#which is also giving me a lot of ''my interpretation is the only correct one''

[shararan]

What's with this sudden uptick in "any fanfic depiction is a deliberate slight against the source material that should be condemned" I'm seeing across fandom in general and how the fuck do I opt out of seeing it

[thelien-art]

Melkor, Manwë & Varda; Most Powerful of the Valar 

Might also be my favorite Valar just need to add Nienna too design HC below↓

Melkor: This is obviously post Silmaril heist as he is already burnt and has white hair, which I HC him getting after fleeing Valinor, as he is said he took a foul form before being trapped in his body, yet when meeting the Edain, he has a fair form, which I explain by the importance of colour.

Colour is important for our welfare as it influences our moods, stimulates our brains, and decides how we experience the world, I find it exciting for Melkor, as a manipulator, to use colour to manipulate, which especially is seen in Angband, and also use it on his body, so when he gets stuck in a physical body, I interpret that as him being unable to fully shed a body, unable to roam simply as a power, and getting his crayons ability to use colour taken from him as punishment, so when the Ainur says he is trapped in a body, all elvers just assume that they mean only one body, and when asking into it the Ainur more or less confirm this as they have problems seeing the difference between being stuck in a body you can change, and being stuck in a body you CAN´T change.

And as always I like to think Melkor created a lot of pressure metal/gemstones, and as is canon in Morgoth´s ring, gold holds the biggest part of him after he poured himself into the world, so gold he shall be clad in😌

Manwë: I take great inspiration from the wedge-tailed and Golden eagle, as well as biblical angels, and peacocks for his clothes. I like the idea of his hair being a part of the sky, just like with Varda giving the "Lords of all Wind" a different sweet respect. He and Melkor, when first making bodies, took forms that looked alike, which he kept, so he looked closest to what Melkor looked like before his downfall.

I give him bronze as it has a warmer told, and I while I don´t doubt he can be cold, I always read him as someone who´s trying to cater to everyone even if it doesn't always go like he wants it to.

Varda: Rearely do I think she goes down to the Eldar, which also means she has a tendency to blend the light of the stars into her body a bit more than what might be safe for those who are not of the Ainur, making her almost transparent with inner light at times, and although she quickly corrects it when she accidentally does it the Eldar says that the reason it hurts looking at her is because of her beauty, much to her own amusement. And then, of course, the underside of her hair is the same night sky you can see closest to the door of night and the gates of morning where it is at its clearest.

I give Varda silver as that was one of the things Melkor couldn´t put his power in, including water, and a little headcanon of mine is she might have had a hand in the star metal being untainted...

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[feroluce]

HOW DID RAPPA AND BOOTHILL END UP BEING SO SWEET???

Before 2.6 even dropped, they were being cute! In Rappa's Keeping Up With Star Rail, Boothill describes Rappa's creations as "high-tech ninjutsu" rather than equipment, or machines, or anything else that someone would have normally defaulted to. This is something Rappa is very proud of and insistent about in her work, and he respects that!

Even with those party join lines, he refers to her not as a Galaxy Ranger, but by her chosen title!

Rappa seems to get a lot of shit for how she talks, too, with people throughout the patch accusing her of playing around or not taking anything seriously. Boothill though is swift to correct that, that even if it sounds like nonsense, Rappa is someone to be respected and a force to be reckoned with. He seems to really admire her resolve, and especially her intellect! He has nothing but praise for her, it's so so sweet.

And the way she talks about him, too! Like there are. A lot of things you can say about a man like Boothill fjkdlsajk but she always speaks so admirably of him?

There's also the difference in nicknames- Rappa refers to every other person as "Ninja." And most of them are descriptions that you can pick up at a glance, or without knowing a person too deeply. Singer for Robin is obvious, everyone knows who she is. Gama for Reca means "toad," which is a reference to the assistant director he always has with him. Baseball Bat for the trailblazer is also obvious. Ruri for March 7th means "lapis lazuli" which is probably a reference to her Six Phase Ice, or even her appearance since she looks like if a Stellar Jade became human. Hiryu for Dan Heng is actually "flying dragon" but it's also a famous video game reference so I'm only willing to put so much stock into that one fjkdsjakd and besides, she could have easily heard about March 7th and Dan Heng from Boothill, since he talks about the dango trio to Rappa, too.

But Boothill! Rappa refers to Boothill as "Silvergun Shura," with Shura being a reference to Asura, a demigod of war. It's a name used to describe someone fighting a relentless, inhumane war and desperately seeking victory. It also refers to a level of hell, governed by anger and pain. Both interpretations suit him strongly. It's not really a title you could give just looking at someone. It's something you'd have to know them at least a little more deeply for.

Boothill also very distinctly lacks the common ninja title- instead, in the EN translation, Rappa calls him Lord. It's a highly respectable title even in the original Chinese, apparently akin to addressing reigning royalty.

She just. Seems to respect and admire him so much? It's so so sweet?

And despite how often it's stated that Galaxy Rangers tend to work and travel alone, it seems these two are at least fairly familiar with each other, which makes me really happy! In an instance of beautiful timing, just today Hoyo released a new text convo, and! When she wants someone to hang out with, Boothill was one of the first people Rappa thought of!

Rappa knew Dan Heng because Boothill talked about him. She knew about Clockwork. Boothill has spoken with her often enough and long enough to know how deeply her hatred ran, and to be upset for her when Primon got away.

They both speak so positively of each other, even when one is out of of earshot. They openly show a ton of respect and admiration for one another, and the way they talk about each other is more than just two people who happen to be part of the same faction. They know each other more closely than that. Boothill is only in Penacony at all because of Rappa, and Rappa trusted Boothill enough to seek him out for this.

My favorite, though? The part I considered the cutest?

Rappa literally went all the way to the Luofu just to watch Boothill fight in the Luminary Wardance.

[a-kind-of-merry-war]

will you please give us examples of resources to look at if we want to learn more about the concept of gender and maybe even transness in Medieval Europe? thanks!

whooooo boy right, there's a lot! I wanna start this by saying that I am very much not an expert, and I only have access to stuff I can find for free and the handful of books I can afford to buy second hand. Most of my research has been around gender as it relates to transness and GNC people. I am absolutely missing stuff, or have forgotten stuff, or simply lack the know-how to find stuff.

There's a few bits I've got on a TBR but haven't read yet - some I've included and some I haven't, depending on the source and how established it is.

Also: this is medieval Europe. The way pronouns are used to describe people don't really align with modern views of sex and gender. Also be aware of old-fashioned language use (for example, some texts talk about "hermaphrodites"). Remember that the way we talk about gender and trans identities is far different to how we even spoke about it 20 years ago.

So with that out of the way... I am chucking this under a read more, because it's long:

---

GENDER

Medieval ideas around gender were different to how we now think about it. The Hippocratic view of gender saw gender as a sort of wet/dry, cold/hot spectrum upon which men were at one end and women the other (and in the middle were intersex people). The male body was seen as hot and dry, and the female as cold and wet. The cold, wetness is what made women try to seek out heat from guys. A lot comes down to humors rather than genitals - if you're hot and dry, that innately means you grow a penis, because the heat sorta forces it out. So the marker is that penis = man, but you only have that penis in the first place because of your hot, dry humor.

Some people believed the vagina was an inverted penis - as in, the penis turned outside in. Some schools of thought believed that both men and women produced "seed", and that both were needed for conception. These thoughts and ideas shifted around a lot.

The Hippocratic view shifted towards Aristotelian ideas around the 12th Century, where the male/female divide was a lot stronger. There were also surgeons throughout all these periods who sought to "correct" intersex genitalia with surgery (how little things change).

This podcast (I've linked to a transcript, because I have more time to read than listen to things) with Dr Eleanor Janega is super interesting. In fact, I'd recommend reading her whole blog, which is fascinating. She also has a book out (but I've not read it so I can't give a yay or nay on that one)

The Meanings of Sex Difference in the Middle Ages by Joan Cadden seems to be a good source on this, but I've not read it so I can't vouch for it 100%.

I've listed below some real people who could fit into our modern interpretation of transness, and the fact that all of these people were only "outed" when arrested or at their death makes me think that there were probably a lot more people at the time who would also fit into this category. It does feel (to me, a layman) that you could rock up in a new town and go "hello I'm Jeff the Man" and people would just accept that.

It's also important to note that the majority of sources I've found are about people we could define as trans men (FTM). I've only found one person who could be described as a trans woman. If anyone out there has more sources for trans women, I'd love to hear them - specifically in medieval Europe/England.

There's also a big discussion to be had around the idea of women dressing as men to achieve a goal. People love getting into arguments about it. My general rule is that if someone lived as X gender, and was forcibly outed against their will or at death, then I feel we can more safely assume that their experience maps more closely onto a trans narrative than it does one of a woman taking on the "disguise" of a man.

---

TRANS & GNC ACADEMIA

Here's some of the sources I've been using that examine medievalism through a trans or trans-adjacent lens.

Trans and Genderqueer Subjects in Medieval Hagiography, Alicia Spencer-Hall & Blake Gutt - a deep dive/collection of essays about medieval religious figures/saints through a trans lens, specifically about cross-dressing figures. Really fascinating, and available on open access.

How to be a Man, Though Female: Changing Sex in Medieval Romance, Angela Jane Weisl - goes into detail about medieval texts in which characters change their sex.

Transgender Genealogy in Tristan de Nanteuil, Blake Gutt - trans theory in the story Tristan de Nanteuil.

Trans Historical: Gender Plurality before the Modern, edited by Greta LaFleur, Masha Raskolnikov & Anna Kłosowska - A great big examination into trans history/gender. I desperately want this book.

Clothes Make the Man, Female Cross Dressing in Medieval Europe, Valerie R. Hotchkiss (book, no online source available) - Another look into women dressing as men and gender inversion.

The Shape of Sex, Leah DeVun (book) - A history of nonbinary sex, 200 - 1400BC. Not read this one yet but it's on my TBR.

In fact, I'd recommend all of Leah DeVun's work, which I'm currently making my way through. I'm currently reading Mapping the Borders of Sex.

The Third Gender and Aelfric's Lives of Saints, Rhonda L. McDaniel - An examination into the idea of a "third gender" in monastic life based around chastity and spiritualism

Erecting Sex: Hermaphrodites and the Medieval Science of Surgery, Leah DeVun - an essay about "corrective" surgery on intersex individuals in the 13th/14th centuries. (I've not fully read this one yet but the topic is relevant)

----

TRANS FIGURES

Joseph/Hildegund (died 1188) - A monk who, upon his death, was discovered to have a vagina/breasts.

Eleanor Rykener (1394) - A (likely) trans sex worker arrested in 1394 (and another source that isn't wiki)

Katherina Hetzeldorfer (killed 1477) - An early record of a "woman" being executed for female sodomy. Katherina dressed and presented as a man, and some scholars read them as a trans man.

Marinos/Marina the Monk (5th Cent) - A monk who was born a woman and lived as a man in a monastery. Marinos was accused of getting a local innkeeper's daughter pregnant. Their "true sex" was discovered upon their death.

-----

ROMANCES* & GENDER

If you're interested in the idea of gender presentation and trans-adjacent stories, I very much recommend taking a look at some contemporary sources. I've tried to take a sort of neutral approach to pronouns for these descriptions, but it's hard to marry the medieval and modern ideas of sex and gender! The titles are all links.

*Romances here means Chivalric Romances: prose/verse narratives about chivalry, often with fantastic elements. Not, like, falling in love Romances.

Le Roman de Silence (13th Cent) - in order to ensure inheritance, a couple raise their daughter as a boy. The baby is called Silence/Silentius/Silentia. The poem features the forces of Nature and Nurture, who argue about Silence's "true" gender - Nature claims they're a girl, and Nurture claims they're a boy. Silence has a variety of adventures, largely referred to in the text as a man with he/him pronouns, and at the end their "true gender" is discovered and, as a woman, they marry the king.

Yde et Olive (15th Cent) - to avoid being married to their own father, Yde, a woman, disguises themselves as a man and becomes a knight. They end up in Rome, where the king marries them to their daughter, Olive. After a couple of weeks, Yde tells Olive about their "true gender", but the conversation is overheard. The King demands Yde bathe with him to prove they are a man. An angel intervenes and transforms Yde's body into that of a man.

Iphis and Ianthe (Greek/Roman myth, but also in Ovid's Metamorphois, which first came to England in the 15th Cent) - Telethusa is due to give birth, but her husband tells her that if the baby is a girl he'll have it killed. When she gives birth to a girl, she disguises the baby as a boy. Eventually, Iphis is engaged to Ianthe. (Incidentally, this is also a really early example of same-sex romance, as Iphis struggles with their love for Ianthe "as a woman"). Before the wedding, Iphis and Telethusa pray at the temple of Isis, who transforms Iphis into a man.

Tristan de Nanteuil (11th/12th Cent) - from the Chanson de geste, after his alleged death, Tristan's wife, Blanchandin/e, disguises themselves as a Knight. Clarinde, a sultan's daughter, falls in love with them. Blanchandin manages to hide their "true sex", but when Clarinde demands they bathe with her to prove they are a man they flee into the woods. There, they meet an angel who asks if they want to be transformed into a man. Blanchandin accepts and he is turned into a man for the rest of the poem. (Incidentally the angel gives him a giant cock. Yes, the text specifies this).

Le Livre de la mutation de fortune (1403) - written in the first person by Christine de Pizan, the poem describes how the narrator is transformed by Fortune into a man after the death of their husband during a storm at sea. They maintain that 13 years after the event, they are still living as a man. (They also mention Tiresias, a Greek mythological figure who was a man transformed into a woman for seven years).

Okay, for now - that's about all I can think of. Happy reading!

[redxx95]

Exploring Kurosawa's internalized homophobia and compulsive heterosexuality

oh yea baby we bustin out the Big Words for this one 😎

This was supposed to be posted at the end of pride month but Life happened and it got delayed a lot 😩 So yea happy pride month (and happy birthday Kurosawa I guess 😂)

(btw I think I've never mentioned this on any of my other posts but english is not my first language, so if anything I write ever sounds awkward, that's probably why 😅) (also I had to merge a bunch of images to get around the image limit, this post is really long, the word count is at 1930 words 💀)

Hope you guys enjoy the read! 💞

Spoilers for anything up to vol 11

Let me start this by saying that there's no actual textual evidence of Kurosawa being gay (rather than bi/pan), so this interpretation is definitely veering towards headcanon territory. I'm also not trying to establish this as the only Correct opinion and anyone is of course allowed to have their own sexuality headcanons, this is very healthy and valid 👍

Kurosawa's internalized homophobia

The first scene I want to put under a magnifying glass is this one.

Let's examine what's going on here: Kurosawa has just tried to kiss Adachi, whose hesitation he perceived as disgust. Then he pretends it was disgusting for him too, because he thinks that is the average reaction anyone would have, extending this to Adachi as well. The way he says "who'd be into that?" is already lowkey homophobic, but the japanese line makes it even more evident: "普通嫌だよな" (= "Normally, you'd dislike that right?"). Keyword here being "普通" = "normal, ordinary", implying that anyone who would like that is abnormal. So what does that say about him then, who was so happy to get the chance to kiss another man? This is pretty much textbook internalized homophobia, where he has accepted what he perceives to be the general opinion on gay people and has made those values his own, hating himself for it (albeit only briefly here), which is why he internally apologizes to Adachi.

This is not the only instance of him feeling like that, although this next part is slightly more speculative than the more obvious example above.

So we all know that Kurosawa is a jealous, jealous man. It's one of his defining character traits and it's often the source of conflict and comedy alike. But he does not express his jealousy equally across genders. With men he has this strong rivalry where he needs to prove himself better and more worthy of Adachi's attention.

But with women he has a different approach: gently coaxing them away from him, lest they realize what a catch Adachi really is.

So, why this difference? The answer I have is that he doesn't actually believe he can compete with a woman. If Adachi wants to be close with a man, Kurosawa thinks it might as well be him, he's the best option after all. But if Adachi wants a woman, he cannot offer anything and is therefore the inferior option. He believes this even after he found out Adachi's not completely repulsed at the idea of being with a man. Even if Adachi's okay with men, he'll always prefer a woman.

And whenever he imagines anyone else with Adachi, it's always a woman, specifically Fujisaki, which he believes is "his type".

And he at least thinks he's very far away from that ideal. (He's not but that's a topic for a different essay.) If anyone's wondering why he even bothers at all then if he's so sure that a woman will out-compete him, I think the lyrics from the anime opening actually put it best, specifically the last verse:

I have these impatient feelings I doubt this love will come to fruition But still I can't give up this happiness There's a feeling here I can't resist A love like a castle in the sky

So basically, his plan is that he might as well ride the high of his first ever crush as far as it will go, intercepting where he can to prolong it just that little bit further, until it all inevitably comes to an end. (a castle in the sky = an unreachable dream) This plan kind of fluctuates throughout volumes 1-3 as Adachi gives him a bunch of mixed signals, but it holds true most of the time.

Adachi's side

Now I'd like to highlight the way Adachi actually thinks about their relationship, because it serves as a great contrast to Kurosawa's assumptions about him.

Throughout the first three volumes we see him grapple with his newfound feelings for Kurosawa, but he (almost) never puts his gender at the forefront of his musings. The manga makes it very clear that it's his lack of romantic experience and low self esteem that make it hard for him to accept Kurosawa's affections, and not the fact that he's a man.

This second page here being his own little gay awakening, where he realizes that he is not, in fact, disgusted by intimacy with a man.

It's also worth mentioning that when he later introduces Kurosawa to his parents (ch 41), they are immediately welcoming of him, suggesting he grew up in a very tolerant environment.

And it's not like he's completely unaware of heteronormativity/homophobia either, especially after he does his research in vol 8, but he is slightly more defiant in responding to it.

(I love how he just buys that bag he probably doesn't need that's supposed to come with all the wedding magazines, just as this very tiny act of rebellion.)

So now that we can see how different Kurosawa's thought patterns are compared to Adachi's, the next question we should ask ourselves is: Why is he like that?

Heteronormativity in Kurosawa's life

(yes we're finally getting to the comphet part of the essay 😂)

First let's look at the environment he grew up in. There are not many scenes with his family, but from those that we do have, we can at least make some assumptions about how he must've been raised.

His mother is clearly the authority figure in his life, judging by how she's described as "strong" and how terrified he is at her merely setting down a teacup (while Adachi has a more mild reaction). Her reaction to the news of them dating and Kurosawa expecting his parents to go as far as disowning him for it would suggest that she might just be generally homophobic.

But when they actually go meet her we see this slightly more nuanced perspective.

She's not entirely against it, but she does believe they are making a mistake by choosing to be together, hence why she thinks they might "regret it". There's many hardships that gay couples in Japan face, some of which we even see discussed in the manga, so it's not hard to see why she would be concerned for her son. The way she talks about Kurosawa never causing any problems, but "changing" ever since he fell for Adachi further supports that conformity is what she believes will ultimately lead to a successful, happy life. And that's also why she accepts Adachi later, when he's made it abundantly clear in his speech that they are happier in this non-conforming relationship than they were without it.

To contrast, her other child Mari is shown to have a very progressive stance (see: her pep talk in ch 47) and it would not surprise me if that is the reason she's rarely in japan and is never seen together with her family, save for the one time they're all at the wedding. She might find the conforming environment too restrictive and preferring to keep her distance. (shoutout to naina for this bit 🙏)

So that's Kurosawa's family situation. Now let's check how his social circle holds up.

From what we see of his friends, they never even seem to consider him possibly being with a man.

And his work environment seems rather toxic to say the least.

It clearly dictates traditional gender roles as the ideal. Nobody except Fujisaki even clocks any of Kurosawa's advances on Adachi as romantic in nature, even though he seems to be quite obvious about it (see: ch 34.5). And it's not like dating in general is discouraged at Toyokawa either, as we can see from all the women constantly vying for Kurosawa's attention.

From all this we can conclude that Kurosawa's upbringing and social/work environment is painfully heteronormative and until he falls for Adachi it seems he never questioned the status quo either.

The famous onsen scene, while funny, also reveals the sad truth that Kurosawa, in his 30 years of life, probably never even had the chance to explore his sexual orientation, rather focusing on being "perfect" in his straight relationships.

Speaking of those relationships...

He apparently had a bunch of girlfriends, who all seem to have dumped him pretty early on. His mother's surprise at him expressing a willingness to commit also makes me think he's never brought anyone home either. He also only seems to have a surface level understanding of what a proper relationship is supposed to entail, if his idea of an ideal date is just "what the average person" thinks is romantic. So why were all of his relationships so short-lived? Before I answer that...

Intermission: Kurosawa's smiles

It has come to my attention that this is not common knowledge, so let me explain: There's a way to tell apart Kurosawa's fake smiles from his real ones, without any context clues, just purely visually.

Real smiles: (ch 23, 24, 37)

Fake smiles: (ch 5, 13, 32)

The difference being very simple: Blush = real, no blush = fake 👍 And before anyone mentions it: No he doesn't just blush when he's around Adachi, that last fake smile is actually directed at him. (ch 32)

Edit from the future: This holds true like 90% of the time, but as Toyota's art style becomes more detailed, this doesn't apply as much in the newer volumes. I think there's also new details added that I haven't quite figured out yet so take this bit with a grain of salt. (The images below are still from her early art style though.)

So now that we have this additional knowledge, let's take a look at every instance Kurosawa is paired with a woman.

He's smiling in all of these. Not a single one has a real smile in it though.

I think he's never actually had his heart in any of his relationships, and the girls probably noticed it and that's why they dumped him.

And, of course, the first time he actually falls in love...

... just so happens to be with a man.

Even his friends comment on this, who have known him since high school.

It's almost funny how perfectly this aligns with real life gay people. Having numerous, short-lived relationships with people of the "wrong" gender is one of the more common traits of compulsive heterosexuality. (source: me oof) (but also shoutout to the "Am I a lesbian?" masterdoc, google it if you don't know, it's truly eye-opening)

After dating Adachi

So we have already established that he's far happier when he does finally get to date Adachi, but do any of his other thought patterns change?

Honestly it seems like he throws every single reservation about being seen as gay out the window.

He starts bragging like crazy about his new relationship to anyone willing (and unwilling) to listen, he has no qualms about PDA, he marks Adachi up and down so everyone knows he's taken and the only thing stopping him from proclaiming his love for Adachi to the whole world is the still very much existing societal homophobia. But he is a lot more easy-going about it now than he ever was before.

And I think the best way to describe this mental shift is, hear me out, the date song from volume 4...

... specifically the last 2 verses as a whole, and this section in particular:

"I won't let anyone divide our fraction! You couldn't pry this thrill from my hands when they're cold and dead!"

Horrible lyrics aside, this perfectly encapsulates how Kurosawa simply couldn't care less anymore now that he finally has what he's wanted for more than a year, maybe even his whole life. All the societal pressure pales in comparison to the sheer euphoria he feels at finally having someone that he loves and who loves him back just as strongly, feeling cared for and seen like no one else ever did.

And, you know, just happens to be a man. 🏳️‍🌈

[ducklingpia]

⋆˙⟡ 𝐌𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞 & 𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐛’𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 🍎⋆˙⟡

ℋℯ𝓁𝓁ℴ 𝒟𝒶𝓇𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔⟡ ݁₊ . (Charlotte Tilbury's voice) After I read all of his content, I have been thinking about this man the concerning amount at this rate. So instead of letting them float around and occupy my rotting brain to the point of insanity,I decided to write this full summary of Caleb’s story in chronological order. Main reason is to put all my thoughts out of my brain and let them rest. But also- for the people who don’t have all of his cards I hope this can help you understand him a little bit better.

Words count: 16k (This is like a whole damn fic I’M SO SORRY)

Notes: I’m giving credit to @slimepuparibaba because I’ll be following their present & alternate timeline based on this post. Thank you so much for the guideline.

Warning: spoilers of all caleb’s content in game so far (Main story,anecdote, tender moments, secret times, Standard myth memory, Standard 5 stars card memories,Limited 5 stars memory, Affinity phone calls and messages ) although I’ll try to be as vague as possible and focus on my interpretations more than the details in each content.

I will separate his storyline into 3 sections : Past timeline, Current Timeline, Alternate/future Timeline 

Let's go ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

── .✦ 𝑷𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆

Content featured: Some flashbacks in main story, Standard Myth, 4 star cards Tender moments (Borrowed Promise,Summer’s Echo, Longtime Yesterday, Stage Observer, Skyline, Verified Rumors), Anecdote (Pathless realm),Bond memory (Rain’s Embrace), Secret Times(Solace)

─ .✦ So here’s the thing, please correct me if i’m wrong but from my understanding - Only the events that happen in Main-story, World underneath, Anecdotes, and maybe bond memories are considered ‘main timeline’ meaning whoever you chose to romance, these events are still happening in your universe. Usually we consider the 4 star/ 5 star memories to be an alternate timeline for each guy, right?

but for Caleb it’s a different story. all of his 4 star cards that will be mentioned in this section were happening in the past. all of them have “old days:_____” written on them.

What does it mean is that - these events are not an alternate timeline. All these memories will still be happening no matter whether you choose to romance Caleb or not.

whoever your Li is, you still grow up with Caleb and experience these memories the same way. These memories had shaped MC to be the woman she grew up to be at the current timeline. If we keep this in mind then we will see their dynamic in a deeper perspective.

Flashbacks from childhood

─ .✦ Let's start with his villain's origin story. There are several flashbacks about mc’s relationship with Caleb throughout a lot of the content. I can’t remember in specific details which information came from which content. but here are what I can randomly gathered so far

Caleb also was an experiment test subject from the same lab as MC. We don't know since when but from his anecdote we know that he has been experimenting on up until 9- 10 years old

He possessed an ability to use his Evol from a young age. It has been hinted that he’ll become a force comparable to a black hole given time. Not even light could escape it.

I’m not sure when the first time the 2 of them met. Could it be in the lap? could it be after the First Wanderer attack? could they meet after grandma adopted them? . One thing for sure is that Caleb fell in love with MC the moment she held his hand for the first time. He immediately positioned himself in a role of “older brother” (Gege,Nii-chan, Oppa) in order to protect & take care of his new found-Family. They grow up together under the same roof.

It has been said that MC lost a lot of her memories during childhood. she went into a deep ‘fever’ and kinda reset herself every time she came back to normal. She forgot the time she met Rafayel at the beach, she forgot Caleb as well.

This probably happened several times - and every time she forgot about him, Caleb will introduces himself the same way “I’m your (gege,Nii-chan,Oppa) I’ll always be by your side”

Both went through the same traumatic event. What makes Caleb different from MC is - He does not forget. He remembers the time he has been in the lab. I strongly believe this has an effect on him psychologically when he grows up.

there’re also multiple call-back in small details that Caleb has been taking care of her all the time growing up. He himself probably formed his own identity as somebody who always be MC’s protector.

4 star card Tender moments: Borrowed Promise

─ .✦ This is the first time- skip we see MC and Caleb. The memory happened in her high school days. It’s a random summer day where Caleb dragged MC out to the park. The very first thing that I can see so clearly in this card is - He spoiled her ROTTEN. And he does it so naturally, like breathing. The amount of care & attentiveness that he has for her lowkey gives me whiplash since I just finished the main story the day before. This is the old version Caleb that grew up with MC- the one she always relied on. in here it already shows a hint of romantic feeling Caleb has for her when she talks about her “friend”

Another thing is, if we take a second to think about it. Caleb in this card was probably in high school as well. and to think a boy at  this age acting like him is something so unusual. Made me kinda wonder how much he has to grow up so fast and be such a responsible ��brother’ figure for her without having his own childhood.

4 star card Tender moments: Summer’s Echo

─.✦ Another fluffy card that shows more of Caleb’s softer side. He’s already in college here. Again, we can see HOW MUCH he spoiled her. every little thing that he does for her so naturally.He’s dotting on her to the max, MC seems to be used to it tho. It also mentions how Caleb fulfilled MC’s every wish and desire growing up. whatever she wants he will get it for her

Anecdote (Pathless Realm)

─.✦ The Anecdote shows his time when he was a pilot student in college at Skyheaven. We have a glimpse of Caleb’s other side. We also get to know more about the reason why he became a pilot (spoiler alert: MC) .

There are few important points that I wanna yap about in this one

1. his low-scored psychological test, one of his answers in the test

2. when he went to that test where he flew into the deep space tunnel and flew out of the designated path. Not sure if he did that on purpose? Maybe it was an accident

There's an underlying issue here, Caleb seems to have lost the fear of death. It’s like he’s numb to it. For a human to lack this instinct which is the most important fear we should have for survival. He lost it a long time ago. Do you realize how much he had to go through in his childhood to no longer feel afraid of death? 

At his very last moment before he lost consciousness in the deepspace tunnel - going back to MC is the only reason for him to stay alive and survive that incident.

Bond memory (Rain’s Embrace)

─.✦ On this one we see more of his ✨Yandere ✨ side peeking through a bit. MC was already in college. I think from this moment MC starts to grow more onto her own self and starts to seek her own independence

There’s a guilt in him where he accidentally locked MC up in the attic all night when they were kids. He probably thought that MC forgot about it but she doesn’t. He probably felt so bad about it that he was the reason that made MC cry. He also swore to never lock her up again (well….)

Caleb also accepts in here that it’s not MC who’s not capable enough to protect herself, it’s him who’s not ready to accept that he’s not needed anymore + seeing that MC is still scared of loud thunder and covered in fear in his arms. Caleb asks to be the one to ‘protect’ her one last time from the storms.

4 star card Tender moments: Longtime yesterday

─.✦ This memory happened at MC last summer break before her graduation. Caleb took her to visit his former teacher from the Aerospace Academy. More moments of Caleb taking care of MC like a princess here (why can’t this be meee 😩). And more obvious hints of his feelings for MC. The way he uses her belonging as an excuse to keep other girls away from him is so 🤌🏻

4 star card Tender moments: Stage Observer

─.✦ Ok so this memory finally affirms my sus. Both of them obviously have an underlying romantic feeling for each other at this point dude. Can’t deny it. MC found a cute ass letter in Caleb’s dorm and went 58 steps to make him tell her who the girl is. The way MC reacts to Caleb potentially having a girlfriend is nowhere near platonic. She also kisses his cheek in front of the whole ceremony (poor dude was short-circuiting for a whole minute).

His graduation speech was basically a proposal to MC. Caleb is giving MC a little more hint with what he feels about her. But at this point both of them are still scared to cross the line.

4 star card Tender moments: Skyline

─.✦ MC went to Caleb’s workplace in Skyhaven before her hunter qualification exam. He shows her around, taking her to see different airplanes. They reminisce about when they were kids, when Caleb took her to watch the Airplane for the first time. The fact that he remembers every detail about that day made me wanna cry bro.

Another card where Caleb lowkey confesses to MC.When MC told him that she wanna be his ‘childhood friend’ in the next life He legit told her  ‘What if I don’t wanna be your childhood friend anymore?’

With the EN localization I’m pretty sure we can just replace ‘the childhood friend’ to ‘gege/nii-chan/oppa’. so basically he asked her ‘What if I don’t wanna be just your gege anymore?’ what if I wanna be more than that?.

Although he tryna make it more lighthearted by saying he wanna be a seagull instead. MC’s response after this is really obvious that she knows.

Secret times (Solace)

─.✦ In my opinion this Secret time is happening in the past. there’re a lot of contexts in the dialect hinting that they were still living together. It’s basically a period ASMR that every Li has. Again, The way he took care of her & coddled her is making me so freaking emotional. 

4 star card Dynamic Date: Verified Rumors

─.✦ This card is not available yet since it’s the reward from 10 days with you log-in event. But judging from the artwork I assumed that this memory is from the past timeline.

── .✦ 𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆

Content featured: Main story (Under Deepspace Chapter 4, Homecoming Wings), 5 star standard memories (Endless Summer, Exclusive Aftertaste), Standard Myth (Lucid Dream)

Main Story (Under Deepspace Chp.4)

─.✦ well, the kaboom chapter. many ppls speculated that Caleb knew about the explosion all along. I personally disagree. I think he’s just the victim like grandma & MC

Most of us players met Caleb the first time in this chapter so we might not feel the effect it has on MC much. But if you go back and experience all the content I listed above then come back to this chapter again, it really hits different….

Main Story (Homecoming Wings)

─.✦ Well, so many things happen and hit all of us like a truck in these 2 chapters. Let's hold each-others hands and recap some important information for a bit shall we?

Caleb got saved from the explosion, I assumed it was by that same professor that adopted Kevi.

It implied that he lost his arm from the explosion. They replaced his arm with a mechanical arm and put that zombie chip into his body as ‘the price’ for him being brought back to life

He created a new identity by being a colonel from the farspace fleet. Doing some kind of secret mission that involved putting a zombie chip onto everybody in the fleet.

The whole purpose of that Processor however, is still unclear. whether he wants to create a ‘perfect’ weapon or wants to help EVER do something. all of them seem to involve using MC’s Aether core power

I guess that somewhere along the way, Caleb found out about this. So he has no choice but to play both sides. There’s no way he’ll let these people touch the love of his life. But he also has to do what these people told him to, otherwise they will throw him away and ‘abandon’ him like what he said to us. in order to protect her he needs this power.

The problem is that- MC suddenly comes back to his life. now at the worst time possible. I think with all the traumas he had gone through so far+ the effect of the zombie chip, his behavior starts to change.

All crazy stuff happened and then MC found out all the things that he’s done behind her back. MC kinda realizes that this is not Caleb she used to know anymore.

They part ways not on a good term. There is some bitterness lingering between them. At this point, MC (player) has to decide whether she will continue to rebuild the relationship with the most important person in her life or move on from him.

5 Star card: Endless Summer

─.✦ From now on, starting with this memory, some people might consider this card to be an alternate reality if you chose to romance Caleb. But since the story is still pretty much about their reunion and they’re really awkward (although it’s so obvious what Caleb feels about MC) with each other. I will still count this as a main timeline event. In this card you can see Caleb being unsure if he should come back into her life. MC also feels some resentment for him after 2 weeks have passed in the main story. His Yearning for her is so strong in the kindle scene tho. the sadness, the hurt, the longing. Sooo yummy 🤤

5 Star card: Exclusive Aftertaste

─.✦ Another episode of their reunion arc. Caleb takes a visit to Linkon and MC sees him. Again in this one you can consider it as an alternate timeline already since some of their interaction starts to become a little bit romance-forward.

Caleb is still unsure about his place in MC’s life. MC is also unsure whether to let him back in fully.

At the end she gave him her apartment’s key and told him to visit her anytime he wanted to.

5 Star pair cards: Standard Myth (Lucid dream)

─.✦ This is so important. The myth story explains further about Caleb’s motive at his current position in the main timeline. It explores deeper into his lore and his back story with MC back when they were kids. MC received a special mission with the farspace fleet and went back to Skyheaven. Their relationship is a lot better here. But when we remember that this is still Love and depression myth. it gets dark and freaking sad real quick. I cried when I finish this Myth ngl

one thing I realize after reading this myth tho. MC. IS. CRAZY. ok? Sometimes we players kinda forgot that this girlie pop is lowkey sick in the head. what she did to herself in this myth is beyond me. Anyway we got more information about that damn zombie chip and reasons why Caleb didn’t really get affected by it like other dudes in the fleet (it’s the power of love everyone….I’m kidding)

We also got the first kiss mentioned in the story… yeah, they kissed already.Not directly on the lips but still…  but the situation and the whole context of it were so damn depressing. At the end both of them silently agreed to forget about it.

── .✦ 𝑭𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆/𝑨𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆

Content featured: 5 star standard memories (Hidden Waves), 5 star limited memory (Painful Signal),4 star card Tender moments (Longtime Moments), Linkon New Year event Chapters, 4 star card dynamic date (Intertwined gold)

─.✦ From this part forward we are in the alternate / future timeline with Caleb - all of these will happen if you choose to romance him.

5 star card: Hidden Waves

─.✦ hands down my favorite 5 star card of Caleb. This happens after the event in his Myth story. MC visited skyhaven to see him and they had an argument. Caleb got sick & MC butting heads with him to let her take care of him. Caleb is being overprotective as usual & MC being stubborn as usual. they match each other’s freak tbh. after reading what they’ve done in the myth story I’m kinda done with these 2 lol.

In this card it really shows how much Caleb had been holding on to this ‘reliable presence’ to MC. All his life he has always been the one MC can relied on to the point that he refuses to let her see his weaker side. It's kinda sad.

Mc starts to take more initiative towards him in this. I really love the animation in the kindle scene. His facial expressions are so full of emotions. The whole story feels really intimate & domestic.

5 Star limited card: Painful Signal

─.✦ The debut of his mechanical arm. Their dynamic in this card is way more playful & intimate. the ways they act around each other are more like when they were in the past timeline now.

That graveyard scene where he took a selfie with his own grave? Iconic. peak Gemini energy. We also met his REAL sidekick (not that snake man thank god) , his old colleague from the Aerospace Academy. But remember this is love and deepspace. It took a different turn real quick.

Basically MC found out about his robot arm. It kinda hinted again how much this man has to endure all this time.

4 star card Tender moments: Longtime Moments

─.✦ In this memory I can see the shifts in their dynamic more. they’re a bit more flirty. The elevator scene had me curling my toes and giggling like a teenager. With MC coming to terms that her old version of Caleb is transforming into a different man in her eyes now. Caleb also starts to accept MC’s ability to fight alongside him also. They fought alongside and made a really good team together.

Linkon New Year Event Chapters + Intertwined goal 4 star card Dynamic date

─.✦ Since all the Event chapters haven't been unlocked yet. We don’t know the full story but from what I’ve read so far, they went on the fighting shenanigans together. Their relationship is more smooth. In the dynamic date it took a full on romance route now. with how close they already were compared to other Lis from the beginning. Their interaction feels really cozy and domestic here.This is where the relationship really shifted for real I feel. Caleb finally confesses, MC also confesses, they almost kiss. Life is good again ☁️🕊️👼🪽

✧₊⁺ In conclusion:

─.✦ I had a big ass crush the moment I met Caleb in chapter 4 before he got kaboom and gone. then got completely swept off my feets by Rafayel. The moment I found that he will be back as a new li again,I opened a new account preparing for him immediately (back in late November). So when he’s out I was able to get all of his content the very first day. but I made a mistake (like 99% of us) by going straight to the main story without checking out his 4 star memories first. safe to say that I finished the chapters with such a bitter taste in my mouth. I had to take a break from him the next day. At some point I even regretted making an account for him. But I decided to give him a chance and read all of his content bit by bit. I re-read his main story chapter again as well.

Now that I complete all of his contents, my feelings toward him have completely changed. He went from being at the bottom of my tier list when I finished the main story to now breathing at Rafayel’s neck and ready to snatch me away.

I just hope this post can persuade those of you who are still unsure about this man. If you feel put off by him after reading the main story but still wanna give him a chance, I highly recommend starting from 

his 4 star cards in the past timeline. you can get them in the wishing well shop. they’re relatively cheap. or you can watch them on youtube.

Read his anecdote

If you can, I recommend pulling at least one of his myth pairs. You can unlock the full story in the special event for a limited time even if you have only 1 of them. or again, you can watch them on youtube.

I also wrote another post about the controversial topics regarding his character in this post. You can go take a look if you wanna read my take on it.

That’s all, please feel free to add your own thoughts in the reply if you wanna talk about him. I’d love to read them. 

English is not my first language so I apologize in advance If I make any mistakes.

Time to go back to my main man 🚶🏻‍♀️ gosh I miss my stinky fishie so bad I’m gonna go annoy him in the cafe for the next 5 days now. Bye bye 👋

[astrojulia]

Asteroid Fan (151590): Understanding Its Signs, Houses, and Planetary Aspects

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ About the Asteroid: Finding out about the astronomical part of this asteroid was not easy and to be honest, I can't say if the information is correct. What I can say is that it was discovered between 2004/2006 and that it was named after the late Chinese astronomer and physicist, Dr. Fan Zhaohui. doctor Fan was an expert in celestial mechanics and made significant contributions to the study of the orbits of asteroids and comets. He also played a crucial role in the development of China's space program.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Sources and inspirations: As it was already difficult to find astronomical information, it was more difficult to find astrological information, so much that you can see the heavy inspiration in this post here, which was the most complete that I found on the subject. However as the blog is deactivated and if you are a tumblr browser user like me you will have a hard time seeing the whole post. That's why there are parts that are references to the post as well as parts that are my own interpretation. Also, the image template in from minikyuns on deviantart.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Asteroid Fan Rx: Your fans are more withdrawn and hidden, having a more introspective and reflective relationship with you. You can also bring out more hidden or intense feelings in fans. They may become more obsessed or possessive of you, or they may feel a stronger connection to you. Your fans are the type to always question your actions and reconsider whether or not they should continue to admire you, each time you prove that yes, the harder it is for them to leave.

Asteroid Fan in Signs

✧. ┊ Aries: With Asteroid Fan in Aries, get ready for an enthusiastic and passionate supporter. They're drawn to your energy and may see you as a leader or trailblazer. They're spontaneous, expressive and quick to react to everything you do. You can expect lots of random compliments and affection, but they may also get defensive and impatient with people who don't like you.These fans may also be very demanding of you and want to have your content on a daily basis.

✧. ┊ Taurus: With an Asteroid Fan in Taurus, your beauty and sensuality are what they love about you. They may be supportive of your material goals and see you as a source of comfort. These fans are loyal, constant and trustworthy. They love letting you know how much you mean to them, but they can also be quite protective and jealous. Your fans also expect the best from your work, even if it takes time.

✧. ┊ Gemini: The Asteroid Fan in Gemini is all about communication skills and intellectual curiosity. They may follow you on social media and send you long messages, often with a playful and witty tone. They're fans one day and roasting you the next, but they're excited when you reply. They are the type that most reblog/share their content to others.

✧. ┊ Cancer: With Asteroid Fan in Cancer, it's all about emotional depth and sensitivity. They see you as a source of emotional support or a parental figure. They're very protective of you and always willing to listen when you need to vent. You are hardly the type to see your fans, as they appear more in fights and discussions to defend you than giving you likes, comments... they are more of the types that only observe the content, always following but not actively showing up.

✧. ┊ Leo: The Asteroid Fan in Leo is drawn to your charisma and creativity. They're supportive of your artistic endeavors and see you as a source of inspiration. These fans idolize you completely and are always looking for ways to keep you in a good mood. They're warm, playful, and very admiring of you.They see you as a kind leader.

✧. ┊ Virgo: With Asteroid Fan in Virgo, they're drawn to your work ethic and attention to detail. They may be helpful in your daily life and provide practical support. These fans are devoted, but can be a bit shy when interacting with you. They're intelligent, calm, and willing to do anything for you. These are the types of fans with whom the more you create a routine of posts and interaction, the more they help you to grow.

✧. ┊ Libra: With Asteroid Fan in Libra your fans are drawn to your sense of balance and harmony. They share your values and interests and admire your sense of style. These fans bring you peace and harmony, and they're emotional and loving. They trust you and may ask for your advice.

✧. ┊ Scorpio: The Asteroid Fan in Scorpio is drawn to your intensity and emotional depth. They see you as someone who understands their innermost feelings and desires, and they may be interested in spiritual or mystical topics. These fans are extremely intense and loyal, sometimes even obsessed. They're reserved, but feel a deep connection to you.You can also provoke difficult emotions in them with envy and anger.

✧. ┊ Sagittarius: Asteroid Fan in Sagittarius, they share your love of learning and exploring new ideas. They see you as a source of wisdom and guidance, and they're often drawn to your spiritual or philosophical beliefs. These fans are positive and fun, and love to interact with you. They're focused on you and may even idealize you a bit. You will probably attract a lot of fans younger than you, who really need more patience and care when transmitting information.

✧. ┊ Capricorn: The Asteroid Fan in Capricorn is drawn to your success and ambition. They see you as a role model or leader and may be supportive of your career or public image. These fans are consistent, productive and determined. They may feel a bit intimidated by you, but are willing to do a lot for you.This is the kind of fan that gets to see behind the scenes, the details that lead up to the result. So it's not just something you post that they see, but they can see the fonts you used, the design, etc.

✧. ┊ Aquarius: The Asteroid Fan in Aquarius indicates fans who share their idol's interests and values. Fans may be connected to their idol through social causes or activism. Your fans sincerely believe in you and will trust your words and ideas. These individuals are highly creative and often feel like they're not fully understood by others. However, when it comes to you, they feel like you get them on a deeper level. Your followers have the potential to become your close companions, and the bond between you is characterized by warmth, joy, and a distinct sense of individuality. Your ability to make them feel valued and important is a key aspect of this special connection.

✧. ┊ Pisces: The Asteroid Fan in Pisces indicates fans who are drawn to their idol's creativity and emotional depth. Fans may see their idol as a source of inspiration and be drawn to their artistic expression or spiritual beliefs. Your fans are very emotional and have an intense connection to you. They are very devoted to you and may see you as a source of comfort or escape from their own reality. They may express their feelings in a poetic or dreamy way. You may attract fans who are empathic or intuitive, who feel a deep spiritual connection with you.

Asteroid Fan in Houses

✧. ┊1st House: With Asteroid Fan in the 1st house, you have a natural charm that attracts fans and admirers. Your fans see you as a leader and may relate to you on a deep level. They want to be like you or be very similar to you. Your fans may even become your close friends, and you make them feel appreciated and special. You easily gain admiration, and some of your fans may be exclusively devoted to you.

✧. ┊2nd House:The Asteroid Fan in the 2nd house indicates that your fans may be very supportive of you financially. They share your values and interests and may admire your sense of style and taste. Your fans are consistent and detail-oriented. They may give you gifts, pictures, or small gestures, and they will always boost your self-esteem without being asked. You can always count on them for support and stability.

✧. ┊3rd House: With Asteroid Fan in the 3rd house, your fans appreciate your communication skills and intellectual abilities. They may follow you on social media or other forms of online communication. These types of fans are fun, chaotic, and always take the time to write you a beautiful message. They check up on you and ask about your day-to-day, and they can become very close to you. You may even have admirers from your school days, and you're a common topic of conversation in their lives.

✧. ┊4th House:The Asteroid Fan in the 4th house indicates that your fans see you as a source of emotional support or a parental figure. They may be connected to you through your shared cultural or familial background. Your fans find refuge in you, and they feel very close to you. You make them feel comfortable with themselves, and there is a strong and lovable connection between you and them. Your fans are intuitive and can quickly pick up on your mood, and they treasure you very much.

✧. ┊5th House: With the Asteroid Fan in the 5th house, your fans are drawn to your creativity, passion, and self-expression. They see you as a source of inspiration and may be very supportive of your artistic endeavors. Your fans are fun, spontaneous, and loving, and they may tease you playfully. You share many hobbies and personality traits with them, and they put you on a kind of pedestal. Many want to be like you and could even see you as a role model. Some may even find you attractive and appealing and develop a crush on you.

✧. ┊6th House: The Asteroid Fan in the 6th house indicates that your fans appreciate your work ethic and attention to detail. They may be helpful in your daily life and provide practical support and assistance. Your fans are helpful and deeply devoted to you, and they take away your stress, making you feel more relaxed. They support and appreciate everything you do, and their support is unconditional and constant. You become part of their routine, and they cherish you.

✧. ┊7th House: The Asteroid Fan in the 7th house signifies fans who are drawn to their idol's charisma and charm, seeing them as a potential partner or companion who shares their values and interests. These fans deeply adore you and are committed to your success. Although they may differ from you in personality, they become close to you and receive your affection. They may even see you as a crush.

✧. ┊8th House:The Asteroid Fan in the 8th house signifies fans who are attracted to their idol's intensity and emotional depth, seeing them as someone who understands their innermost feelings and desires. These fans feel a great interest in you and discover your most personal and profound aspects. They identify with you closely and feel intrigued by you. They respect you for your maturity, and there is a lot of intimacy and closeness between them and you.

✧. ┊9th House:The Asteroid Fan in the 9th house signifies fans who share their idol's love of learning and exploring new ideas, seeing them as a source of wisdom and guidance. These fans are friendly and curious, and they see you as superior on many levels. They are interested in your philosophy and thinking, and they appreciate not only your talent but also your personality.

✧. ┊10th House:The Asteroid Fan in the 10th house signifies fans who are drawn to their idol's success and ambition, seeing them as a role model or leader. These fans respect you and support your career and public image. They form a strong community, and they see you as a professional. They may be slightly intimidated by you, but they are loyal and supportive, always encouraging you to improve and trust your abilities.

✧. ┊11th House: The Asteroid Fan in the 11th house signifies fans who share their idol's interests and values, connected through social causes or activism. These fans see you as eccentric and inspiring, with a friendly and approachable personality. They feel motivated by you and empowered to pursue their goals. They are very diverse, and you have a large fanbase. You have great influence over them.

✧. ┊12th House: The Asteroid Fan in the 12th house signifies fans who are drawn to their idol's mystical or spiritual nature, seeing them as a source of inspiration or guidance in their own spiritual journey. These fans find solace and sanctuary in you, and they feel that you understand them. They are very dedicated, sentimental, and expressive, and they may become addicted to you. They idolize you and see you better than you see yourself.

Asteroid Fan Aspects Overview

✧. ┊Conjunction: A conjunction between the Asteroid Fan and a planet indicates that a person's fans may have a strong impact on their personality or life path. Fans may be very important to their idol's success or sense of self.

✧. ┊Trine or Sextile: A sextile or trine between the Asteroid Fan and a planet indicates that a person's fans may provide support or opportunities for growth and development. Fans may be helpful in their idol's personal or professional life.

✧. ┊Square or Opposition:A square or opposition between the Asteroid Fan and a planet indicates that a person's fans may cause conflict or tension in their life. Fans may have difficulty relating to their idol or may be a source of stress.

Asteroid Fan in Aspect to Planets

✧. ┊Sun: The Asteroid Fan in aspect to the Sun indicates that the person's fans may be drawn to their identity or sense of self. Fans may see their idol as a potential role model or leader.These people like their idol's creativity, enthusiasm and positivity.

✧. ┊Moon: The Asteroid Fan in aspect to the Moon indicates that the person's fans may be drawn to their emotional depth or sensitivity. Fans may see their idol as a source of comfort or support. These people like their idol in a more reserved and quiet way, almost as if it were that childhood thing that you like a lot but are ashamed to say you like.

✧. ┊Mercury: The Asteroid Fan in aspect to Mercury indicates that the person's fans may be drawn to their communication skills or intellectual curiosity. Fans may be connected to their idol through social media or other forms of online communication and talk about their idol to everyone so they can make a bigger fan-base.

✧. ┊Venus:The Asteroid Fan in aspect to Venus indicates that the person's fans may be drawn to their beauty or sensuality. Fans may appreciate their idol's style or taste. These people like the way their idol behaves in the world, being inspired by their behavior and style.

✧. ┊Mars: The Asteroid Fan in aspect to Mars indicates that the person's fans may be drawn to their energy or passion. Fans may see their idol as a leader or trailblazer and be inspired by their courage and enthusiasm.

✧. ┊Jupiter: The Asteroid Fan in aspect to Jupiter indicates that the person's fans may share their idol's love of learning and exploring new ideas. Fans may see their idol as a source of wisdom and guidance and may be drawn to their spiritual or philosophical beliefs. These fans try everything to support their idol, mainly in the form of money, but also by showing up at the events their idol is at.

✧. ┊Saturn: The Asteroid Fan in aspect to Saturn indicates that the person's fans may be drawn to their success and ambition. Fans may see their idol as a role model or leader and be supportive of their career or public image. These fans also support their idols, but because they believe in its worth and its work and want the person it idolizes to succeed.

✧. ┊Uranus: The Asteroid Fan in aspect to Uranus indicates that the person's fans may share their idol's interests and values. Fans may be connected to their idol through social causes or activism. It's also very connected to teenage and unconventional fans, who are very active on the internet.

✧. ┊Neptune: The Asteroid Fan in aspect to Neptune indicates that the person's fans may be drawn to their mystical or spiritual nature. Fans may see their idol as a source of inspiration or guidance in their own spiritual journey. These fans may also find their idol mind-boggling, yet utterly alluring.

✧. ┊Pluto: The Asteroid Fan in aspect to Pluto indicates that the person's fans may be drawn to their intensity or emotional depth. Fans may see their idol as someone who understands their innermost feelings and desires and may be interested in spiritual or mystical topics. These fans also see their idol as someone very reserved but powerful, who will take on important roles without making a fuss about it.

(CC) AstroJulia Some Rights Reserved

[dicentsalve]

I'm interested in what dynamics you see Sorbet and Gelato having. The crumbs you've given us about their relationship and history have made me interested in your interpretation of them. They are ( mostly ) a blank slate everyone can have fun with, after all! :)

HEEEERE WE GO

Thanks for the question, bb!

To be fair We know a tiny bit of information about them, we can also take their reckless act as a starting point and the reactions of the rest of the team to their disappearance

Overall, I feel like they're a bit of a separated from the other members So to speak, on their own, since their motivation, their way of thinking, seemed to not fit in with the reasons for the other participants joining the team of killers and their interactions with each other.

Yes, they communicated, yes, they probably had close relationships with, for example, Formaggio, but still there was a certain barrier between them all.

I also like to think that Illuso was unable to fit into their social circle, and as a result became offended and began to tease them constantly. (But in a way that they couldn't hear, because I think he was still afraid of them, because they would definitely teach him a lesson)

We also know that these two are moral monsters, which also leads us to believe that they have no ethical or moral principles. Even Risotto demonstrated a reluctance to kill an innocent person, which ultimately destroyed him, one might say. Sorbet and Gelato, I think, would kill an innocent person without further ado and without thinking twice if he got in their way, no matter who was in front of them.

Gelato, as I also mentioned, was in prison for mass murder, as a result of which he was sent to the church for correction, where two bloodthirsty, callous to the point of pity and principles souls intertwined and created an even more terrible duet.

But from that moment on, Gelato's ability to kill no longer extends to everyone in a row, but is directed in the right, specific direction.

They also, in my eyes, are the kind of guys who can freely shoot each other in the knees or stab each other with a knife and then start kissing.

I also think they spend a lot of time on missions, especially if it's a contract and not just a trip out to just sit around with corpses, relax and talk.

While others are concerned with the desire not to die in poverty from hunger and cold, to receive a well-deserved status, for Sorbet and Gelato there seems to be only a desire to feel adrenaline, blood on their hands, to be above others.

Regarding the stands that I gave them, the situation is the same:

● The Informers. (Sorbet)

Based on the fact that Sorbet is a greedy bastard for money (and so much so that his absence at the division of money led to suspicions of something amiss), there is a stand capable of finding any, even the most secret piece of information in one form or another.

The bottom line: Sorbet not only get information for the team, but also did a little more for his own benefit

The image of a dragonfly was chosen for a reason In nature, they are not only capable of reaching speeds of up to 60 km/h, but are also capable of hovering in the air in one place Therefore, this gives the stand not only enormous speed, but also the ability to pay sufficient attention to the necessary search aspects

● Disturbed. (Gelato)

Gelato is quite careless about his job, considering the fact that yet another meeting skipping didn't particularly impress or surprise Risotto, who, in turn, is extremely serious about their business, which only means that Gelato's behavior is presumably manifested in everything and probably not fixable

That is, for me he does it not so much for the money, because the Squadra received so-so, but rather for the soul and fun

Accordingly, his stand is aimed at survival in battle, to avoid any, even theoretical threats and mindlessly seek adventures on the ass (unless it's Secco)

[whtybsshe]

For me, there is a lot of significance on why Hinata addresses Neji as “older brother”. Figuring that out, completely demolishes any attempt to argue that Hinata is comfortable with the slave system in the Hyugas.

And it isn’t just to get “closer to him” or because she’s just so “kind and warm”. Well, she is kind and warm and gentle and loves her brother and her sister. But that honorific alone crosses the bounds of it.

In every culture the elders hold importance and respect, but this especially goes in East Asian culture, particularly rooted in Confucianism. In Japan, it is also known as senpai-kohai (senior-junior). As its name suggests, it describes hierarchical structures, the younger must respect the elder and the elder must guide the younger. This works mainly in institutions and social groups (-san, -sama, -chan, -kun etc) , but this moral code more or less, has naturally reflected into homes and families as well. But even without mentioning senpai-kohai, we’re all pretty much informed about how in Japan, there are honorifics used for elders, how “you should listen to your elders.” Again, this isn’t just exclusive to Japan or Asia, so not only we are knowledgeable in it, we also relate to it to some degree.

We know hierarchy is an already established tradition within the Hyugas. Hiashi became the head just because he was minutes older than Hizashi, not to mention the main and the branch family themselves is based on, maybe a little more complicated than age differences, but still is based on one.

What this all means, is that Hinata isn’t just referring Neji as an actual family member rather than a servant. Hinata is giving him a degree of authority over her to him. She, a member of the main family, is putting him,a member of the branch family, above her in some way, hence the honorific she uses. Hinata, my insane girl, does not give a shit 👆😍🫶

We don’t have any other proof whether younger main members refer to older branch members with honorifics. Another testimony is Hanabi who also refers Neji as older brother, however it’s not a strong antithesis as firstly, this was done in a filler episode (390, Naruto shippuden) Secondly, even if the filler episode holds validity, Hanabi is then again, Hinatas younger sister which has most likely influenced her to address Neji the same way. Additionally, main branch members lead the lower with fear (the caged bird curse), in heavy contrast with Hinatas anti confrontational nature. I doubt there’s anyone else who does the same thing as Hinata and possibly Hanabi.

I don’t think this is a bare minimum in any way, I think for a girl who has never had a choice , is a hell of a way to express disapproval with what is happening and it’s really a shame Kishimoto just dumped it aside or off screened the development of Neji, Hinata, Hanabi and the Hyugas in general.

PS: My view and my interpretation of senpai kohai isn’t entirely correct but rather on what I’ve read and observed. This is based over my opinion and I would love to hear yours!!!

[lxmelle]

JJK0: Gojo’s secret words and Chapter 236: A Satirical translation Geto’s “……”

Gojo: "I love everyone, so I'm not lonely anymore..."

Geto: ........... (Another love confession? Srsly - translations in edit were my own, lol)

Give him a break Gege 😂 how many times does he have to witness people telling him that they love someone else?

Yuta: From here onwards, let’s really be together forever. I love you Rika. (愛してる used; a more traditional “embarrassing” way to profess a romantic love).

Rika: “daidaidaidaidaidaidai daisuki da yo!!” (Uh, it’s like “so so so so so so so- I love you SO much!!!")

Riko: Kuroi, I love you! From now, and until forever!

Kuroi: me too...!! I love you...

No wonder love is like a curse - people seem to die if they get confessed to.

People loved Geto and I think it's not a stretch to imagine that when love was directed to him, it might not have been voiced out. Geto witnessed confessions made to other people. If they loved him, he probably never got told because this isn't really a part of the Japanese culture.

The twins: love, love, love.

It is interesting to note that they don’t actually say they love him. Just 「大好き」 which literally translates to “big liking/affection”. It is implied through.

But the panels above and below refers to Gojo (above, Geto: “my best friend” in the past tense, “there was a fight and that was that.” And below, MimiNana: “we couldn’t forgive the Gojo Satoru who killed our Geto-sama, but we were willing to let it be...” it is cut off in my screenshot, but it goes onto say because Gojo was Geto’s one and only best friend).

One could also stretch the interpretation and say that because they recognised the love Geto has for Gojo, they were be willing to let it be. Just like Yuta recognised the love Gojo has for Geto and sought to slay Kenjaku so he didn’t have to do it again.

Larue and Miguel again noting in their exchange that they all loved Geto, and they cared for each other like family. There was another time where they referred to being familial, but loving wasn’t mentioned, so I left it out on purpose. But it was implied. Geto had a set of scrolls hanging behind him at the temple that said, “Death to the foolish, Punishment for the weak, Love for the strong.” I guess he felt all those things were true. But when it was his end, he only wanted Gojo Satoru there. I’m glad he got to choose who killed him I guess. And his family escaped.

So with Gege’s love for foreshadowing, maybe all of those scenes of confession-witnessing and love implications parallel with this moment:

Ha.

It really would make so much more sense if Gojo’s last words were, in fact, 「大好きだよ、僕の親友」 (“I love you, my best friend.” - in fact, it makes more sense than simply, “you’re my one and only best friend.” It is pure headcanon though (´∀｀)

As I mentioned earlier: The phrase 「大好き」 and usage of it doesn’t necessarily mean romantic love, but rather “to like a lot”. I’ll hold my hand up and say I’m not native speaker though, so please accept my apologies if I’m wrong and please correct me if I am! My understanding is that the context matters a lot. The English VA said it was three words in the English language - “my best friend” sounds weird conversationally. “You did well” seems oddly placed and may not illicit a blushing smile. “I love you” seems more apt. Personally, anyway.

I don’t think the same word-limit is imposed in the Japanese version. So again, I think it’s a phrase like “I love you my best friend”. Because it was also apparently embarrassing and said before within jjk0 (could be anyone’s words) but never between them.

So the criteria is met as Gojo is likely to use Rika’s version of “I love you” (daisuki da yo) over Yuta’s “I love you” (aishiteru). Not likely said between them in their friendship.

Also, because he has used it in chapter 236 to refer to the students - so! It is not a stretch for him to say that to Geto. It also explains why Geto goes, “…..” as the phrase of affection may have been familiar to him. He may be thinking about how Gojo has grown and reflected on how distant they felt - when the line was drawn. He notices that Gojo recognised the shift in him. Or, it could be that he “overthinked” that he was replaced.

And then the clincher is, ofc, where as soon as Geto thinks he can conclude that Gojo has been fulfilled by his students cuz he said he is no longer lonely and he had an all-out brawl with another man that he (Geto) never managed to give the Strongest, he is told: his presence would have likely made Gojo satisfied. Bahahaha!! Yes, you shed those tears... you’re loved, you dumbo. (I say that lovingly.)

Gojo Satoru as the Strongest may have needed something you can’t give, but Gojo Satoru as himself was only satisfied with you. Can you be honest now?!? Gojo, is it really enough for him to be by your side and waiting for you at the airport, huh??? Or was it enough for you to see the millennia-old Kenjaku be shocked silly by Geto’s body proving his undying love for you by moving when you called out his first name?? lol. These boys make me feel like a giddy schoolgirl at times; yeah, if only this story wasn’t so dark.

Anyway, it’s an overdone analysis, I know. The common consensus is that Gojo tells Geto he is his best friend. But to me, it makes the most sense for his last, most sincere words to Geto, to be a confession of his feelings for him. It aligns well with Gojo saying he needed him to feel fulfilled in chapter 236 and his tearful / heartfelt chuckle. It aligns well with the love is a curse theme, and love following Geto everywhere, and him witnessing people professing their love too. He just never really knew that he was loved, or if he did, the one that mattered the most was Gojo and if he had known, it may have helped him receive love (be happier) in this world.

I mentioned earlier that love was seen to be a curse by Gojo. And through what Geto knows about cursing and what he has witnessed through the deaths and burdens carried by those who have loved and lost... could this be a reason for why Geto doesn't say it back to Gojo?

We will never know. Nanami chose his words to Yuji as well. So saying something like, 'I deserve to be cussed out at the end' is vague and as much as an apology.

I've said in a previous post too, that I personally feel his heartfelt smile was like a thanks and a nod to how he could smile sincerely - recognising the same bond they shared over their blue spring.

Like the hidden words kept between them, I hope his way of communicating was something also understood just between them.

That’s it from me on this topic - thanks for reading if you did.

Sorry if some of it is repetitive.

[cruyuu]

The Wasuke reveal made me realize his death scene has a lot of parallels with Sukuna's. They both lived a life of relative solitude and only had Yuuji at their sides during their death, yet both of them tried (and failed) to push Yuuji away.

But Wasuke died abruptly, so Yuuji didn't have a chance to say goodbye to him before he died. But Yuuji knew Sukuna was dying, so he had time to show Sukuna love and acceptance. And he was able to hold Sukuna, offering him comfort as he died. In a way, righting the wrongs of Wasuke's death. I think this could be extended to their final words to Yuuji. Wasuke's final words were him wishing for Yuuji to live a better life than him and some say that Wasuke's wish for Yuuji to help others unintentionally cursed Yuuji. If we go with this theory, then that's another way Sukuna's death contrasts, and "fixes", Wasuke's since Yuuji's last words to Sukuna lifted the curse Sukuna had been shouldering for his entire life.

I also think this might lend credibility to the theory I've seen that Sukuna rejected Yuuji's offer in part because he didn't want to curse Yuuji any further. It would parallel Wasuke's death scene even further if Sukuna intentionally avoided cursing Yuuji with his final words and by choosing not to burden Yuuji with his presence. I'm not saying this is canon or has a lot of evidence, but the Wasuke reveal and Sukuna seeing Yuuji as a refuge for his soul made me think that maybe Sukuna's first selfless action after Yuuji showed him the value of love was rejecting Yuuji's offer to live together because he realized he didn't want Yuuji to share the burden of his curse.

I could be completely wrong about this, but I think this would fit the themes and Sukuna's arc if it were true. Either way, I still think there's some interesting parallels between their death scenes to analyze.

Hi anon!

Oh let's not start 😭 I already have so much to talk about because Gege's very much interested in sukuita (as you may have noticed). If you love analyzing stuff like I do, you'll find a LOT of stuff leading right to them. Sure, Sukuna and Yuuji didn't share a lot of moments together, but their print is on the entire narrative.

Still! Yes, you're right about Wasuke and Sukuna. Thank you for writing it all out in my ask (I love reading analyses and interpretations from my fellow big brained sukuita enjoyers <3). As for the theory that Sukuna didn't want to curse Yuuji, it would totally make sense, considering what we know. The thing is that the entire Wasuke/Sukuna thing ended the opposite way— Yuuji had a good relationship with Wasuke yet Wasuke cursed him when he died. On the other hand, Yuuji had a bad relationship with Sukuna and Sukuna ended up not cursing him.

If we're suppose to take "love is a curse" thing (which jjk has a thing for) quite literally then Wasuke's death and him cursing Yuuji was a good thing.

Still, how?

That's totally not logical. If Yuuji was loved then he wouldn't be cursed. Right? Isn't love about making sure the person you care about wouldn't be hurt and all that? That they would be safe? It's so absurd to claim that love IS bad and that what Wasuke did was correct.

But jjk treats it as right because look where we ended up. It's treated as right because even if giving him a curse, it led Yuuji down a right path.

Here's the thing- sometimes love is more bad than good. I feel like jjk wants to claim that with the "love is a curse" thing. Sometimes, what's good for you actually isn't and what's bad for you turns out to be the best thing you could ask for. Everything is turned on its head in this one, folks, and Sukuna and Yuuji are the biggest examples of all of that. Not to mention the fact that Sukuna didn't even want to say anything to Yuuji as to not accidentally curse him (everyone who passed in Yuuji's life had left him with parting words about his future, all except Sukuna).

And to think these two used to ignore each other lmfaoooo

maybe Sukuna's first selfless action after Yuuji showed him the value of love was rejecting Yuuji's offer to live together because he realized he didn't want Yuuji to share the burden of his curse.

I thought so too when 268 dropped and I first read it. It's either that OR Yuuji had destroyed the curse which was laid upon Sukuna and therefore Sukuna couldn't return to him considering he was not totally "reborn" + was a curse. I'm still not really sold on the latter one since I still hadn't re-read jjk but it does sound plausible as far as I remember in canon.

Still, thinking of that being the first selfless action is better and would be an equal exchange because man. are Yuuji's words... something. Bro literally promised his forever to Sukuna without any hesitation.

There's so much to analyze about these two genuinely. Now, with the new reveal Gege had kindly given us, re-reading jjk will be quite a joy lol These two were beefing over nothing, they were just lovesick and in big denial.

[hallowpen]

The Idea of Shared/Linked Karma as it Relates to Home and Peach in Peaceful Property

I made a comment in my last post about Peaceful Property that Home and Peach exist in balance of one another... and that if I were to elaborate on that, it would make that post longer than it needed to be.

Well, thanks to @thebroccolination, I have once again boarded the Peaceful Property train... and the time is nigh!!!

I just want to preface this by saying, this is all just my own personal read of the series and I, in no way, hold any of this to be an absolute interpretation. Ideas of cyclical karma and karmic soulmates / linked karma have always interested me... if my love of The Sign is anything to go by hehe

So, what are the beliefs around shared/linked karma? It's basically the idea that two or more spirits are interconnected through their actions and inactions. The karma created by one will affect the experiences of the others through shared circumstance and interaction. This interdependence would create shared karmic consequences. An example of this would be familial karma, which is dispersed throughout the series as the "curse" (or negative karma) of the Vimarnsukman family.

The relationship between Home and Peach can represent the ideas of a negative karmic relationship blossoming into a positive one. And their linked connection started the instant Home hit Peach with his car.

Buddhism doesn't necessarily propagate "predetermined destinies" so much as "fates" or karma born of individual choice. Circumstances will always present you with a choice, and your decision is what will determine your karmic fate. The choices that are presented throughout one's lifetime, give one with the opportunity to balance their karmic scale... but only if they are willing to pursue positive actions that foster good karma.

Karma has a funny way of trying to balance the scales. Peach and Home reconnecting after the hit and run was the universe's way of presenting Home with the choice to correct his past mistakes... but only happens because of that mistake. Home hits Peach with his car, Peach dies and is resuscitated... but with the ability to see ghosts, Peach's friend Best purchases one of Home's properties that is haunted by a ghost only Peach can see and exorcise, Home wants to hire Peach for his ability. Home needed Peach to help "see" the manifestation of his family's negligence and ignorance, and Peach's ability to do that was granted to him only after Home's own negligence and ignorance. Karma is such a tangled web hehe

In developing a relationship with Peach, someone who Home has wronged in the past, Home can begin to foster enough good karma to counteract his (and his family's) negative actions. Their working together to alleviate the suffering of other spirits creates a positive and important karmic bond, which perpetuates a sense of shared communal well-being that mitigates Home's negative karma. (A lot of this also falls into the idea of harmonious justice which was another prominent concept throughout the series... this is a much larger discussion that I lack the mental capacity to delve into right now).

Home eventually gaining the ability to "hear" those who were never listened to... when the thing him and his family struggle with the most is communication, when he wanted Peach to hear him out after finding out about the hit and run, when his spirit seeks to connect with Peach after his own accident. If Peach can see the ghosts, then in order for them to continue down this shared karmic path, Home must hear them (whether literal or figurative). Balance!!!

Home helps Peach to overcome his fears, Peach helps Home to be aware of and accept his wrong behaviors. Without each other, their cycles of fear and harm would continue. Them "choosing" each other, is what allows them to acknowledge and change their own self-damaging and isolating tendencies... to learn and experience forgiveness, and to find inner peace within themselves. They find a community within each other and use that community to help others. That's the ultimate definition of harmonious karma.

[talxe]

Reading the Iliad, Book 17 thoughts

This is my first time ever reading it and I know next to nothing abt greek mythology so if I interpret anything wrong by all means pls correct me

Im reading the Robert Fagles translation

Nothing even matters anymore Patroclus is dead guys

I just wanna say they put his body through a damn wringer a little

Okay so we start off from where the last book ended but we're following Menelaus now

He sees that Patroclus is fucking dead and immediately drops what he doing to defend his body

Menelaus has been a real one this WHOLE poem Nestor had no place talking shit on him that one time😭

The man who speared Patroclus in that back, Euphorbus, starts fighting with Menelaus over that body bc he wants to strip it and take it back to Troy bc Pat was Achilles' bestie

Then Menelaus says "I killed ur brother lol." and Euphorbus doesn't like that at all

He tries to stab Menelaus's shield but his spear breaks and then Menelaus stabs him in the neck and he dies.

He goes to take Euphorbus's armor (I still don't know how they find the time to do that shit in the heat of battle)

Apollo goes down to Hector and tells him that Euphorbus is dead

Hector rushes out to where Menelaus is and now Menelaus is torn between backing off or staying to defend Patroclus's body and he's like "damn I'm kinda fucked"

Menelaus has no choice but to back off for a minute bc there's no way he and fight and protect a corpse WHILE being outnumbered

So he leaves to find someone to help him.

Menelaus grabs Ajax (greater) to help him with the whole Patroclus thing

By the time they get back to Pat's body, Hector has already taken Achilles' armor and is now trying to drag Patroclus's body back to Troy.

Hector wants to leave Patroclus's body for the dogs

Which I find very surprising bc ppl give Achilles A LOT of shit for his treatment of Hector's body (rightfully so) but Hector was gonna defile Pat's body too so why doesn't he get the same energy you guys give Achilles?

Hector also plans to put his head on a spike😭

MY SHAYLA

Ajax (greater) and Menelaus start standing over Patroclus's body again

Glaucus goes up to Hector and says "Ur really uncool for not defending Sarpedon's body and I hate you for it" THEN he tells Hector that the only reason he's not over near Pat's body rn is because Ajax is there and he's a way better fighter than Hector💀💀

Wild as shit

Ajax (greater) did almost kill him with that rock one time tho😭

So Hector swaps out his own armor with the Achilles' armor that he took from Patroclus. And goes back to the battle

Zeus ends up seeing Hector's outfit change and he's just like "Poor fool, he's dragging it at this point😐"

So damn near every Trojan is gunning for Patroclus rn But Ajax and not letting that shit slide and he's killing everyone.

Ajax sends Menelaus to go find some other Greek heroes to help them so

This is where Ajax (lesser) and Meriones come into play

A big game of tug o war for Patrclus's body takes place but it's kinda 50/50

Even Athena and Ares are like "This show is really good"

Achilles won't even fight and still, the Greeks are putting their necks on the line in order to get Patroclu's body back to him. He doesn't even know that this is going on

Like they'd rather die than lose this body to the Trojans

And ig Achilles' immortal horses sense the moment Patroclus dies bc they literally start bawling. Automedon is trying to get them to move but they just won't

And Zeus feels bad for the horses and puts strength within them so that can start running again

Hector spots Alcimedon and Automedon riding around and he really wants Achilles' horses

So Aeneas and Hector start approaching them

Fighting happens, not really important, no one who matters dies

Athena is sent down to help the Greeks and take the form of Phoenix.

She tells Menelaus to keep encouraging the Greeks so he does that

Apollo approaches (in disguise) Hector again and he says "Stop letting Menelaus kill Trojans pls"

Cut back to Ajax (greater) he's pissed bc every time a Trojan throws a spear it hits a Greek BUT every time the Greeks throw a spear it doesn't land. So clearly the gods are not leaning in their favor rn

Ajax stresses that someone has to go tell Achilles that Patroclus is dead.

And that job lands on Antilochus. Menelaus tells Antilochus the news and he stands still for a moment before he too starts crying. But he does run off to tell Achilles what's happened

Bro, they FINALLY are able to get Patroclus and haul his ass back to camp

Holy shit that was a lot

[boltdrake]

Ok about moral greyness in elden ring fandom

I feel like it’s mostly treated as either some kind of badass cosmetics for a GoodGuy (like “my blorbo is cool and good and kind but you know they kill people - bad people, so it’s not bad but it’s not also your Jesus guy which is normal bc who would give their second cheek”) or some kind of euphemism used by bad/problematic/pseudo intellectual people to erase morality

I’m bad problematic pseudo intellectual person so take my opinion with grain of salt, but I think it’s a great misunderstanding or what a morally grey character is in ER especially

It’s usually based on the that understanding of goodness that to be good you just need to do good things and don’t do bad things (which is of course extremely vague and not defined but anyways). It’s seems pretty straightforward and because of that brings a lot of confusion

It’s quite easy for a character to be GoodGood (even with murders but I digress), you can see it in many fix-it fanworks where often every trouble finds its own, well, fixing, and there’s always a way to set things right, maybe just with some sad deaths along the way, but characters often will find this correct way because in these universes there’s always at least one

(It’s not a rant on fanfiction I like it and I like fix-its very VERY much)

And when same logic is applied to the game itself, often arises treatment of characters as GoodGood, MisleadedGood and BadBad ones

But in the stories we see in Elden Ring context is usually such that when a character wants to get something, even something good, like for example make people live forever or cure their own sister, there’s sometimes no way of resolving their trouble without facing some kind of moral choice, even if you’re a literal half-god. You either get what you want with a price, or don’t get it… also with a price. Because fromsoftware stories are build on conflict, tragedy and irony

That’s what makes character grey, the fact there’s no third option or that you don’t have third option just because world is that way and you’re unlucky. And not choosing to get what you want can be as bad as choosing opposite. And that’s what usually makes situation complex and twisted and inherently grey

I don’t want to say that like every person in fandom should treat all the characters as mostly good ones without making some way less sympathetic than others. Making characters twisted and horrible is fun! I’m just tired of the way how people 1) don’t realise there’s often HUGE room for interpretation and make it problem of others 2) hate characters with such a passion as they were real humans who live in your neighbourhood on planet earth 2024 3) sanitise characters into strictly Good and Bad ones etc etc etc

My whole vent on Miquella’s hatebase is in fact divided into two parts, one being me thinking many people just lack understanding of the DLC/base game ideas and plot, but that’s ok we all have different opinions (I’m just the only one who is correct. LIVE WITH THAT.), and second being that vague ??rudeness?? and hatred which accompanies division on Morally Good and Morally Bad, because there’s this subtle idea like. Oh if you like Godrick/Rykard/Post-DLC Miquella / Seluvis then you’re moral pervert/ lover of Dark. Which is rarely true and really annoys me

I also have no trouble with GoodGood characters being GoodGood because, well. it’s comforting and cozy stuff. But often it turns into token of moral superiority, like look I love GoodGood guy because I’m good too and also not stupid. This is also annoying and I wish we had less of this in fandom.

It’s often also a lie to oneself, because even if we approach elden ring from I Can Simp Only Morally Pure ones (which is very boring and butchers the whole thing in my opinion) then we would probably be left with only Boc, Hewg and maybe Roderika. What do you mean you want to simp LITERAL murderers?? What do you mean you want to simp those assholes demigods who think that people are just dolls for their games, who turned the land into land of the dead because they just couldn’t stop war after war after war to decide who will make new order? What do you mean you want to simp the demigod who quit the war to do literally nothing to stop it???? CRINGE

Also GoodGood character headcanon making without self-awareness often results in very weird moral twists of its own, because in this logic character is allowed to make only GoodGood decisions, therefore all the stuff character made in canon MUST be good and morally justified. This leads to something like Marika fans writing essays on the topic You Can In Fact Deserve Genocide

Enough for today have a good day fellow dlc lovers 💪

Upd posted this on main by accident got jumpscared it’s so hard to copy past on mobile for some reason. No edgy on main I promised!!

[hillbillyoracle]

It has taken a long while for me to understand that right wing religious seminars are just as popular in the Fundie community as leftwing ones are in the (fragmented) liberal Menno community, and because of where I live, we don't have a lot of them. The Bible says a lot of contradicting things, and there are few things that Christians agree on.

But I keep reading your post and I still would like more information, if you are willing. You don't seem to know what we don't know, and you're taking quite a bit for granted as common knowledge.

Here is my question: What is the logic behind the things that aren't in the Bible, and the things leftwing Christians interpret only as metaphors? The interpretation of Revelation that is so incredibly common regarding spiritual warfare on Earth? When and how did the Antichrist come into play? Disregarding what I believe or don't, what does that even mean? What are they talking about? Why are they so deeply afraid to the point of constant war and such legalism? Even things like the Umbrella of Authority I find confusing, because in my church community, everybody is always equal regardless of gender, and women have always held power in the church's history.

The purpose of their getting involved in politics is to assuage fear and enforce their values, of course. But how did we get these values in the first place? I know you were inside of it, so you will never see what it's like for us from the outside, what we don't know about them, especially people who have been persecuted by various forms of fundamentalists for generations but still try to welcome exfundies openly. But I read your post again, and I guess I just need to keep trying.

You don't seem to know what we don't know, and you're taking quite a bit for granted as common knowledge.

100% true. I'm really struggling with it in the conversations I've been in lately and it's something I'm trying to correct so I appreciate your patience.

I also think part of it is a limitation of my current perspective as well. When I've gone line by line and explained things, it usually leads people to become more entrenched in their negative beliefs about fundies which in turn makes them behave in ways that ultimately fuel their whole bit. So that's why I focus on more overarching aspects.

But if you think it'll help, I'll give it my best shot.

Here is my question: What is the logic behind the things that aren't in the Bible, and the things leftwing Christians interpret only as metaphors?

Biblical literalism has been around for a long long time so I can't speak to all of it.

What I do know is that the thread of it that current day fundamentalists in the US at least have ties to started in the late 1800s as a reaction to the rise in prominence of scientific explanations of the world - think Darwin's work, germ theory, and the discovery of the electron and eventually radioactivity.

What this basically lead to was some Christians believing that a scientific view of the world was compatible with religions and some saying that the Bible took precedent over human modes of knowledge. So the "logic" of Biblical literalism in conjunction with the latter idea was that if God's word took precedent over human knowledge, he would make it very clear - very literal for us

Key to this group's understanding of Christianity was the belief in Christ's miracles as literally happening. With the rise of scientific explanations, there was now this whole new language for trying to discredit those miracles and making fun of people who believed they literally happened. They were a favorite punching bag whenever the scientific community had scandals exposed in particular - "Sure we've basically tortured human subjects in the name of science but at least we don't believe Jesus literally healed the sick, can you imagine?" These groups saw this lack of regard for human life and responded by relying more on God's word which they regarded as perfect in a way humans were not - which essentially meant more literalism.

And you can debate that all you like but that's more or less the basis of it to this day, whether modern fundamentalists know it or not. It's this idea that God wants to be known so why would he obscure himself behind metaphor? And the literal meanings of his word come before all other types of human created knowledge because humans are sinful and faulty and his word is perfect.

The interpretation of Revelation that is so incredibly common regarding spiritual warfare on Earth?

So the interpretation of Revelation varies dramatically between fundamentalists churches. I spent my early years in one that didn't place a big emphasis on it but regarded it as literal and in the future. I spent my middle and high school years in one that regarded Revelations as having begun sometime around the industrial revolution and believed it was already playing out slowly but gaining steam (insert steam powered joke).

Spiritual warfare also varies. Some people think it is angels and demons fighting all around us. Some people think it is in the battle of ideas. My early church believed in the former. My later church believed in the latter. The categories aren't exactly neat and tidy unfortunately.

So it's tough to speak to since it's not terribly unified. I would say in general the literal reading of revelations stems from what I wrote about just before this - why could God obscure himself if he wants to be known?

A common belief I ran into was the idea that a purely metaphorical reading of Revelations was born of fear and a lack of faith in the truth of the Bible. It was kind of a litmus test. People who were unafraid to imagine this terrible future and believe it was real and could happen to them in this lifetime were more faithful than those that wouldn't.

I think it makes sense if you remember a lot of people who left mainline traditions left in part due to difficult experiences which church complacency. The urgency of a literal reading of Revelations speaks to them.

When and how did the Antichrist come into play? Disregarding what I believe or don't, what does that even mean? What are they talking about?

The antichrist is a literal translation of a word made up of the Greek roots for anti and Christ. Its in John's letters:

Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. - I John 2:22 (NIV)

This was the one I heard quoted the most but there are other instances too.

I'm less well versed in how he came to have the lore around him that he has with fundamentalists but poking around it looks like it definitely didn't start with fundamentalists. My guess it is a holdover from before their break with mainline Protestantism that took on a new form when it came into contact with biblical literalism. A figure who is against or put in place of Jesus is common in other denominations, my guess is there was a conflation of this figure with the Beast in Revelations due to similar language being used for both.

But that's a guess.

The big "thing" with the antichrist is said to be positing himself as savior of mankind. That's why scientists and the like often get pegged for it. He's also said to bring a quickening to the end of days.

I'm realizing I'm probably taking a lot for granted here. I'm not sure how to explain the antichrist. He's just a real bad guy and he could be anyone. He's the Red Scare but a literal person.

Why are they so deeply afraid to the point of constant war and such legalism?

I mean I don't know what to tell you there. Life is fucking scary.

One day, I'm laughing with my mom. 24 hours later I'm in a hospital watching her on a ventilator and not recognizing me. That's scary.

One day my body more or less worked and the next day I woke up and my hands were in so much pain I couldn't move them. At 24 years old. That's scary.

Think of all the things you can't control that determine the course of your life - war, famine, disease. That shit is scary.

That's admittedly is my generous response.

That initial fear has been coopted by prominent figures who basically draw the line from more universal fears to anxieties people have about their place in the world and then to things like gender and sexuality - things that can be controlled.

The legalism is as much a way to understand it as it is a reaction to it. It's rooting in this idea that if we were to live in alignment with God's word, much of the terrible things we're experiencing wouldn't be happening (which is false but it's compelling to some people).

Even things like the Umbrella of Authority I find confusing, because in my church community, everybody is always equal regardless of gender, and women have always held power in the church's history.

There's also lots of verses about women needing to be quiet and obey their husbands and not wear certain adornments and the list goes on. While yes, individual women have carved out and held on to power in the church, they're more the exception than the rule when taken over the course of the church's entire history. Which is just to say that women's place in the church in any denomination is complicated.

For instance, look how many fundamentalist women have run for office and won. They're playing to a particular archetype within fundamentalist Christianity as the secondary protectors of the family. They tend to focus on issues relating to children for that reason. They have power but it's within the narrow confines of what a woman should be.

Umbrella of protection can be more "natural law" flavored or more "mystical" flavored. I was in a "natural law" family. And that idea held that obedience to my parents but in particular my father was the model by which I would learn to obey God. If I didn't obey them, then I wouldn't know how to obey God. If I didn't know how to obey God then I would sin and bad things would happen to me.

I knew a handful of people who were in the more mystical flavored version but to be honest I'm not completely clear on how that worked. My impression of it was that I guess the dad as the head of the household was granted a certain measure of power to protect his family but he could only use if they obeyed. And in return he was supposed to only ask for their obedience where their safety mattered not merely on a whim but that's not usually how that played out.

The purpose of their getting involved in politics is to assuage fear and enforce their values, of course. But how did we get these values in the first place?

There's a theological component to this answer and there's a political component.

The theological component has to do with that literal reading of and primacy of the Bible. It's read not only as a description of what's wrong with the world but also how it's supposed to be. Their reading of it emphasizes themes in the New Testament as Jesus being the sacrifice that would restore order to the world. So they in turn see an emphasis on Jesus and order to be key to dealing with what is wrong with the world (i.e. whatever scares them). Part of their view of order also emphasizes family in imitation of the holy family.

The political component is that in the middle of the 20th century, conservative strategists specifically started courting big figures in the fundamentalist movement. Both were eager to get fundies more involved in politics but for slightly different reasons. Fundamentalist leaders saw it as advocating for good and a way to distinguish themselves from mainline denominations which weren't generally that politically active. Conservative operators saw how fired up fundies could get as revivals and similar and wanted to funnel that toward their political aims.

There was a shift in how fundamentalist leaders talked about money in particular during this time, emphasizing it as a means by with to do the work of the lord and a sign of God's favor when earned justly. Conservative messaging to their new base emphasized impacts on families and it's the emphasis they still lead with.

So where outsiders see contradiction, it's generally not seen as contradicting when looking through the lens of protecting and benefiting the family. Guns - allow you to protect your family. Regulations - limit how well you can provide for your family. Immigrants - are a threat to your ability to provide for your family. God came into the world via a particular kind of family and we were supposed to live in imitation of that - hence the opposition to queer people and trans folks.

Obviously I don't agree with that and obviously it's more to do with people just being biased and afraid but that's the underpinning by which those fears get organized into a political system of values that we see playing out right now.

I know you were inside of it, so you will never see what it's like for us from the outside, what we don't know about them, especially people who have been persecuted by various forms of fundamentalists for generations but still try to welcome exfundies openly.

You're right that I don't know it the way you know it. That's for sure.

But I would also point out that I am queer and trans and realized both of these things while still inside the church. I got persecuted from within and I got persecuted when I got pushed out. So while I don't have the intergenerational aspect you speak of, I have definitely been and currently am persecuted by them in my daily life so I have a small insight into what that can be like. It's hell, it really is.

I appreciate you wanting to learn. I hope this post is a little more enlightening. It's the truth as best I know it but I know I'm missing information myself.

[nalyra-dreaming]

i dont know if this is already asked, if so just ignore the ask! I love both Lestats from show and books. But I feel they have quite different personalities. Many times it feels like a very different character. Maybe its just me? I know in the books there is a big shift between the first book and the rest in that regard, but I think show Lestat doesnt match IWTV book nor the rest in terms of his personality.

I know a big part of it its because S01 and S02 is a distorted tale. And real Lestat will be different S03 forward. Thats not my concern. The question is, do you think Lestat personality will match book Lestat from now on? Will he feel like its the same impulsive funny naive child-like full of love brat prince ? Or are they creating another version of Lestat that is different from the books and also different from S01 and S02? ( In the sense, the POV will change sure, but it still not /quite/ like the books? )

I think Sam will make very sure we will get the ... let's say "correct" Lestat as soon as we get the real Lestat.

Remember, at SDCC 2024 he said that we had NOT seen the real Lestat yet.

But... nonny, forgive me, but Lestat isn't "funny naive child-like full of love" throughout the chronicles??

He battles severe depression and body dysmorphia, fights for his agency, often, reframes the abuse he experiences as love. He tries to convince himself he's evil because his existence just does not make sense, the guilt is eating him alive, he hides his pain behind a deliberately superficial behavior pattern at times. He is impulsive, yes, but naive? Hardly. He loves, deeply, defiantly, but he has PTSD from his turning up to the last books. Throughout the chronicles he fights what happened to him, namely that he was

"Chosen for his looks, raped into darkness, abandoned right after, forever and desperately trying to get past that superficial and harrowing judgement."

I'm putting this into quotation marks, because I said this before, 1,5 years ago. He was chosen for his looks, and the event he himself calls the "cosmic error".

I don't know which books you've read, or which circles of mutuals you are in.

I know the fandom likes to joke about how dumb Lestat acts at times, or his (supposed) illiteracy... As someone who was kept from knowledge myself and had to fight to get to it I find that hardly funny, especially since Lestat is actually highly clever and reads a lot, and can also speak a lot of languages. Oh, and of course he is the author of most of the VC 💀 And I don't find his wildly flailing depression-fueled actions dumb either.

But I guess that is a matter of taste and interpretation.

(I'm not saying that you think that, I'm just saying I do not.)

Lestat is a brat (at times, and I mean, that title was given by Marius, right), and he is capricious, and full of love, yes. He is also full of pain, and guilt, and battling it constantly. And hiding it constantly, too.

That is why I keep saying that I am thankful for Anne for writing those last three books.

Because at the end, in Blood Communion - they (not only Lestat) do find some peace and acceptance. And themselves.

As for the show, as said at the start - I trust Sam to deliver Lestat, even more than I trust Rolin etc to write him. See the monologue in episode 6, for example, where he made sure of it being clear he was forced. Etc.

He will give us "Lestat".

I'm not sure it will be the one you will be expecting?^^

But that will remain to be seen/shown.