#tl;dr your read on The Vibes based on

[thatswhatsushesaid]

reflecting on some of the posts i've seen dropped in the jgy tags over the last week, i've come to the conclusion that some of you just asked chatgpt to summarize the plot or character relationships for you, and decided that was as good as reading the book. why form your own coherent opinions when you can just ask the robot that lives in your phone to do it for you?

[ceaseless-exhauster]

Strap in folks, this ended up being a long one.

I’m so fucking goddamn tired. Someone posted in a FB group (not related to Judaism, it’s a group for neurodivergent folks) with an infographic of some common dogwhistle symbols that float around in Nazi circles.

Literally, LITERALLY 100% of the comments fell into one or more of these categories:

- omg why do they have to co-opt everything? I’m a pagan and I’m not a Nazi!!

- most of these are sacred Runic symbols. I have several of them as tattoos and won’t cover them/have to cover them now/am “being targeted” because I have them

- swastikas were originally symbols for peace!!!1!!1!1!

- most of these symbols mean something deeply not-Nazi to me and I “love educating people” on why they’re not actually dogwhistles

- don’t judge people before you know them they probably don’t even have these symbols bc of that/I don’t have these symbols bc of that!!

Just. Shut the ever living fuck UP. Dogwhistles *are* dogwhistles because they can be represented as meaning something else!!!!! THATS THE FUCKING POINT.

I’m so sorry you got a tattoo because of yOuR aNcEsToRs (to be read as: an Ancestry DNA test told me I’m 28% Nordic and therefore am a Viking and needed these “sacred symbols” that I totally understand the history and meaning of and which totally even had a concrete and cohesive meaning across all Nordic cultures and no I’m not homogenising a dozen communities like people do with North American Indigenous nations) and now you think people will see you and immediately assume you’re a Nazi.

Do you think, somehow, that YOUR experience in that case is the one that sucks more? Does me feeling potentially unsafe around you based on a permanent physical change you decided to make to your body hurt you in some way? Or does the very IDEA of it wreak havoc on your psyche so gravely that it matters enough to literally say “that’s actually NOT a Nazi dogwhistle because that’s not why *I* have it/use it/display it”?

Don’t even fucking get me started on the overlap between Norse fanboy AND new age “pagan” (also a homogenisation of many cultures and practices, a great many of which are closed practices that were stolen) communities and deeply antisemitic ideology - suffice to say the Venn diagram isn’t quite a circle, but there’s a lotta crossover.

If I see some of these symbols on bold display by someone, I don’t necessarily assume off the bat that they’re a Nazi, but I damn sure am gonna have some pause as to whether their general values and life practices vibe with my general existence. And that’s just, how it is.

Tl;dr - don’t fucking hijack an educational post about dogwhistle symbolism to be like “but my precious personal connection to them!”

[tamamatango]

(Lack of) Anime News Update: Sadly, I was right to be skeptical

THEY TOOK ALL MY COPIUM

A few months ago, a rumor emerged about the new Keroro anime project being a series in 2025 and a movie in 2026. I did a longer write-up on it here, but the tl;dr is that I said there was a chance due to the usual reliability of the leaker but that it could also be a misinterpretation of another source. I leaned toward more likely than not (hopium perhaps), but I did advise caution and to not strictly take it at face value.

I guess that was the right call because, well, here we are mid-February. The spring anime season starts in about a month and a half. And…no official news. Zip. Nada. The waiting game continues, it seems.

So, what was that Oizaki quote about? We don’t have hard confirmation, but my guess is that the spring 2025 series part was about a completely different seasonal anime Oizaki is directing set to begin in April. (Yes really I know the premise sounds ridiculous but it’s an adaptation of a light novel, sky’s the limit with those things.) This was revealed back in December. As for what the movie is, it seems to be still unknown. My guess is either an original project or something involving Kaleido Star, which also had a major anniversary recently. The interpretation of the Japanese that the series and movie were connected was in hindsight a mistake, but I wasn’t the only one to propose that reading, and it could’ve gone either way. Gotta love/hate ambiguity.

I could go more into how I think this mix-up happened but then I’d have to talk about twitter anime leaker drama, and while I am unfortunately pretty knowledgable about this subject, it is not fun to talk or read about so I’ll spare you the details. The main conclusion I have is that this account was not deliberately trying to trick anyone and rather just made an assumption and reported the info before actually checking against the evidence because they really wanted to be fast and get interactions, especially because a perceived to be competing account reported a less sensationalized, more accurate version a few minutes before. SugoiLite’s sources aren’t usually publicly visible but this time they pretty much played themselves.

What does this mean for Keroro, then? Personally I still think there will be a series (for reasons I explained in my post from last spring about the whole reveal) and I still think it will be this year, but in either summer or fall. That will have been at maximum a year and a half after the announcement (summer season starts in July, fall in October), which gives it a pretty standard anime production time, assuming the teaser trailer was released during early production. As for the movie? There’s not as strong of a reason to speculate that happening, but next year is the 20th anniversary of Movie 1, so the timing would line up pretty well. That’s just based on vibes, though, rather than any evidence at this time.

Look, I’d be pleased as punch for the Keroro PR account to prove me wrong tomorrow, but I’m quite confident that we lost the coin flip on this one. Before you get too down in the dumps, don’t forget that two major dates are around the corner: AnimeJapan in late March, closely followed by the next anniversary on April 3. I think we will see some kind of preview or at least a progress update around that time. If not…then maybe I’ll start worrying a bit about the chances of it making this year, but we’ll cross that bridge if and when we get to it. So hold onto your butts for just a little while longer! I think!

[itzmee-07]

Who's ready for the Sadie Hawkman's dance?!

Admittedly, this is fanart that does not match the vibe with which I wrote the title but it's fine! Been a minute since I drew the girlsssss I missed them!!

Some of my thoughts about this art are below the cut :) (tl;dr these girls gayy good for them good for them U-U)

Deltarune and all its characters belong to Toby Fox Art belongs to me :D

Okay SO! Susie goes to the Dreemurr's house because Kris (or rather us, the player) said they'd help her pick an outfit for the dance. Susie grumbles about it for a while because "this is just another dumb school event, there's nothing special about it! btw is Noelle gonna be there-" Eventually Toriel takes the matter into her own hands because Kris' fashion sense is quite literally just an assortment of like five of the same green and yellow striped shirts and one good suit (a hand-me-down from Asriel). So Toriel picks out a stylish dress shirt and a tie and Kris gives her the coat from their suit (it was too big on them anyway) Finally, they go to school and meet up with Noelle and Berdly. blah blah blah stuff happens; Noelle and Susie get to dance together, and then Susie goes home while pondering about why on Earth her heart beats faster when she sees Noelle (she must have some sort of disease; yes, that's the only explanation!)

To be h o n e s t, I felt like I didn't do their characters enough justice because (let's be honest) Noelle would be an absolute girlfail loser just at the thought of dancing with Susie (and vice versa of course!) So I thought she looked way too cool and suave how I drew her, but it turned out so pretty I didn't want to change it ToT

And yes! The reference is from pinterest :) I'm sorry I was too lazy to draw a background TvT

Additionally: The previous day, Kris told Berdly that the whole school was going to come to dance dressed as the Sadie Hawkman mascot. Berdly, unsuspecting, takes Kris seriously and actually shows up as the mascot. He only belatedly realizes that he'd been pranked (so sad 😞) But it's too late to change and Berdly's pride is on the line here! So he does the next obvious course of action: ask Kris to dance with him. Aaaaaand I'm spending way too much time on this little fanfic idea dump, so to whoever's still reading this, I leave the rest to your imagination! Give them whatever ending you wish to see U-U

Omg! This might not happen, but if anyone writes a fanfic based on this/a fanfic like this has already been written, please link it here! I'd love to read it :D

[hopeforchanges]

okay hot take here don't bash my head in ... Sauron and Galadriel ≠ Orlok and Ellen

idk am i the only one who doesn't see it? i stayed away from speaking on the topic cause i didn't feel i had all the information to engage in any meaningful convo but now that a good amount of time has passed and I have listened and read other people's arguably passionate stances on this (which is great! i love when people enjoy something, it gives me joy too!!) i must say .... i don't get it lol

let me explain myself:

I get that certain aesthetics or vibes might overlap (dark, brooding antagonist vs. a luminous, female protagonist), the comparison completely falls apart when you dig into their actual characterizations.

Ellen as a Symbol of Maidenhood vs. Galadriel as a Warrior

Ellen is basically a paragon of feminine virtue: she's all about purity, innocence, and ultimate sacrifice. She represents a kind of moral ideal that aligns with the trope of the "selfless maiden." Sure there is darkness in here but like ... where? lol in the words of one of my favorite complicated female characters of the silver screen: "I can't see it, I can't touch it, I can't feel it. I can hear it, I can hear some words but I can't do anything with your easy words."

Galadriel is a warrior, a soldier, a power-hungry monarch. She was born a princess into a life of great privilege. Galadriel is ambitious, vengeful, and actively pursuing power. She definitely embodies characteristics that are more commonly associated with male domination. I love both the feminine in Ellen and the masculine in Galadriel. They just don't overlap imo.

Orlok’s Selfish Awareness vs. Sauron’s Delusional “Vision”

Orlok is unapologetically monstrous. He’s a selfish predator who knows exactly what he is and doesn’t care. He’s not trying to justify himself or claim he’s “saving” anyone—he just feeds on people because that’s what he does.

Sauron thinks he’s doing the right thing. In his mind, his actions are about order, preservation, and the “greater good.” That lack of self-awareness is huge—it makes him a completely different type of villain. Orlok leans into his evil; Sauron justifies it - doesn't even think he's the evil force - definitely not in his story.

The Core Dynamic Feels Wrong

Ellen and Orlok’s relationship is built on fear and revulsion. Ellen sacrifices herself to stop Orlok—she lures him to his doom. There’s no room for ambiguity there; he’s the predator, and she’s the prey.

Galadriel and Sauron are equals. None of them can land the killing blow because they don't want to, not because they can't. Their dynamic is tangled up in grudging respect, power struggles, and even a weird sort of kinship. Galadriel isn’t diminished or destroyed by Sauron like Ellen was by Orlok; quite the contrary. Galadriel was empowered by Sauron, healed through him (at least in the show which is the medium i am basing my opinions on, not necessarily the tolkien legendarium). That's why it's so funny to me that in season 2 he can't figure out why she won't say yes to him when she used to drool over his mortal form and so he transforms into Glambrand as his big fix cause he thinks THAT is what the issue is lol you were her friend, dumbass, that's literally it. you supported her and believed in her when no one did and couched her so she could achieve her goals - helped her self-actualize.

There are no such layers and complexities in Ellen and Orlok's relationship. Plus, the fact that he came to her first when she was a kid gives me the ick, sorry. it's giving phantom of the opera. and i HATE phantom of the opera (the original book by Leroux, the musical kinda slaps tbh)

TL;DR:

Yes, Ellen calls Orlok a deceiver, but that’s where the parallels end for me. Ellen = pure, selfless sacrifice; Galadriel = complex, power-driven warrior. Orlok = evil and knows it; Sauron = evil but thinks he’s the hero. Their dynamics are fundamentally different, and the Orlok/Ellen comparison just doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.

If I’m missing something, feel free to convince me otherwise, but for now? Nah, I don’t see it.

[bogkeep]

okay so i wanted to try out one of those "i pick out a book to you based on your preferences" packages, and got sent this one. i'm picking away at it in my lunch breaks and since i'm nearly halfway i think i can blog about it now.

- i'm very pleased to get a standalone novel, especially one i haven't seen on any booktok shelves in stores. i think that was my main worry, especially since i couldn't provide the shopkeeper with a detailed goodreads list, and i had picked "surprise me!" as preferred genre. i had never seen or heard of this book before so i was pretty excited to go in with zero expectations!

- it's a post-apocalyptic robot sci-fi with western vibes, except i think it's not a very good sci-fi. i think it might be a decent western though? it definitely got a lot better to read after i adjusted my expectations thereafter. idk if it's GOOD but i'm not hating thr experience at this moment

- why it's a bad sci-fi: it's written from the pov of the robot protagonist, so you'd THINK that would be an interesting choice (like the murderbot diaries!), but it's... not. it reads exactly like a human but with exchangeable body parts. which is fine, it's a choice, let's do western with robots. whatever

- the parts trying to be profound, thought-provoking sci-fi are so pretentious and insufferable sometimes. just...

it's not just me right. this kinda sucks right.

anyway then i turned the page and

tl;dr "the smartest robot ever developed concluded that because humans couldn't decide between hypercapitalism and hypercommunism they were doomed to fail."

THIS IS SO STUPID OHH MY GODDDDDD AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

anyway. the robot uprising backstory parts are actually kinda fun to read if you ignore all the blurbs praising the book for how this book about robots actually ~says so much about humanity~. i can pretend it's videogame lore or something. idk.

- apparently the robots had their own culture for a while but ???? tell me more please. lean into the concept. sometimes you get things like "caring for the dead is a human concept so we just let their corpses lie strewn across the ground everywhere" and then it's revealed that these robots have (binary, of course) GENDERS and PRONOUNS. ASSIGNED TO THEM BY THEIR FORMER HUMAN OWNERS. WHY!!!!! WHY!!!!!!!!!!!! DO YOU CARE ABOUT HUMAN VALUES OR NOT

- i think i enjoy the character interactions? there was a showdown that was fun to read. more of that pls

- the prose started out with horrible choppy sentences but it mellowed out into much more readable prose so it's. it's Fine

- the chapter titles are written in binary. fun detail

[districtfourmermaid]

Can you think of a realistic post-Mockingjay pre-Epilogue scenario (outside of Katharsis, I guess, lol) where Katniss and Gale reunite? I hate their ending so much, and I hate how their people in the fandom blame Gale for Prim's death. Even Katniss doesn't! She just says she can't separate that moment from him - which, honestly, is a pretty fair trauma response, imo. And I think Gale would take a long time to forgive himself for it, sadly. But I like to believe they get to become friends again. I can't imagine Katniss ever visiting Two just for Reasons, but I also can't imagine Gale NEVER coming back to Twelve at all?

I know I'm preaching to the choir when I say this to you, but I fully think they'd definitely become close again at some point, years later. A big misconception from a lot of Gale antis is, they like to act as if their friendship was already crumbling and in decline. Which idk, I never got that vibe? I mean it was, maybe, but it wasn't because Gale was some manipulative incel who kept kissing her and declaring his love for her when she wasn't interested, as much people claim (but that's a rant for another time). Their friendship was declining just cuz they didnt get to hang out and BE FRIENDS - like their love for each other (yes i said love!) wasn't declining but the actual dynamic of "let's hang out and be silly and flirt" like they did in the first book and much of Catching Fire wasn't going on cuz you know they were kinda in the middle of a war after their home was destroyed and after Katniss went into the Games a second time? Yeah, I wouldn't exactly want to kick back and relax with my best friend in that scenario either lol I'd want us to train together to take down the brutalist regime. (That's not to say they don't have their sweet moments in Mockingjay, of course - it's just that it's a bit more heavy than the previous two.) They went through SO MUCH together and had so many both serious AND sweet moments throughout the whole series. I can't imagine either of them just abandoning the other like that forever. Wouldn't happen. But I don't know what an actual reunion would look like - maybe Katniss would gradually start hanging out with the rest of the Hawthornes again? And then realize how much she misses him? idk.

Wow sorry for turning your INbox into a SOAPbox. Shoulda made my own text post probably ha. But yeah tl;dr do you think it's realistic for Katniss and Gale to reunite? Because I think that's the only thing that could actually give them both a bit of peace about the calamity.

Ahoy! What an ask. My inbox can be your soapbox any day.

I love the sentence in your TL;DR, that it's "the only thing that could actually give them both a bit of peace." Idk what epilogue some people read, but Katniss does not sound peaceful or happy or hopeful to me there at all. She sounds sad and scared, and it just adds to the tragedy. Despite the atrocious conclusion where she says Gale's fire was full of hatred and rage (self-hatred and shame for her own fire), I think working past that and finding peace in regaining their friendship would benefit her a lot and contribute to any healing she has managed. Prim's death was probably the biggest trauma she endured in the series. Even going through the Games twice, losing her District, and the earlier events of the war, she survived mentally because she had Prim. Until she didn't. So, I agree that them spending some time apart made sense, with her not being able to separate him from it and him not feeling like he deserves forgiveness for his proximity to the event. Time apart can do wonders for a relationship because it lets people heal independently without basing their healing on the other. Without working through that, I don't get how she could be happy.

In Katharsis, I bring them back together as friends only a year later, but I think it would still make sense if it happened a little longer after the war. I have Gale visit his family in Twelve annually during the Harvest Festival. (Where was he the first year, around Ch. 1? Too busy to travel yet, couldn't afford it, not ready to see her or the ruins, some other reason idk.) This holiday trip home makes sense for him, especially if you look at how people who move away from their families often operate in our time. I agree that a post-canon pre-epilogue scenario where he never comes back to Twelve would be very unrealistic. One problem for them (if we're talking romantic connection) in Katharsis is that Katniss has already involved herself with Peeta, and Gale's kissing that other pair of lips in Two. After that, she does start spending more time with the Hawthornes, and they become the support system she could have had since the beginning if she hadn't been so conflicted about Gale. In Katharsis, they reunite at the Freedom Day celebration, but I would also be interested to see one where they have that conversation in Twelve when he is there for his family or where she reconnects with the other Hawthornes before him and then starts missing him, as you suggest. That sounds really sweet. I actually think it was a little weird of her to not mention them in the epilogue, considering they were like family to her.

To your long paragraph's first point about the critiques of him and their friendship in Mockingjay not making sense, I fully agree. There was a post around here recently that discussed how Katniss's network expands while his stays the same or narrows. She has more going on and more people demanding her time, also more people to lean on. He is also busier in the mines throughout Catching Fire. It makes perfect sense for him to feel isolated and for his mental health to take a hit. I don't think the haters understand how isolating that time was for him. He didn't just watch his crush pretend to be in love with someone else, he felt like he was losing his best friend. His mining work would have put a strain on their friendship regardless, as it took up long hours 6 days a week. His schedule means he also has less time with his family, and Katniss recognizes that in how he chooses to spend his one free day with her. They also do not have the time or the context in which to "be silly and flirt," as you say, because the nation is going crazy around them. There is talk of revolution, and the moment in the shack is a hard point for them. I don't think he's wrong when he accuses Katniss of becoming too close to the Capitol. He could've been nicer about it, but it's hard to watch his best friend choose running when the tides are turning toward staying and fighting being the better option for the revolution.

Some of those critiques of him, calling him a "manipulative incel" or even "misogynist" don't make sense to me at all. Let's first note that he'd never be an incel, since it's already been established that the girls of Twelve want him. He also never says anything remotely sexist in the series. Where tf is this idea coming from? When he kisses her outside the fence, yes, it was a surprise. He could have asked. But she didn't dislike it, and it's not like it was particularly forceful. People harp on the use of the word "ensnare" to describe his hands, but it doesn't sound negative in the text. It sounds alluring, tbh. She also, I think, goes back for more? There are other kisses further out in the woods, just mentioned in passing, right? I'll hate on the movies any day, but the CF movie definitely had more in the woods. When she kisses him in Mockingjay, he behaves like the opposite of an incel. In her old mansion, he has very understandably expressed to his best friend that he feels some kind of way about the time she kissed him on the table (when he was passed out) and that he's sad they couldn't have a relationship. That's just communication. That's a young person--who was present for the bombing, the aftermath of which she is disturbed by--expressing his feelings in a very upfront way to his friend in a very emotionally painful setting. It's hard for both of them, but at that point in their lives, I don't think there is a moment that isn't hard in that way. She also laments that the possibility of anything more than friendship between them was tarnished by the events around the Games. She kisses him, and he rejects it, saying he doesn't trust her motivations. People hate on him for crying there but then turn around and say they like sensitive guys. Nonsensical. Later, whereas incel behavior might include getting someone drunk in order to lower their inhibitions or ability to resist and forcibly kiss them, Gale rejects Katniss's kisses because, if she doesn't understand her motivations, then it is "like kissing someone who's drunk. It doesn't count." He's the opposite of manipulative every step of the way. What book did the haters read?

Another point haters like to bring up is their exchange of bread and cheese before the 74th Reaping, calling it evidence that their friendship is transactional. On the contrary, I see it as Katniss's expression of the balance and equality of their relationship. They don't owe each other. They take care of each other, and none of that is one-sided. She taught him to shoot, he taught her snares, they watch each other's backs, and they carry deer home together. No other relationship in Katniss's life is like that. She is responsible for her family. She owes Peeta for the bread and later for holding off Cato. She owes Haymitch for being her Mentor and favoring her with Sponsor gifts. She owes Cinna for making her the Girl on Fire and sacrificing himself to make her the Mockingjay. She does seem to feel more equal with people like Finnick and Johanna, but she still owes them for protecting her and Peeta in the Quell. Everyone else is either looking to her as a leader, needing her to play a role, or antagonizing her. There is no one that Katniss stands on truly even ground with in her mind aside from Gale. In Mockingjay, after she accepts the position, she says she can tell from Gale's reaction that he wanted her to do it, just like Cinna did, and says he was "holding out on [her]" because he hadn't expressed that before. Prior to that meeting in Command, he only asked her "What are you going to do?" He's the one who asks her what she wants to do while everyone else is trying to tell her what to do or less explicitly influence her choices. In Catching Fire, it seems like Gale is in a similar boat of having some neurosis around debt. He was fully prepared to take care of her family if she died in the Games. And yet, when she returns, and he becomes too busy to hunt as much as they used to, Katniss tries to deliver food and goods to Hazelle when he isn't home. It is painful for him to now owe her and let their relationship tilt in that way.

Holding onto or rekindling such a strong, equal-footed, respectful friendship would have major benefits to Katniss's mental health after they were able to reconnect. It's part of why I believe that their reunion, whatever form or context it comes in, would be primarily initiated by Katniss. In Katharsis, he approaches her at the party, but it's initially casual, and she is the one who starts the harder conversation. If she hadn't, he probably would've just asked how she'd been doing or kept it a bit more distanced, allowing her to make any more emotionally heavy moves on her own. He would not ask for forgiveness in any scenario.

[literaticat]

When people say they want to get their “dream agent” what do you think they are talking about? Are they basing this off of what that agent presents on social media and they think they would be great? This is going to sound silly, but do I need to start researching agents more in depth to see if we have a connection beyond what’s on their wishlist? Right now, I’ve just been focused on if they work at a reputable agency and if they represent what I write. Outside of that, I don’t know anything about anyone!

I suppose different people might mean different things by that. Mostly, they probably mean that a) the agent reps author/s they really admire, and/or b) the agent has done lots of big fancy deals and they would like that kind of deal, and/or c) they think the agent seems cool on social media.**

The problem with this thinking is, a) Just because an agent is great for Famous McGee doesn't mean they will be right for YOU; b) A fancy deal for Famous McGee or whoever doesn't mean that same success will be replicated for you -- every book and every author has a different path -- agents who do big fancy deals probably do a lot MORE totally "normal" non-fancy deals, there just haven't been articles about those ones, and even agents who sell A LOT of books also have books that don't sell at all, AND even brand-new agents can do fancy deals, sooo.... whatever, basically; and finally, c) Not all agents are even ON social media, plenty of phenomenal ones aren't, and their social media personality or lack thereof doesn't mean anything about how YOU might work with a given agent.

TL;DR, I think the idea of a "dream agent" is a little flawed. Real talk: MOST agents are going to pass on MOST books. That's just how it works. So if a great agent loves your book and has a vision for it and wants to work with you... that's actually the dream, right? It would be a shame if somebody had that and felt disappointed because McDreamy turned them down. :(

Hopefully you are querying people who are at reputable agencies and who rep the kinds of books you write generally. That's a great start. Beyond that, you could further target by reading up on the books and authors they rep, look up their wishlists, maybe check out what their "vibe" is on social media if they have accounts. That would probably help you to refine your list, or narrow down the options if multiple agents at the same agency do your kind of book.

Other than that? I wouldn't worry about it. Most people who have a "dream agent" are basing that dream on not-much -- they don't actually KNOW these agents, no matter how much they might admire their list or how funny they think their tweets are.

Personally, I think it is healthier to be open to all good possibilities rather than get fixated on a "dream"!

** this is officially way too long BUT, quick storytime: a girl I went to High School with and then fought with in college asked me to lunch one time some years back to "make amends" -- I went. Come to find out, she'd written a book. She heard I was an agent... (uh oh, does she want to query me, etc??) -- NO! She didn't want ME -- even though I was, in fact, not to toot my own horn, a top agent at one of the top agencies in the country -- the whole lunch rigamarole was so she could ask me to put in a good word for her with her DREAM AGENT. An agent I don't work with and don't know personally. LMAOOOO. I said, well, I don't know that agent -- but I can give you advice on your query, I can read your ms and see what's up, maybe I could pass it along to people who might be appropriate, etc. NO THANKS! NOT INTERESTED! I don't write YA books. (Contemptuous unveiled subtext: YA is trash, you know nothing and are barely a "real agent") -- uh.... ok? She was so singularly focused on her "Dream Agent" that she couldn't see that she was actively insulting the very real agent who was sitting across the table from her.

No we didn't ever speak again, no she didn't get her dream agent, yes she stopped writing as far as I know. OH WELL!

Point is: Dream agents, feh! Unless I'm your dream agent, in which case THANK YOU, that is quite a compliment, but also, don't just focus on me, cast a wide net, and I wish you luck!

[polyamorousmood]

Hi! I'm rather new to poly and have found your blog to be a source of reassurance. I was wondering if I could ask for some advice-- no worries if you can't respond!

My partner and I opened our relationship about half a year ago. I don't really like my meta as a person; there isn't anything particularly wrong with her, our personalities are just too different and her energy stresses me out a little. Think grumpy cat and hyper puppy.

We share a friend group and this friend group does a lot of events together so we often share the same space. For context, she's known some of them for longer than I have, but I have become more enmeshed into the group since I joined. Hinge and I also live together (with two of said friends). Because of that, I always let her spend time with hinge whenever we have a gathering because I get to see hinge more often than her. In fact I almost actively avoid hinge and hang out with other people to give them space. Afterwards, I sleep on the couch so she can sleep in the (hinge and my) bed with hinge.

I feel like I'm doing my best to give her/them space but I can tell she isn't happy. The group went out to a restaurant for my birthday and when I walked into the lobby where she was waiting with some of the others, she started crying at the sight of me and had to excuse herself. I'm not sure what I did wrong. I had just had a date with hinge and we walked in together so maybe I forgot to stop holding hands with hinge (?) Maybe she saw my phone screen which was a picture of me and hinge (?) (A normal picture of us hugging not anything too intimate)

I feel awkward now and like I have to watch myself to make sure I don't "slip up" again. I don't think I should need to hold myself to such strict standards but perhaps I'm wrong. It feels like walking on eggshells around her and if I show hinge any affection then she'll be upset. The other day hinge sent a picture of us to the group chat and I think she's unfriended me on socials since then.

What should I do in a situation like this? Can I even do anything? Was my mistake really that bad?

😬😬😬

I'm just going to put the read more here

TL;DR: yeah, you should do something. I don't think its all on you for not adhering to 0 affection in front of the girlfriend ever though.

This brings up a lot of personal struggles for me. I am going to present as best I can a good faith reading of all parties here, but know that my bias favors you, dear asker.

For clarity, the asker will be called you, the partner will be called Hinge, and the meta of the asker will be called gf/Girlfriend.

I think Girlfriend is not actually 100% okay with polyamory, and is doing her best to smother those feelings because she's so fond of Hinge.

In fairness to gf, I am making a lot of assumptions (limitations of tumblr asks and limited information), its still fairly new, and its a really complicated place to be in for her. You're all friends so god only knows what would happen to the dynamic of the friend group if she couldn't make this work. If she breaks up, that makes things really awkward, if she enforces a stricter thing about keeping your lives separate, that makes things really awkward. Basically every move she makes here risks ramifications for her whole (or at least a lot of) her social life, not just her relationship with Hinge (and you).

Based on what you've said, I would be surprised if gf's done the work to confront the reality of what polyamory will look like for y'all and make peace with it. Or renegotiate that reality until its something she can make peace with. I say this because in most healthy dynamics I have seen, it should be expected for a partner to give you attention on your birthday. Girlfriend not being able to handle whatever it was that set her off, to me is proof she wasn't preparing. Now once she was at that junction, gf did the right thing by excusing herself, but I can only imagine how much that killed the vibe. On your birthday 🎂🫤.

So to your questions: "What should I do in a situation like this? Can I even do anything?" I do have some things you could do, but not a lot. The first of which is to ask her wtf that was about (but very gently) assuming its recent enough to do that. I would come at this from a place of confused concern a la "I just wanted to check in with you after the dinner. You seemed really upset and I wasn't sure why. I really wanted you to have a nice time for my birthday".

And then the paths diverge. Maybe she says "it was fun, sorry, it was just hard seeing you laughing with Hinge" but maybe she says "My Aunt just died and I was trying to keep it together and I couldn't". I'm operating off assumptions because I have to. But you don't have to. Confirm that shit one way or another. Then, you have three options

You can ignore it (not recommended).

You can go for a heart-to-heart.

You can ask Hinge to work with gf on this.

For both 2 and 3, you're going to have to have an idea of what's acceptable to you and what isn't. How much (more) are you willing to compromise and realistically able to do? If you're making Hinge the go-between (which might be the good move if you and gf don't really get along!) you will have to lay it all out. Make a whole speech about why you're concerned, what a better for you set-up would look like, how you'd like Hinge to help facilitate that, and how long shit like this is something you're able to handle. Go into it as a problem solving endeavor seeking Hinge's input and support, with the understanding this is for gf's sake too. Talk about a how things would look in a few months. If you do ask Hinge to handle this, you two need to agree on what is reasonable, on what timeframe, and that Hinge will present it to gf as something they're concerned about too so as not to paint you as a snake in Hinge's and gf's garden

Because I only see a few things that can happen

Nothing changes. It goes on like this forever. Its always kinda weird, you probably start dreading inviting her to things for fear of a repeat of your birthday, but you all just kinda grin and bear it and its not ideal but its good enough.

You can separate more. Like, all three of you are never in the same room together. This will likely make things really weird with the friend group! Every group activity will require people to choose whether its you who gets the invite or gf. Friends also have to be on board with not talking about shit you did with Hinge. Hinge will probably have to kind of "live two separate lives." How does that work given that you live with Hinge? haha, good question! It will necessary limit how much time gf has with Hinge, how much time you have with Hinge, and how much free time outside of you two for the rest of his life Hinge has. All this is workable, but it will probably be difficult and kinda weird for a good while.

Girlfriend can pony up. She can go through the gut-wrenching process of desensitizing herself to seeing you two show affection and accept that you are always going to be there, too. I expect you and especially Hinge would do what you can to help her, and there will be benefits, too! but its still just going to be really hard on her for awhile. This can put Hinge in a pinch if your expectations and Girlfriend's aren't lining up, and since this is mostly on her, you don't have as much control.

Someone breaks up with someone. This doesn't need further explanation.

I will now show my ✨ biases✨. I don't know how long Hinge and Girlfriend have been together, but assuming its the full 6 months, and assuming the issue IS she's just not okay seeing you two like each other, ever... personally, that's "push comes to shove" time for me. Are you in or are you out? Is she actually okay with polyamory, or is she forcing herself into something that's making her miserable for love? Y'all's timeframe might look different, but if you don't address this soon, this sounds like shit that could force one of you to a point of ultimatums. Most people need good time to acclimate to polyamory! but if its six months and she is indeed crying about you two briefly holding hands... that's not acclimatization. And maybe you're Built Different💪, but I could not handle a those restrictions with those consequences long term. Personally, I'd sooner die than not be able to hold my partner's hand, so I think you're being very accommodating, and if gf can't handle human slip-ups, that's not on you.

[spiegelgestalt]

I was looking through your re zero reblogs and a tag stood out to me. What do you mean you think Otto is a manifestation of Satella? I’m really intrigued by the concept

Ohh! Thank you for the question. So this is a pet theory of mine which is probably wrong but I find incredibly entertaining. Beware this is going to be long and rambley. The TL;DR is probably: the only person who is as obsessed with Subaru as Otto is, is Satella It tries to explain several things that I find weird about Otto (some of these things might be explained in the LN but Tappeis writing style doesn't click with me and so i'm really slow with reading them) :

a) Ottos sudden entry in Subarus story (and the fact that Subaru always meets him no matter what he does) the first time he meets Otto at a pub because Otto made a financial mistake and drank his sadness away. This one's fairly unsuspicious. The second time is stranger. Subaru is going back to the mansion alone in the darkness and meets Otto on the road. Not only that. Otto is standing near the light and waves. Like he was expecting him. Why? Does he do that often - wave to travelers who are just passing by? But the most suspicious entry is his last/permanent entry to the story - his getting saved from the witch cult. Why did the witch cult kidnapp him an no one else? Why did they plan to sacrifice him? Why wasn't he with the rest of the merchants? Suuuuus!!! This at least hints that Otto might have connections/significance to the witch cult

2) why does the whale eat him and not Subaru? Subaru should have smelled tastier so why did it chose Otto? Maybe because Otto smelled of the witch? And if Otto knew that the Mabeast would go after him it would paint his pushing Subaru of the cart in a different light.

3) he's not in roswaals gospel which even has Subaru in it. How/why? Is it really just because he's so insignificant?

So these things make Otto suspicious but they don't link him to Satella necessarily. So here comes my reason for that

3) Otto's behavior in Season 2 don't make sense. Not only is he ride or die for Subaru very very fast while the other is basically nothing but rude to him. He explains this with Subaru saving him but technically that were the iron fang people and Otto isn't thankful to them at all. And even if that were the case - why is Otto so sure that Subaru needs help? As far as I remember he offers Subaru help in every single time loop, even in the ones where Subaru still believes himself to be on top of things (and shouldn't send sadboy pleas help me vibes)

4) And than there is the speech which will save Subaru. And I find it quite suspicious: a) this speech is suspiciously parallel to Satellas speech in the witches tea party it kinda feels like a continuation of it

b) Otto says that he understands that Subaru wants to be strong in front of the girl he likes and in front of the girl that likes him but he shouldn't have to be strong in front of his friend. So the girl Subaru likes is obv. Emilia but why talk about another girl who likes Subaru... who is that supposed to be? Otto doesn't know about Rem. Does he mean Emilia again? But why say it that strangely - or was he just covering his bases. IDK for me it kinda made sense as a Emilia/Satella distinction (or if Otto DOES know about Rem that makes him really suspicious again)

C) Otto takes it very personally that Subaru didn't ask HIM for help. But why should Subaru do that. He technically knows him for what, a few days?

D) Subaru notes that this kind of speech is usually reserved for the heroine (something he also mentioned about being summoned to another world and we know that was Satella - so is that the case here too?)

5) Otto has a lot of parallels to Subaru/Satella has a lot of parallels to Subaru

So all of this could hint to the fact that Otto is a time traveler and/or has some connection to one of the witches (either Pandora or Satella)

But I like my theory of Otto being a manifestation of Satella because it fits neatly into the theme of the parallels between Satella/ Subaru, it is something Satella would do, the thought that Satella sees Subaru dying over and over again and just says: okay have to do everything myself. If he won't accept help if I'm a woman I gotta go in as a guy is extremely funny to me, I believe that being kinda pathetic is an important property of being associated with envy AND Otto is next to Satella the person who most obsesses over Subaru and only Subaru

And Satella could rewrite history if she needed to (that would explain Otto's memories)

[severants]

can i ask why you dont ship with the newer(i forgot the word but like. 2021/current) cabaret emcees? no hate just curious!

it's okay anon! i figured someone would ask eventually. it's kind of a lot so i’m putting this under a read more, but i preface it all by saying GO WATCH CABARET. 

the ‘93 mendes off-west end production (which was cut for tv) & the 2014 revival (broadway, based on the ‘98 revival) are both free and available on youtube in their entirety. you can also find the ‘72 film easily online, but it's quite different than the previous two.

okay preface over.

tl;dr they kind of made him a representative of nazism, but without making him a nazi. not only does it ruin the character (who has been primarily represented as a queer jewish man for 30 years now) but also the core of what makes cabaret so powerful of a story. 

warning: something near 1200 words of cabaret/emcee analysis ahead

so. before i can talk about current cabaret, i kind of have to go over previous cabaret. if you are entirely unfamiliar, it is a musical that takes place in 1930s weimar republic-era germany. you can see where this is headed, i’m sure.

it's wholly a musical about the consequences of political indifference, and a LOT of what makes it so powerful thematically is that there is no happy ending, famously, and the audience is very much meant to feel uncomfortable. we all know what happens in the 40s in germany. even your most basic world history knowledge will assure you that. throughout the story, there is an ever-increasing presence of nazi ideology, and we see the trickle down of indifference and support of the nazi party begin to affect our characters lives, until the main plot (which is a love story) becomes overshadowed by the very real presence of modern (diegetically modern, at least) politics. the sentiment is echoed very much so at the end, either with characters stepping up outside of the narrative to quote themselves (“its just politics, what does it have to do with us?” and the like) or in the case of the film, literally showing the titular cabaret’s audience littered with nazis. it's quite the shock to those who are unfamiliar, but so, so powerful a message in the end, that there is no ignoring it. and such a message is so very very relevant currently.

so. now onto emcee, a character that exists only within the frame of the cabaret (the kit kat club, as it's named within the story). there's kind of two ‘types’ of emcee: emcee as a concept, and emcee as a character. 

in the original productions, he was definitely more a concept than a character. like of course he was physically present, but his role was really more about what he represented; all of his songs mirrored plot points and cultural sentiments -- i’ve seen a lot of people interpret him as the devil in the film? i am guessing because he is so disconnected to the rest of the cast, and because he is so very grounded only in the thematic representation of how the culture in germany allowed the nazis to rise to power without explicit consent. he isn't a nazi or anything, just this indifferent figure with a sort of sinister vibe, he doesn't do a whole lot otherwise. we don't know anything about him, really. he's just kind of an off putting little pervert. i kinda dig it though.

but, flash forward to what a lot of people think of as the definitive production, in 1993. sam mendes absolutely fucking KILLED it with this one. the production had a modern taste to it, no longer was cabaret stuck in the aesthetic of the old burlesque, the new aesthetics and theming was really like nothing else. the show got far more explicit, from the dingy visuals of the club and all its inhabitants to the raunchy, in your face humor, the emotional acting of every performer, it was an entirely an incredible interpretation, somehow still so alluring, it was easy to find yourself drawn into this world (or rather club) that frames the show -- which made the ending hit so much harder. 

in this version, emcee is more a character than a concept. still one we know very little about, of course, and still existing only within the club, but a character nonetheless. i always say this is an emcee you can see going home to some shitty, dingy, waterlogged studio apartment. alan cumming kills the role, and brings a nuanced emotional performance to a character that, before, had little but aloof apathy to his surroundings -- even down to a subtle character arc. he begins as this grand hedonist, and following the arc of the story, slowly degrades, even down to subtle detailing implying he is an addict (this is more explicit in later productions), desperate and alone, and doing really anything to survive, including feigning indifference to everything. 

the ending of this production has him center stage, in full camp stripes (bearing both jewish and homosexual insignias, i may add, which establishes him as a queer character for the first time despite it being very heavily implied -- honestly i'm inclined to say downright stated -- throughout the show, and which has since become a staple of his character) and ends with him being killed there. it's a fucking shock, given he is someone that has seemingly not existed outside of the club (i’m compelled to quote his purposefully ironic repeated line, “we have no troubles here”) or within the political turmoil and problems that exist outside of the kit kat's walls, facing this very real consequence of the rise of nazis to power. 

so, yeah. it's kind of a lot. but the point is, the ending is what makes it so effective. it establishes that no matter who you are, no matter if you take a side, they will come for you. there are no ‘good ones’ to them. 

the ‘98 production hones in on perfecting the emotional development of the characters really, including the emcee (this is where his drug addiction is fairly explicit, and you can see his facade begin to crumble throughout the show, among a few other details that really tie his arc together) and refining the parts that didn't quite work in the ‘93 production, but we don't have a recording of that. the 2014 production is replicating ‘98 (as are other smaller productions, like the 2019 olney theater production with mason alexander park who was later cast in the 3rd broadway revival, which is to say the ‘21-’24 productions i will talk about momentarily) so if you choose only one to watch, i cannot recommend the 2014 production enough. 

now, the ‘21 london (and onward, including the current broadway run) productions are…strange. they take the aesthetics of the ‘93/’98 productions and mash them with the upbeat/kind of ethereal tone of the original. it's not bad per se, just really bold. i think it would put off a lot of potential fans on presentation alone.

for some god fucking forsaken reason, they also decide that instead of showing nazis explicitly, they're going to dress people up in this corporate-drone getup? which is so….??????? okay? but they still set the show in 30s germany and show swastikas? ?????

in this production, instead of the slow decline of emcee from this aloof character divorced from the outside world to a frightened, broken queer man facing death (i will never overstate enough how good they handle him in ‘98/’14), he begins to dress..conservatively. from the near-naked, striptease outfit to…a suit. and a blonde wig. and no makeup. and…yeah. you get it. in the end, there is no resolution to his character, which may i remind you is the WHOLE ending in ‘93/’98/’14. that's what hammers the “you need to fucking ACT” part of the theme, which is to say ALL OF IT. he's just suddenly a representation of nazism, without being a nazi. i guess they're trying to go back to “emcee as a concept” except…it's so ineffective. the show just ends. no call to action. instead of leaving audiences with the reminder they WILL come for you, that there is no “indifference,” only silent consent, you're leaving them…with the idea that they're a nazi? except 99.9% of the audience will walk away saying “well i’m not a nazi, so…”

it takes the first step of “indifference is just as bad as support” without the second half of “and now they will come for you anyways.” it's SO dumb. i could rant forever about it. 

so, yeah. i don't care for the new productions. and i don’t care for the desecration of a character that makes the show as powerful as it is. and i really fucking hate they made him kind of a nazi.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for telling people I don't care about fandom drama unless it somehow directly involved me? Maybe some people will read this and go "what? No???" And if that's the case I'm gonna be snickering to myself but I digress. I'm a digital artist trying to find my footing in this hellscape of an online environment with tumblr being broken as it is and twitter going down in flames slowly, DeviantArt supporting AI and I don't think I need to go on. For a long, long time I was a fandom artist however and one of the 'bigger' names in a fairly small community. I've 'fell off' as they say because of some beef with people I didn't choose to have but hey, tale as old as time with fandoms am I right? We mess up and move on with our lives. SO YEAH that aside, when you've been through stuff like that and grow up a bit you realize that it was all a pretty stupid waste of time and energy and now I'm in my mid-20s and would really just like to focus on my art. I still make fan art for this specific thing and like make fan art for basically anything I enjoy nowadays and just...spread out my skills more so I got a better portfolio and all that. I'm really just vibing so to speak. Then a while ago I got DMed by someone in my server about some beef they were having with another user in my server. The kicker is that none of said beef was actually taking place in my server but in another server owned by the person DMing me. It's as if you're the manager of a starbucks and the manager from the Burger King across the street comes in like 'Yeah your employee was being shitty in my Burger King so I don't think I'll be going to this StarBucks anymore >:(" Like, what do you want me to do with that information? I can't talk to someone about behavior I didn't even see any damning evidence of and I'm not going to accuse someone of something based on something a stranger said. Somehow this conversation went from me explaining that I'm not about to ban someone or adhere to somebody else's 'blacklist' over things I have seen no proof of, to the stranger DMing me that a lot of people 'are intimidated' by me or that I have them blocked 'for no reason' setting off my paranoia like no other. I had recently dealt with being ghosted by friends who turned around and posted a call-out (with zero evidence mind you, not a single screenshot because they in fact, wiped WHOLE ENTIRE chats as they contained proof of the opposite) and those people stalking me for WEEKS, had to start over fresh and everything. So naturally I didn't like this very much and bluntly stated that if I blocked anyone, it's probably for a good reason and that it's not my problem if that somehow hurt their feelings, I need to look out for my own safety online. I fear I was a little TOO blunt because I did say something along the lines of 'I'm sorry but I do not care, I'm too old for fandom drama not involving me, I'm trying to be professional.' and cut the conversation off because I was exhausted and uncomfortable. I've been told that this was a just a weird and wacky instance and that I didn't do anything wrong, that people who do think I did need to go outside and touch grass and all that but hyea, it stuck with me because I worry that people are badmouthing me behind my back a lot. TL,DR: Got told by a follower that other people in our very small community were scared of me, had them blocked for 'no reason' and that somehow hurt their feelings and that my reputation was apparently decided by what my individual followers behaved like in other servers and spaces because apparently one little spat was enough to have someone threaten to distance themselves from me all-together while I wasn't involved at all. So, I figured if anyone is an expert at these fandom shenanigans, it's gotta be the veterans of the tumblr court.

What are these acronyms?

[dicenote]

12, 13, 14, 15, 21 & 22 for the character ask for Matsuda. :)

Yayyyy thank you for the ask!! :D

Get ready because I feel like I'm gonna write an essay and a half about The Guy

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Oh geez, I feel like I have so many. How can I pick one?

A random one is that Matsu is the kind of guy to like lying on his bedroom floor. Like, if he had a rough day? Floor Time. He's contemplated so many things while staring at his ceiling. It really helps him feel grounded; when his brain is screaming at him to Do Something, it can help to just lay down and think through stuff.

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

@lawlietscaramels sometimes uses 🦆 for Matsuda, so that emoji now reminds me of him. I keep forgetting to ask lei why they chose a duck, but it feels weirdly fitting haha. Matsuda's just a duck kind of guy, I suppose.

Matsuda seems like he'd use emoticons as punctuation. Stuff like :D and :'( help get his point across in messages when his tone might be read incorrectly (especially when he's messaging someone who can't read sarcasm in an email, Ide). If he's feeling a little extra (and/or texting Misa) he'll use over-the-top emoticons like ☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆ because he finds them fun and silly! Also, I think he'd do 😔 a lot, both irl and over the internet.

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

I don't know the right word for it, but you know the aesthetic of, like, a bowling alley carpet? That's how his vibes are too me. Like, he's casual and fun, and I associate him with dark tones offset by bright neons.

As far as how he'd actually dress (outside of what we see in canon, where he's wearing a suit 99% of the time), I feel like it'd be kinda close to goblincore? This is kinda based on me googling and poking around sites, so I might be off with this 😅 I do think he'd love a chunky earth-tone sweater and corduroys, though. Something cozy and casual, you know?

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

hnnnngh why do you have to do this to me /lh I'm gonna talk about a few of them because I can't help myself they're all so good.

I love so many for different reasons! I think my favorite right now is probably MatsuIde, because I really enjoy their dynamic and banter. Also there's so much hurt/comfort potential with these two post-Kira. I feel like, after everything's happened, they have this connection to each other because they feel like no one else can really understand what those 5 years were like. This is true for the entire Task Force (and I like AizaMatsu for similar reasons), but with MatsuIde it just hits different, you know? Maybe it's because they spend so much time together onscreen (on panel?).

LawTsuda is probably my favorite ship for the first half of the manga/anime. Emotional intelligence vs. Logical intelligence is a ship dynamic that I fall for every single time, and Matsu and L have those respective traits in spades.

I also am a Canon One-Sided MatsuLight truther, lmao. Matsuda having a crush on Light feels so right but so wrong, and it really helps put parts of the second half into context. Like, Matsuda shooting Light hits so much harder that way, idk. Imagining a world where this ship is healthy is difficult but I find their dynamic so so interesting. Matsuda you deserve so much better but I can't help myself sorry.

TL;DR- MatsuIde is probably my fav overall, LawTsuda is my fav for the first half, MatsuLight is the crunchiest.

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

My answer to both questions has to do with writing his impulsivity. His priorities differ a lot from other characters, and that changes what details he pays attention to and how he reacts to information. It also means that he's going to act irrationally in the name of Doing Something. Which is fun to play with! In chapters 9 and 10 of Weekend At Ryuzaki's, for example, I was trying to give off the idea that Matsuda is being quickly backed into a corner, which causes him to make a lot more mistakes and hasty decisions.

But on the other hand, writing an unpredictable character acting unpredictably while also making it satisfying and interesting to read is really hard. Like, I don't want him to seem like he's randomly bullshitting his way to answers that move the plot along. He has reasons for doing things in the heat of the moment, even if his reasons aren't exactly logical.

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

I like to read just about anything with the "Matsuda Touta is Not an Idiot" tag, lol. Because he's not, really. Sure, he acts without thinking sometimes, and his thought process is very different from L's and Light's, but he's not an idiot. I like fics where he solves or helps solve the Kira murders, but his line of logic is different than the one used by L/Near in canon.

It's really hard to think of things in fic I don't like, to be honest! I guess one would be the Matsuda/Sayu pairing. I just find it kinda icky given that one scene in canon with them together. If they are both older, and it's a small part of an otherwise compelling fic, I can usually forgive it, though.

[raphael-angele]

Ok, so I saw your post about batfam in Pjo cabins. I loved it but I just have one criticism, Jason in either a Dionysus or Apollo kid.

Apollo because:

1. Don't you dare insult his mom in front of him (didn't Apollo kill a whole kingdom because they insulted his mother)

2. His thirst for knowledge, people often forget that Jason genuinely enjoyed school and learning new things (coincidentally Apollo is also the god of knowledge)

3. His fav subject? English (a language, and Apollo is also the god of languages)

Dionysus because of the Theatre kid vibes I get from him

But I would like to know your thought process too!!!

OH MY GOD, YESSSS!!! I'm so glad someone also agrees that Jason is an Apollo's kid. Unfortunately, the post I made was a heat of the moment kind(cuz I haven't done a DC post in a while), and because of that, I didn't take into account that Jason is also an Apollo kid.

I think that he was 100% an Apollo kid before he died but after death, there was all that rage and hate in his character, which led me to sort him into Ares

Let's not forget the fact that Jason was considered to be the most behaved Robin. He wasn't vengeful, he didn't stalk, he didn't kill; this boy just wanted to have a good and normal life without having to worry about anything, but he was drawn a bad hand.

In a world where Jason was raised without the poverty and crime around him, he would have been an Apollo kid. Technicqlly he still is, but do we get enough nedry and dorky Jason? Nooooo. I often headcanon that Jason became a Literature Professor (let's not forget thar Apollo is also the God of Poetry) in a No Capes AU. If not, then Lawyer (story for another time).

I agree that Jason is an Apollo kid with all the nerdiness and dorkiness in him.

Jason being an Ares kid is, I agree, a bit stereotypical for him. However, again, there is more to their characters that wanting to fight and wanting bloodshed.

If you don't already know, Ares is actually one of the most caring parents and respectful in the mythology. Not the series, the MYTHOLOGY. This man never raped, is an amazing father to his children, and is a protector of those who can't protect those who are seen to be not worth protecting. (Idc if the rape thing technically has nothing to do with Jason but it felt like it deserved a mention)

Jason is one of many misunderstood and misconceptualized characters in DC. And both he and Ares are only viewed for their bloodlust and violence. When really, there are so much more to their characters than that and people refuse to see that side of them cuz they want to limit their personality to that certain figure.

TL;DR: I do agree that Jason is an Apollo kid. However, in my personal opinion, it was more in pre-death. After death his Apollo-ness was still there but not as much. I personally think he was more an Ares post-death.

AGAIN, I have never read PJO and I'm basing this on what I already know about the series and about the mythology

[grimbluesins]

din djarin shouldn’t be in a relationship

and here’s why

————

i’m just gonna put it out there: i think bo-katan/din djarin shippers are reaching.

they’re basically never intimate beyond good friends in the show? i literally saw a tiktok saying how bo was concerned about djarin when he was first going to help nevarro in the pirate raid and how that was cute. like romance-cute.

that’s also just friend things.

the other part was just them sitting with their arms touching.

jesus christ. PLEASE chill out allos for once oh my god.

also read an article about how djarin, bo, and the armorer would be a cool power throuple. now idk but that seems kinda weird.

the armorer is more like an… almost motherly figure to djarin. she’s likely way older than him (based on context clues from the show, i’d guess her age to be in her early-mid 60s), and again, BO IS MORE LIKE A FRIEND. bo and the armorer? i can see that, sure. but din has the vibe of a teenager compared to those two very jaded (and older) women. idk i think it would be kind of weird. i much enjoy him being a single dad running around the galaxy with his wizard goblin toddler.

the only piece of evidence actually supporting this is the “these are the reasons i serve you lady kryze” quote. but again, that definitely feels really disconnected from romance. the way he said it was no different from basically any other line, leading me to believe he literally just wants to help her as a friend. bo’s got a whole new planet to rebuild and rule after all.

as an aro-ace dude myself, i really enjoy good ships. but fans need to learn to leave some characters alone. smh. can we have this ONE GUY PLEASE.

often times, i will hc a certain character as aro-ace (shadow the hedgehog, batman, and gray fullbuster come to mind) but still enjoy a certain pairing. din djarin is one of the few characters who i absolutely do not want to see in a romantic or sexual relationship.

so, allo fans: i understand the ship zone. but please leave some guys alone for the sanity of your aspec friends.

not to mention, in the finale, he literally was just a single dad watching over his kid playing in the yard. he never ended up with anyone. not bo, not the armorer, not luke or boba, nobody. it was just him and his silly wizard goblin toddler. as it should be. stop forcing allonormativity on everything.

tl;dr, leave din djarin to the aspecs.

🧡💛🤍🩵💙 🖤🩶🤍💜 💚💛🤍🩶🖤

[coinandcandle]

How do oracle?? I've tried but I can't get the hang of it. Tarot is much easier to me but I have an oracle deck and I don't understand how to use it. It's just slightly different enough that it boggles me

Hello! Tbh I would argue that it's quite different than tarot!

Across decks tarot is going to have basically the same meanings because it was made to be that way. It started out as a game, so there needed to be rules. Only later did it turn into a form of divination. Yes it changes based on the reader's personal style and beliefs but ultimately they all have a similar meaning regardless of what deck you're using.

Oracle, however, is not so uniform. Each deck (by which I mean decks by different creators) is going to be unique. The imagery, vibes, and definitions are going to be different.

For some people it helps to use the oracle cards in conjunction with tarot. This wasn't the case for me, I had to use them separately until I learned my oracle cards better.

So my biggest tip is: don't read oracle like you read tarot.

Often times oracle decks try to tell you what you need to know in the way a helpful wizard in a hero's story does: they don't tell you straight up, they use story telling elements like similies, metaphores, etc.

Some decks may give you a straight answer, of course, but plenty rely on fairy tale style lessons. Teaching you how to find the answer yourself rather than just giving it to you.

✨ Put down the guide book and pick up the vibes. Sometimes the guide books that come with oracle decks don't have enough information on them or they definitions don't necessarily click well with the vibe you pick up from the card.

-> Sit down with your deck and come up with the meanings you prescribe to them.

✨ Coast on pure intuition, babeyyy. Not really, you'll be using your intuition as well as the imagery, title, number, etc of the card. Some cards meanings will change based on the question asked or situation divined. It's your job to sift through the various meanings and find what fits to your reading. This doesn't mean "pick the answer you want", though.

->Use your intuition (aka that feeling you get deep in your bones or soul when you know something but you're not sure how you know it) and find the meaning.

✨ Try a different deck. Some oracle decks just don't click, especially if you're brand new at it. So use another deck if possible.

TL;DR

Treat reading oracle decks as if you're learning an entirely new divination system--cuz you are! Start from the beginning and leave any ideas of tarot at the door for now.