#this is a big part of why I stopped posting my art on social media

[cheesy09]

[CN] Kiro's Peach Blossoms Date (Part 1)

🌸 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date that hasn't been released on the EN server yet! 🌸

[Note: This translation was done with the help of Google Translate :>]

——*:･ﾟ✧——*:･ﾟ✧——

[PART 1]

Everything is quiet. Dewdrops fall on the eaves of the ancient building, and gusts of wind enter from outside the window.

Kiro is dressed in a blue shirt, gripping a red-tassled spear, lunging and sweeping across the cluster of budding peach blossoms.

The red and blue complement each other, sketching a colorful ink painting of waves chasing the sun. I reluctantly look away and lean back on the couch to edit the Weibo post.

"Isn't Kiro's acting skills the ceiling? The entertainment industry is his domain!"

"If you don’t believe me, you can watch every one of his works and you will know what drama is synonymous with."

Looking at the nine carefully selected photos of Kiro in period costume dramas from different eras, I hum with pride.

Knock knock——Suddenly, there is a light sound of knocking beside my ear, accompanied by a lazy chuckle.

Kiro: Lady Miss Chips, I thought you woke up so early to practice martial arts with me, but you've just been holding that "big brick" in your hands the entire morning.

I look up towards the sound and see him sitting casually by the window, so I pout and show him the screen of my cell phone.

MC: You were wronged. All I'm doing is upholding justice~

MC: There is no end to those unscrupulous marketing accounts. It's easy to guess which media companies are responsible.

MC: They don't have the talent to get the leading role... So they attack you for having too three-dimensional features and too deep eyes to be suitable for acting in period dramas?

MC: Hmph, when you, the young Sun Ce, became famous overnight, I wonder what they were doing.

Last night, Kiro's oriental epic masterpiece co-written by a famous director was previewed for the first time on the Internet. News of its investment of hundreds of millions has aroused widespread attention and expectations.

However, there were quite a few unpleasant comments mixed in, and as a producer, I could tell who the troublesome capitalists were.

Kiro: Don't be angry. Aren't you used to this kind of thing?

Kiro: Besides, Savin has already solved the problem, so we can just stay in Ruyi Town for the holidays and enjoy a peaceful life without being disturbed by anyone a while.

Kiro smiles and climbs over the windowsill to sit down. I fall into his arms and pout unhappily.

MC: I know, but I'm just mad...

MC: Especially when I saw those slanderous articles, I couldn't sit still, so—

Kiro: So you immediately contacted the lawyer of Loveland Films to assist Savin, and then logged onto social media to seek justice for me?

I blink blankly.

MC: How do you know all that?

Kiro: Well, because...

He hesitates as he stretches out his fingertips and traces my face like a painting.

Kiro: It says here "Damn it, I'm going to report all those who speak bad about Kiro!"

Kiro: And here is, "It could have been a perfect vacation, but now it's ruined by them, woooo..."

Kiro: There's also your slightly wrinkled eyebrows and the flaring tip of your nose....

The place where his fingertips rub feels ticklish, and I'm unable to stop myself from laughing.

He unsuspectingly takes my cell phone away and hugs me tighter.

Kiro: So I'm going to interrupt your thoughts now and not let them take up our time.

Kiro: See, you missed how cool I looked during my shooting practice just now...

Seeing him grumble in mock anguish, the slight annoyance in my heart seems to unknowingly dissipate.

MC: Seems like the gains don't outweigh the losses when you say that... Then I don't want to miss your next move~

MC: What are we going to do later?

Kiro: Let me think... There is a temple fair in town today, why don't we go and join in the fun?

MC: Okay, but don't you want to take a break? You were studying the script until midnight last night.

Kiro: Nah, I'm not the least bit sleepy. Let's go, change clothes and go out~

He pulls me to the wardrobe, and I see several sets of clothes prepared by the organizers. Unable to make up my mind for a moment, I steal a glance at Kiro's selection.

Unexpectedly, his eyes rest thoughtfully on the two bright red wedding outfits. I can't help but poke his arm in a teasing manner.

MC: Ahem, the "One Hundred Marriages" event is only three days away... Could it be that a certain someone can't even wait that long?

Kiro: ...A bit. If possible, I'd like to see you in your wedding dress today.

Seeing his frank admission, I feel a bit overwhelmed.

MC: As - as if you haven't seen me in one before!

Kiro: it's because I've seen you in one before, that I'm looking forward to it even more.

Kiro: Looking forward to you wearing it, smiling at me and calling my name.

There is a hint of tenderness in his mirthful gaze, and he reaches out and gently smooths out a wrinkle in his wedding outfit.

Kiro: But if we got married today, you'd definitely be in a rush because you won't have enough time to prepare.

Kiro: And… the weather today isn't the most perfect either.

As he speaks, he looks out the window at the peach orchard and begins to gesture with his arms outstretched.

Kiro: The day I marry you, the weather must be clear and sunny.

Kiro: These peach blossoms have to be in full bloom as well. They'll join me in marrying the most beautiful you.

I look over and see the flower buds hanging on the branches tremble slightly, which softens my heart as well.

MC: Weren’t these peach trees just planted? Will they bloom so soon?

He turns around and smiles firmly.

Kiro: Of course, the most indispensable thing between us are miracles, right?

Kiro: So I'm pretty sure. On that day, not only miracles, but all the good things in the world will come to greet us.

——*:･ﾟ✧——*:･ﾟ✧——

[PART 2]

After changing clothes, we leave the courtyard and come to the temple fair area.

The street is crowded with people. Seeing me look around nervously as we walk, Kiro squeezes my palm as if to comfort me.

Kiro: Don't worry, today I used the new contouring technique my makeup artist taught me, so no one will notice.

MC: But in my eyes you don't look all that different...

I turn my head and took a closer look. He is wearing a red and blue robe today, with a ribbon hanging down around his bun.

Although his hairstyle has changed a lot, his face still looks like Kiro's...

Kiro: That's because you're someone who knows me best.

He smiles and takes my fingertips, gently running them along the space between his eyebrows... the bridge of his nose...

Kiro: You see, there is more white space on my face, and my facial features have gotten softer. It's less likely to attract attention.

He points out the modified spots one by one, but I just blink in confusion.

Kiro: Still don’t see the difference?

MC: Hm...

He chuckles, and his mood seems to improve.

Kiro: Never mind. If someone recognizes me, just take me and run away.

MC: Okay. I'll run away and marry you, and no one will be able to find us~

As we joke with each other, the blue bricks and tiles sparkle in the sun, and an ancient fragrance surrounds the area.

MC: Do you get the feeling like we're living in ancient times when walking on such a street?

Kiro: To be honest, I felt that way ever since we arrived in Ruyi Town.

Kiro: It’s like suddenly traveling to paradise and starting a whole new life.

I suddenly think of something and burst out laughing.

MC: Wouldn't we be unemployed? After all, in ancient times, there was no technology and the Internet to allow us to show our talents...

Kiro: That's not necessarily the case. We still have some strengths.

He looks into the distance in contemplation, a smile in his eyes.

Kiro: As a modern day individual... the first thing we need to do when traveling back to ancient times is to make good use of the information gap.

Kiro: That way I can open an unprecedented milk tea shop and make my first pot of gold.

MC: Pfft, you've read way too many novels.

Kiro: I'm serious! When I earn enough money, I'll buy a large carriage and "wander" with you to see all the beautiful rivers and mountains.

He opens his arms to gesture the size of the carriage. Touched, I start indulging in this fantasy along with him.

MC: So what should I do?

Kiro: You'll be making bubble tea with me, of course. I can't handle it alone.

MC: Hahahaha...!

Amidst my laughter, I see a dazzling array of small stalls nearby, and my eyes light up.

MC: I know. I can set up a stall next to the milk tea shop and sell calligraphy, paintings and other small items.

MC: We should focus on both material and spiritual food!

Kiro: Good idea. I can help you write poems and make paintings when I have free time.

MC: Hahaha, no, no, your paintings are abstract, people from back then may not be able to appreciate them.

Kiro: Hmph, seems that I need to put my all into poetry then.

He shrugs indifferently, picks up a folding fan from the calligraphy and painting stall in front of him, and leisurely waves it around.

Note: The next lines that Kiro recite are written in the form of poetry that don't really translate well into English. I've done my best to make the lines as poetic as possible without changing too much of the meaning, but do take with a grain of salt :>

Kiro: With my heart spoken for, and the moon bright; we share this life together, along with its ever brilliant light.

Seeing him do it so effortlessly, makes my eyes widen in surprise.

MC: You don't say. It really does sound like it~

MC: But I don't think I've ever heard of this poem. Is it a less popular work by a famous poet?

The smile on his lips deepens.

Kiro: What the girl doesn't know is that these are not written by a famous poet, but are just a few lines of casual poetry on a fan.

Stunned, I look at the blank folding fan in front of his chest.

MC: I can't see it like this, turn it over and show me.

I reach out to take it, but he closes the fan and holds it high in the air.

Kiro: Oh... don’t worry, there is one more sentence—May the stars reflect in your eyes and sing along with you in your dreams.

Kiro: How is it? Do you like it?

MC: Well, not bad? It seems like it was tailor-made for our "Twinkle"~

MC: Any more?

Kiro: Mm... none for now.

MC: For now? Don’t keep me in suspense, show me now.

I stand on tiptoe to reach it, curious and impatient, but the man nimbly turns around on the spot, picks up the floral ornament from the stall with his fingertips, and pins it into my bun like magic.

Kiro: Would you look at that, we suddenly have a new sentence.

Kiro: Because of you, flowers bloom and fall; The blowing spring breeze fills my heart with joy.

Looking at that familiar smirk, I vaguely realize something and put my hands on my hips in mock irritation.

MC: Wait, this poem can't be the work of someone called Ki...Ro, right?

Kiro: Nope~

He smiles and unfolds the fan. During the pause, I see that both the front and back of the fan are blank.

Kiro: It was written by Mr. Wuhui. It bears the true feelings he expressed when faced with the woman he loves.

MC: Oh, Mr. Wuhui is really a great writer of our time~

MC: But where did you learn all this? Do people in California still teach classical Chinese?

Kiro: I learned most of it myself, and also consulted a couple of Chinese culture teachers along the way.

Kiro: After all, when developing in the country, the more comprehensive the better.

MC: Wow, your professionalism is truly a role model in the industry!

??: Look there, why is someone with blonde hair wearing traditional chinese clothes...?

??: Yeah, but doesn't he look a bit like... Kiro?

Suddenly, a voice sounds from afar, instantly shattering the smile on my face.

I turn my head in shock, and watch people coming and going in front of me.

??: Impossible. He's become a hot topic lately. You think he'd dare to go outside?

??: That's true, but I've also heard some rumors that he was an abandoned illegitimate child... Is it true?

The noisy footsteps blends together with the whispers, making it hard to tell where the source is from. It feels as though everyone on the street has become a suspect.

I feel a chill go through my heart, and then I realize something...

I thought the slanderous articles were just the hype generated by marketing accounts or the manipulations by capitalists...

But perhaps the real "malice" is sometimes such an unintentional act that makes it difficult to guard against.

I clench my palms and secretly observe Kiro, only to find that while paying the stall owner, he half covers his face with the fan and yawns.

Kiro: [yawning] Miss Chips... I think I need a cup of refreshing tea...

Seeing him mumble to himself, totally unaware of the noise that has just passed by, I instantly breathe a sigh of relief.

Luckily he didn't hear...

I clench my slightly stiff fingertips and point to the teahouse ahead.

MC: Why don't we go there and take a break?

Kiro: Also, should we continue our discussion on our ancient entrepreneurial plan?

MC: Sure!

As I take a step forward, a drop of cold air hits the tip of my nose. I look up and find that the sky has suddenly changed, with a few large dark clouds floating in, a sign of heavy rain.

MC: ...It's going to rain.

Kiro: —Oh no, our peach blossoms!

He suddenly thinks of something, grabs my hand, turns around and breaks off into a sprint.

——*:･ﾟ✧——*:･ﾟ✧——

[PART 3]

When I step into the courtyard, the rain pours down heavily and the world grows noisy.

After Kiro drops me off under the eaves, he turns around and rushes into the heavy rain, heading straight for the wooden ladder by the wall.

MC: Kiro!

Kiro: You go in first!

The rain makes his voice intermittent, and it appears as though he is searching for something in the yard.

I hurry back to the house, finding an oil-paper umbrella in the corner. I open it and rush into the rain, only to find that figure already deep in the peach forest.

Kiro sets up a wooden ladder and steps up, then hangs the large bundle of fishing nets in his hand on the top of the tree.

The world is covered in white, and the unopened flower buds sway in the wind and rain. I quickly run to his side and hold the umbrella towards him.

He is entirely soaked through. Even his usually curly hair is soaked by the weight of the rain and sticks to his forehead somewhat messily.

However, those eyes are still bright.

Kiro: Why did you come here?

MC: I'm here to hold the umbrella for you, of course! I wanted to find two raincoats, but all I could find was this...

He is stunned for a moment, looking at me as I almost get soaked, and laughs.

Kiro: Such heavy rain can't be stopped. You should go back quickly...

MC: Who said that? I will block as much as I can. Isn't that why you came back to save the peach blossoms?

I reach out and wipe the rain off his face and laugh.

MC: Plus, I don't want the yard to be bare on my wedding day.

MC: I... also need to take photos and post them on Moments.

His eyes flicker, and he gives me some of the fishing net in his hand.

Kiro: That’s right, happy occasions should be lively and festive.

Kiro: Let's hang it up together, and then find some cloth to cover the net, it'll be safer that way.

MC: Sure! But where did these fishing nets come from?

Kiro: Found it in the yard. Ruyi Town is built facing the lake, so every household has one.

Kiro: Seems like you aren't familiar enough with our residence. I'll have to punish you by asking you to explore it a few more times.

The whole world is dyed in a fog by the heavy rain, but that dazzling color can never be washed away.

-

The crude awning is quickly put up, but even until dark, the world is still submerged in heavy rain, and even time seems to have slowed down.

??: Sorry, due to heavy rain, some of the props for the One Hundred Marriages event were damaged, so the event has been temporarily postponed.

A few drops of rain splash over me. I hang up the phone and sit down side by side with Kiro in front of the window. We both sigh.

MC: Not only can we not go out, but even the most anticipated event has been cancelled....

Finding it a little hard to accept, I look up at the dark sky with a glimmer of hope.

MC: God who controls all weather conditions, please be merciful and make the rain stop.

Listening to me mumble, Kiro beside me starts to chuckle.

Kiro: If you speak so quietly, the gods won't hear you.

MC: But it's late, and shouting loudly might disturb the neighbors nearby.

Kiro: Silly Miss Chips, who said that prayers can only be made with words? We can also bribe them with delicious food.

As he says this, he stands up and runs out of the room. When he comes back, he is holding a bunch of apples, bananas, various candies and potato chips in his arms.

After a short while, he arranges them neatly and sits down with his hands clasped together.

Kiro: Hello everyone, I am Kiro.

Kiro: I was going to marry Miss Miss Chips soon, but this rain has turned me into a wife-waiting statue...

Kiro: Of course, I know that as long as two people love each other, time and weather don't matter.

Kiro: But I still want to welcome the sunny day with her, want the peach blossoms to bloom, and want everything to be just right.

Kiro: That way I can see her smile without any regrets on the wedding day and hear her say "I do".

My heart suddenly softens, and I can't help but follow his lead and put my hands together.

MC: I am the same, I want my beloved Kiro to be the happiest groom in the world.

MC: If you think we are too greedy... just stop the rain first, and we will do the rest ourselves~

Upon my words, he turns his head and widens his eyes.

Kiro: Wait, why are you bargaining with yourself first? Withdraw, withdraw—

Kiro: Oh Gods, please follow my wishes~

Kiro: I know I'm greedy, but for her, I want to try every method.

Amid the deafening rain, his voice grows softer and softer, yet is filled with piety and longing.

I look at him for a long time, overcome with a sense of peace.

It doesn’t matter if the gods can’t hear me; the dark clouds in my heart have already been blown away by him.

-

Without warning, my eyes suddenly open in the middle of the night.

The reflection of the moonlight sways slightly, and I turn over and bury myself into Kiro's arms. After he subconsciously tightens his arms, I close my eyes in satisfaction.

But for some reason, sleep suddenly evades me.

MC: ..........

I listlessly open my eyes, and my gaze unconsciously falls on the person in front of me.

His freshly washed hair is fluffy and soft, a complete contrast to the messy "wet pup" he was in the afternoon.

I can't help but reach out and stroke it, then trace it all the way, letting my fingers wander between the arch of his eyebrows, the bridge of his nose and his lips.

Just as I raise the corners of my lips, a voice suddenly flashes through my mind.

??: How can someone with blonde hair wear traditional chinese clothes...

I frown and shake my head, trying to get rid of the fading episode from my mind.

But for some reason, I can't seem to get rid of it.

It was like a single wooden thorn pierced itself into my skin, existing silently and sinking deeper and deeper.

Once things settle down, that little bit of pain will spread throughout my body with the beating of my heart, attacking me again and again.

It certainly doesn't cause any substantial harm or pain, but it takes root in my mind and I am unable get rid of it.

MC: ..........

I take a deep breath, kiss the person in front of me, and get up from the bed. I take out the laptop Kiro brought, and sit myself at the table.

As expected... I still can't let go of this matter.

I press the power button and create a spreadsheet. I plan to collect evidence and accuse all those rumors and malicious intentions.

The moment I click on the browser search box, the world around me suddenly seems to darken.

On the blank screen in front of me, a long and dense row of historical search records pop up.

"Kiro"; "Kiro's parents"; "Little Sodas"; "Mixed-blood"; "Kiro's acting skills".

MC: .....!

The rain outside the window gets heavier and heavier, pounding against my heart with sorrow.

Turns out that he has always cared... Hiding it all with a smile.

I purse my lips, walk over to him and gently sit down.

The moonlight shines quietly on Kiro, and he sleeps peacefully, as if none of the troubles in the world can get to him.

MC: Why... didn't you tell me?

Obviously there is a "thorn" hidden in your heart that cannot be ignored as well.

I stare at the person in front of me for a long time, and finally, with helplessness and distress, I poke his cheek with my fingertips.

MC: Kiro....

MC: You're such a big idiot.

——*:･ﾟ✧——*:･ﾟ✧——

Next: Part 2

[unrestrained-balderdash-art-blog]

Going on a Riddler fanart break

I'm having a break from posting Riddler fanart to Tumblr. The backlog will still be posted on Cara and Instagram (both @ tbalderdash), and if the break is long enough for it to catch up I will post things made during the break on there before Tumblr. I will still be posting bird art here. I will still post fanart for other fandoms here if I make any (I am currently undecided about non-Riddler DC). The break will be for at least a month. I will probably come back when the OCD medication has kicked in for a bit. Thank you for all of the support on the last post. I don't want to take a break, but I have to for my mental health.

"Organised" ramble about reasoning (this is heavily influenced by neurodivergence/mental illness and I am not trying to sound like an entitled/ungrateful twat. I don't want to guilt trip anyone, please don't feel guilty):

The Timezone Curse: Tumblr has a reverse-chronological dashboard. I am British. I live earlier than the majority of the userbase. I have no idea what time to post things so they don't get buried. Recently I've tried to stop waiting for the exact right minute to post things, as it doesn't stop them from flopping.

Likes vs Reblogs, (and OCD?): I will preface this and say: a lot of this is my brain's fault. Since Likes don't do anything to spread things, my brain gets upset when things keep getting Liked without Reblogged. Unless it is from a bird fan on the fanart, better artist, or irl friend, Likes mean nothing to me. I know this is silly and irrational, but I can't help it and this is the main reason why my brain is suffering posting fanart. I hope medication will fix my feelings. Additionally, OCD brain keeps trying to find a reason: Am I dislikable? Is my art bad? Does it have no appeal? Is it aphobia? Did I do something cancellable without knowing and now everyone hates me? I (think I) know the answer is people just don't use this website that way, but my brain is never sure. This is why I don't have the problem on the other websites, every like helps the algorithm and actually means something in my brain

The combination of the Timezone Curse and lack of reblogs means my art often gets barely any reach (or reach my brain deems meaningful). I desperately want to feel like part of the Riddler fandom community. Unfortunately, due to Tumblr making me suffer (overwhelmed by compulsive need to scroll entire dash, repulsed aroace, and simple posts being able to make me ruminate unpleasantly for a long time) I find it very hard to follow new blogs or connect with people on this site. I love birds, but I need Riddler interaction. I can't look at much fandom on other sites, as they have barely any/no tag filtering, which means I will suffer if I look for him.

Why it's just fanart and not birds affected by this: I started off as a fanartist with no expectation to get big with birds, so I had a que sera sera attitude and I post them whenever they're ready, I didn't expect to get big. I am more fulfilled when it comes to the bird interest (more community interaction + every day can have different birds out there + people in my real life are interested in birds). Additionally, the bird art spreads a lot more (due to bird blogs reblogging). Bird art is my "job" art (it is where I plan to make money from) whereas Riddler is where my passion lies the most (I still love the birds but I have many other ways of interacting with them without needing art). This means I get more emotionally invested in the Riddler art than the bird art

Is art becoming a compulsion? This applies to the birds as well, but since they're "job art" it doesn't matter too much. I keep being worried about not posting enough Riddler art, and feelings of social media sometimes overshadow the joy of creating - I keep thinking about posting, rather than doing. I get too anxious to make art that is "unpostable" (eg: self-insert and him hugging), especially due to the fact I'm trying to get more professional. I feel like there's more I want to expand on this but it's been too long and I'm tired. This break might help me do more high-quality art instead of having to churn it out out of fear of everyone forgetting me.

Sorry for all the text. I don't know if I've explained everything very well but it's been an hour and usually if I post something after 8 it fails, which I don't usually want to worry about but it's a bit important for an announcement like this

[thoughtsfromlayla]

The allegations are BS. THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE between saying “believe all women” and “the facts don’t matter, the allegation is the proof”. In this case, the sources and information are insanely vague and lack any sort of information that would constitute a true “allegation”. PEOPLE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO INFORMATION BUT HAVE ALREADY DECIDED HE IS GUILTY. People don’t even know what he’s actually accused of anymore because the story has been fabricated and spun so heavily already. I see some saying “he sexually assaulted an actress” or “he assaulted his 20 year old nanny” or “he slept with his 20 year old nanny consensually but it’s still wrong because he’s famous” like WHAT?!? Those are all very different allegations, and not a single one of them have a true source or piece of verifiable information (could be YET or could be NOT AT ALL). Every “source” is just someone saying “I saw some other person say it”. It’s like a bad game of Telephone. It’s not real. Too many people nowadays can just say someone did something to them and people will take it and run with it without fact checking or researching a thing. There are no real, credible sources and absolutely ZERO verifiable pieces of evidence to even remotely prove that it’s true. Crazy that all it takes is for a person to say something online or in a podcast that’s completely made up and BAM- it’s everywhere and they have successfully ruined someones life and career while boosting their own platforms for a quick viral moment. Fame is a hell of a drug. People will do or say anything to have their moment and no one stops to ask “WHY would this person say this? WHY would this person want this particular fanbase to be involved? Why now? WHY would they reveal this allegation in such a silly and fake-sounding way that any lawyer or attorney would completely advise against until actual investigations have been conducted?” People will believe anything they read nowadays. Such a shame. And when the allegations are proven to be as fake and staged for a viral moment as they sound, I hope every person that so easily believed the lies and turned their backs without a shred of information or common sense feels ashamed of themselves. Social media has truly rotted peoples brains 🫠

What’s crazy is- whether Neil is guilty or completely innocent, his reputation and career are ruined. No information, no factual sources, no investigation info, and everyone has still already decided to stone him. The Sandman will likely be boycotted, Dead Boy Detectives will never see a second season, the Sandman fandom will fizzle (you already said that even you intend to be part of ending it on here). He is more than likely innocent and it won’t matter because people have already decided his fate. Sad as hell.

I would rather support the victims and be wrong and apologize than be silent about something like this. I will never feel ashamed for standing up for what I believe is right. Neither will I feel ashamed for learning that I was wrong and being taught better.

I said in my original post (which I'm assuming is what made you send in this in the first place) that I understand that the situation is very complex - that the information regarding both parties and the publishing company that made the story made the allegations unclear.

I've also said that I am still a Sandman fan, just that I will not support Neil Gaiman any longer. Which, wouldn't be all that difficult for me as I didn't even know his name until I watched the Netflix adaption of The Sandman. It took me another year to even bother looking him up and learning that he was also the author of other popular works that I enjoyed.

My love for The Sandman and the fandom is not tied in with Neil Gaiman. I love the actors and workers that made the show possible, too. I love the people who create art and write fanfics, that I've met because I decided to share my love for the fandom as well.

I also never said that I would stop posting my Sandman fanfics on here, just that I believe it would be best to refrain from doing do now given the circumstances. I believe myself to be a small and (relatively) new blog and one blog in the humongous fandom that is The Sandman. So even if I did decide to quit, I doubt would cause the fandom to fizzle.

At the end of the day, we don't know what kind of person Neil Gaiman is because he's just another person on the internet. You don't even know the kind of person I am and how and why I would take my stand the way that I do. If you want to defend Neil Gaiman and whether or not he is guilty or not is completely up to you.

If you don't agree with me, that's fine, but do not come onto my blog and tell me or other people how they should feel about the situation or shame them for being hurt by the information, too.

Layla

[katapotato55]

my theory as to why doomers exist (and how to break that mentality to be a better writer)

yesterday my sibling texted me "hey can you list me what major historical events you experienced in life for an assignment? " of course I listed the big ones like COVID and other depressing shit I went through in my life but most of the ones i listed were not super depressing. here are some of them: -the rise of steve jobs and the popularity of modern OS -the rise of smartphones -new technology completely changing the world that I thought I would never see in my lifetime, like VR and self driving cars. -massive cultural impacts such as spongebob being created affecting pop culture -the start of facebook and modern social media -pluto being declared not a planet yknow stuff on the top of my head that I thought would be interesting to write about.

then my sibling came home to tell me that most of what I sent was not helpful at all and that they meant "world events" And i asked "how the hell is the invention of the smart phone and the beginning of modern social media not considered "world events" by these standards" they said "idk just not that"

I think what they meant to say was "my teacher only wants the really depressing miserable shit the media thinks is headline worthy"

You know, I think this is why my generation is full of so many doomers. God forbid we have a positive outlook on this world and try and look at the bright side of things. god forbid we try to be optimistic for both the future and our current lives. we seem to have this thin veil of maturity that depressing=mature somehow. That the only way to make anything of nuance is to basically spam "look how shit everything is! look how enlightened I am" like you are Steve cutts.

well you know what ?

I hate art like the stuff steve cutts makes, and I hate this redundant "look how shit the world is" mentality

I plan on making an analysis post later on about Mr. Cutts, but for now let's stay on point this mentality is redundant and helps no one. yes. we do need to be aware of the bad parts of life. But being a pathetic miserable sod and ignoring the upsides is just as immature and childish as an aggressive optimist thinking the world is all sunshine and rainbows. you know why I like undertale so much ? Undertale knows when to be optimistic and has a mature take on a happy ending. Undertale ALLOWS itself to be happy. enough with the rick and morty level of writing where everything sucks and "fuck you in particular for being hopeful" only edgy 14 year olds think being depressing is the same as being mature. Maturity is understanding that there is nuance to everything and understanding that things are what they are. Do you want to be a good writer ? stop overly relying on being a sad doomer. Even the darkest writers in history like Edgar Allen Poe knew how to lighten the fuck up, because you need to understand the positives in life to effectively create dark writing.

thank you for reading this ironically negative rant, I plan to expand more on the subject later on.

EDIT

ngl i was honestly scared this post would open me up to harassment. I was genuinely terrified of attracting the psycho political crowd that treats politics like religious doctrine. first of all, shout out to this person:

I feel like this would be the perfect opportunity to talk about my struggle with depression as an artist and the stereotype behind it. the stereotype is that only the best artists are emotionally tortured people constantly struggling in agony and putting that into their art. now as someone who has been battling depression for 10 years let me tell you: that mentality is a load of horse shit. the greatest artists in history such as Van Gogh were not great artists because they were depressed they were great artists because they had a combination of passion and unique life experience. It just so happens that depression is a unique life experience to go through. being depressed does not make you deep, it just makes you feel empty and possibly sad depending on what flavor of depression you have. all the great stories about depression are not great because its about depression, but because its about the writers personal experiences and the love and hard work that went into making it. if Van gogh got treatment for his mental health issues, he would have still created art. Yes he created art as his job, but he also did it because he loved it and put his personal feelings and passion into his work. the biggest reason why I detest Steve Cutts is because there is no passion nor personal experience in his work. yes he is talented but most of his animations are just regurgitating all the bad things he could think of and nothing personal is going into it. (again I plan on making an analysis post about steve cutts sooner or later) What makes the art of Van Gogh deep and Steve Cutts as deep as a dry puddle is the fact that you can tell who put their own soul and personality into their work. heed my warning new artists and writers depression =/= deep all depression does is cripple you. Seek out life experience to be the best artist you can be.

[ruelin024]

What does the neutral mean?

Heyo Anon, this is not specifically targeted at you, okie╰(*°▽°*)╯

I will answer you and others for this post. 👌

[Neutral shipper: Typically refers to someone who does not want to participate in proship versus antiship discourse. Can be considered 'proship' by default to some.]

Quoted off from This Carrd -> SHIPPING GLOSSARY

Now, this is for all the other anonymous in my inbox that keep asking me "what I am", "who I am part of", and "why I call myself Neutral."

I deleted those asks since; I will be answering y'all questions here.

First off, it felt funny/weird being asked "What am I?" Like lmao. I'm just Rue/Ruth, I draw :3 I like Undertale, I'm tryna learn how to socialize better and improve my art, so wassup.✨o(*^▽^*)┛

This post is meant for those who are open-minded and respectful plz and thank you. (^^ゞ)

Long Wordy Personal Post Below

(CW/TW regarding ships, I curse a bit sorry)

None of this is meant to offend nor dismiss anyone’s opinion, experiences, or feelings. Understand, this is just my rambling and thoughts. I'm also not calling out anyone! AND PLZ do not harass anyone from the links.

Some of my quick research:

-> SHIPPING GLOSSARY -> so what does ‘ship-neutral’ actually mean? -> 👑yorse backyorse friends the backyorsigans🐝 — Sad how "proship is the neutral side" is kind of... -> Proship, at it's very core, is a combination of four general principles-- -> Proship is, at the very core, very simple! -> Curating your online and fandom experience includes: -> They have links about "Fiction and Reality" -> Other short discussion on Proship

I am usually not one for drama or negative vibes, but it would be nice if I can stop getting asks pertaining to proshipping and anti-shippers.

And the fact I'm okay and Welcoming to ALL is really because I am Neutral, my personal thought process has always been, "I do not wish to bother nor be bothered."

I am told/warned by very close peers, I am quite desensitized or apathetic to things, but it's due to some personal trauma I will not discuss publicly for my safety. It's one of the reasons I don't care to bother with troublesome things. Dw I'm working on it and healing.

This means "this" will be the first and only big important post I make regarding this topic.

And if I happen to be a bother, plz tell me or do block, and unfollow me okay, for your sake. ╯︿╰

I do not have a dni for many reasons. Though the main bare minimum I shouldn't even ask of anyone is to just be nice, respectful, kind and open-minded. I will not tolerate harassment, insults, or threats around me or for those around me.

Anyway, the Proshipper and Antishipper community arguments are bothersome but is quite an entertaining read.

We all have our own opinions, thoughts, view etc, if you actually don't like something, then just stay far far away from what you find/consider problematic. And you'll see life is so much calmer.

I for one am living as satisfied as I can.

I am a simple person. I just like art and doing/making what I like such as exploring Undertale content, creating fanart for friends, conversing about OCs and AUs, participating in DTIYS, all that fun exciting stuff! I get to know others; I get to draw more and improve on myself! Win-win! ♪(^∇^*)

Tumblr is my first ever social media when I turned 18, literally 2023, last year. I anxiously decided when I became an adult, I can finally do instagram, discord, tumblr, etc, to share my art because I am usually a nervous wreck both irl & online.

Yeah, internet still paranoids me, but I'm getting though it cause school requires me to. *sigh*

(Uh. to my friends, reading this, that I've bothered multiple times to help me use sites and my phone/computer, 😭 you cool, also sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry) My bad. 👌Y'all patience is immaculate.

So, I for one am not knowledgeable about, well, "the internet" as others may be at my age. I never knew the art community had more issues other an ai, art theft, and tracing, like whoa.

So lemme tell you something, when I was recently first confronted about if I was a proshipper, I went to research, and there's not a way I can word this nicely, but "I do not care what other people think, like, do or say" especially on the internet, unless it's being shoved down my throat forcibly, but you know what, no one can exactly do that online, since I and everyone else has the power to block, unfollow and curate their own internet experience respectfully.

And if you can't, I insist you take care/be kind to yourself and chill off your device OR learn how to block certain people, content labels and tags, etc y'know.

And a dni list might sometimes not be read, personal experience:

I happened to accidentally disrespect a friend's dni list because at the time I didn't know I was a person that had opinions that were against what their thoughts/views were and didn't know/realize that they had an issue with "Fiction doesn't affect reality." Purely accidental, they were one of the first asks and friends I made, so I followed without reading their blog thoroughly cause I was just happy to make more Undertale friends. And didn't know if I should randomly disappear from them, up until they confronted me about it. Anyway, I think that issue was solved, hopefully.

Now I have friends who were proshippers, friends that are nice antis, friends in-between and friends that are neutral like me. And those I still consider Friends who have blocked and unfollowed me.

Along with some who didn't wish to hear me out and decided to make their vile assumptions of me, and others who were kind and open enough to listen to my own words and remain a dear friend.

Being Neutral to me is not having a strong enough opinion for or against. Cause not all proshippers are badshit mental, not all anti-shippers are death threatening fancop messengers, and not all neutrals are hypocritical.

Something around those lines. Btw, I enjoy platonic ships for the most part, also consent and boundaries is highly important in my book. I do not support sick shit and know just because someone is associated with people who draw that, doesn't mean they support it, I for one know my reality and know where fiction stays fiction. That's my opinion and thoughts. If you can't differentiate and you let something like fiction rule your life in a bad way, I hope you work on yourself more and be kind to yourself. 😔 I had a moment of struggle like that after going through certain experiences, until I learned and disciplined myself to not give a flying fuck anymore. Cause I found it to be very draining and stupid to keep dwelling on it. Now I don't get triggered easily for my well-being! Inner Peace type shit! 👈(ﾟヮﾟ👈)

Also, regarding the frans question cause of the ask about the "Sooner or Later You're Gonna Be Mine" post I made a few days earlier. Uh yeah, as long as characters are being depicted as adults, it also applies to aging up a child canon character, then it's fine, both are depicted as adults. That's their view, their drawing, their writing, their thoughts. And I will respect them for depicting their ship as adults if that's what it is.

In my opinion, I'm just glad they didn't do child x adult stuff in the frans ship in their fanfic. And even if they did, I'd cringe then just scroll off far far away and not bother with it anymore for my mental. OR I can just easily, replace the characters I'm reading on, with my own characters. I wouldn't spread hate nor harass anyone over it for being problematic. Cause I don't wanna bother, they probably get enough shit from others anyway, cause many types of people exist whether we like it or not.

I had someone tell me in a discussion once, where in their Undertale AU and drawings, their Frisk was an adult, and just know there's people out in the world that have a version of Frisk that ages with them, and is their specified identity despite canon Frisk being a nonbinary human, and that's their choice, not my business fr. Also, another talk with a friend, was that it was weird you'd still see an aged-up Frisk as a child, I dunno if this makes sense, but you view them as a child, despite them being drawn as an adult as depicted in certain frans drawings, that's odd, I guess and it was funny they told me, and I summarize quote them, "That means adults can't have romance(seggs)! We are basically aged-up children!" -So anyway, either you're protective of canon frisk and you simply can't see them in other's people's respective view or you just something else I dunno.

When I see a ship, I don't like, my way to view it is just replacing the characters in my head and scrolling off, simple. Well simple for me. I'm not sure about y'all? I'm in my head a lot, so I have a lot of imaginative power up there lol.

And my favorite color blue and green-ish blue. (✿◡‿◡)

Hopefully, I answered most of the asks. IF anyone needs some clarification, just be open minded and do you own research, go explore, don't just listen to close friends' opinions, have fun and discover your own opinions. That's how I gain my own perspective on many Undertale ships deemed common/problematic and being a Neutral. Understand, definitions are skewed overtime, find more than one source, learn from others, and then decide your own views.

This whole thing ain't mean to change your views or anything.

I'm not sure if I missed anything. I don't wanna proofread this again. This was tiresome to make. ╯︿╰ If I worded something wrong, comment it or something I will try to clear it up later perhaps.

I apologize to those who's view of me changed due to this post. Really sorry.

In conclusion, you do you, I do me, peace. (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

[isiscelestia]

These are my predictions and advice for the Saturn in Pisces transit. This is my first time posting a transit interpretation for each rising sign, so please be nice! I hope you all enjoy❤️

SATURN IN PISCES

- Aries rising (Pisces 12H): Lucky for you, Saturn enjoys being in the 12th house. Prepare to go on some deep self discovery. Saturn in Pisces will be helping you with introspection into the dark, unseen parts of yourself. Think about the parts of yourself that you keep hidden from the rest of the world. I recommend doing shadow work during this transit because you need to do some soul searching. Find out what you love and hate about yourself and your past. Learn to embrace not just what you like about yourself, but all aspects of you. This is a wake up call, a new journey is about to embark and a different (a more mature you) is coming out on the other end. Your subconscious wants structure, improvement, an overall better you mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Be careful with substances, drinking, or other things you could be addicted to (food, social media, etc).

- Taurus rising (Pisces 11H): You are beginning to reevaluate your role/position in your friend groups and community. Take the opportunity to strengthen your boundaries with people. Who around you is beneficial and who isn’t? Who enables you? Who adds structure to your life and who adds confusion? These are some questions you may be asking yourself. Don’t be afraid to retreat or go into hermit mode to really decipher who you call your friend and your community. Your relationship with the internet (social media perhaps) will also be causing some strife. Learn how to limit your time on social media and do not let it distract you. It is time for you to learn how to stop letting your habit/obsession with social media be the blockade for your goals and manifestations. Take the time and put in the work into your aspirations! Don’t feed into peer pressure, learn how to add structure into your social life, and remember to stay on top of the work you need to do to accomplish your goals.

- Gemini rising (Pisces 10H). I don’t know if you know it or not, but people will be having their eyes on you! I need this group to push their creative image. Whether you do music, art, write, or others, this is a great opportunity to showcase this side of you to the world. Even if it’s not creativity, it could be your emotions, your dreams, or even your interest in the occult. What you decide to show about yourself is becoming your reality. Prepare to add some discipline in your life, this is the push you need. Be careful with getting side tracked from your goals and remember to stick to your plans, but remember to not go overboard. Remember that other aspects of your life need focus too, not just your career and image.

- Cancer rising (Pisces 9H): Are ready to embark on a deeper spiritual journey! This transit is about to have you asking the right questions about your faith, what do you believe? If you are in school you may be questioning why you’re there, or you may start getting impatient about going to the next level after school. My advice is to not rush anything, you need to dot your i’s and cross your t’s. This transit is great for introspection into religion, spirituality, and philosophy. Thinking critically is a big theme during this transit, but be sure to use discernment. Stay away from the fakes and the zealots! Also stay away from the “holier than thou” people and don’t develop that rhetoric either!

- Leo rising (Pisces 8H): Be ready to start building financial wealth and fortune! It will not be an easy feat and you will have to stay on top of what you need to do for material gain. This transit will also help you connect in a deeper sense; just know that secrets will be revealed. You are about to go through some transformation and inner growth, especially when it comes to being comfortable with your shadow self. Make sure that you are careful around bodies of water, especially the ocean. Learn how to trust your intuition, especially if you are putting more work into your spiritual journey and practices.

- Virgo Rising (Pisces 7H): I see someone is about to be reevaluating their personal relationships. I want you all to be upping your standards in this department because the people in your life are about to show you who they really are, and no this is not just about romantic relationships! Even thought it can be about a romantic relationship, your relationships in general are about to change. Stay away from friends and partners who are not clearly communicating with you, and if their intentions with you are not clear then maybe you need to reevaluate that relationship. Things could get mucky here because you may experience your boundaries being crossed or you could have trouble with discernment in your relationships. My best advice is to trust your gut on this, and take off the rose-colored glasses. This is the time for you to try and see who people really are because if you don’t it could turn into a situation where you will be dragged down with them.

- Libra rising (Pisces 6H): Take extra care of your bodies! What you put into your body is important and how you treat your body is important. You may be noticing that certain foods/substances not going well with you, or you may even be thinking about trying new things for your health. Physical wellness is taking a forefront in your life. If you are working, your job will be testing your patience and I say that this is a good thing you should experience. If you don’t learn patience in the workplace/patience when working with others during this transit you will crash and burn. Add structure into your daily routine because this transit will be teaching you about responsibility. As long as you stay vigilant and patient, in the end you will come out victorious. Be sure to take care of your immune system during this time and beware of foot injuries.

- Scorpio rising (Pisces 5H):During this transit you have to learn how to limit how much you are partaking in your pleasures. Overconsumption could be an issue during this time because we all need to learn that too much of a good thing could be a bad thing! Being spontaneous will not come easy but my solution to this is being open to things you weren’t open to before. Please don’t over analyze your productivity because it will affect your self expression and creativity. Right now you should be working on creating an environment and a lifestyle that truly reflects you. You may be attracting older romantic partners or your love life may feel slow/inactive, but be sure not to rush any connection. Stay away from people who hinder your self expression and people who refuse to see you for who you truly are.

- Sagittarius rising (Pisces 4H): What truly makes you feel secure? What makes you comfortable? To answer these questions you need to look back at your roots. You will be going through some life-altering changes when you do look deep into your family history. All of you won’t be moving but you will feel the need to reorganize your space for your own comfort. If you are moving or reorganizing your space, be sure that you are prepared to take on that responsibility. In this capitalistic world, your home should be where you feel safe. If you don’t feel comfortable or relaxed in your own home, then how can you get adequate rest? Also, building your safe haven won’t be done in a day or a week. Just know that it will take time, but be sure to put in good effort.

- Capricorn rising (Pisces 3H): The way you think and the way you speak is going to change for the better. Move away from close/mindedness and learn how to do some real introspection. This is not the time to only think at a surface level because it is not fulfilling and it’s hindering your growth. Work on being able to communicate clearly and openly. During this time you may be getting a lot of brain fog or feel like your brain is being overactive. Learn how to not overthink and jump to conclusions because the things you see and hear may not be the way they are. This is why I said earlier that you need to learn introspection and think outside of your usual viewpoint.

- Aquarius rising (Pisces 2H): This transit is going to be all about finances, material, and self-worth. I think this group should learn to not associate their self-worth with the material they have. I think this group is going to learn how detrimental it is to put all their time and effort into financial and material growth only. Yes adding structure to your life and being responsible (this means not being frivolous) should be helpful to your pockets, but this should not be where all your validation is coming from. Your finances should not be the only thing you’re putting all your effort in. Sit and think about why your self worth comes from material and unpack that. Beware of people in your life who are using you for material because they are not presenting themselves that way on the outside.

- Pisces rising (Pisces 1H): The rose-colored glasses are coming off and you will truly see yourself for what/who you really are. Do you like yourself? Do you like what you’re becoming? Take your time when you are deciphering what changes you want to make to yourself and your appearance. You may even begin to be self conscious but in the end you should learn how not to be so self critical and superficial. Let go of what you think you should be/look, and focus on what makes you feel good. During this time you should be working on erasing the illusions that you have because it is not beneficial for you, and in the end you will be coming out a new you! Beware of being delusional and not being real with yourself. Inconsistency in your life should not be tolerated at this time either, people who love themselves are consistent!

[vaninakan]

Late night thoughts vol. 1

It's 4 am and I cannot sleep so I'm just gonna splooge some random thoughts that I have (some positive, some negative, and some that's probably just nonsense.)

Uhh, I like to get negatives out of the way first so I guess I can start with that.

- Does anyone else miss when art/animation communities felt more niche but open? I'm particularily talking about the animation meme community here cause that's a community I've more or less lurked in for a long time. I remember a time when there was the big three of animation memes a lot of people and myself were inspired by. It feels silly to say that what got me into art were a bunch of independent artists animating anime cats fighting eachother, but that's exactly what happened. I loved these creators (still do) and I looked forward to seeing what else these creators had to offer. As time went on, more creators came in the fray with a lot of cool talent and craftmanship and it was honestly very cool seeing what everyone had to offer. That's something I loved most about AMC, that so many were able to feel free to create whatever they wanted and how wonderful it paid off to see that creativity put into so many special masterpieces of independent art and animation, and that's something I'll always admire. So it breaks my heart to see what the AMC has became. Don't get me wrong, there's still a ton of great artists out there and y'all are fantastic, but I cannot help but feel like the environment in that community especially had gotten a lot more vile than what it started off as. To be fair, that's pretty much any community these days, I'm well aware of that. But I have never seen so much drama, so much infighting, and so much people being deplorable to eachother in my life that it's honestly sickening! I've always wanted to make my own animation memes and I still do, I have a TON of ideas I'd love to get to eventually, but if I ever decide to post them, don't expect me to engage much with the rest of the community. IMO, the best communities you can have are the small close ones you have with your best pals.

- For the past few years, I've been distancing myself from big social media branches and fandoms because of how toxic the environments can be for some of these spaces especially, and it's honestly helped a lot with my mental health (Deleting my Twitter and moving here has honestly been one of the best things I've done last year). It's partially why I've stopped posting so frequently, because really the only people I truly care about pleasing are me and all my close friend groups and found families I've built. I don't really care about statistics and platform building, if people like my stuff, then that's cool. I can look at a post I made with bigger numbers than usual and go "huh, that's pretty neat" and then move on talking about a crossover AU I've been cooking up with my boyfriend. That's not to say I don't appreciate my followers or people who like my content, I do. But know that what I make isn't catered to what'll get me the most attention, it's what'll make me and my family happy. And if people like that, then that's cool. Maybe every now and then I'll ask my followers what they'd like to see, maybe a fanart raffle or sketch request event, I think that'd be nice. But for the most part, this page is very, and I mean VERY self indulgent.

- Uhh I've been doing okay for the most part, personal issues I don't wanna get to aside. I've mainly been working on plushies, commissions and other self indulgent projects. I mentioned before that I got into the latest Cookie Run game, and that's pretty cool. I've mostly focused on making art for that and mine and my boyfriend's OC/AU projects. I'll post more about it when I get there, but for now uhh... gay people.

You'll learn who these guys are soon enough, for now you'll only get name drops

The big gruff fellow is a lava rock golem named Vulcan and the pretty boy is named Jack Frosting.

- And I think that's mostly it for tonight? This post took me a full hour to write so it's actually 5 now as I'm finishing up oops..

My sleep schedule's fucked.

Uhh any final words before I pass out? Hmm..

Gender dysphoria sucks okay BYYYEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

[julymarte]

remember that server that warned me and deleted my posts cause i was underselling and stuff?

MIND YOU I AGREE THAT UNDERPRICING IT'S HARMFUL TO THE BIGGER PICTURE BUT THIS IS NOT ABOUT THAT today i tried to apply to their art seller role (that was removed from me back then) and i found it so....detached??? let me elaborate to apply for that role you need to send a form where you show your listings and send proof of payment for at least one of your commissions and provide said commission to certify you are not a scammer , i was already feeling a bit uncomfortable sharing payment informations even if i had nothing to hide and the client's data would have been censored like....bruh but still...i was unsure if the kofi order documentation was enough or if they wanted the screenshot from paypal with al the other data of the transaction(cause that's what they normally request people to submit) so i asked about that but i unfortunately had happened to send my material in the incorrect way so when i got the response from a mod via an automated bot reply not answering my question i was confused so i went to the chat and asked if i could talk to a human and they said oh just write to the bot and???? so i just remade the form asking the question inside the form again...seems like i got in but everything was super cold like i'm totally in for formal things, i am fine with professionality but that felt...like... the whole server is operated by the bot system...i understand that it's a big server but... right the other day i was talking with a couple of friends how the art community is freezing.... it's not just about the advent of AI but also about the fact that people have stopped interacting with art as something another person made but as if they are consuming a product and no one is on the other side that server is about selling a product. tou have to lower your prices cause you are struggling? i don't care raise them cause you are ruining the market, you have a problem? ask the bot or other social medias completely ruled by algorithms?? people stopped interacting with art as they used to just a few years ago, there are less comments less human interaction people leave a like and leave, i'm on several servers and only in few of them people actually have a positive interaction among eachother, i've been trying to make conversations or ask for ideas in my own server too but the more impersonal something is the more willing people are to take part like several people voted for a poll that could have been left unanswered if it was just a simple question... it's so depressing and alienation tbh... and part of the reason why my creativity is dying everything has become a product, you have to think about your audience, you have to think about the time you post, the format, you have to create a package ready to be consumed just to hope to be seen by someone that will say something to you....mind you i'm an introvert with social anxiety i don't like talking to people it stresses me out but i'm a human being and being social creatures is in our nature... idk i'm just rambling at this point but eh.... sad....

[mercurytrinemoon]

So this is a ✨masterlist✨

⭐️ READINGS AND E-BOOKS ⭐️ INSTAGRAM ⭐ MY KO-FI ACCOUNT ⭐ REQUEST A TOPIC ⭐ SYNASTRY READINGS ⭐

🪐 ASTROLOGY BASICS 🪐

House meanings in astrology part I

House meanings in astrology part II

Simple & quick astro tips that people don’t talk about often

Me debunking astrology generalizations and misconceptions or smth idk…

On houses, house rulerships & how ya’ll should stop associating them with signs + a rant on the meaning of the 8th house

Astro basics: electional astrology

On synastry and how to approach it

Explaining exaltations

A lil guide to why you're not identifying with your natal chart

Chart rectification tips

On house systems and my reasoning behind using whole sign house system

💫 FUN STUFF 💫

Trying to describe each sign’s appearance but just complimenting them instead…

If you want to look into your chart to see your commited partner/marriage

Electional astrology: social media charts pt 1

Electional astrology: social media charts pt 2

The art of guessing rising signs

Something on annual profections and how they’re bomb af

🌙 SIGNS & PLANETS 🌙

Another post on Moon signs you can drag me for

Signs and their creative talents

Keywords for overall energies of the signs

Random thoughts on Moon signs and why Aries Moon is annoying to have

Natal Saturn in the houses

Saturn in Aquarius culture

Saturn Return how-to

A fresh perspective on the lunar nodes

Different look at sign triplicities part 1: air signs

Different look at sign triplicities part 2: fire signs

Let's talk about sex, Venus and Mars

🌘 OTHER STUFF 🌘

Titanic, the Titan sub, James Cameron and how they're all connected

Jean-François Champollion: the guy who cracked the Egyptian hierogliphs

Neurodivergence in the birth chart and the issue of "aspects that indicate xyz"

My very VERY impromptu Trump-Kamala thoughts

🌞 CELEBRITY CHARTS 🌞

random observations: celebrity edition

random observations: celebrity edition part 2

Random observations: (Gemini-coded) celebrity edition part 3

Aries risings and eclipses: comebacks and rebrands

The Grammys 2024 aka it's Sagi season: a recap

Katy Perry-John Mayer synastry chart anlaysis

Halsey's natal chart analysis

Billie Eilish's natal chart analysis

Britney Spears-Justin Timberlake synastry chart analysis

Rita Ora-Taika Waititi quick synastry analysis

Sarah Michelle Gellar-Freddie Prinze Jr. synastry analysis

Taylor Swift-Matty Healy synastry analysis

Doja Cat's birth chart analysis

Olivia Rodrigo birth chart analysis

Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce synastry analysis

Gwen Stefani-Gavin Rossdale synastry analysis

Austin Butler-Kaia Gerber synastry analysis

🃏 TAROT 🃏

Some thoughts on pairings of queens and kings of the same tarot suit

TAGS: ⭐️ all of my big astro posts ⭐️ my tarot thoughts ⭐️ random astro stuff ⭐️

[aemerge]

i spent a lot of time off social media - most of the last year with a few exceptions and i am just recently coming back to it. there are a lot of reasons for that + this past few years (though *especially* this last year and a half being sober), ive had what feels like whole other lifetimes of experiences, and i felt further isolated because i didnt think i could identify with anyone and what is/was the point of posting anything. its a big part of why when i ever do post, i often stick to pictures or other NVC-type stuff and i dont share much written word.

once i did start tuning back into facebook and tiktok though, i realized how actually not alone i am in a lot of the ways that i think and other things i have been inspired to discover on my own - which maybe hasnt been the quickest way to learn and become a little wiser, though i believe that was my path for a reason.

it really started for me when i committed suicide in 2013 and woke up in a hospital 3 days later; i suppressed me seeings and feelings from then on with mostly alcohol and weed until my actions necessitated sobriety. but that was the beginning of true acceptance and beauty. finally i accepted meditation; discovered the "Gateway process" pioneered by Robert Monroe. ive filled dozens of notebooks this past year or two with words, crude sketches and drawings, a mishmash of multiple forms of communication and languages that most people might find illegible and non-understandable at best, others might see it all as completely insane. yet i continue to feel compelled to share some of it and knowing that there are others out there who see and think and feel as i do, my fear of judgement etc has still held me back. so here is me trying to get over that and begin sharing some of my... "personal occult art" and inner work, inspirations and realizations, visions of reality greater than the physical here and now... things like that. ways i process. and maybe no one will get anything out of my bad handwriting and crude art; im finally sharing for me and it feels like the part ive been missing to complete some of this and to stop holding on to it all, is just to let it go into the ether and let myself be seen for better or worse. i am more whole than i have ever been, whether perceived as crazy or not.

i will probably begin posting this stuff with as little additional context or explanation as possible. or maybe i will share with pieces of my story. i hope the FB compression allows for zooming and detail, theres a good amount of hidden stuff in here. often i start with writing and it just becomes something else...

so here's one i still reflect on often. i still find new insights and revelations in this as i do in so many journal pages and notebook entries that helps me keep and create new perspective. i believe this one started as a reflection on both what is between my wife and myself and what i desired to build and create there.

science, magic, spirituality; right, left, liberal "vs" conservative, etc... are all intersections of each other; made for each other. we should think about integrating them all. i will leave it at that.

love you.

[godsstrongestangel]

✨ HOW TO DEVELOP AIR ENERGY ✨

Refer to part 1 -

Journaling

Journaling helps air signs put all of the clutter in their mind on a paper it's gives a sense of clarity so they can revolve their thoughts around it, also it can be a big release for them it's like taking a weight off their brains ( which they might be trying to achieve through substances). To be very specific in journaling if air signs have to write down for expressing their emotional desires they have to write it off the bat!!!

NO FILTER no need to write oh I wanna manifest this mindset, oh maybe I shld write nice words!! What if these are affs..nono I shld write my desire reality..nono lemme write some affs ughhhhhhh NOOOOOOO!!!!

Writing what's not truly on ur mind will load up ur brain by suppressing what is in ur brain, Do not modify ur thoughts on paper just go raw.. modifying is a big no no for this sign u won't manifest in the ways others do leave that work to others and don't force positivity on ur brain or on paper be natural and just release in the most authentic way possible

Goals can be written by firstly writing what do they desire and how do they think they can get closer to it - go with flow charts for solutions or ideas and it's ok if while reading this you don't know what your goals are. Take it step by step and start by emotional writing

Meditation

Now again a clarity that they thought they could get from substances!! Meditation will really help them focus start by 5min a day and then gradually increase. For initial levels try guided meditation and then without any music or guided video. Though you will reap best results by journaling and meditating altogether

Sound medicine

Simply listening to certain sound frequencies or even meditating to them can help them heal and gain clarity as this can be useful if they are prone to music addiction already. You can try soundcloud

Drawing/painting

Air energy is naturally expressive in nature and it doesn't always have to be words, sometimes their art speaks volume u can try drawing or imitating any art u find attractive u can experiment or do anything as this is very thereaupatic and healing for the mind

Social media detox/ stopping binge watching

This is to give ur brain a pause or relief although many air signs naturally hit a phase where they stop consuming entertainment, it's considered a part of the development process and henceforth they can become selective with info they are feeding into their brains

Making to do lists

Air signs are often loaded up with thoughts hence they are prone to forgetting things although they might mistake it for Alzheimer but that's not really the case. Therefore creating a to do list will remind them of the tasks also don't add more than 5 tasks otherwise the brain will be overwhelmed and u r more likely to discontinue the practice

Other steps can include writing blogs (like me), solving jigsaw puzzles, algebra or some basic math stuff, coloring and painting, singing or acting, writing stories or anything they like, reading good quotes, philosophies.

Have a great life ahead guys...

I know this has been real helpful, answers the queries and trust me the solution lies in simplicity. I hope we all can cultivate our potential by working day by day.

Ty!! For waiting for me to post this

Lots of love 💗

#airsigns #air energy #libra #gemini #aquarius #gemini rising #gemini moon #libra moon #gemini sun #aquarius moon #aquarius rising # aquarius sun #libra sun

[rayatii]

Okay so in my Art of Theater class, we were each asked to do a presentation on a topic of our choice relating to theater, and the topic I chose was opera, as a form of theater. I presented it in late March, it ended up being rather successful, and my teacher liked it well enough to ask me to present it to her other section of that same course, which I did. And so today I had my final exam for this course, so this inspired me to post the slides of my presentation (well, I already had this idea on the day of the presentation, but it’s a convo with @smile-at-the-stars​ yesterday that truly motivated me to work on it), alongside an approximation of the extra stuff I said orally while presenting.

(Note: the star-shaped bullet points are actually gold-colored, for some reason, when I converted the slides into either JPEG or PNG format, they keep getting colored white. I have no idea why.)

“When I say ‘opera’, you may think of a singer standing on a stage and singing in a style some of you might find weird or even unpleasant. Yeah, that’s not opera. That’s just singing. Lyrical singing, or classical singing, or whatever you want to call it. Opera specifically is when this type of singing is placed within a theatrical context.”

(To show the difference between an aria and a recitative, I sang the first 8 measures of Vedrai, carino, and used this audio, which I cut at around 0:32)

Here, I emphasized why I highlighted the word “acting” in the grid above, and also explained that opera students at my Conservatory are given the basics of Italian and German, in order to better understand what they are singing about.

As an example of how singers have to properly convey the emotions of the character they are portraying as they sing, I mentioned an anecdote about the time I was practicing L���ho perduta, which is about a young girl who lost an object and is desperately searching for it, and my voice teacher told me something like: “do not sing it in a grand manner, you are not La Contessa with a big voice. You are this little girl who is desperately searching for that pin she lost”. In order to show the difference to the students, I sang the first couple lines of L’ho perduta in a somewhat grand way, and then I sang it again in a more subdued way that better reflects the context.

(I mentioned that in L’Orfeo, the living world is represented by string instruments while the Underworld is represented by brass instruments, but that’s not very important.)

I also added that even in upcoming opera season announcements all over the world that had come out recently, you can find L’Orfeo in quite a few of them.

“I’m gonna stop here, because otherwise this would take WAY too long. I highly recommend you read more about the history of opera.”

To give the others a better idea of what I mean by “vocal virtuosity”, I briefly sang the first 2 measures of Lütgen’s Etude No. 8 (the clarinet part; up till 0:05).

My commentary on Barber of Seville: “This is the opera that ‘FIGARO, FIGARO, FIGARO’ comes from”. And Lucia di Lammermoor: “You might recognize some of the music from it if you’ve watched The Fifth Element, the scene with the alien singing opera”.

I described Wagner’s operas as having “MASSIVE orchestrations, requiring HUGE voices, lasting like 4 hours”.

I mentioned that Bohème is one of my favorite operas, and that it’s the opera that RENT was based on.

I explained that operetta tends to contain spoken dialogue.

“If you mention microphones in the opera circles on social media (e.g. Reddit), you will be sure to start a war” (it’s kind of an exaggeration, but 😝).

“You cannot cry while singing, because it messes your vocal cords.”

“I chose these two opera houses to show you the difference between a proscenium stage (the format of most opera houses around the world, just like theatres) and an arena, as we learned some time ago during this course.”

Palais Garnier: “which is where the Phantom of the Opera lives”.

The Sydney Opera House “is much more well-known for its exterior than its interior, but it actually houses several venues. The main venue is just concert hall, but the one in the picture here (the Joan Sutherland Theatre) is where operas are typically performed”.

The Bayreuth Festspielhaus: “which performs exclusively works by Wagner. I chose to show you this one because it has a bit of an unusual structure; it rather resembles the thrust stage format, and the orchestra pit is located kind of under the stage”.

The video in question (subs by Yours Truly, except the ones in the last footage, which were already there, when I downloaded it from the Met’s channel).

The following week iirc, the teacher mentioned Diana Damrau’s Queen of the Night as one example of stylized makeup, as opposed to realistic makeup, and I added that it’s because that opera is a fairy tale opera or sorts.

[mumza03]

Showfall Media Special Announcement Keynote!

I'm losing it rn there are so many ideas I have for this video, its going to be pretty much split in two (each a diffrent font so if you just want my ideas and no recap go to the italic)

Recap time this is a lot:

starts with a white screen with GEN 1 in the top left corner, then it changes to the showfall logo and a little tune like the last video posted.

Surprise! we get to see the man with the box over his face's face! he says "hello! and welcome to showfall media. for years we have provided endless entertainment for families all around this world."

the video does a TV style glitch but its in red, and over the static are the words "hello?"

the glitch stops and cuts back to box man, "we are more excited then ever to bring our influence to a new frontier, with our new live experience, we have spent months developing, researching, and connecting with this new frontier and we are thrilled with the results."

another static glitch, this time with the message "where is this signal going?"

back to the dude, "with out state of the art, brand new technology, we're giving you! The viewer at home, control of aspects of our show."

mid sentence his head starts to freak out, his face is blurry and it moves unnaturally.

then he's back to normal, "your choice will matter so be sure to make the right one or the effects could be devastating for our hero. Our hero will meet a cast of crazy characters, some of who you may recognize." on his left and right two pictures of men pop up both of their eyes and mouths are blacked out.

this is the guy on the left

and this is the guy on the right

at the bottom of the screen here are the words "Found them!"

he keeps talking, "which are sure to keep things entertaining and unexpe-" here he get cut off.

the screen turns back and theres red writing on it "is this working?" "I don't have much time" "I don't know what's happening" "i don't know what you are"

"It already found him" background turns to a missing poster from last time. This time its much easier to see who is on the poster and its Ranboo.

"it got everyone" "everyone but me" "I have to save them" "I have to stop this"

and now back to box man, "we are so excited to be showing you this world for the first time, which is why we are not limiting it to just one show. that would be such a waste of this opportunity. be sure to join us for this three part viewing experience. starting on may 24th continuing on may 26th, and concluding with our big finally," his face does the glitty thing like earlier in the video, " on may 28th you can only find it on." and thats where he is cut off.

screen goes black for a second, then box man come back on but his face is featureless, theres static, and GEN 1 is back in the top left. then some new text pops up: "GEN 1: the social experament"

May 24

May 26

May 28

6pm EST

your chosen viewpoint: Twitch.tv/Ranboolive

Here is where the video ends.

in the description box is the binary code reading "let the show begin"

Here are my thoughts on how all of this either connects to past videos or posts and what I think this means for "Our Hero" to reuse this phrase from box man. I strongly believe that Show fall is in control of everything happening in the story, they found "them" and are looking for GL!Ranboo right now. I think that the people that were taken are now apart of the cast, or at least for the most part this is the situation. perhaps the two men in the photos above escaped from Showfall with Ran after learning about a horrible thing that Showfall did. probably relevant to this big project being announced. The two of them look kind of like sneeg and charlie to so I think that they might be involved in genloss as well , but im not 1,000 percent sure, but it would be on brand for them. final thoughts would have to be about the word choice of box man, the fact that he kept saying "this frontier" to me implying that our universe/world/timeline/any other way for showfall to not be apart of this place we are in is some where new to them. However that could be written off as frontier of this interactive video formate. i kinda like my first thoughts over this more.

[cyrsed]

man i like never use that 'more like this' section of people's mobile blogs to find more posts on their blog but i can tell people use it on mine bc there's certain art of mine that gets liked in groups and it's 100% bc what tumblr decides to put in the 'more like this' section on my art, which is ig kinda neat but it means that like, for example a wip i posted gets way more eyes on it than the actual finished version bc tumblr decided to show the wip and not the final in the sidebar.

and bc of that section it seems like people are less likely to go through actual tags in the blog curated by the Blogger and more likely to just click through some of the "more like this" posts and then stop there. and maybe those people would never have gone through a tag anyway, but it feels like kind of a shame that there's stuff i'm more proud of that i can't like, designate as suggested posts or anything. altho i can and do tag things meticulously so the opportunity to see things in an organized way is there :] idk if maybe part of it could be a newer/younger tumblr user thing? or just a general consequence of social media going toward just feeding you content rather than letting you search it out.

anyway in general i prefer looking through tags where possible bc it's an experience intended by another user instead of algorithmically generated suggestions, but also it's not really that big a deal it's just slightly annoying to see this one wip keep getting notes and i know WHY

[elsaxmerida]

Ooh, I can add some context to this because I've been using this website for wayyyy too long. The reason why it's considered rude to tag problematic/controversial ships and criticisms of characters with the character names instead of the ship names or "so-and-so critical" is because of how following tags used to work and still (kind of) works. When you'd follow a tag it would show up in your dash, and people would follow things they want to see more of, so tagging a post that was critical of a character with the character name would put your post in front of mostly people who were here to see more of that character and people in some fandoms would do this intentionally to start fights. (This was a bit of a thing for people who hated hook or Regina from once upon a time)

Tumblr in the beginning did not do algorithmically recommended content, just chronological things and the worst search functionality out of any website I'd ever seen. Most of how you found people to follow was via following tags with things you liked.

This functionality was pretty exploitable early on, as tumblr was slower than other social media sites to allow blocking and initially did not have a method of reporting spam/inappropriate use of the site.

If you were persistent enough and/or had a big enough group of people with you you could make main tags unusable for people who were there to engage in their own fandom by filling it up with discourse about how and why no one should ever like a character or a ship, forcing people to make smaller tags or stop engaging in fandom. (this is part of how swan queen became swen) More malicious people would sometimes deliberately put triggering content in popular tags that they disliked, or just major tags for the site in general. Tumblr added the ability to report spamming in tags in response to either the 2014 or 2011 4chan tumblr raids.

This is part of why I haven't historically tagged my lesbian disney art as "disney fanart" , "disney crossover", etc, and stayed pretty hard in the disney femslash tag, because sometimes I would reach people who were not here for that and I don't like when the majority of engagement with something I worked hard on is "But Snow White isn't gay". I think that a lot of things have changed, the site pushes content that people haven't specifically gone out of their way to find onto users, and maybe I should be using more general tags now, because I don't think that a lot of the people online now have as visceral of a negative reaction as during the era when the majority of gay amvs would have taboo in the title or a warning card at the beginning.

That being said I think that people tend to have oversized reactions to minor issues of etiquette that require a lot of foreknowledge to understand and as an autistic person, I hate feeling like I'm playing around in a space where everyone knows the rules but me and will only ever tell me when I mess up by telling me I'm a bad person.

Stuff kids on tumblr better relearn

1. You are responsible for your own media experience. 

2. There is such a thing as a healthy level of avoidance towards topics that make you feel unwell or even (in a real-life clinical definition of the term) trigger you - but you are the one to actively take care of what you view.

3. Avoiding does not mean policing others.

4. You have no right to tell artists to censor themselves - you may criticize what others do, you may dislike it, that’s fine - but actively asking for censorship when you could easily unfollow or block a person just makes you look incompetent in your use of the internet.

5. Do not give people on tumblr or /any/ website the responsibility for your emotional well-being. Because these people do not even know you so no, you have no right to ask them to take care of you.

[bllsbailey]

Democrats Think 'Wicked' Is an Allegory for Their Cause. They’ve Got It Completely Backwards.

I grew up as a shy, awkward, closeted gay boy who did musical theatre. I had a passion for the arts and performing. I even pursued it professionally at one point before I entered politics as my career. As a kid I always fought for the chance to get my parents to take me to go see musicals. One of them was "Wicked," which debuted in 2003. I saw it once on Broadway and a second time in San Francisco. It has always been one of my favorites. Just the story itself draws you in. We all know the story of "The Wizard of Oz," but the musical "Wicked" (based on Gregory Maguire’s book of the same name) really turns the classic tale on its head. It makes you look at the main villain, the Wicked Witch of the West, with a completely different perspective. Forcing us as the audience to ask the question: Who or what decides if someone is wicked? 

Fast forward to 2024, the musical has been adapted for the big screen, has broken box office records, and is well on its way on becoming the favorite for the upcoming awards season. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande gave stellar performances as Elphaba/The Wicked Witch and Glinda, respectively. Watching it on the big screen with my mom, I couldn’t have been more blown away. It was fantastic. 

I also couldn’t help but see parallels with the political themes of the movie and the election we just had. President-elect Trump is probably the most vilified person we have ever seen in our country’s history, much like Elphaba. 

But according to the leftist keyboard warriors on social media, that is not the case. To their logic, it was Vice President Kamala Harris who was the vilified one. A strong woman who everyone was afraid of. And that the Wizard was comparable to Trump because he too was a fascist. A meme circulated on social media after the "Wicked" movie premiere, pontificating that it was a “good time to remind everyone that Wicked is a story about a weak man gaslighting an entire land into believing a woman was their enemy, all because she had the guts to try and stop him from silencing and stripping the rights of a significant part of the population. Inherently political, and unfortunately relevant.” 

However, they would be quite surprised to hear why Gregory Maguire chose to title his book “Wicked” when it was published in 1995. 

Maguire has stated in interviews that his creation of the novel all stemmed from an article in 1991 that had the headline “Saddam Hussein: The Next Hitler?” a clearly strong response to the Gulf War that erupted that same year. 

According to The Denver Post, Maguire said that it was “no accident” that the word “Wicked” has a similar ring to the word “Hitler.” Both are two syllables and have six letters. 

Maguire said

I was surprised to find my pulse quickening for military action, even though I had been a card-carrying protester of the Vietnam War. Something about how the story was being framed in the British press made me stop and think that maybe there is such a thing as a just war. After all, Thomas Aquinas said there was. And if there ever was an argument for going to war, even for pacifists and Quakers, it certainly could be made for World War II.  But I came to understand that just this word ‘Hitler’ is not in itself a moral argument for military action. It’s just a word. It’s an incendiary word, and it’s a word you can’t even talk about, in a sense, because it’s so powerful and so real. But you can’t know that Saddam Hussein is the next Hitler. I thought, ‘How can I be so persuaded to justify military action by this one little word?’ So I became very interested in our human response to jingoism.

Does this sound familiar? Who has been called “Hitler” more times than we could count? Sorry, Democrats, but that wasn’t Kamala Harris. If there’s an Elphaba in the 2024 presidential election, it’s clearly Donald Trump. 

Perhaps the most impactful statement Maguire made in that article was his take on when Dorothy is told by the Wizard to kill the Wicked Witch. He said:

Think about what happens in the book when Dorothy goes to the Wizard. He says, ‘In this country, everyone must pay for everything he gets … You must kill the witch because she’s wicked.’ And right then and there, this good and wholesome girl chooses to become a murderer on the basis of hearing that one word – wicked. That chilled me … and it got me thinking about what we do with moral ambiguities – we act as though they don’t exist. 

He couldn’t be more correct. Trump survived two assassination attempts. One of the assassins had long manifestos written about how he believed Trump was a fascist, a word used repeatedly to describe him, and that he needed to be stopped, even if it meant killing him. And had one of those two assassins succeeded, there is no doubt that many would celebrate Trump’s death. No one mourns the wicked, as is sung in one of the musical’s numbers. 

Read related: 'You Shot How Many Times? At What Range?' House Releases Shocking Report on Trump Assassination Attempts

The Leftist Fits Over Trump Being Named Time's 'Person of the Year' Are Pure Gold

For Democrats, the story of "Wicked" is not one that reinforces their ideas about President Trump. Rather it is a story that gives them the opportunity to have self-reflection about how they have spent the last eight years uniting behind one powerful belief: Trump is evil. It echoes the statement made by the Wizard in the film: “The best way to bring people together is to find a really good enemy.” 

As we saw onscreen, or onstage, the ones crying out “wicked” are, in fact, the wicked ones. They thrust upon an incendiary label on Elphaba and used it as justification to make her the mortal enemy of Oz and therefore, she must be stopped at all costs. All because she refused to bend to the will of establishment and the status quo. That’s got MAGA written all over it.  

Viewers saw the emptiness of the Wizard behind the curtain, just as American voters saw through the emptiness of career politicians like Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. The truth ultimately prevails and the ones that are falsely labeled as wicked will eventually fly high despite all that’s been thrown at them. Trump is undoubtedly the one who’s been “defying gravity.” 

Jake Iorio is the Director of Chapter Development for the Log Cabin Republicans. You can learn more about the organization by visiting here (logcabin.org).