “You will be granted purification for aiding me. It is Vlaakith’s will that her faithful be purified. I can plead your case to the Ghustil, you have proven worthy in battle against these abominations and they will not want to waste your skills.” She made a convincing argument, but Tav wasn’t sure how much they could trust the hospitality of a githyanki creche. Lae’zel had proven to be a valuable ally, but her people were not known for their generosity.

Karlach held her arms out and Lae’zel flung Clive over to her. She hugged the bear close to her chest as they all looked at her expectantly.

“What?” She looked up at all of them.

“You requested the stuffed creature. It is your turn to talk if I am not mistaken.” Lae’zel said, taking this process very seriously.

“Oh, I don’t have anything to add. I just wanted Clive back.” She tucked him under her arm, apparently not wanting to share any longer.

I’m surrounded by toddlers.

“Look…” Tav started, looking between all her companions. “Whatever we do next, we have to do it together. We don’t stand a chance if we split up or fight each other the entire way. The Underdark has already proven perilous. I will not force us to continue on down here if we cannot agree to do so.” She spared a look at Halsin, who averted his gaze towards the ground.

“We set out together to find a cure for the tadpoles. If Lae’zel can give us her word that the Creche will remove them I’m not opposed to following that lead. But we must have a majority in favor of doing so.”

They all exchanged uncertain glances, each person scared to cast the first vote.

“I vote that we take the Mountain Pass and search for this Creche. I have enough unwanted guests lurking in my body.” Gale was the first to speak up.

Lae’zel and Karlach quickly agreed with him.                                                                                                                                       

“I still think we should continue searching for the path to Moonrise. We have a duty to the people of Faerûn to purge this cult.” Wyll held his ground.

“I’m inclined to agree with Wyll.” Halsin spoke up.

“Ah yes, let’s listen to the one person here not hosting a wriggly little parasite.” Astarion snipped. Tav shot him a glare.

“He’s agreed to travel with us, Astarion. He gets a say too.” She said.

“Ugh, fine. I agree with Wyll as well. I think we have a better chance of infiltrating Moonrise if we can pose as one of their own.” He conceded.

“I want this tadpole out of my head. I have a mission of my own to complete. As much as it pains me to admit, I think Lae’zel may be right.” Shadowheart finally chimed in.

Tav would be the deciding vote. She had no idea what to do if they were evenly split. All eyes were on her, waiting for her choice to be made.

“Then it sounds like we should head to the Mountain Pass.” She decided. There were a few grumbles, but otherwise everyone simply split up to go pack up their things. Tav was about to walk away as well when a strange voice called out to her.

“Ah, thou art moving again? I had much difficulty in finding you.”

Every member of the camp whipped around at the sound, weapons drawn.

“There is no need for such measures.” The strange undead figure waved his hand nonchalantly.

“Wait…we’ve met before.” Tav slowly lowered the rock she had picked up to throw.

“And now we meet again, as predicted. I shall remain in thy camp, for whenever thou hast need of my services.” The skeletal figure, who she now remembered was introduced as Withers, said this as a statement rather than a request.

“Just when I think our little adventuring party can’t get any more bizarre.” Gale muttered.

The rest of the party seemed content to let her deal with their new visitor. Even Lunari didn’t seem concerned by him. She sat next to Tav, tail wagging lazily.

“And what services are those?” Tav stepped closer to him.

Withers launched into a long-winded explanation of his strange talents. His ability to call souls forth from the dead, allowing them to fight at their side, for a price. The low, deliberate sound of his voice started to make Tav a little tired. Blinking her eyes rapidly to stay awake, she tried to give him her full attention.

“Should thou or any of thy compatriots perish, I will cleave soul to body once more.” Useful. He seemed to be finished talking now.

“Not to be rude, but what are you?” Tav couldn’t help but ask.

“There are many answers to that question. None are important.” His tone was still calm.

“Okay, then.” The past week had been such a rush of strange revelations, why not add an undead necromancer to their camp? Withers walked away from her without another word.

“It seems your little group is growing each day.” Halsin had come to stand next to her.

“At this rate we should have an army to rival the cult’s by the time we do reach Moonrise.” She turned to smile at him, but his expression seemed sad.

“Will you still come with us to the Creche?” She asked, suddenly anxious.

“Of course. I promised you my aid and counsel, and you shall have it.” He smiled, but it looked forced.

“I’m sorry that we aren’t heading directly to Moonrise Towers. It seemed important to you that we make it there soon.” She was trying to judge his reaction and intentions.

“Do not apologize, my friend. You made a swift decision after taking careful considerations from your companions. I could scarcely ask more of a leader in your position.” Regardless of his personal feelings, Halsin seemed supportive enough of her decision.

“In fact, I should thank you. I shall have to remember that little trick with the stuffed bear for the future.” His smile shifted, becoming genuine.

“What can I say? I’m an inspiration to all.” She winked and clicked her tongue before heading off to find her things, ready to pack up and move their camp again.

***

Halsin walked towards the back of the group as they marched their way across the wilderness, enjoying the feeling of the sun on his skin again. He took the time to observe his new travelling party some more. Even after the argument this morning, everyone seemed in high enough spirits. Perhaps it was the newfound hope that they could be rid of their tadpoles sooner than they thought. As he kept pace with the adventurers, his gaze kept wandering back to Tav. He watched as she laughed along with Karlach and Gale, the three of them practically skipping along the trail together. Her new armor suited her well, it looked to be drow craft armor of some kind. The others had brought it back for her this morning after they cut her last set to pieces. Lost in his thoughts about Tav that were growing increasingly indelicate, he failed to notice that Astarion had snuck up to his side.

“Enjoying the view, druid?” He always seemed to have a sultry undertone to his voice.

“Of course, I’d be a poor druid indeed if I couldn’t enjoy a long walk on such a lovely day as this.” He smiled at the pale elf, his bouncy white curls blowing softly in the breeze. Astarion giggled softly in response.

“Oh Halsin, I’m not talking about that view.” His eyes followed Halsin’s gaze back to Tav. “Don’t get me wrong, I love your disastrous flirting with one another. I’d just hate if you did anything to lead her on though, she’s such a kind and trusting soul.” He examined his fingernails, picking at imaginary dirt there. Halsin felt a slight blush spreading across his cheeks.

“Believe me, Astarion, I have no such intentions of toying with her. Can you say the same?” He thought back to all their flirty quips.

“Ha, you’re good. Believe me when I say all our banter is perfectly harmless. Beautiful people like us can’t help but be delightful and charming together. Well, speaking for myself at least.” He patted Halsin on the arm and pranced up to Tav’s side.

He leaned into her a bit and said something in her ear that Halsin couldn’t quite make out. Whatever it was though, it caused Tav to throw her hips into his – knocking him into a nearby bush. She and Karlach doubled over laughing as she helped him back up out of the thicket, a pout now clouding his face. Their other companions stopped to see the cause of the noise causing them to laugh as well. He was unable to hide a smile at the interaction, amazed at the happiness exuding from a group of people who constantly stood on the precipice of a horrifying death.

They came across a small collection of buildings, which he believed was Waukeen’s Rest. But it was burnt almost completely to the ground. This must have been where Duke Ravengard was captured. A short walk away from Waukeen’s Rest, they found another scorched sight. Burned bodies and a collapsed bridge told him that this is where their friends had found the githyanki dragon rider.

By the time sunset had come, they were making their way towards a beautiful cliffside. The warm dusk light danced on layers of rock and trees, an incredible display of nature’s gifts. To think this was so close to him all these years, and he had never seen it.

“Now that’s not a bad view for the evening, eh soldier?” Karlach yelled at Tav.

“Seems as good a place as any to rest up. We’ll head for the Creche first thing in the morning.” Tav announced, setting her pack on the ground.

They all worked together to set up tents and build a camp. There were plenty of logs and large rocks that they could roll over to sit around the fire. Lae’zel had found a map on one of the githyanki soldiers they had fought earlier in the day, and they had determined that the Creche had likely taken up in the nearby abandoned monastery. The strange undead, Withers, had appeared once they settled in camp again.

Tonight, Halsin was able to actually share a campfire with everyone. Their first night together, he was still recovering from his time with the goblins and his decision to resign his position as Archdruid. Last night, he opted to stay with Tav, making sure she recovered from her injuries. Just as it was during the day, the mood of his new companions seemed to stay joyful. He had been surprised to find out that they had known each other for such a short time. Sitting here with them tonight he would have guessed they were old friends.

I suppose being in their predicament would speed up their friendships a bit.

One by one, everyone retired for the night eventually leaving him alone by the fire. It was hard to explain to them that he was content without a tent, even though they kept insisting that they could find more materials for one. They were kind to offer of course, but for the first time in decades, he was able to freely enjoy all that nature had to offer. Resting by a fire in the open air was his ideal night. The cool evening air helped to focus his mind after the events of the past few days, allowing him to drift easily into his nightly meditation.

When he opened his eyes a few hours later, he was surprised to see that he wasn’t alone. Tav had wandered back out to the fire.

“Hopefully I didn’t disturb you.” She said quietly, adding a few sticks to the dying fire.

“Not at all. How long have you been up?” He sat up a little straighter, stretching his arms out.

“Just a few minutes. I’m not used to having someone else up at this time in the morning. Even Astarion stays hidden away in his tent until the sun is up.” She smiled lightly, the growing flames casting playful shadows across her face.

“The curse of most elves, I suppose.” He continued stretching, shaking off the past few hours of rest.

They sat and watched the flames in silence for a while. Tav had leaned back against one of the logs, staring at the stars that still dotted the sky.

“So, you’ve had a couple of nights with our group.” She started, still stargazing. “How are you faring out here at our little camp?”

“With such stimulating company?” He chuckled to himself. “Never better.”

“I suppose stimulating is one word for it.” She laughed quietly.

“Truly, I’m just glad to be out here amidst the Oak Father’s creations.” He breathed in the scent of his surroundings, leaning his head back to look up at the stars as well.

“I never got a chance to ask you once you joined us…” She trailed off. “How will the grove fare without you? You said your absence had a greater impact than you had expected.”

“Hopefully. I chose a replacement and sent word to her in the High Forest before I left the grove. A wise druid named Francesca.” He tensed slightly, suddenly worried what Tav would think of him for this decision. Why did he care so much about what she thought? She had no knowledge of the needs of the grove outside of what little she saw before coming to his rescue.

“Who?” She asked, leaning up slightly to look at him.

“Exactly…the grove needs to move on from the mistakes of the past.” He turned his head slightly towards her. “Having a fresh set of eyes can help accomplish that. Or so I hope.”

“Very shrewd of you.” She grabbed another nearby stick and lazily poked at the fire with it.

“Contrary to popular belief, we druids can play politics when necessary.” He smiled as he leaned back to look at the night sky again.

“So, is Francesca a temporary replacement? Will you return to the grove once we’ve cured these tadpoles and saved the world?”

It was a question that had plagued his mind since he joined her. Given the harsh division that occurred under his leadership, he wasn’t sure it would be wise for him to return. Even if he was no longer Archdruid.

“I…I’m not sure.” He said quietly, not wanting to look her in the eyes. “I can’t help but feel that I failed them. To return after leaving them twice would seem a disservice to the druids there.”

Tav didn’t say anything in response, she just continued lightly prodding at the fire. He went to sit up, but his hair had gotten caught on a chunk of bark on the log behind him.

“Ow!” He hissed as his head was pulled back down by the force of it. His hands fumbled in the dark, trying to find the grooves holding him in place. Tav snickered a little and walked over to release him. Her fingers made quick work of the tangle, freeing him from the log’s grasp.

“Thank you.” He said as he reached up to fix the piece of hair that had been pulled free. The tie he had holding half of his hair had gotten twisted into a knot from the snag. Once again, his hands fumbled behind him, trying to relieve the pulling on his scalp from the tangled mess.

“Here, let me.” She laughed again as she moved to sit behind him. Carefully, she pulled pieces of his hair free from the small tie. Her fingers ran through his hair each time she pulled a new piece free, loosening any remaining snags in the strands and sending shivers down his neck. Each time her fingers would brush against his scalp, he would relax just a little more. Eventually he realized that he had leaned back against her legs.

“Could I ask you something?” He asked quietly, watching the flames dance in front of him.

“Is the question ‘can I borrow your comb?’ Because the answer is yes. I mean gods above, Halsin when was the last time you brushed this? There are actual leaves stuck in your hair my friend.” She laughed as she continued to pull small chunks of hair free from the knot on the back of his head. To prove her point, she dropped the leaves she found over his shoulder and into his lap.

“Ah yes, what was I thinking? I should have asked my goblin captors if they would provide that for me during my visit.” He teased back, causing her to laugh more. “As for the leaves, I happen to think they add another layer of authenticity to my druidic charm.” What he wouldn’t do to keep hearing that laugh.

“But no, I had something different in mind.”

“Go ahead.” She said as she smoothed another few strands on his head.

“Who is Tev?” It was a name that Halsin had heard her mutter over and over while she was unconscious.

Tav froze, her hands still tangled in his hair.

“Where did you hear that name?” She asked quietly.

“You said it a lot while you slept yesterday.” He explained.

“Tev’aron...my older brother.” Her voice was quiet.

“I’m sorry. We don’t have to talk about him.” Halsin suddenly felt guilty for prying.

“It’s okay. He uh…he’s been gone for quite a while.” She resumed her work on his hair.

“What happened?” As he asked the question, he realized he already knew the answer from their past conversations.

“The shadow curse. I was there that day too, Halsin.” She whispered.

Hearing her mention it again brought his own grief bubbling to the surface, threatening to boil over. Faces of those he fought with all those years ago flashed before him. From what she had said before, he had gathered that she had at least experienced the curse. It didn't occur to him that she could have been there, fighting as an ally. His mind wandered momentarily, wondering if they had somehow crossed paths before.

“I am so sorry. I know all too well what it’s like to lose those you love to that wretched curse.” He looked down at his hands in his lap.

“It’s not something one soon forgets.”

Her voice had grown distant. He slowly turned to face her, half of his hair still knotted in an impossible pile on his head. The pull in his chest returned, he wanted so badly to tell her of his plan, to let her know there was still a chance to make things right. She gave him a puzzled look, waiting for him to say something.

Careful, Halsin. You still don’t know if that is possible. Do not give her false hope…

Astarion’s earlier words rang in his ears. He truly didn’t have any intention of toying with her emotions. It had just been so long since he had someone who understood the horror that was unleashed that day.

“I’m sorry, Tav. I didn’t mean to dampen your spirits.” He turned back around to let her continue working on his hair.

“Don’t apologize. It’s…nice to have someone else who understands.” She sighed. That was a sentiment he understood well.

“So, what will you do if you are able to seek a cure at the Creche in the morning?” Halsin tried to change the subject.

“What do you mean?” She ran her fingers through his hair again, his eyelids fluttered slightly at the touch.

“Will you all go your separate ways?”

“Huh. I suppose I hadn’t thought that far ahead.” She paused for a moment. “I can’t speak for everyone else, but even if we are able to get a cure tomorrow, I’m not sure that I can just turn my back on what we’ve learned.”

“Oh?” Halsin asked, his heart skipped a beat.

“I mean, it’s like Wyll said. We have a responsibility to help if we can, don’t we?” She was able to work a large chunk of hair out of the tangled mess, it fell over his eyes. “If you’d like, I could still accompany you to Moonrise. It wouldn’t seem right to abandon you after you left your life at the grove to help us. I’m sure at least a couple of the others will want to see this through as well.”

The combination of her words and gentle touches brought tears to his eyes. For years, the thought of facing the shadow curse alone had been a daunting and a near impossible goal. But now, the thought of Tav joining him filled him with hope.

“I’d be honored to have you.” He said before quickly adding, “Happy to have you with me, I mean.”

She giggled as she pulled the tie that had been holding his hair free.

“Here, this is broken. Give me just a moment and I’ll be back.” She handed the mangled string to him and patted his head before getting up to walk away.

Despite the fire burning in front of him, he suddenly felt cold after she left. He could feel phantom touches of her fingertips smoothing his hair down his head and neck. Not a minute later he heard her soft footsteps bringing her back to join him.

She sat back down, and he felt a comb run across his scalp. The feeling was soothing, something he couldn’t remember anyone ever doing for him. At least not since he was a child.

“I can take it from here, if you’d like.” He immediately regretted the words as soon as he said them. Truth be told, he could sit here with her hands in his hair for hours.

“Oh, of course. Sorry…force of habit.” Tav handed the comb to him over his shoulder, sounding uncomfortable. He was sure that her face was turning a deep red. She started to move out from behind him.

Damn it.

“I only meant I don’t want you to feel obligated.” The words rushed out of his mouth. “I don’t mind it at all, it’s…comforting. Especially after the week I’ve had. Plus, you’ve made short work of those knots so far…” He was starting to ramble. His heart was pounding in his chest, worried that he’d upset her.

She sat still for a moment; he couldn’t see her face to judge her reaction. He looked down, slightly embarrassed. Her hand appeared next to his head, open and waiting for him to hand her the comb. Releasing his held breath, he handed it back to her.

They sat there the rest of the time in silence. Tav quietly and carefully working the comb through the tangled web on his head. Elves don’t often sleep, but he really thought at one point he could have entered a deep slumber from how relaxed he felt under her touch. Halsin felt as an eternity had passed and yet he felt he could take another eternity more when she finally spoke again.

“Okay.” She said quietly. “All done, I think.” Her fingers ran through his hair one last time, checking for any straggling knots.

“Thank you.” He kept his voice as quiet as hers, already missing her touch.

He opened his eyes to see Tav moving back down to the ground, her hand held out next to him. Without thinking, he grabbed her hand and held it for a moment. She gave him a puzzled look and he could now feel that she had a small tie in the palm of her hand she had been offering him.

He immediately dropped her hand and felt all the blood in his body rush to his face and chest. Tav burst out laughing, covering her face to muffle the sound. The sky was just now starting to lighten, and the others in camp probably wouldn’t be awake for a couple more hours. Halsin buried his head into his hands, trying to hide the wave of embarrassment washing over him. His freshly combed hair hung down helping to cover his blushing cheeks.

“Halsin, it’s okay.” She was still laughing a little bit. “At least now we’re even.”

He thought back to when they first met a few days ago and she had done the same thing with the small flute they had used to resurrect Gale. He peeked out between the strands of hair covering his face to see her smiling fondly at him. She looked away quickly when she met his gaze.

“I uh…I think I’ll go get us some more wood for the fire. I’m sure everyone will want to eat before you head out.” He stood up slowly, his legs now feeling a little wobbly after being so relaxed. She held the small tie for his hair up in her fingers, which he gladly accepted.

“No matter what happens at the Creche, we’ll make our way back to Moonrise, Halsin.” She assured him with a smile.

He nodded his thanks and pushed the hair from his eyes as he made his way into the tree line. His heart was still racing from their time together, he couldn’t stop thinking about the feeling of her fingers running through his hair. It had been so long since someone had taken care of him in any way, let alone something as gentle as this. He took a few deep breaths, reminding himself that they still had a long way to go until Moonrise Towers. There was still much for him to do to prepare. Despite his years of waiting though, his mind lingered on Tav, already trying to figure out how he could steal more moments like this in the future.

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 17/04/2024

Super Wonderful World

Season 2 Featured on: The Voice's Highest Quality Video Game Rips

Ripped by Marrow

(Curious about the abnormal audio embed? Read more here)

It's kind of ridiculous that I've taken this long to actually write something about Marrow that isn't so directly tied to his passing, isn't it? Like, yes, Telling Fish Tales is an absolutely beautiful rip, it is still likely my favorite of all of Marrow's output, don't get me wrong...but there was more to the guy than just his death, you know? The tributes have all been beautiful, to be sure, I love 8​-​bit Fish With Dreams in particular, but I want to discuss Marrow's own rips more as well as those. Because while I might not have known Marrow, and can't claim to know anything about him as a person, I know he was just a genuinely good, sincere, funny ripper, and Super Wonderful World is just a damn fun rip.

I've been wanting to cover something from Super Mario Sunshine on here for a very long time - it has almost as much of a notable presence on the channel as its older brother on the Nintendo 64, particularly in the early days. Super Mario 64's Slider theme is unbeatable, of course, WA-HOO DISCO and its brethren can't be toppled, but there's a case to be made that Super Mario Sunshine's iconic acapella-driven Secret Course theme is a more fun listen in terms of rips. There's just something inherently funny about remixing voice samples, even in an acapella context - there's tons of rips of Secret Course in particular because of this, that all play with those deews and doos to great effect.

Super Wonderful World is no exception to that, and the joke of it is made apparent just a few seconds into your listen, arranging Louis Armstrong's lovely What a Wonderful World with those aforementioned acapella sounds, yet...for some reason, it is still likely the one Secret Course rip that has stuck with me the longest. I'm not even sure if its due to any one reason I can pinpoint other than just "Marrow Magic": maybe its my attachment to What a Wonderful World from hearing it at a young age in the original Madagascar, or maybe its the sheer juxtaposition of such a silly sound being used to play such genuine beautiful jazz...OR maybe its the fucking hilarious visuals on the video that you need to be scrolling up to look at now that I've pointed it out. Spaghet. No matter what it is, it clicks - though I think that second point in particular is where the trick lies. Sort of like A Mambo Moment, a lot like My Dr. Eggman Can't Be This Evil!, the contrast in tone between the two tunes is the kind of thing that you'd only get from SiIvaGunner, or at least the only place where you'd get it done in such a genuine, high-quality way. This isn't just some midiswap, this has every bit and piece from What a Wonderful World, every part of its backing and every additional instrument playing throughout, recreated with such finesse - all to push a bit that, as the rip visuals emphasize, is mostly just meant to be funny.

There's an effort made in Super Wonderful World to make the bit not just funny, but very pleasant and listenable as well, is what I'm getting at. The SiIvaGunner ethos, distilled so perfectly in just one simple rip, distilled into a rip that for me has stayed endlessly replayable since its release, striking that perfect balance of novel and pleasant. And sure, there's a part of me that still wishes to dig further, to know lots more about Marrow than I do, to investigate and snoop about and maybe even find out what the Spaghet image is even about...but its also, in some way, just as pleasant to listen to his tunes in bliss, enjoying his work for what it is, not hung up on wishing I'd known more.

I wasn't Marrow's friend, but what he left behind still means a lot to me. And so, continue to celebrate it I shall - more than a long-gone name to be mentioned in SiIvaGunner event recaps, Marrow was downright fantastic at what he did - and I hope we'll all continue to remember and cherish that about him.

[wihinaphe-makhoche]

im finding that one of my massive pet peeves is academics referring to groups of indigenous people (especially when its a SPECIFIC GROUP) as "the indians" "the natives" "the native population" "native americans"

referring to any group of people lacking specificity and using "the" when referring to them is kind of off-putting to begin with, there's a certain detachment and dehumanization that i feel comes with this type of reference. i don't think referring to any other racial designation with "the" attached to it would be acceptable, why is it in discussing indigenous people that this continues?

further, lumping us all together as a monolith is not only upsetting, but inaccurate!

anyways, i think i've put it here before, but if not, the wabanaki alliance has a great style guide that offers some pretty solid "do's" and "don't's" when it comes to writing about indigenous peoples.

a recap of name usage in the article, and note that these specific rules do not apply to every tribe. do your research on how they prefer to be referred to!!! anything in italics below are my own additional thoughts.

DO:

name individual tribes that your story references in the headline and intro, or name the Wabanaki Nations or the Wabanaki Nations in Maine if referencing all four tribes collectively. - (note that some tribes are referred to by colonizer names that may not be preferred by some people. i personally (lakota) do not like being called sioux, this is too general a term + comes from a colonizer term for us. if referring to the confederation of tribes, "the great sioux nation", i prefer to say "the seven council fires" or "oceti sakowin")

name Indigenous people according to their specific tribal affiliation. People counted among the population of one of the Wabanaki Nations should be referred to as citizens of their specific tribe. If the story refers to all of the Wabanaki Nations collectively, people can be referred to as citizens of the Wabanaki Nations.

use appropriate titles for government officials. All four Wabanaki Nations elect chiefs. The Passamaquoddy Tribe elects a representative to the Maine Legislature who has committee assignments and can speak on the House floor, but cannot cast floor votes. The Penobscot Nation and Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians appoint tribal ambassadors. - (note that some indigenous groups do not use the term "chief" and that tribal structures WILL vary depending on the group of people)

DON'T:

use generic terms like the tribes or Maine’s tribes.

use generic terms like Native Americans, Native people, or Indigenous people if your story references specific tribes and their citizens.

use generic terms like tribal elders when referring to tribal government officials.

i recommend reading the whole article, it gives some great explanations and insights into how to use specificity in talking about certain people. further, if you're writing historically, be specific about the region, group of people, AND time period!

if you have a hard time wrapping your head around why this is important, imagine if someone was writing about the dancing plague of 1518 (which occurred in strasborg, alsace --modern day france-- within the holy roman empire), but simply wrote, "the archaic europeans would dance until they died sometimes." without further elaboration of time perod, of any of the context leading up to the event, that these were a specific group of people, or even that modern europeans don't continue to do this.

additionally, using general terms like "the native americans" places us in the past and not as people who continue to exist today. we are very much still here!

[hms-no-fun]

hey can you just generally ramble about your terezi (and (terezi)) choices? I am interested in your process for her characters this chapter.

yeah! naturally i have a lot to say about a lot of things so spoilers for godfeels 3.2 A1 solo below the break!

let me just start this by saying that (Terezi) has been the BIGGEST pain in my ass of the entire core cast since beginning godfeels 3.

getting A1 out the door in general has been something of a nightmare, in part due to inconvenient irl circumstances but also because this track had a LOT of heavy lifting to do. Double Album is an ambitious project --too ambitious, arguably, considering how much time it takes to write (lots) and how little it pays (nothing)-- and this first glimpse into what's to come needed to do a lot of recapping prior events, moving pieces around on the board, clarifying character motivations, giving everyone a reason to be staying/going, and setting up several hefty dozens of plot threads in both major and minor ways, all while simultaneously being entertaining enough to read that old and new readers alike don't just get bored and peace out before we even get to the stuff that this story's actually about.

i think on balance A1 is going to wind up being sort of an odd duck among the tracks for this reason. i've been thinking of it as sort of a pilot episode, very much in the mold of the pilot of LOST whose very minimal flashbacks belied the load-bearing structural centrality that the flashback device would come to occupy in the series. but it's also a pilot episode for a series that's already three seasons in, which just further complicates the logistical job it needed to do. here again i took inspiration from LOST (get used to this comparison, btw-- everything from chapter 8 onwards has been/will be heavily inspired by LOST in theme and structure), where the season openers always had to pull double duty of cleaning up the mess from whatever bomb dropped in the season finale to completely change the status quo AND giving the core cast time to acclimate to the new status quo in a way that sets the audience up for what this season's gonna be about. it's a fun and punishing challenge that takes a lot of trial and error. there have been so many versions of A1 that all conveyed largely the same information in completely different ways to wildly different ends.

i'm glad i put that work in, because i'm really proud of how A1 ultimately turned out. i think it accomplishes the goals i set out for. and in a serial work like this you just don't get a chance to redo your first episode. if this part didn't work, if every character wasn't utilized with absolute precision, everything that followed would be at a disadvantage. i feel more confident in the future of this side of the story than i did when i first started writing it. but it was hard!

and at the center of that challenge was (Terezi), the character whose desire to go with Silverbark is easily the most obvious of the departing cast and yet simultaneously the most mysterious. i have a document for every writing project where i save cut material just in case, and the one for A1 is over 8000 words. of those, just shy of half are scenes involving (Terezi). because ever since the start of gf3, she's been a delightful, infuriating wrench in all my plans. it's easy enough to understand why she would want to go with Silverbark, but what does she feel about it? how does she feel about what she did to June, what June/Risk did to her, or about the state of Earth C today, and especially about the medicated domestic 30-something Vrisrezi who've just shown up out of the blue?

i wrote the dream strangulation scene in 3.1 chapter 1 knowing it would put a dent in her and June's relationship that would be a pain point through the rest of 3.1, but i'd always planned for them to get on better terms before the end (until Vrisrezi showed up, at which point all that progress would be painfully backpedaled). but as soon as she left the house, (Terezi) completely closed herself off and refused to come to the table again. throughout gf3 and especially chapter 8 i tried to find ways to let her talk about what was on her mind, and she just wouldn't. the Host-intruded memory of them getting into an argument watching Consort Jerry Springer and the birthday flashback where (Terezi) eats leafs both wound up defined in their conflict by (Terezi)'s own silence, her refusal to say what's really bothering her. even as she opens up some in the latter scene, she remains infuriatingly closed off to Risk and us. the question she thinks she's answering is why she's uncomfortable on Earth C, but the question June and Risk are really asking is, why am i not good enough to make this place feel like your home?

this is a dominant theme of Divergence Syndrome-- characters ensconced in noise looking for silence, or characters sick of silence hurtling mortally towards cacophony. the strict meaning of silence vs noise change depending on the person. all the circus flashbacks are moments where characters just can't quite bring themselves to say the thing they really want to say. silence and noise, secrets and truth-- you might draw some comparisons here between this theme and the concept of Voidthought as introduced in A1. i try not to push my hand when it feels like characters don't want to be accessible. it's easy to want to give everyone center stage all at once, but it gets to being too much very quickly. you've got to pick your battles, give everyone their moment when the time is right, when you and they both feel ready for it.

but with (Terezi) i genuinely was like. hey. tell me the thing you really want to say. give me something to work with here. i'm trying to understand how you got here from where we left you in gf2. were you just lying when you said you loved how unpredictable June was? were you lying to Kanaya when you said you liked how boring Earth C was compared to Alternia? what changed in those eleven months between gf2 and gf3 and why didn't i see it until it was too late?

and she just WOULDN'T. every time i've tried to get her talking it felt forced and wrong. she only talks in narration when she wants to. she refuses to humor her guilt even to herself. i wrote a complete version of the scene in Dave's room where Silverbark is much, much meaner, just to try and get a rise out of her. but it was so out of character, it was too much, too forceful. you just can't drag secrets out into the open like that. not with a Mind player as stubborn as (Terezi).

that scene was for me, really. i needed to write it because i was mad at her. i won't share it here because i think quite a lot of it will end up recycled in some form down the line. i don't exactly want to give the impression that (Terezi) is a distinct entity, because none of these characters are. it's more that i see the narration itself, and each characters' varying awareness of it, as having strict rules and boundaries. there's that moment at the end of A1 where Vriska pops into the narration just to say, actually no i don't want my feelings on display right now. i'd planned to have a whole lot of prose there! but when i wrote that interjection, it felt right. it showcases a different form of closing one's self off-- where (Terezi) is doing bullheaded self-harm in her silence, Vriska there is being mature and recognizing that sometimes you just have to let things go. good characterization in this story isn't just about dialogue. every word you read is a function of character in some form. 3.1 was narrated largely by VV. 3.2's narration/structure is what i've been calling "paramniscient epistolary" --basically a roving narratorial eye that can take the form of disconnected third person narration but give way to direct influence from characters whenever they desire. the epistolary part will make more sense come future tracks. but all of that is to say that yeah, to let that device be honest in what it is, to really fulfill VV's promise of letting these characters have genuine agency, i need to be willing to step back and let them be obtuse sometimes.

the original version of that scene between (Terezi) and Silverbark broke rules i didn't yet know, and it taught me a lot about what this story wants to be. gf2 was so much about June expositing her every thought, having revelations, working through shit, coming to terms with her Self. gf3, at least so far, is the opposite. (Terezi)'s lack of answers, her refusal to self-examine, is a protest against the kind of sincerity that June often embodies.

the horror of encountering a Terezi who's well-adjusted and happy is that for (Terezi), it feels inevitable. like a death sentence, a sword hanging over her neck. it's proof that if she ever got what she wanted, she would have to lose so many of the things that she still feels are essential to her Self. i think she tried to force herself to get better in gf2, under the assumption that simply being with someone you love who loves you is enough. but getting better requires work. i don't like the pervasive idea in fiction that couples getting together is the Solution to interpersonal problems, because it's not. it can help! but when you're accustomed to being alone, it's easy to stay alone even when you share every waking moment with someone else. i think Terezi is proof to (Terezi) that getting better takes work, and she despises the notion that she needs to do that work, that this version of her "getting better" is obviously preferable to who she is now. it's revealing that she imposes parentheses on herself so immediately upon meeting Terezi. it's worth noting that when Vriska tries to talk to (Terezi) in the A1 solo, she doesn't use those parentheses.

i think (Terezi) knows that if she even started to have a conversation about all this stuff, she'd lose. there are so many little moments where you can see her resolve shake a little. her harshness is a manifestation of instability. to open that door even a crack is to consent to demolishing the whole house. so she closes herself off altogether. she tells Terezi she'll kill her if she speaks to her again, and when Vriska begs her to seek help, (Terezi) spits in her face.

infinite credit to janet girlpillz for all the art in A1 solo but this panel especially. it took a lot of work to get the mood and tone just right. i cannot overstate how lucky i feel to have her in my camp. this moment would be nothing without her.

it was important for me that the impact of this particular patooie be almost entirely on (Terezi). Vriska's shocked, yes, but in the way of being interrupted mid-sentence more than anything. i wanted to see the moment right before Vriska can emotionally process what's just happened. nonverbal, not overly emotive, surprised, taken aback. but not mad. not sad. not angry. it's (Terezi) who's angry. Vriska laughs it off pretty fast once the fluttersled departs, because she sees the gesture for what it is. it's not really about her or for her. it's (Terezi) kicking the dog to chase it away, maybe because she thinks its for the dog's own good, or maybe because she just doesn't want the responsibility of taking care of a dog, except she IS the dog and she might not even know it.

as to (Terezi)'s turn towards "Justice," i'm not even sure she really believes it. does she actually think June is guilty of a crime? or is this just an extremely elaborate means of tethering her fate to the woman she used to love? and in fact, is that love truly in the past tense for her?

right now, (Terezi) and the rest of the crew are in a state of transition, carried forward by the high-stakes manic momentum of chapter 8 into a new life with new rules without really knowing what that actually entails. i think their commitment to any idea of their role in that future is highly precarious, especially as we proceed out of that manic phase into what will, eventually, become the new normal. right now their motivations are all hypothetical, contingent, abstract. that is not enough in the long term. it will take something real, something personal, to get them not just to stay in Silverbark's company, but to live there. Silverbark has sown the seeds of these in each of her conversations with the core cast. but to paraphrase VV, their ultimate reason for choosing to do what they will do is theirs to decide.

it wouldn't take much to shake (Terezi) out of her present self-destructive funk. it's just that there aren't very many things that could, and most of them are on Earth C. the question for me going forward is, what will it take to transform (Terezi)'s present verve for becoming "a detective" from an elaborate larp into a genuine career conviction? she can't maintain her delusion of moral superiority without that. (Terezi)'s a real piece of work but i don't think she enjoys lying, even and perhaps especially to herself. but she is a serial lifelong liar-by-omission. the currency of her deception is silence.

and that's something that (Terezi) and Silverbark have in common.

my final note (dear god does this woman ever shut up) is on the characterization of Terezi. she obviously doesn't get many lines in this chapter, and that's interesting. I have a hard time imagining that even a medicated 30-something Terezi is particularly good at holding her tongue. part of it is just sheer practicality. there are ELEVEN characters with speaking roles in this chapter, and of those Terezi is the least... i don't want to say "important," because she IS important. least relevant, maybe? none of this interpersonal drama has anything to do with her. when you think about it, Terezi is in a similar position now to the one Silverbark was in when she returned to Earth C. older, wiser, fundamentally different, while simultaneously stepping into the role her less mature younger self occupied in all these people's lives. i think she recognizes that the only thing she can do in this situation is cause trouble, so she mostly avoids contributing altogether. her home base in the scene is Vriska, until at last the space opera drama mamas fuck off to their Very Important Story and she can safely make jokes again. wow, what a bitch. let's go get omelettes.

it'll be interesting to see (when we get to it, which will be a long time from now) how Terezi fits in with Jane and Karkat, and on Earth C in general. how will the media respond to her? how will culture at large respond to her? jesus christ man, it's gonna be such a fucking mess.

anyway, those are some rambling thoughts on Terezi and (Terezi)! i hope your thirst is sated, or at least that you didn't drown.

[eteisvalssi]

on christmas day i saw what you guys wrote on my christmas tree decorations and it got me so emotional and then i saw everyone else also getting sappy and writing something and so i started writing this back then but the post got too long and i was tired so instead i decided to finish this later and post it today on new year’s eve!

from telling my friend at the beginning of the year that i could never imagine myself going to see an artist multiple times in a short amount of time to literally seeing joker out twice in three days in september, this year has been full of unexpected events. finland almost won esc??? i found a new favorite band and traveled all the way to prague to see them??? i’ve found myself in some situations this year that i could’ve never imagined possible and it’s all thanks to this green rapper from finland and five slovenian guys in an indie rock band

i also want to say thank you to all of you. all of the people i’ve gotten to know in this fandom have been so nice! when i bought my tickets to the nordic tour, i didn’t have any friends in the fandom. but then i started using tumblr again and honestly you guys are the sweetest people ever and i feel so lucky to have you in my life 🩷 and not to forget all the friends i’ve made while queueing for the gigs (also the ones not on tumblr)! i couldn’t have asked for a better company for any of the gigs i’ve been to 🩷 i also hope that i’ll get to meet as many of you as i can next year!

this is getting long so i’m gonna ramble some more under a read more and sum up my year. have a safe new year everyone 🩷

i don’t remember much from the beginning of the year. i was heartbroken and after being a fan of esc for like 10 years i felt like i could never ever enjoy esc again (dramatic, i know). i did check the umk contestants when they were announced but didn’t really dig further into it. but it all changed when i woke up on the morning of january 18th and saw literally everyone talking about this green guy named käärijä and the song cha cha cha. of course that also made me check kuumaa’s song when it got released the next day and i immediately fell in love with ylivoimainen. even though ylivoimainen was my number one fave umk song this year, i do remember telling my friends that ccc is our only choice if we want to win eurovision.

in march i was going to my first käärijä gig. it was a esc themed student party and they had a esc song quiz before and we got to the finals but the other group was faster so we ended up second 🥲 for the concert we did end up in the front row (with less than an hour of queueing and we had time to actually sit down at a table before the gig??) but i ended up giving my spot to a nice fan because i could see from behind my friends just fine and i wasn’t really there for käärijä 😅

april 7th 2023. my 25th birthday. käärijä's first pre-party and so the first pre-party i followed this year. the day bojan and käärijä met. the next day i was watching the livestream of the concert and patiently waiting for käärijä's performance (jodelissa kaarinan lapsuuskuvat nevö foget <3) and that's also when my joker out brainrot actually began. it followed me all the way through esc and made me buy a ticket to the nordic tour and i feel like the rest is history so i'm just gonna do a quick recap

i joined tumblr again in july after getting tired of only using jodel. i had a busy summer at work but did go to one käärijä gig but other than that i feel like nothing else really happened until the nordic tour.

then the nordic tour came around and i just had the best time. i’ve already written gig reports from these so i’m not gonna go into detail but i got good spots both at tavastia and olympia, i talked to so many nice people and i sang umazane misli at tavastia. the most surreal moment though was when i found myself singing in a karaoke bar in tampere after the gig and i see the same people who i’d just watched perform singing along to me

after the nordic tour i really wanted to go see them again and so i booked tickets to prague and even though the queue was a mess and honestly i’m not gonna lie and say that i’m not still salty about it, but other than that i had such a good time! hanging out with my dear mutuals, seeing both lps and joker out and finally hearing the songs we hadn’t heard at the nordic tour and seeing the new outfits! i also got to hug both jan and bojan 🩷

i got to end my year of concerts the way i started it, by going to a käärijä gig, but this time it felt so much different compared to the one in march. i actually knew other songs than ccc this time 😅

personally 2023 was a year of growth and healing for me and i hope to have as much fun next year as i had this year. i have so much planned for next year, umk in february, joker out in march in helsinki and maybe somewhere else too so see you there 🩷

[saturniandevil]

2023 Important Dates

AKA my notes on The Astrology Podcast’s 2023 Forecast_, hosted by Chris Brennan, Austin Coppock, Leisa Schaim and Diana Rose Parker. As a recap of previous events our hosts connect recent AI art controversies to Venus squaring Neptune (artists vs illusions), and predicts that the Pluto in Aquarius transit will intensify these debates. Saturn in late Aquarius has seen the first successful energy-emitting controlled nuclear fusion reaction, and Austin points out that new technologies often take around 30 years, or a complete Saturn cycle, to show up in everyday life.

Major Transits

Mars Retrograde -stations direct January 12th -egress to Taurus March 25th

Saturn from Aquarius -> Pisces -ingress March 7th -begins conjunction with Neptune In the writing previous runs of Saturn in Pisces have shown us influential fantasy worlds like those of Dune (without which there’d be no Star Wars) in the mid-1960s and A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) in the 1990s, as well as nonfiction like The Communist Manifesto in the 1840s. Saturn in Pisces has also shown up in drug news, such as the synthesis of LSD, which may connect to psychedelics starting to be legalized for therapeutic use today. If these significations seem Neptunian, that’s because Saturn is copresent with Neptune in this sign. They’ll be within orb in 2025 and '26, going exact in February of 2026. This sign will also be the Saturn return of Amazon and Fox News, and in biology that of the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep. In natal charts we have the examples of Robert Downey, Jr., whose Saturn return marked a turning point in his substance use issues and career, and Rachel Carson, a biologist whose book about the effects of pesticides in our world helped launch an environmentalist movement. In general we can expect “problems with chemicals.” Pisces wants us to all be one, but Saturn reminds us how one part is hurting people more than others.

How do you put boundaries on the boundless? You may feel like you’re floating, but even the ocean has a floor. Diana predicts we may see more collective grief over lost loved ones or what could have been during the height of the pandemic. It’s also worth noting that Saturn has been in his own domicile for the last few years. Now he’s ruled by Jupiter, who will be in a different sign every year, lending a different quality to Saturn’s transit.

Pluto in Aquarius (March 23rd - June 11th) A previous example of this transit is the Luddite movement against both the technology and labor conditions of the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century. Austin predicts this to weigh on the AI conversation and Diana brings up that the recent labor movement will also factor in. Chris reminds us that Pluto takes the tiniest things and blow them up to wide importance. Pluto in Aquarius coincided with the Hatian and French Revolutions as well.

Jupiter in Aries until May 16th -in Taurus for rest of the year -begins conjunction to Uranus Jupiter immediately squares Pluto (0♒) when he enters this sign. Jupiter-Pluto contacts have shown us billionaires further expanding their wealth and explosions of conspiracy theories in recent years. Revolutions and movements questioning the good of the people & basic needs will be especially relevant in Taurus. Jupiter predicts cultural waves in both art and politics, which will be especially relevant now that he’s ruled by Venus. Similarly, Diana hopes we see new food inventions such as advances with fake meats (M&M’s were invented during the last Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Taurus). Jupiter will come in and confirm things that Uranus has been working on, such as the rising labor movement (40 hour work week was standardized under one). In this case, the innovation is rest.

Venus Retrograde in Leo (July 22nd - September 3rd)

Venus transits are on cycles of about 8 years, so expect to revisit themes from around 2014. The US Supreme court legalizing same-sex marriage (conjunct Jupiter), and our podcast hosts started working together. Are any important relationships coming up on 8 years? (Austin, who met his wife and later got married on Venus in Leo, jokingly recommends waiting a full Venus cycle to commit). Shortly after entering Leo, Venus squares Jupiter and approaches Mars--but slows down and retrogrades before overcoming him (unlike in 2020). This retrograde is also tinged by a square to Uranus, though Jupiter’s copresence may stabilize things a bit. Sense of self will be a key theme here, especially in relationships. After the rx, when she enters Virgo early in October, where Saturn in Pisces will hit her like a cold bucket of water.

Eclipses shift from Taurus/Scorpio axis to Aries/Libra axis

Month-by-Month:

January

The Mars retrograde and direct station on the 12th hangs pretty heavily over this January. Mars is supercharged by the fact that royal star Aldebaran is nearby, which can bode better for personal charts than world news. However, keep in mind that the effects will move more slowly, and that a direct Mars is still a malefic--we march forward, but into battle just yet. Expect conclusions or major turning points in conflicts that began at the retrograde's start in early October. We'll still be seeing some cleanup as he enters the post shadow period (leaves degrees he retrograded over) on the 15th. Here's the graphic from Stella on Reddit:

Mar's ruler Mercury is also retrograde going into January, and stations on the 18th. It's almost like Mars won't be fully direct until Mercury is too. It might not be fun to cut things off, but it's better than flailing around wildly with the knife. Once both these planets are direct, Jupiter in Aries will pick up a lot of momentum. The Mercury retrogrades this year will mainly occur in earth signs, so prepare to reevaluate the material realms in your life.

It's also worth noting that the US Pluto return goes exact a few days before 2023 starts, and Pluto will return to these degrees when retrograding in September. With a conjunction to Mercury we can expect to see more disclosures around hidden information about those in power.

Speaking of outer planets, the Saturn (♒)-Uranus (♉) square that's been plaguing us for the past couple years will finally fade as we enter the year. The conflict of chaos & order over society and basic needs will finally fade. With Saturn in Pisces, no one's in control!

We've got an electional chart for January 25, 2023 at about 7:20AM local time. Adjust until the rising is at about 5 degrees of Aquarius, putting the Sun right on the Ascendant. This is one of the last charts for great Saturn elections for the next 30 years or so, as he's in domicile, in the first house and of the favored sect. Great for technology, rapid communications, and endeavors that will start out slow but last for a long time. Venus in the first house will help smooth over the aesthetics of this election as well. Here is the circle chart for Denver below:

February

Valentine's Day is a little weird with Moon opposite Mars, followed by a Venus-Neptune conjunction the next day and a Saturn-Sun conjunction even after, where emotional conflict runs into idealistic dreams, which is soon crushed by reality. The Full Moon on February 5th at 16 Leo close to Uranus at 15 Taurus activates the last of that waning Saturn-Uranus square, while the Saturn-Sun square on the 16th is the last Sun-Saturn conjunction in a Saturn-ruled sign for the next couple decades. We can clearly assess what's real and make a final inspection of the wreckage from Saturn-Uranus's stress-testing. Whatever made it through the Aquarius part of your chart has a lot of endurance.

March

March calendar. 3/2 Venus conjunct Jupiter, Mercury to Pisces. 3/5 Saturn to Pisces, Virgo full moon. 3/15 Sun conjunct Neptune, 3/16 Venus to Taurus, 3/17 Sun conjunct Mercury. 3/19 Mercury to Aries, 3/20 Sun to Aries, 3/21 Aries New Moon. 3/23 Pluto to Aquarius, 3/25 Mars to Cancer, 3/28 Mercury conjunct Jupiter, 3/30 Venus conjunct Uranus.

March is a big, dynamic month full of shifts. Mars (♊) leaves the mutable signs alone and tags in Saturn (♓) to do so instead. Medieval and Arabic astrologers often counted the Sun's ingress into Aries as the start of the New Year for the world, which fits with this month bringing so many new beginnings. We're going to get two New Moons during Aries season, one of which is an eclipse, so expect a lot of Aries energy. Around the Ides of March we've got Mercury conjoining Neptune at 25 Pisces, then the Sun, with Mars at 25 Pisces squaring them, al while Venus in late Aries square Pluto in late Capricorn. These transits also highlight the third Mars-Neptune square of the latter's trek through Gemini--it's our last chance to reveal what's been murky before Mars leaves his shadow period and the sign of Gemini overall. Mars-Gemini gives us fighting words and Mars-Neptune gives us deception, so be careful where you step in the fog of war.

Mercury is doing pretty badly at the beginning of the month, being combust, squared by Mars, and stuck around Neptune--our intelligence reports will not be accurate or timely. The next week Pluto moves into Aquarius. Chris wonders if this may result in a mass disappearing of certain kinds of technology. This area of Aquarius has seen a lot of activity from Saturn and Jupiter in recent years, and Pluto will deepen those issues for a couple months before retrograding in the fall. Venus will conjoin Uranus on the degree of November's eclipse in Taurus, which can make relationships more exciting. Mars moves into Cancer, trining Saturn on the 29th-30th. It's not a particularly glorious place for Mars, but we're finally getting back to Mars as usual (direct). We may be sullen, but at least we're not shooting ourselves in the foot anymore.

April

This month gives us eclipse season and the second Mercury retrograde of year. We also get a Jupiter-Sun cazimi in Aries, resetting the Jupiter cycle for the next year. The hybrid solar eclipse eclipse will be annular for some regions and total for others (visible over the South Pacific, mostly). Here are the eclipses for 2023:

Both eclipse seasons go back and forth between the Aries-Libra and Taurus-Scorpio axis as the nodes move. Additionally, the spring eclipses are in Mars-ruled signs with Mars in Cancer, while the fall eclipses are ruled by Venus in Virgo. Thus we're moving from one Mars-Venus axis to another, with the eclipse ruler in either fall or detriment. In personal charts, this will be highlighting two sets of houses for us all. Once April 19th or so comes around, we'll find ourselves between eclipses with Mercury retrograde and Jupiter joining the North Node--a bit of a hangover from the Uranus in Taurus issues we've been seeing. Definitely expect more shipping and supply chain issues. Mercury's retrograde cycle will continue through to the next month.

May

The first of the month gives us the Mercury cazimi, which is a halfway point & turning point for the retrograde. With Pluto's station, we've got a lot of changes occurring in May. The eclipse is at 14 Scorpio, echoing the previous Uranus eclipse in November in Taurus. However, this is the final eclipse in Scorpio (though there's one more in Taurus) for the next few years. We'd expect the pressure to ease from fixed signs now that heavy-hitters are moving into mutable and cardinal signs, but the fixed signs are still feeling some residual effects for the first half of the year. Jupiter ingress will attempt to stabilize some of the trouble as he enters Taurus. His squaring Pluto and later Mars in Leo will bring some tension as well, though. Diana thinks of forest fires with Mars in Leo, with Pluto in Aquarius serving as a sudden gust of wind. Jupiter is on the North Node as well, who'll cooperate with Jovian money endeavors but not his loftier pursuits. Pay attention to which house of your chart Jupiter enters, as he may provide some stability to the rockiness we've been seeing in Taurus since the lunar eclipse in fall of 2021.

When Jupiter conjoined Pluto in 2020 there was a massive expansion of wealth for the already wealthy, and now with a square between the planets we could see a more proletarian version of wealth expanding (or at least some kind of struggle around it). Pluto's station in Aquarius should also give us a picture of his trek through this sign over the next decade or so. Conversations around control and manipulation of information may arise, which Chris connects to social media as one of the richest men in the world just bought a widely used website. Diana brings up that these apps are often intentionally designed to encourage addictive behavior, so Pluto's compulsions and obsessions and tendency to expose the dark underbelly will manifest in the tech world. We may see a contraction in tech, as issues of power and control over social networks and other large scale communications arise. Is this paranoia or rational fear?

June

Venus now enters sign in which she will retrograde, hinting at the territory we'll visit multiple times. She's approaching Mars and opposite Pluto, intensifying relationship dynamics. However she's also applying to Jupiter in her sign of Taurus, stabilizing things a little. Venus and Mars will square Uranus together before she retrogrades. Meanwhile Neptune and Saturn slow down and station, bringing emotional drag as they square our chipper Gemini Sun. When Saturn enters Cancer, the sextile to Jupiter in Taurus may bring some fertile clay for creative, sensitive, or peaceful endeavors. The overall energy is pretty loud and extroverted: if people find something distasteful, they won't be quiet about it! However, we may not see the stormy emotional undercurrents underneath this acting out.

July

Venus will square Uranus at the beginning of this month, slowing down before going retrograde on the 22nd. Mercury enters Virgo, heightening the tension between Saturn (♓) and Mars (♊). Mars-Saturn squares in the fixed signs gave us new editions of a problem we already knew about (notably changes in lockdowns and restrictions during peaks of the pandemic in the US), but in mutable signs we may get introduced to new problems nearby. Either way, Saturn stonewalls Mars's impulses. Saturn and Mars get frustrated because one's hitting the gas while the other hits the brakes, but Venus stops the car entirely and starts driving in reverse towards unfinished business earlier in the trip. Pluto will also square the Nodes in Aries/Libra after regressing into Pluto. Chris points out that gay marriage was legalized in the US under Venus in Leo, so this retrograde may see challenges to Congress's recent Defense of Marriage Act. She's also stationing right next to Lilith and considering Pluto's activity, so Austin predicts abortion will come up again, as Lilith was right over the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

August

Venus retrograde hangs over this month, although her cazimi on the 13th marks its halfway point. Inanna confronts her sister in the underworld and begins to get carried out. Venus emerges from under the beams right as she squares supportive Jupiter. Mercury begins to slow down and stations retrograde with Mars as a neighbor. Constructively, we can edit and cut things down, but interpersonally we may share harsh words. The Full Moon in Pisces will be tinged by Saturn's copresence, especially because it occurs on the degree on which Saturn stationed in June. We get a taste of what Pisces is going to feel like for the next few years, though Jupiter's sextile immediately after provides some support. It's soggy and wet, but we can grow things.

September

Mercury is the only planet in domicile for the whole month: retrograde the first half and direct for the second. With exaltation in Virgo as well, he's at his loudest! Mars is also in Libra as we enter the month, approaching a square to Pluto and a conjunction to the South Node (Tail of the Dragon) towards the end of the month, as well as a sextile to Venus. The Aries Full Moon will be eventful as a result of all this Mars activity.

October

We've got two eclipses this month as we revisit Pluto in Capricorn themes (including the founding of the US--think bones of the institutions that built the nation). Mars conjoins the South Node in the days preceding the eclipse, and squares Pluto days before he stations direct. Venus in Virgo makes us eager to critique, which is especially relevant to the US's upcoming elections season. The eclipses in Libra and Taurus will also bring major beginnings and endings to these areas of our charts. The solar eclipse at 21 Libra is a South node eclipse, which usually brings up things we've already dealt with--think "the unquiet dead." The Taurus eclipse right before Halloween has Mercury conjunct Mars opposite Jupiter. Mercury-Mars can be combative with piercing words. They will spitefully challenge the peace, stability, and excessive comfort Jupiter in Taurus has been trying to bring. However, this is the last of the fixed sign eclipses that started in 2021, bringing a major ending to that chapter of our lives. There's one more wild card with Jupiter approaching Uranus, but it's a more constructive energy, like finally being able to implement the changes we want.

November

This new Moon is the first one for awhile that's not an eclipse, and Saturn's significations in Pisces should intensify as he stations direct. Venus in Libra sextile Mercury in Sagittarius will bring us some pleasant communications and decorum. "I didn't mean what I said when Mercury was conjunct Mars!" Mars's cazimi with the Sun acts like a coal nearby that's glowing with the potential for a fire that isn't burning right now--at least until he opposes Uranus, when the tension that's been building up may find an outlet. The Mars cazimi is also trine Neptune, which may add some ease.

December

Mercury will station direct a few days after Jupiter--things will move forward at the end of the year. Venus in Sagittarius and Jupiter in Taurus will be in mutual reception with each other, bringing the two goods to us after some brooding in Scorpio. During Venus in Scorpio we might get the kinds of fights started by someone misunderstanding what your words--you can't take back what you didn't say! The tight opposition to Jupiter at the beginning of Venus in Scorpio can be fun, if not particularly useful. A trine from Saturn can make Scorpio Venus's obsessions more productive.

And that's a wrap for 2023! Thanks for reading all of this (:

[winter-spark]

I know that after those 2 small Madoka thoughts I had I said I'd stay in my lane but my film/media brain is like "hey hey hey remember that "cool" thought you had?" So. Even though Chikage is still not my lane, my film brain wants to discuss the neatness/niftyness/cleverness (idk which word I'm looking for) of Act 8 & the slight step further it could've been pushed, in reference to Act 5 of course. Besides if the Zafran princes are my lane(I'm kinda forcing myself on them actually, I'm probably not the best person to claim them but here we are), and Citron is both a Zafran Prince & in Spring Troupe and Chikage is in Spring Troupe, Chikage is my lane adjacent. Still though if I say something that makes you go "well actually" please ignore me. Let me have 0 notes due to being wrong about something, it's okay. Really.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Act 5 (Chikage's storyline) recap - Paragraph 1 Act 8 (Zafra storyline) "mini" recap -Paragraph 2 Cleverness - Paragraph 4 The Potential Push - Paragraphs 5-8 Conclusion - Paragraph 9 Too long, didn't read: I like the parallel between Chikage's abducting to destroy in Act 5, & rescuing to protect in Act 8. As a film major I feel the rescue coulda been used to move his relationships forward in a way had there been any (realistic) animosity/hesitance lingering.

So as we all may or may not (idk) know, in Act 5 Chikage infiltrates Mankai by being let in through the front door(he's undercover shush!) and sees how Mankai is one big happy family. Feeling betrayed by Hisoka/having some misinformation he decides to get his revenge: Hisoka entered then ruined his happy family (and abandoned him), so he would do the same to Hisoka. In this he comes up with a simple Preminger plan: Izumi, the center of Mankai, goes missing, Mankai disbands. (This plan would've worked best if he snatched up Sakuya alongwith Sakyo &/or Isuke too, just saying. Those four are the reason Mankai stands today. Fact. But also imagine them having to navigate the coleads, director, financer and manager mia, woulda been harder to pull off and come back from but Mankai woulda been a mess) So he kidnaps Izumi, Hisoka comes to save & reconcile, they all go home. Izumi lies for Chikage, Chikage later shares that he actually did abducted her(without reasoning as to why ehich leaves open a bit of skepticism but yada yada we get the point).

In Act 8, (let's see how quick I can give the setup), Guy comes and reveals Citron is next in line for the throne and that there are some others who support his brothers being next in line and of them there are extremists(every cause has some extremists am I right or am I right?), Citron knowing Chikage got the capabilities to make people disappear w/out a trace asks Chikage to help him dip for Zafra early w/out Guy (also remind me to write about Citron's "selfishness"(there's a different word I'm thinking of but this'll have to do) pls I have thoughts); Mankai first begrudgingly accepts this but then they're like "No! Who broke it?" and head down to Zafra to get an explanation from Citron 'cause "dude what the heck?" They make it just in time to find out about a plot to keep him from ascending to the throne and that he's been kidnapped. Here Chikage steps up to the plate to find and save Citron from being kidnapped.(Itaru goes too but we're not here to talk about how he was prepped to die to save his wife<3, gosh I love love). (Kinda lengthy but I can't help making side notes & jokes lol)

So now that I've said a whole lot of nothimg, let's discuss the cleverness and how it could've been pushed.

Of course you've probably caught onto the cleverness yourself, a person who once abducted someone before a big event now is rescuing someone kidnapped before a big event. He is actively working in another person's best interest and to help sustain a family rather than aim to cause one to crumble out of his own desires of revenge. Of course, he vowed to protect the Mankai family at the end of Act 5, the parallel itself is still neat. And there's double the families he's sustaining in saving Citron here because not only is he saving a member Mankai/Spring Troupe's family but also of the Zafran royal family (why don't they have a last name >~<; that's so long winded), which allows a place for there to be a return after their punishment for suresies because if it had gone worse...

So now that that's been addressed how can this have been pushed further. Well. It could've been Chikage proving how much he's grown to care for and how much he means it when he says that he is devoted to protecting Mankai, which it kinda was in a bit of a less stated way. But also! While A3! is a clever series with compelling characters and storylines, there are some aspects that fall a little flat in the realism department at times, if they commited to being a bit more realistic w/ certain forgiveness storylines, this would've been a great moment for someone to feel more open to trusting Chikage. Like especially w/ him already being concerned about Mankai being upset with him for agreeing to & succeding to send off Citron. If it was like "man I'm still walking on eggshells a bit because even though people are nice to me and accept me they still don't fully trust/like me, I'm so not going to be increasing my score w/ any of them this way" and then him actively going to save and succeding in saving a cherished member of Mankai, with complete resolve and trying to keep everyone safe. That's something that could've really been something. Like not to say it wasn't anything or anything, just like it could have been a shift in the story. Like they love Chikage but do they trust him? They don't have much of choice. Obviously this can only be properly done with characters who would have animosity, coulda been there, and if it was something mentioned between the two points but yea.

(Reminder: my "lane" is the Zafran Princes so if I say anything inaccurate to any other character they're not my lane. (my current tag for them (tho I am considering changing it) is "Citron & his brothers" if you want to see anything I've said about them. (here's a good place to start, me thinks)(yea pretty shameless self promo but eh) I'm kinda dumb and know nothing tho so idk if any of it's at all good or something you'd agree w/ but I feel alright about the stuff I've said lol). I'm not a great writer or anything but I think if they had decided to take that route the best Spring Troupe options for that kinda dynamic woulda been Masumi or maybe Tsuzuru. (Had to choose Spring Troupe to go along with the setup that's already there, any other troupe and I might have to change big story details & that's not the goal here, the goal is elevating what's already there) Why these two? Well I'm less sold on Tsuzuru but I feel like he has more realistic and negative-leaning views sometimes, like he feels like a person who feels like he might stay cautious about a person who's done some shady things. Masumi other the hand is already a bit less of a people person, has he grown alot already yes, however, he is still someone who very much (haha kinda like Chikage) has a strong desire to protect those important to him and Chikage litterally abducted Izumi who was dire in Masumi being able to connect with more people and have those he wants to protect and do things for and she's at the top of that list of people. Sure she doesn't hold anything against Chikage but she's Izumi. She's a very caring and forgiving person. I could see someone like Masumi being a bit on gaurd and skeptical partly on her behalf.

I'm sure it'd be a little harder to pull off with what the situation was but I do think it's plausible & do-able. I mean, if I recall correctly, at this point most of Mankai are unaware why Chikage kidnapped Izumi in the first place(I think Hisoka, Izumi, and sorta the rest of Winter Troupe and Sakuya knew around the time it happened) so if one of them(not the ones I just specified) were somewhat weary of him it could make sense, I think reasoning is something that I can see being important to Masumi and Tsuzuru and that's something Chikage didn't divulge, so it feels like Chikage did it for "no reason". Though I do want to say I think if we took one if these routes reasoning would be important to them in different ways. Tsuzuru would be more mentally like but what was the reason tho, while Masumi would think less about that he didn't give his reasoning and compartmentalize it as no good reason as he had his chance to explain but didn't, which I wanted to bring up because because imagine with me if you please, Masumi accepting Chikage being around but lowkey not fully trusting him bcause he clearly had no good reason for abducting Izumi. Chikage plays vital role in rescuing Citron maybe he is okay to trust a bit more and maybe (flashfoward to Magician's Pure Love) Masumi can hear out what reason Chikage had for his actions, because maybe even if it was wrong and something he shouldn't have done, maybe he does have a reason. (See I'm tying things together)

My only hesitance really being the comparison of how important Izumi and Citron are to this character (because they're the ones in the situation not the weary character) but it simultaneously makes me want to hit floor it because they're equally important. Or something. Idk honestly. Just, i it was Masumi for this route I could see that being a nice reminder he cherishes his whole family. (I know Act 5 kinda already is that but I'm just throwing paint at the wall okay? This is only my lane adjacent.) I guess while I'm here let's discuss why not Izumi or Citron being the person for this to drive the relationship forward. Well. I think even if Izumi reasonably had a small fear of or discomfort with Chikage after Act 5 she would actively be workimg herself to getting over it. For it to be something to drive their relationship it would definitely have to be a thing between the two of them. Meanwhile, Citron literally trusted Chikage to keep his secret that he was leaving early and help him do so. I think they're in an okay place.

So yea, maybe this whole idea is dumb or too movie or something, Idk I have film major brain, but it's something I think about sometimes(not as much as I laid out here but the concept). Like obviously in part the rescue's probably partially there with something similar to that in mind but like instead it's to prove Chikage to the viewers rather than to Mankai, however I also think that it's okay in media to make characters have to work for people(read: other characters) to forgive and/or be comfortable around them. Like sure sure some people will forgive you pretty early on and water under the bridge and all that stuff. And some people won't mind being around you. But some people might be completely unaware as to how much they subconciously don't trust you. Some might be like okay we're cool but we're not cool. For some people all this depends on how well they feel they know/understand you and which actions they've seen to help determine your character to them, you know? And I like complicated/layered/complex dynamics and relationships, so I personally woulda found it neat to have something like that within the story. But who am I lol

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alright day 3/6 down!

im so mentally drained lol, though in a very good way. i am so glad i have the next few days off for sure. honestly don’t have too much to say today? each successive trip has been less and less “logical” or “explicable” in words. if i had to summarize it tho, today was about learning to spread love outwards, to reflect that which i feel like has been flowing into me for the previous two trips. i just felt like i had so much gratitude and love for my people, but in this sort of deep/primal sense that i can’t capture in words. I guess the way to describe it is a feeling of being connected on a soul level. i came out of it with strong messages for several people in my life, and a desire to uplift my loved ones. i also feel more connected to nature, especially animals of all kinds.

they told me at the clinic that day three is when people really start turning a corner, and i definitely feel that within myself. i was saying to a friend, it’s hard to know how this new attitude will translate to my interactions out in life, as all ive been doing for the last 3 days is tripping, sleeping, and processing 😅 so not exactly representative of normal life. it’ll also be interesting to see how the changes im feeling develop or last over the long term, when im further away temporally from this experience. but as for now, i simply feel full of love and grace and gratitude.

this treatment is in no way a mental health panacea, and i know there’s so much more work im going to have to do. but in a way, for the first time that work feels… accessible in a way it never has before. ive pretty much always had the sense, ever since i started therapy, that talking, going through my logical brain, is not the way to healing for me. my brain is way too good at like. dodging attempts to logic itself out of depression, unhealthy thoughts, etc. so ive always had this sense that in order for the real work to begin, i need to access the deeper parts of my brain that run on emotion, not logic. the best way i can describe it is the difference between knowing or being told that i am loved and worthy, and actually feeling that in a visceral, all consuming way. it feels like i am unlocking the piece of me that was missing, or hiding, or starved. it’s accessing a part of me that i haven’t had access to, precisely by more or less shoving me into it, but in the most beautiful and gentle and teaching-based way.

really, the biggest shift ive felt mentally is this move away from anger, resentment, and the pain that comes from that. im now able to look back on past events with a sense of dawning peace and compassion, both for myself and the people who have hurt me. again, this is still just the beginning of the work, and im sure ill continue to be unpacking this for a long time to come. but for the first time, the dominant emotions ive been feeling are peace and contentment with being in the present moment. and even if this feeling doesn’t last, i know ill have the memory and experience of it to draw on in the future.

overall, im feeling good, im making strides, and im growing. i cannot articulate how grateful i am to have this opportunity; it’s horrific bullshit that not everybody has access to the same treatment. thank you all for being so supportive and respectful of my journey 🥰 ill be back with another recap on monday!