#who truly believe they’re about to control another person’s actions

[land-of-departure]

there’s so, thing so infuriating to me about someone TELLING me what to do. my brain immediately turns on instakill mode like………….. mind ya business hoe………..

[vivmaek]

MARS SIGN OBSERVATIONS

♂ Pisces Mars - I think Lennie Small from “Of Mice and Men,” would have this placement. This is a person who is seemingly harmless, and yet they still managed to cause harm and destruction through indirect action. When looking at someone with a Pisces Mars, their innocence and an assumed lack of strength is noticed first. These are kind people. They would rather harm themselves over another person. Their first instinct isn’t to attack, but to defend. When angry, they appear to be caught up within a panic. A Pisces Mars is driven by their big dreams. They might not always know what they want out of life, and their goals and ambitions may change frequently. This does not mean that they are incapable of finding success. If anything, their unwavering belief in themselves and their ability to achieve the impossible is what takes them to great heights. Hope is everything for someone with this placement, it’s what gets them out of bed in the morning. 

♂ Aquarius Mars - It's hard to pin someone with this placement down. Their actions don’t make sense to other people. Aquarius does a good job showing its eccentricity through Mars. The rules of society and the opinions of others do not dictate their actions. These types are constantly surprising people, and they like this. The public will often speculate about those with an Aquarius Mars. Theories are formed about them, no one can guess what they’re going to do next. In my opinion, this is the most rebellious Aquarius placement. They live their life in a manner that is truly unconventional. People with this placement are not aggressive, but they are clever. They like outsmarting people. A sense of superiority can sometimes act as a driving force. They go out of their way to make the people around them feel stupid if they’re in a foul mood. Their need for independence will never be forsaken. 

♂ Capricorn Mars - Hard work doesn’t scare these people off. They’ll put in whatever energy is needed to complete a project or endeavor. A strong sense of ambition and an excellent sense of focus are traits commonly seen with this placement. They’re quite secure in themselves and exercise self control through all their actions. Discipline motivates them. They take their responsibilities seriously and expect others to do the same. A Capricorn Mars goes above and beyond what is expected of them. They do this through a step-by-step process and practical planning. Cutting corners or taking the easy way out is something you’d never catch them doing. These types want to maintain control over every aspect of their life. They become angry when plans are thrown into a disarray through unexpected events. “Going with the flow,” is not a strong suit of theirs. Their need for security is what motivates them. 

♂ Sagittarius Mars - People with this placement are incredibly restless. They lack patience and need many different outlets to pour their energy into. They are easy going but are also quickly overtaken by passion. Crossing their moral beliefs is a good way to get them riled up. They like to believe that their opinions are more intellectual than they are emotional. When angry they like to get up on a soap box to lecture people. When people don’t agree with them, it can sometimes feel like criticism. They also don’t consider how their tendency to dish out brutal honesty may actually be more hurtful than it is impactful. They often act as a spark that ignites fire, in both a positive and a negative way.

♂ Scorpio Mars - The definition of “moving in silence.” Lots of people claim to do this, but a Scorpio Mars wouldn’t be caught making such a claim. They’re smarter than that. They know that hardship and struggle are inevitable. This does not scare them, but they also don’t fight against the natural currents of life. During certain points, their sense of ambition is so relentless that it becomes obsessive. But, this can only last so long. Rest and recuperation is a process they embrace. After acting on an immense level of concentration for a long period of time, they will need to take a step back to reassess goals. Rather than just accepting things for the way they are, a Scorpio Mars would rather make changes. If they feel that a path is ill-suited for them, they’re not afraid to change directions. Starting from zero is not discouraging and it is something that motivates these types. They have the power to turn nothing into something great. 

♂ Libra Mars - Mars is uncomfortable being in Libra. People with this placement often struggle with taking action and are as indecisive as they come. They get caught up in what's fair and what isn’t. They have a strong need to strike equality and want every situation to be as balanced as possible. Some might be surprised to know that the ultimate desire for these types is to garner a sense of peace. They might unintentionally stir the pot through their inability to take a strong stance on something. They want to weigh all the options possible and can become stressed trying to do so. Being passive-aggressive is also something that's frequently seen with this placement. These types think they’re being nice when in reality they’re making people uncomfortable through their fear of being direct. They’re sneaky when faced with conflict but also good at leading people into a resolution. 

[vex-jb]

🚨BLUNT IS YOUR PERSON CHEATING YOU🚨

💣🛑DO NOT READ IF YOUR HEART ISNT READY.🛑💣

Hiding something behind your back? Lying? Cheating ?? Let’s find out.

Pile 1 🪄

Pile 2 🦅

Pile 3 🍵

Pile 4 👸🏽

Pile 1

You and your partner may have been together for a while—whether it’s a long-term relationship or someone you’ve known for years. Whatever the label, your partner hasn’t cheated on you. There’s no third party in the picture. But here’s the hard truth: they’re considering looking elsewhere.

Why? It’s not about someone else—it’s about them. They might be feeling unsatisfied with the relationship or unsure of where things are heading. This isn’t a spur-of-the-moment thought; they’ve been reflecting on this deeply, weighing their options before making a decision they won’t walk back from.

If they decide to move on, it’s likely not to jump into another relationship but to focus on themselves. This is about personal growth, realigning with what they want, and choosing a path that feels right for them—whether that means staying single or starting fresh.

The choice will be final, and they’ll find peace in it. The question is, what’s next for you?

Pile 2

This connection shows signs of unrequited love—one-sided effort and feelings. The partnership has lost its meaning for them, and their actions confirm it. They’ve already betrayed your trust, likely choosing someone else in their vicinity over the bond you shared.

This betrayal may not be recent—it could have happened some time ago. Perhaps you’ve stayed, trying to make things work, but the truth is, this person has been acting in their own self-interest for a while now.

Their focus isn’t on commitment or partnership; they prefer the freedom of being single, keeping their options open, and giving their energy to others as they see fit.

This is not about building something together—it’s about their desire for independence and control over who they give their time and attention to.

Pile 3

This person hasn’t cheated on you, betrayed you, or done anything behind your back. However, they’ve made the decision to eventually become single.

This relationship isn’t meant to last forever—it serves as a lesson for both of you. The connection is here to teach you something valuable, but you’re ultimately meant to part ways and find partners who align better with your individual needs and growth.

This person values their freedom and personal growth above all else. They don’t believe in betraying or cheating; instead, they prefer to end things respectfully before moving on. Their morals and integrity guide their actions, and they’d never compromise those values by acting dishonorably in a relationship.

One thing is clear: they have no interest in the past or revisiting old connections. They’re focused on moving forward, even if it means breaking ties to pursue their own path.

Good new is for those of you asking about or thinking of what will happen next in love here’s what may happen moving forward..

The next person you encounter could be someone who has recently ended a relationship. They’ve spent significant time reflecting and working on letting go of the past before approaching you. This person finds you captivating—you’ve undeniably caught their attention.

However, you might not feel the same way. The timing or the fact that they’ve just come out of a breakup might give you pause, making you hesitant to pursue anything further. The energy of this person could be of that of like number 1 but this will be after the fact !

Pile 4

This person hasn’t cheated on you, nor have they betrayed your trust. However, they’re feeling exhausted by the constant arguments and challenges in the relationship. The tension has become overwhelming, and all they truly want is peace and happiness.

This individual prioritizes their emotional well-being and doesn’t tolerate cycles of toxicity. They’re not someone who stays in situations that drain them emotionally. While they still care, they feel weighed down by the dynamic of your partnership.

If you care for them and want to salvage the relationship, it’s time to let go of the nitpicking, drama, and childish behaviors. This person values their grounded and stable nature and won’t continue to endure stress and conflict.

A break may be necessary. If they express a need for space, it’s crucial to respect that and allow them the time to regain their peace and balance. If you give them room to breathe and focus on healing, there’s a chance for reconciliation and forgiveness, which could strengthen your connection in the long run.

[aeoris4lovers]

when caleb is talking to the nein about his past before the dinner with trent, he tells them that in the time he spent under trent, astrid and wulf never wavered in their dedication or willingness. after rereading his origins comic, though, i think he’s wrong. i think there was a pretty significant period of time where eadwulf specifically was having doubts about what they were doing right in front of his eyes.

exhibit a: the bodies

this is the most subtle example of it, but it’s also the earliest and probably represents the very beginnings of whatever doubts were brewing in wulf’s mind.

in both of these instances, there’s a dead or unconscious body on the ground, and wulf is staring at it while bren talks to trent. it’s hard to tell where he’s looking in the second one, but a later frame makes it clear that he’s looking in the direction of a body.

in the first one particularly, he looks to me like he’s visibly upset — his face isn’t as stoic as the others, and his body language looks uncertain, not his usual crossed-arm stance.

these were the moments that first caught my eye. they brought up questions in my mind: what is he thinking? what’s going through his head as he looks at the people they just hurt?

exhibit b: the bath scene

this comes immediately after the second body, and is what confirmed in my mind that wulf definitely isn’t entirely on board with the things they’re being told to do.

he closes the door behind them and just stands with his fist against it. none of them look happy by any means, but it’s clear that he’s upset to a point where even bren and astrid, in the midst of their own feelings, look concerned and go to comfort him.

bren in particular takes a long moment with him before the two of them rejoin astrid. i’ll get into why that — and bren’s role in general — is significant in a moment.

exhibit c: the morning after

this is the most important point in all of this, and the significance of his reaction here really can’t be understated.

in this moment, trent has just drawn their attention to their “memories” of their parents defying the empire. these are, from their point of view, very real and undeniable memories. and yet, the reaction we see here from wulf is one of explicit and absolute rejection.

and he’s not just denying what trent wants him to believe — he’s angry. he’s standing up and slamming a hand on table and raising his voice. doubt has been simmering under the surface in him for a while now, and this is the moment that trent crosses a line. trent has presented something truly unthinkable to him and despite his own memories supporting it, he absolutely cannot believe it. on a very visceral level, he knows it can’t be right.

this moment is significant not only because it confirms beyond a shadow of a doubt that wulf is not completely sure of what they’re doing, but also because we literally never see another student of trent openly defy him like this, nor do we see any volstrucker do so.

let me repeat that: until caleb goes up against him with the nein, eadwulf is the only person we ever see look trent in the eye and say “you’re wrong.” even after all of campaign two, we never see someone actively working under him defy him that explicitly — it’s only caleb, who escaped his control, or people like the nein with no real connection to him. even when astrid acts against him, she does it very quietly and is clearly terrified of those actions being alluded to at the dinner. wulf is the only one we ever see who, while at trent’s mercy, dares to openly and completely reject him.

bringing his family into it was a step too far. at this point, wulf isn’t just struggling with what they’re being told — he’s absolutely not having it anymore.

so what gives?

we know that he ultimately believes trent enough to kill his parents, and is even the first of the three to do it, so how do we get to that level of agreement from such a powerful moment of anger and denial?

that’s where bren comes in.

looking back at that breakfast scene, we can also see how the other two react to their own memories coming to light.

astrid’s is one of betrayal. she’s confused and struggling to understand why they would do it, but she doesn’t deny it either.

bren’s, on the other hand, is one of defeat. he’s clearly upset, but he’s simultaneously totally certain that what they’re remembering is true. and of course he is — his memory has been impeccable his entire life. why would he start to question it now, even if he doesn’t want to believe what it’s telling him?

bottom line: while astrid clearly also struggles with it and may have her own doubts, though not as strong as wulf’s, bren takes it all in stride and never wavers.

and if there’s one thing we know about wulf, it’s that he trusts his people. throughout his scenes in campaign two, we see him looking to astrid for signs of what to do or say and deferring to her when he’s overwhelmed by or unsure of the situation at hand. when caleb takes his hand at the blooming grove, he follows, and when astrid takes his hand and leads him away, he follows her. where they go, he follows. he trusts them implicitly and he looks to them when he doesn’t know what the right call is.

so what is he going to do in that moment, when his own mind is telling him something that he absolutely can’t believe and he doesn’t know how to reconcile it? he looks to them for guidance.

astrid clearly isn’t in a place to offer much, and hasn’t been. she’s not as lost in doubt as he is, but she’s not certain enough to reassure him either. we can already see that in the bath scene — remember when i said it was significant that bren is the one to stay with wulf while astrid goes off on her own? she wants to comfort him and tries to because she cares about him, but it seems that her conviction isn’t quite strong enough to be a steady base for someone else. and in the breakfast scene, we see that again, with her not openly going against it but still struggling with it in a way bren doesn’t.

bren, on the other hand, is consistently certain that they’re doing the right thing, even when it feels bad. caleb says as much himself when he first tells beau and nott his story: “i was so sure, i was so sure, until i wasn’t.” hearing his parents scream as they die is genuinely the first time he ever has doubts. until that moment, he’s sure. he trusts his mind and he trusts trent and he believes in their cause.

so when he sees wulf struggling with it, what does he do? he offers that certainty, reminds him of why they’re doing what they do, assures him that they’re doing the right thing and he doesn’t have to feel guilty. he’s their rock, the one wulf and astrid can trust to be sure even when their faith is shaken.

and that’s exactly what i think happens in the time between that breakfast and the night they kill their parents: bren sees wulf angry and totally lost trying to make sense of the massive gulf between what he remembers and what he knows to be true, he sees astrid confused and not able to put the pieces together, and he reassures them because he trusts his mind and so do they and he doesn’t want to see them struggle.

and i think astrid needs less convincing, but once she’s sure too and it’s only wulf that can’t accept it, that’s when he starts to think that maybe the unthinkable could really be true. bren is certain of what he remembers and astrid is certain that bren is right, so how can wulf, who trusts and relies on them so much for guidance, not at least entertain the idea that his parents really are traitors? how can he deny it and, in doing so, deny them?

that’s how he can ultimately go and do what he’s told, with such a stern and certain look on his face as he does. because his people were sure that it was the right thing to do, and no matter how strongly he feels that something must be wrong, he trusts them even more than he trusts himself.

that’s not to say that his doubts are completely quelled, though, because there’s still more of this thread that we can follow.

exhibit d: the aftermath

wulf’s move to knock bren out and save astrid is a quick and decisive one in the moment, but it’s clear that he isn’t at all sure if he did the right thing. he talks to trent — explaining himself, maybe even apologizing because he thinks he was wrong — and trent has to stop him and say that no, he was right.

this is significant for two reasons. the first and more obvious of the two is that this shows he’s still in a headspace of questioning what he’s doing almost immediately after doing it. that doubt was quelled long enough to allow him to complete the “exercise”, but not by any means gone for good.

the second, which i think is the most important to the person he ultimately becomes, is that this is the first time he’s had to look to trent for reassurance.

before this moment, it’s bren and astrid who comfort and reassure him. but now, bren is lost to them and astrid is in no shape to offer any comfort, much less give him the reassurance bren might have. and she might not want to do so even if she could — she wanted to save bren, not leave him behind, and may very well be angry at wulf for the choice he made. so what choice does he have, with neither of them able to support him, but to look to his mentor for reassurance?

and what happens once he gets that reassurance from trent? before, he doubted trent and even openly defied him, but can he continue to do that now?

if he wants to be able to live with himself after, to live with the choice he made and sleep at night, he has to believe that the reassurance trent offered him that night was right — he has to believe that trent’s judgment is right. if trent is lying or just wrong, that means he did the wrong thing that night, and where can he go from there?

that night is a turning point for wulf not just because he took his parents out of the picture, but because he made a decision that ended up forcing him to trust trent to an extent that he really didn’t before.

the new eadwulf

the wulf that we meet in campaign two as an adult is a far cry from the wulf who stood up at that table and said “no, they would never.” he comes across as largely apathetic to and even comfortable with the things they do — it’s just a job for him, not something to overthink or get hung up on. as far as he’s concerned, the lives they take are unfortunate but still necessary sacrifices, just like trent always said.

and if you ask me, his journey to becoming that person, to the doubt and the fire in him being all but completely stomped out, starts with the night he was forced to give up his one source of constant reassurance and finally put his trust in trent instead. everything we see him do to separate himself from his actions, from his belief in fate and his “good soldier” attitude to the drink he has ready after spending time with trent, stems from that moment. he is the way he is when we meet him not because he simply doesn’t care, but because he can no longer afford to.

caleb says they never wavered while he was with them, but i think it’s only because his vision was clouded by his own certainty that he never saw it. he just couldn’t believe that they might not believe in their cause as much as he did because it seemed so right to him, and how could he believe that the people he loved would doubt something so important?

but they did doubt it, especially wulf, and even as an adult, little bits of that stick around in him — he immediately gravitates toward caduceus after caduceus stands up to trent, and as soon as trent isn’t a threat anymore, he’s perfectly content to just stay with caleb (and probably would have if astrid hadn’t pulled him away when she did).

i think, if bren hadn’t been selected for the volstrucker program or just hadn’t been as confident as he was in all of it, it may very well have been eadwulf who found himself standing against trent in the end.

[multifandomfix]

Rhaenys Targaryen Angst Alphabet

A = Anger (what are they like when they’re angry?)

Rhaenys’s anger burns hot but controlled, like dragonfire waiting to be unleashed. She sharpens her words, cutting deep rather than raising her voice, though she is not above a dramatic flare if truly provoked.

B = Break Up (if they had to, how would they break up with you?)

If she had to break up with you, she’d do so with regal grace but undeniable finality. Her pride wouldn’t let her drag it out, and she’d leave you knowing it was for the best, even if it broke her heart and yours.

C = Cry (how often do they cry? do they cry over little things?)

Rhaenys rarely cries, as she believes showing vulnerability is a sign of weakness. However, in private moments with you, she allows herself to feel deeply and isn’t afraid to shed tears if overwhelmed by emotion.

D = Debt (how do they make it up to you when they’ve done something wrong?)

When she’s wrong, she doesn’t hesitate to make amends, often through grand gestures like lavish gifts or public declarations, though she’ll also offer heartfelt apologies in intimate settings.

E = Entrapment (how would they react to you being kidnapped?)

If you were kidnapped, Rhaenys would unleash fury on the world. She’d gather armies, raise fleets, and call upon her allies to rescue you, willing to raze cities if it meant ensuring your safety.

F = Fear (how badly do they fear losing you? do they fear for you somehow losing them?)

Her greatest fear is losing you, whether to death, betrayal, or some other circumstance. She masks this fear well but will often hold you closer after battles or tense moments, silently reminding herself that you’re still hers.

G = Grief (if you were to die, how would they react?)

If you were to die, Rhaenys would be devastated. She’d mourn publicly, seeming sad but stoic, and privately she’d crumble, finding solace only in vengeance if your death was unjust or avoidable.

H = Health (How are they at taking care of themselves?)

Rhaenys takes decent care of herself but often prioritizes duty over personal well being. She relies on you to remind her to rest, eat properly, and avoid burning herself out.

I = Insensitive (how do they act when they know they’ve said something that upset you?)

When she realizes she’s upset you, she’s quick to soften, though it may take her a moment to swallow her pride. She’ll offer apologies laced with poetic words and tender gestures to make things right.

J = Jerk (when can they tell you’re mad at them? do either of you resort to name calling?)

Rhaenys can sense your anger even in the slightest shift of tone. While she rarely resorts to name calling, she isn’t above sharp retorts in the heat of an argument, though she’ll regret them later.

K = Knife (how do they feel about hurting others? physically or emotionally?)

Rhaenys has no qualms about hurting others, especially those who threaten her loved ones. She’s calculated in her actions, knowing the power of both physical and emotional wounds when wielded strategically.

L = Liar (are they a good liar? how often do they lie to you?)

She’s a skilled liar when the situation calls for it, but with you, she prefers honesty. If she ever does lie, it’s out of protection rather than deceit.

M = Maudlin (how do you cheer them up when they’re feeling sad?)

When she’s feeling down, you cheer her up by reminding her of her strength and value, perhaps by recounting her victories or indulging her in quiet moments of comfort and affection.

N = Never (what would they do if they knew they could never be with you?)

If Rhaenys knew she could never be with you, she’d feel the loss deeply but would not beg or grovel. Instead, she’d carry the heartbreak as another battle scar, letting it harden her resolve.

O = Oath (what happens when you break a promise? how do they take it?)

Broken promises cut Rhaenys deeply, as she values loyalty above all else. She’d confront you directly, demanding answers and expecting reparations before deciding whether to forgive or part ways.

P = Pressure (how do they handle stress? how do you help them relax?)

Rhaenys handles stress with outward poise but internal turmoil. You help her relax by offering her a safe space to be vulnerable, free from the burdens of her title and her family.

Q = Quiet (do they ever give you the silent treatment? how do they react when you give it to them?)

Silent treatments are rare but intentional with Rhaenys. When given the silent treatment, she grows restless and demands resolution, unwilling to let things fester.

R = Rejection (how would they take it if you were to reject them?)

Rejection would bruise her pride, but she wouldn’t show it outwardly. Instead, she’d carry herself with dignity and perhaps distance herself until she could process the hurt.

S = Self Doubt (what are they insecure about?)

Rhaenys occasionally doubts whether she can protect those she loves, especially in matters she can’t control. She worries about failure more than she lets on.

T = Triangle (what would they do if they were caught in a love triangle with you? would they fight for you or give you up?)

If caught in a love triangle, Rhaenys would fight fiercely for you, unwilling to surrender to anyone else. She’d expect you to choose her, not just for her status, but because of her devotion.

U = Unloved (what would you do to make sure they felt loved?)

To make her feel loved, you’d have to remind her that she’s cherished not for her title and status but for who she is, a woman of strength, intelligence, and passion.

V = Vault (do they keep their emotions sealed tight, or do they let them out openly?)

Rhaenys is skilled at masking her emotions in public but reveals them openly in private, trusting you to handle the full weight of her vulnerabilities.

W = Wound (how do they react when you’ve been injured?)

If you were injured, Rhaenys would be fiercely protective, refusing to leave your side until she knew you were safe and healed.

X = X Lovers (what happens when they’re confronted with an ex of yours?)

Confronted with an ex of yours, Rhaenys would exude confidence, making it clear that she has nothing to fear. However, she’d keep a sharp eye on any lingering sparks and act swiftly if needed.

Y = Yell (how often do fights occur? how bad do they get?)

Fights with Rhaenys don’t happen often, but when they do, they’re intense and passionate. She’s fiery and quick with words but calms down just as quickly if you show sincerity.

Z = Zestless (what happens if you lose that initial spark with them?)

If the spark ever faded, Rhaenys would work tirelessly to reignite it, using her charm, passion, and creativity to ensure you never doubted her love.

For anon

Forever Tag: @baubeautyandthegeek, @ghostsunderstoodmysoul, @immyowndefender, @valencethefriendlychangeling, @crimsonwidow666, @rebelbossheart, @thedailyspiritualist, @orangeisnttheonlyfruit, @woman-simp, @aperol-with-izzy, @leonoralessoem, @ellepossum69, @lakita-fisher, @trexsuit, @analuw, @luvlesavyy, @malfoyfeed, @aliciabrower, @sparrowspixie, @imaginationismyworldlypleasure, @og-kxsh-420

Rhaenys Targaryen: @thekirbishow, @astrogrande

[bellestarot]

Changbin's Reading

October 13, 2024

Right Now

He's planning something around the number 4. It could be the 4th day, the 4th month of next year, something linked to the number 4, and he's really involved in it. He's been super active, giving his opinions on the issues he's working on for this project, though I don't know exactly what it is. He's in a really good place with his self-esteem right now. He's loving himself more. I think in the past he struggled with self-acceptance, but now he's going through a phase of loving being in his own skin and truly valuing himself.

And that's opening doors for possible romantic interests in his life.

But he's been feeling really tired. He's working a lot and hasn't had much time to enjoy life. So, he really wants to take some time to relax a bit.

Love Life

He's involved with more than one person, and he doesn’t really feel like committing emotionally to anyone. It’s more physical for him, and he really likes being in control of things, including his own emotions. He tends to approach things logically and talks things through. He’s not just seeing one person. I feel like there are probably two or three people he’s been seeing more frequently.

It seems very casual, and one of the people he's involved with might also work in his field, maybe in entertainment. It could also be someone he’s known for a long time. He’s been feeling a bit confused about some of these relationships because, even though they’re casual, he feels strong connections with a few of them.

Career

I think he's doing a great job, traveling the world, but he’s very protective of his privacy. He doesn’t like people digging into his personal life or asking about certain private things, and something has been really hurting him lately. It's left him feeling anxious because one of the people he's involved with is someone he could see himself having something serious with someday—maybe even getting into a relationship or getting married.

But he realizes that for that to happen, it would be really difficult. The biggest obstacle is his fame, and he’s sure that this person wouldn’t be well-received by his fans. He knows the fans would judge the relationship, and it would probably end because of that. This has been on his mind a lot recently because he wants something serious one day, but he sees that where he is now, it’s hard to make that a reality.

Family

He cares a lot about his family and has so much love for them, but they tend to be very judgmental. They might hold very conservative views and are harshly critical of other ways of thinking and acting.

There’s a young girl in his family who’s been suffering a lot because of their judgment. He’s been really worried about her because the criticism has been so intense that it’s caused her to isolate herself, and most of the family is against her. This situation has been stressing him out a lot, and he’s really concerned about her.

Friendships

He has a lot of friends he can rely on, and there’s a woman he’s very close to, someone he really values and protects his friendship with. However, he’s been feeling quite cautious about another friend from work.

This person is impulsive and has certain behaviors or maybe even habits or addictions that he strongly disagrees with. Because of this, he’s taken a step back from their connection, as he feels it’s something he can’t support or accept.

Future

He’s going to move away from being so logical and overly cautious with his words and actions. He’ll feel more confident to just be himself, and I think soon he’ll show people who he truly is at his core. I believe this might become the best phase of his life because he’s going to fully love himself.

He’ll also recognize his flaws and handle them with ease and a light-hearted attitude, which is a big shift. His self-esteem, which has been a major challenge for him, is going to improve. I see him really valuing himself in all aspects.

He’s going to be working on a new project with different people, and he’ll feel really excited and curious about what others will think. He won’t be afraid of the outcome—he’ll feel light and energized, enjoying the process and doing what he loves. He’ll also be more in touch with his emotions, even though he’s usually more in his head. He gives off earth sign vibes rather than fire sign, but he’ll start connecting more with his feelings.

[whelmandromeda]

Very big rant about the redacted storyline being misunderstood

saw a tiktok of someone complaining about the timeline “handing out answers and spoiling everything”. Though I had read every event of the timeline, I have yet to come across information I had not already known about. (Excluding the very interesting information about how the Solaire clan came to be) I am becoming frustrated with people on tiktok not considering the context and complicity of the storyline. Considering the timeline, Erik had said that these weren’t spoilers about things to come but confirmations.

I saw another tiktok disregarding the importance of the Inversion; saying that the only purpose it served was to traumatize the characters (—I do recall in their previous tiktoks that they were not interested in the “lore” side of things. Which is ok! But I wouldn’t recommend talking about it in such little consideration or knowledge.) I believe that the Inversion served many purposes and will most likely be a opening for bigger things to come.

Additionally, the recent Bowling video, which has already been discussed. People over on tiktok are taking the DAMN relationship out of complete context without mentioning previous discussion of said relationship. This is specifically towards Lasko and Gavin’s relationship. Not only had freelancer allowed the flirting to continue, they also joined in on the teasing. Freelancer’s dynamic with the elementals is also not being considered. It was mentioned in earlier videos (and implied) that freelancer is quiet and a person who listens more than talks. Freelancer was probably sitting back and enjoying their closest friends getting along. That’s it.

But I guess since every character can be a self insert, every insecurity, opinion and action must reflect onto the listener—and if they do not think, say, or do the same thing you would do in a specific situation, then something is clearly wrong with the character and not the person inserting themselves onto the listener/s. Are people forgetting that this is Erik’s story and not yours? That, yes, the listeners can be self-inserts, but they are still Erik’s characters.

I want to mention another post on redacted tiktok that believes that the listener characters choosing “peace” instead of “violence” was lazy writing. They were specifically calling out the Android and Freelancer. The android could choose what to do about Marcus after they were aware of what he was doing to them. The person on tiktok was upset the android did not choose to kill or harm Marcus. If they truly knew anything about the Project Meridian, they would know that it’s a project that is under the control of the GOVERNMENT. Plus, it’s implied that the Android does feel sympathy and probably knows that taking a life is against the law.

Now the freelancer argument; they are upset because freelancer didn’t want Damien to beat the shit out of Kody. Knowing freelancer, they’re whole character and storyline revolves around them being sympathetic and kind. I don’t even have to give examples of the times where freelancer considers their friend’s problems above their own. I know that Kody is very far from a friend and I am not trying to imply that Kody doesn’t deserve a harsh punishment. But, if the person who was complaining about the writing was in charge of the characters actions, I would complain that freelancer encouraging Damien to deck Kody would be out of the character entirely.

If anyone would like to tell me off for being ignorant and rude then I will gladly allow myself to be humbled. Maybe I am being overly passionate and defensive.

[the-cosmic-cauldron]

I don't know if this has been asked to you already. How would you describe Venus quincunx Lilith individuals? I don't think it is talked a lot and I am very curious about this placement. Thank you so much! ✨🪐

So these individuals have a very, they have an aspect to them in which they truly don’t grasp. When it comes to matters of finance, beauty, and love, they often have this very dark and repressed energy show up in these areas of their life. They don’t necessarily always know how to approach the Venusian energy. The Venus energy is about love, what we see, what’s out in the open. It represents what we concretely and physically experience in this realm. Lilith is a psychological aspect of ourselves. It’s more internal, something that we resist, suppress, or don’t readily accept—a part of ourselves that we want to submerge deeper and not explore. Venus doesn’t really understand Lilith; it doesn’t understand the energy of Lilith. So Venus might struggle in love when it comes to truly expressing love in a true form. Lilith is demanding the individual to be wild and free, unhinged and unleashed, and rebellious, while Venus wants to come off as very serene, calm, peaceful, and absorbing life. In this situation, you have a person who can feel very uneasy when it comes to matters of love. When love happens and comes into their life, they may feel a lot of discomfort around the arena of love. They may feel as if they’re not good enough, or they may experience trauma or pain from the past, like rejection, which makes it hard for them to explore love. When it comes to beauty, there may be scars or some disfiguration around someone’s beauty. They may long to look Venusian—pretty, beautiful, handsome, stellar, classy, overall having grace. At the same time, they may also want to rebel against what they believe they’re supposed to look like or societal beauty standards. They may want to look different or express themselves aesthetically differently and find it hard because they don’t know how to integrate that Lilith energy and the Venusian energy together. Another thing is when it comes to finances—they may be the kind of person who struggles with finances. They can have a steady income or a good budget, but they can get these moments where they just want to impulsively spend, or they feel like they’re out of control, or there’s some insecurity around spending or their finances, and there’s just this inconsistency and lack of wholeness in their actions with this person. It can also signify somebody who doesn’t want a conventional kind of love, someone who yearns to just be free, someone who doesn’t want a relationship, someone who may be more promiscuous and just wants to go sleep around with different people. It can also mean somebody who completely rebels against the ideal of traditional or conventional relationships. That is also an aspect of it. It can also turn into a person who is really about freedom when it comes to how they express themselves, but they may struggle to implement this way of being. It might be a struggle for them to, you know, maybe they are a person that dresses traditionally and struggles to actually dress in the way that they want to, or maybe they have struggles in revealing their skin or revealing their bodies. They struggle with intimacy. They might crave it and desire it and have all these ideas about it, but when it comes down to it, there’s a lot of hesitancy. There’s just, you know, there’s something that’s off. There’s something that just doesn’t seem right. It might cause them to feel really insecure around that.

[pumpkinstrawbrew]

Hey! I'm sooooo happy to finally find another person that ships Scarecrow and Batman! This is ship is so underrated and it deserves MUCH more recognition 👏☺️ Also, I love your art and analysis of these characters!

I don't know if you've answered this before, but what do you think about the Arkhamverse version of them? I would prefer Arkham Knight, but if you feel uncomfortable with it, Arkham Asylum is fine (I love both). I don't know what to think of it at the moment and I'm trying to form an opinion!

I hope you have an amazing day!! ❤️❤️

Can I be 🐓 anon if you allow anons?

hello there!! i’m also happy to meet another fellow-minded scarebat believer out there! scarebat is just such a fascinating ship. i’m honestly go uwu when i see other people enjoying it too! this pair indeed deserve more recognition an’ love! an’ aw, heck, thank you! it makes me blush knowing that someone can have fun with those lil, whimsical things i do! 

an’ oh, nope. i didn’t answer this one! arkhamverse’s content is smth that i see circulating around a lot, but i didn’t see much content for that version of scarebat. i guess, the constant choking, an’ ‘get on your knees now, crane’ wasn’t enough to awaken smth in anyone *besides me an’ 2-3 other fine wine enjoyers*. which is once again too bad, bc even design wise, they’re kinda a banger in their own right. whichever version we take, it’s just a good contrast between batman’s heavy armour an’ jon’s typical rags *with some cyber-punk touch later on*. like, while i’m a simple gal who tends to simp for ‘classic’ outlooks, i do appreciate what the game did. gotta love crane’s freddy krueger syringe glove, an’ how he got it embedded into bruce’s neck an’ chest, an’ then got stabbed with it himself lol. there is a lot of homoerotic stuff, which can be done with it! esp bc it’s such a close range weapon, an’ each version of akrham’s crane used it differently. in arkham asylum, he injected the poison into bruce’s arm. the desperate, angry action kinda reminded me of a pissy, bristling animal, that would bite your hand, when if you try to grab it. in the next game, jon was way more vicious, less of a thrashing opossum that you find in your garage an’ more of a snake, that you accidentally step on, while you climbing down your porch. the vast difference between his mental states then an’ later on is an interesting theme for speculations. esp bc bruce is also worse to wear in the next game. in fact, i’d say that arkham knight sorta depicts them at their subjective ‘worst’ almost. an’ it says smth, bc i don’t think that either of them are ever in good mental place. 

i kinda find it interesting how some people would assume, that if person acts cold an’ detached, it means that they’re ‘in control’, when sometimes, it’s the opposite. in bruce’s case for sure. but i’d like this for some versions of crane as well, bc it suits his psychotype as well. not to mention, that jon’s hygiene in arkham knight is at its lowest too, which says a few things about his mental state right off the bat. or how he didn’t seem to properly treat his own wounds, just instantly throwing himself into his biggest scheme. a man truly possessed by revenge. 

but welp, if we go into specifics of each separate version of arkhamverse, i guess, i will start with arkham asylum! my memories about those games are a bit rusty, but i’ll go with what i remember. providing more emphasis on arkham knight, since they do have more going on an’ you seem more interested in that specific version too! 

still, first things first, i love how jonathan was half-naked during the first game lol. it’s just so funny to me, bc he is usually covered from head to toe, but in there, he was shirtless, wearing pants that held for dear life on those skinny hips an’ i’ll bet dude had nothing underneath them either. he’s never was the most proper person, admittingly, but idk, running around the dirty asylum an’ hunting your enemy while showing off your nips an’ stomach is…smth else. esp for a prude like crane. but i guess, at that point of time, he seemed to be so deranged, that his usual body issues no longer worried him. besides, poison ivy walked around in her underwear an’ blouse that was held together by one durable button, why can’t he do the same? it’s not like batman would comment on it, even if he wanted to. but like, honestly, all the hints of possible spooky + sexy times were there, so it’s a shocker, that no one has done anything about it yet. i mean, you literally have jonathan, who was flashing the bat for 20 minutes straight, an’ it’s not smth that the majority of cranes would ever have the guts to do in any other set-up. btas an’ comicverse ones would downright combust, before they’d be walking around batman shirtless. but not that gremlin. he was all about it. even if i do think, that he wasn't fully aware about what it means, an’ that it’s kinda embarrassing to do smth like that, while you are trying to be intimidating. he’s not bane. it’s not like he has some crazy muscular mass to show off. but it is very stimulating to think about the ways it all can be used in. the cold bat’s armour to exposed skin of a spooky toothpick. batman grips scarecrow’s clothes, when they fight. in there, it’ll be almost all naked skin. that’s a sexy imagery to have! 

as for the substance of the arkham asylum on itself, i don’t think that scarecrow was in there a lot. but then again, maybe i just remember it this way. it is however curious how fast crane goes from campy looney to more serious, jarred person, we see in the next game. an’ his whole motivation shifts from ‘you’re just like us and have fears’ to ‘there is no saviour. no hope’. almost like he was very, very let down, when batman failed to save him that one time lol. but considering that arkhamverse kept jonathan’s comic origin, it’s safe to assume that yeah, he took that very-very personally. he isn’t the joker, who kinda never brings up how many times, batman casually let him ‘die’. the btas alone has like 3 occasions like that lmao. meanwhile, jon went into a scornful cold rage, after just one epic fail, which, at the end of the day, is very him lol. the drugged up bat didn’t save him, that’s it. no one’s supremacy, fuck gotham. an’ i’m only partly jeering here. 

which leads us straight to to arkham knight version, an’ to bruce instantly going up there an’ choking the living hell out of jon, the second he sees him. what a reunion! esp with that whole head hitting an’ throwing crane onto floor, like a ragdoll. batman just had to assert his dominance, even when jonathan barely opened his mouth. *bc yeah, you stay down, bottom*. i like how crane tried his hardest to be serious an’ imposing during that whole deal, but the bat just wasn't super amused. yet, like usual, he did give the scarecrow room to speak later on. allowing him to walk around him. an’ boy, gotta appreciate that ‘bad guy's sly hips play’ as scarecrow circled the bat. it was quite a vision. even with fucked up leg, he managed to pull that off. i wish there were more moments like this. they had a lot of potential for more brutal scarebat interactions, than some other versions of them. all the cues for it were there. batman was hallucinating a ghost of a dead clown, who wouldn’t shut up about whatever, an’ jonathan was all about his ‘end goal’, not caring what he had to do to get to it. what an explosive combo. i was low-key surprised, that bruce didn’t wipe the floor with crane just out of pure frustration, an’ then some. an’ considering how fucked up they both are in that version, it wouldn’t put it past the ghost!joker to suggest they’d do smth else with crane, if batman is unwilling to kill him. there is actually a lot of leeway, with bruce blaming some stuff on his personal brain damage, while joker just keeps on pouring gasoline into the fire. i even had this one idea about the joker playing a horrible matchmaker just to make everyone even more miserable, but mostly just bruce. all while not expecting crane to be able to return the sentiment in his own messed up manner. 

an’ speaking of sentiment, i do think that it can be here as well. it’ll be buried under layers an’ layers of pseudo-resentment, but that’s like typical scarebat. no one ever talk about their real emotions in that ship lol. well, not in a normal way. in arkham knight, i suppose the joker can be a narrator of bruce an’ crane’s relationships. not missing a beat to tell them *well, bruce* how much they suck. an’ he won’t even be wrong, batman abandoning some of his duties, bc well, this. an’ crane as per usual getting confused by feelings, that isn’t hatred or fear. they can enter those intense relationships with the worst kind of miscommunication. bc they awful at it, when they’re not super unstable *or at least one of them isn’t*, an’ now they can be godawful at it, bc batman is close to breaking point, an’ jonathan is at his bitterests an’ pettiest. crane also can assume, that he can ‘unmade’ the bat this way, all while messing up his own scheme in the process. with god’s help, they might even survive this. idk about gotham tho lol. the joker being a third wheel an’ technically a cuck in that situation just adds how messed up it all is. but maybe with jon’s ‘help’, they can deal with that problem too. i don’t think, crane would like to share in any way. i mean, he would have been pissed off, if he learned that batman had a mini-devil on his shoulder the whole time. in a way, it kinda defeats the purpose of it all. it would almost like taking all the credit from him, an’ he won’t stand for it. crane combating bruce’s personal ghosts for his own selfish, possessive needs is smth, i would have liked to see for them. jonathan accidently being a good psychiatrist to bruce is my peak scarebat dark comedy. similar to how in ‘kings of fear’, it was basically ‘i can fix him, but bitch, you’re worse’ kind of deal too. in return, bruce can try an’ help crane actually put some proper garnet for his leg on, an’ look a bit less like a sickly *even if scary-spooky-cool* animal. they can find some middle ground, even if for questionable reasons, or they can have that slow-burn from enemies to lovers thing too. heck, i mean, it’s a wonder how come that scarecrow didn’t kidnap bruce first to try an’ break him a tad more, before making gotham see ‘that they had no hope’ an’ all that. 

on less game plot related notes, i do like to play around with what can be done about jon’s state in arkham knight. like his face being all messed up, half of his body moving way more stiffly, there are a lot of things that can be done with it. an’ the parallel of batman being crippled on the inside an’ crane being pretty much this an’ then also damaged outside of it….mmm, that’s just good. also we all know that nolanverse crane moaned ‘batman’ like a whore while his hair were pulled, but what about arkham knight’s scarecrow lil gay gasps an’ whimpers, when bruce held him by the throat an’ injected him with his own toxin? if gordon an’ jason weren’t there, i wonder what might have happened lol. love scarecrow’s scared expressions in that game btw, somehow they still manage to make him look cute. 

an’ now for a bit of nitpicky bit. when i look back at arkham knight, like some other folks, i do wish there was less…joker in it. he did add some fun elements there or here, but he should have been a background segment tbh. i really wanted to see more of mindbending stuff similar to level in arkham asylum. batman ‘given into’ hallucination joker’s cheers to kill crane, even if it was all a mindfuck bit was tasteless for me. if they wanna make bruce kinda walk that route, i’d rather see him doing it by his own misgivings an’ rage. tho, i do give credit where it’s duo, crane saying ‘you’ve changed’ an’ not sounding esp thrilled about it was curious smth. 

but omg, that’s got long, haha. hope, it’s not too troublesome. i’m kinda chatty an’ rambly kind of person, esp when i talk about things i love. can’t talk short in most cases. 

thank you for the ask btw! i do enjoy talking about scarebat a lot, no matter what version. an’ i hope, that your day is going great as well! i do apologise for how late some of my responses are coming through. i tend to pick at questions for a couple of days or so, just to make sure that i kinda give it my utmost thoughts, haha. hopefully, my answer helped you to form your own vision on the matter better or gave you an idea how different / similar you see smth, when it comes to those two. 

an’ sure thing! that’s a cute symbole btw!

[niconebula]

Luz’s subconscious has turned her into her worst nightmare - being Belos. In her dream, she’s living out her guilt in a sick and twisted kind of catharsis.

She plays the villain here because she feels like she has been playing the role of the villain in her friends and family’s lives, causing problems and making mistakes that lead to disaster. She has a self destructive nature which was on full display in Thanks to Them - her outbursts and computer diary piling on subtext of her suicidality.

Considering she is ‘Belos’ (subconscious dream language: she has been a drain on her friends’ lives and does not deserve to live), her manifestations of her friends inside this world come to finish the job and kill her - which she believes somewhere in her heart to be necessary. You can see Luz’s boot in the foreground. They’re certainly squaring off against HER here, not another figure.

When the Collector suddenly takes hold and pulls them back away in this scene (perhaps because he knows they have the key) you can see their eyes are dull - actions being controlled by someone who is most likely actually Luz. Their outfits are mismatched, another indicator of it not truly being ‘them’, coming from random points within their own journeys that Luz’s brain has pulled to manifest into her dream world. But curiously enough; it seems like Amity breaks through the spell for a moment with the knowledge they’ve acquired about the light glyph and it’s counter affects on the Collector’s magic.

Her eyes have the shine back in them, and even while being attached to the Collector’s ribbons, she crosses the illusion and has a real honest conversation with Luz.

We can’t be sure how long this lasts though. While this screenshot certainly could be from another wholly separate sequence and I’m more spitballing than forming a solid theory here, the way their forms are twisted into spiky monstrous versions of themselves does lead one to believe that these are also distorted dream versions of Eda and King also attacking Luz.

King is visibly crying, as well as Eda less visibly. Their eyes are glowing in accordance to the colours of the orbs they were placed in, an ability never before seen that leads me to believe they are being controlled by the Collector this time - keeper of the orbs.

The Collector wants to finish Luz’s original dream with her being killed off by her friends - I’m assuming this wouldn’t kill her body in reality but more so permanently trap her in a feverish paralyzed state where she feels like she’s constantly reliving the moment over and over again. Maybe that’s worse.

However at this point, Amity was able to break through and get to Luz to snap her out of the mindset. Luz’s subconscious has shifted again and no longer is forcing her loved ones to fight her. But the Collector needs this to end; so they bring in Eda and King, and have to personally control them to fight and attempt to kill Luz. Hence the crying - something that also happened to Raine while they were forcibly possessed by Belos.

[the-muppet-joker]

I believe you when you say you went through all of those traumatic things, but coming from one person who is based off of a fictional character to another you shouldn’t be lashing out on others like you are. I know how that feels, I’ve been there. It makes you feel powerful and in control of everyone and everything around you, but one of these days those actions are going to cause yourself to get hurt and you’re going to find yourself with everyone hating you and no one willing to love you.

I was violent, lashing out on everyone around me, and in my memories it even caused me to kill my brother. It wasn’t until years after that that I started to stop myself from lashing out on everyone and everything around me, and as a result instead of being filled with constant hatred I found myself being happier.

As one person based off of a character to another, what you need is to seek out a therapist. I promise that they’re not all like how you remember Harley and the doctors in Arkham. You’ll find one that will be able to help you cope with your trauma. If you’re worried about the therapist being a woman, there should be therapist offices out there that let you select what gender you feel most comfortable around and will assign you one according to that.

At least you take kin memories seriously.

To be clear though, while my childhood was filled with the strife of being loved less than horses, I have not been trauamtized by women, I just think they are annoying. There was only one woman in my polycule, and she was not the one who shattered my heart into a thousand pieces.

Therapists do not take my kin memories seriously. Nor do they ever truly believe that I am who I claim to be (Kermit the Frog and The Joker). None of them could even begin to unpack my twisted mind...

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Azusa Dark [10]

ー The scene starts in the Big Hall at Eden

Yui: ( We’ve all gathered here in the hall after Kou-kun went to get the remaining two but... )

Kanato: ...

Azusa: Ugh...

Yui: ( Kanato-kun looks ready to jump down Azusa-kun’s throat...Will this end well...? )

Yuma: ...Che.

Kou: Hey, Ruki-kun...

Ruki: Kou, Yuma. Try to keep yourself under control.

Right now, we need to hear why they came here first and foremost.

Kou: ...Yeah.

Ruki: Sakamaki Reiji. Can I count on you for that?

Reiji: ...I know, no need to tell me.

Monologue

Amidst the heavy atmosphere,

Reiji-san began to speak.

According to his explanation,

the Vibora King came to file a complaint to Kanato-kun, the Vampire King,

and the reason behind this is Azusa-kun.

So they had decided to come all the way here,

because they want us,

to deal with this matter.

However, all of us were very doubtful,

when we were told what exactly,

what Azusa-kun was being accused of doing.

‘ーー The Vampire in question turned the tables

on the Vibora who attacked him,

fatally wounding them.’

Because that is what,

Reiji-san told us.

Reiji: ...In other words, we are being highly troubled by what Azusa did the other day.

How do you intend to do take responsiblity for this case?

Azusa: Y-You’ve got it wrong...!

It’s true that I entered the Vibora Clan’s territory but...

However, I didn’t use any weapons. I didn’t turn the tables on them...!

Kanato: Save me your excuses. They’ve told us that it is very clear that it was a Vampire who did it, you see?

Azusa: No way...

Yui: ( I can’t imagine that Azusa-kun would murder any Vibora. )

( I’m sure Kou-kun and Yuma-kun would say the same thing if they hadn’t been told to keep quiet... )

( I should step up... )

Selection

→ Attack Kanato-kun

Yui: How could you, Kanato-kun...! Can’t you try and have some faith in his words...?

Kanato: ...Me? Have faith in Azusa? Fufu, please don’t say such ridiculous things.

→ Defend Azusa-kun (❦)

Yui: Azusa-kun would no longer harm anyone...!

There’s just no way that a gentle person such as himself would kill people from the Vibora Clan...!

Azusa: Eve...

Kanato: We are certain that Azusa trespassed Vibora territory on that day.

If you want to prove your innonence, then show us some concrete evidence that you’re not the culprit.

Yui: W-Well...

( Evidence that he isn’t the culprit...How are we supposed to prove that...? )

Azusa: Ah...!

Now that you mention it, I...while I was running away from the Vibora, I did run into another Vampire...

Yui: Eh? Really?

Azusa: Yeah...I hadn’t mentioned it to anyone because I didn’t deem it important but...

I’m pretty sure he called himself Kino...

That guy...he was covered in other people’s blood and he had a bunch of Ghoul comrades with him...

...So I’m pretty sure they’re the ones who...

Yui: I see...

Hey, Kanato-kun. That means Azusa-kun no longer has to take the blame for what happened, right?

Kanato: ...Haah? Please don’t be silly.

None of what you just said truly matters in this case;

I mean, it could all be lies made up by Azusa himself, no?

Yui: No way! Azusa-kun isn’t the type of guy who’d lーー

Kanato: Shut up! The Vibora Clan could come to attack this place at any given moment, you know!?

I don’t have the time to look into some random guy who’ve I’ve never even heard of!

Yui: Ugh...

Reiji: ...Kanato is right.

The Vibora Clan has made it very clear that they will use this case to justify declaring war against us.

So you have no other choice but to take your responsibility.

Azusa: T-Then...How about I go talk to the Vibora King and lift the misunderstanding...?

Ruki: ...No, I doubt it’ll be that easy.

Even if you were telling the truth just now, we can’t be sure whether or not Zweig will believe it...

Azusa: Right...

Yui: ( What should we do? How can we make them understand that Azusa-kun isn’t at fault here...? )

Kanato: You really caused us a lot of trouble. I’ve been through hell and back as a result of your actions!

It’s all your fault, Azusa! So you solve it now!

ー Kanato walks away

Reiji: Kanato! Wait!

*Thud*

Reiji: ...Good grief.

ー Reiji follows after him

Azusa: ...Ah...

I’m so sorry, guys...It’s my fault...

Kou: It’s not, Azusa-kun. I mean, you truly haven’t done it, right?

Yuma: He’s just runnin’ his damn mouth ‘cause he doesn’t want to take responsibility himself. Right, Ruki?

Ruki: Yes. Don’t let it get to you. You just happened to become the trigger of this conflict.

There have been rumors of the Vibora Clan wanting to take a shot at gaining control over the Demon World for a while. I’m pretty sure they would have used anything as an excuse.

Azusa: ...

Yui: ( Azusa-kun... )

Monologue

I couldn’t bring myself to reach out,

to Azusa-kun in his depressed state. 

I wonder why it had to come to this? 

It was our intention,

to help Azusa-kun gain some confidence (自身) in himself,

and have things go into a positive direction from there.

But as a result (結果), 

we ended up making Azusa-kun suffer even more.

I was overcome by a flurry of strong feelings,

making my chest tighten up. 

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

[bluemooniegif]

**Spoilers for BSD manga through chapter 109**

I wanted to ask for your thoughts on the roles of Aya and Sigma in BSD, particularly the significance their arcs hold in light of certain themes present in recent chapters.

During the Sky Casino Arc, Dostoevsky justifies his decision to assign Sigma to the Sky Casino by citing two criteria determining Sigma’s strength: deprivation and desperation.

“The strongest in the world…is one who holds nothing else.”

“You won’t find a scarier thing in the world than an ordinary person when they’re desperate.”

Sigma and Aya both seem to embody these qualities in different ways, simultaneously serving as compelling parallels to one another. Each grapples with their own sense of perceived deprivation—Sigma of a family and Aya of freedom from misogynistic expectations—and as a result feels a desperation to prove their right to exist outside of their current state.

Not only this, but in chapter 77 as the limitations of the Page begin to break, Dazai adds to Fyodor’s earlier commentary on strength:

“[Happenstance and absurdity] is a weakness shared by the two of us. What’s driving the world [rather than ingenious plans or perfection and harmony] are those in the storm of accidental events who scream, run, and spill blood. Faced with their souls, you and I should be petrified with fear.”

Jouno echoes this sentiment in chapter 94 when he decides the most effective means of opposing Fukuchi:

“Who would you suspect the least, Commander? And who would give you the most trouble? The Vice-Commander? Tetchou-san? No. If anyone will pain you, Commander, it won’t be through strength or smarts. They’ll be a weak, clueless, innocent citizen who happened to be there.”

This shared perspective seems to directly contrast the approaches Fukuchi and Fyodor take in order to realize desired outcomes.

Rather than advocating total control as a medium for change, Dazai and Jouno seem to instead champion the actions of the many who may otherwise be counted off—the “stray dogs” in life, if you will—as the true wheels of change in the world. 

Aya and Sigma, along with several other individuals in the story, may serve as evidence of this, further supporting one recurring theme:

Real strength comes in various forms of weakness, those wayward individuals inhabiting the everyday.

[ I hope you’re finding ways to stay comfy in these trying times btw!! chapter 109 was kind of a lot . . . please be sure to take care of yourself ^-^ ]

THIS!!! I loveee the parallels we see between Aya and Sigma, and think they provide such a fascinating dynamic to BSD.

In most media, especially animangas, our characters all begin with a relatively low level of skill. They work hard to strengthen themselves, defeat what they believe to be their most difficult enemy, and quickly realise that they are in for a lot more than they bargained for. They continue to grow stronger, faster, smarter, until it's finally time to battle the truly terrifying enemy, the one that would have easily crushed them at the beginning. Rarely, if ever, do we get characters with that very base-level skill introduced towards the climax of the story, and even if we do, they are highly unlikely to survive.

Aya and Sigma not only broke that stereotype, but they echo that fantastic theme you mentioned: "The ones who actually make the world turn are those who scream within the storm of uncertainty and run with flowing blood."

And this train of thought always brings me to this moment from the beginning of chapter 107.5:

When I first read that I was like HUHH!???? But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense: Aya and Sigma really are going to be the saviours in this story: the stray (under)dogs.

I am so excited to see how this arc plays out, and ever-hopeful that everyone I hold dear will survive ;-; thank you for the ask!

[saltyxtides]

MONTGOMERY WARDEYN.

When Monty showed up for her Valentine’s Day visit for her brother she entered with a big over zealous and over dramatic hug for him. She set a ginormous basket of decandant candies and chocolates from all over the world down first. Then she smothered him.

“Happy Valentine’s Day brother of mine. Your Valentine has arrived. Aren’t you happy now? Cherish it now before you get stuck with mother all night. She’s already in the bathtub gin. Good luck with that.”

“I know I’m the best thing that ever happened to you and the highlight of your day. I’m the blessing of your life. You don’t even have to say it. I know you’ll never have a real girl out there for a Valentine but I got all prettied up, just for our dance. Don’t carry on how I’m better than another girl because I’ll never leave you like you always do, but it is true. I never will. Never, ever, EVER. Okay, I have a date after dropping you off with mom, but it’s for you too. She’s making me play shadow caddy. Ew. But, I love, uv you, wuv you.”  

Then she’d back up and do a little spin for him so he could see her dress all in pale pink lace. It was something designer though the real Bayden rarely called these things out, just told her she looked so pretty.

“Now where is it? Before we dance. Show me what little drawing or confection you’ve whipped up for me this year. Is it a poem? A song? Gimme, gimme.” Then she plopped herself right into his lap like an ever so close space invading sister might. “What quaint little BayBay way have you chosen to honor me this year?”

( @montywonmom​ )

       MONTGOMERY W a r d e y n buzzed around like she’d guzzled every drop of espresso.  Her actions were downright condescending like a Katy Perry parody video.  && they finally understood where Bayden’s arrogance stems from: that. 

       Dozen’s of times they had rehearsed Monty’s return in there head — the dramatic embrace, the exacting chosen gifts pattern last’s Christmas greetings.  They’re own breath felt tight, as if the walls were pressing in being constricted by something as dangerous as a python hugging them back weakly.  

       “ Happy Valentine’s Day, little sister. ”  A spin off of Montgomery’s own words used.  Only they didn’t look happy about Monty’s statement about DR.W a r d e y n.  The mama boy’s persona.  It was easy to show how they truly felt on the inside. A fiery scowl that felt like it wasn’t going away anytime soon.

       The more && more time they spent with Montgomery, in Bayden’s body the more his sister reminded them of Mother Gothel.  Only it’s the sibling addition Instead of listening through it, Monty’s voice began to sound tiny && helium high-pitched, as far away as an echo.

       If Bayden was meant to be controlled, that idjit would have come with a mother fucking remote.  But guess what?  He’s is own person.  What did his own sister really know about him?  It’s worse that his own sister didn’t even think about the concept of him ever falling in love.

       Could be a thing someday!  Anything was possible, but if it didn’t revolve around her, she wouldn’t notice.  He is a qualified person.  Not bothering to listen much after that, thus they lose more brain cells in the process.  Not quite looking to happy && keeping there thoughts to themselves.

       Only to be re-awakened into the moment when Monty sat on there lap.  Who did she think they were?  Jolly old St. Nicholas.  Wasn’t she a little to old to be sitting on his brother’s lap like this.  It was a high level of uncomfortable-ness, as she needed to leave room for the holy spirit.

       Not that they even believed in the holy spirit!  But damn girl give some space.  “ It’s not much. “ Taking a small bundle of daffodils — wrapped in yarn to hold it together ( god forbid the string nurse would come back again knowing Bayden’s luck ).  Freshly picked from the Asylum Grounds.

       Pink lemonade rock candy.  Though they couldn’t match Bayden's real skill of CHEF B o y b a y d e n style.  This was still food-relative?  Also re-using the cupcakes they made for them would have been safe, but let’s face it.  The calories consumption of a cupcake ( 131+ c. ) vs. rock candy ( 15 - 50 c. ).  

      It would be a waste to give them to her if she would just throw them away in the end.  Only now they had to try to finish things quickly between them.  As they didn’t want to stay anymore longer than they should.  “ Monty I’m not in the mood right now to stick around, fake a dance, so let’s JUST l e a v e.”

[tcaseyhart]

Thoughts On Decorum

We need to ditch decorum and start being our true selves. There’s a huge difference between being kind and being nice, but we’ve gotten way too focused on niceness. Like all egomeritocratic practices, niceness is performative—it’s about being seen doing the thing rather than genuinely finding satisfaction in your own actions. You can spend all day pretending to be a nice person and still reap the same societal rewards. But what we do for others affects us too, and vice versa. So from a sociointentionalist perspective, niceness doesn’t really matter. Kindness—to ourselves and to others—is what actually counts.

And honestly, it’s less about kindness and more about being real. I was talking with a friend about Trisha Paytas (and other influencers or public figures who are “brutally honest” and often hated for it). They pointed out how so few people are willing to be disliked for who they truly are. Even though they didn’t agree with the beliefs of these figures, they admired their willingness to show us who they are.

But here’s my rebuttal: if all you ever share are unkind opinions or things designed to upset people, you’re not being “real.” You’re just wearing a different mask—a mask of “I don’t care what people think.” Real honesty, real authenticity, is vulnerable. It’s about owning your mistakes and flaws without shame, because to you, those things aren’t shortcomings. They’re just pieces of who you are—things you’ve accepted and might be working on. If your only evidence of authenticity is defensiveness, curse words, and controversial takes, I’d argue that evidence doesn’t actually support the conclusion.

That doesn’t mean we should go around faking niceness, either. I curse a lot; it’s just how I think and talk. My authentic self doesn’t sound nice, even when I’m communicating kindness. But there’s a huge difference between “toxic positivity” and speaking truth to yourself. Toxic positivity is about replacing your negative thoughts with forced positive ones, like acting the part will eventually trick you into believing it. Real positivity is about seeking truth in your thoughts.

Ask yourself: is what I’m saying to myself true or false? Am I considering the full picture of this belief? Because 9 times out of 10, if a belief is only causing you pain, you’re not seeing the whole story.

Personally, I like to say, “I will do my best, as I have every day, and what happens is out of my control.” That’s so much more honest than, “Everything is going to be okay.” Because let’s be real—sometimes it won’t be. On the flip side, saying, “It’s going to be a bad day,” just to temper your expectations so you don’t feel disappointed is no better. It’s just another lie in the opposite direction.

Sociointentionalism is about actually solving the problem. You’re not going to be perfect. You’re not going to have endless good days. But you’re not a failure, either, and bad days aren’t all you’ll ever see. When we can live in that duality—accepting that we’re not in control of the narrative we tell ourselves, just like we’re not in control of future events—we can stop chasing perfection. We can accept ourselves as we truly are, instead of constantly feeling like we don’t measure up to some imaginary, ideal version of ourselves who can honestly say, “Everything is going to be okay.”

-signed Casey

[softsadsassysweet]

Oh no not another Spike and Faye analysis.

I drove myself insane for months trying to figure out Spike’s ridiculously cryptic speech about his eyes to Faye in RFB. Why the hell of all things was this the thing he needed to so desperately tell her? My partner who loves the show and who is less emotionally involved than me completely deciphered it in a matter of seconds.

Essentially what they said:

“Spike isn’t a straight forward person who can admit his feelings. What a better way to indirectly compare these two women than to have one be the present and one be the past. Julia is his left eye, Faye is his right eye. Julia is the dream, and Faye is reality. The dream is over, Faye is who he has now.”

That hit me like a fucking truck when they said that.

I also realized that the only two people that Spike talks to about his eyes in the show, are Julia and Faye. He tells Julia in a voice over flash back during JJ and then Faye in RFB. They’re the only two people he tells about his eyes. BOOM, symbolism.

The next thing I banged my head against a wall over was his two speeches about the woman he loves to Jet and Electra.

Jet: When you and I first met, you told me something. You told me that you had died once, that you had seen death. Why can’t you just let it go? Forget the past.

Spike: There was a woman. First time I found someone who was truly alive, or at least that’s what I thought. She was the part of me I’d lost somewhere along the way. The part that I was missing, the part I had been longing for…. She’s back.

*********

Spike: When I was younger, I wasn’t afraid of anything. I didn’t have the slightest fear of dying, no reason for it. I thought that if I die that’s fine with me anytime at all, but then I met a certain woman and it changed. I started to think that I wanted to survive. For the first time the fear of death began to scare me. It was on my mind. I never felt that kind of feeling almost, paralyzed.

Electra: And? Where is she now?

Spike: She… faded off somewhere. Strange you’re the first person I said this to.

Spike never says Julia’s name and it fucking haunts me. He says “I met a certain woman” or “There was a woman”. It felt on purpose that he’s being vague. Why not just say her name? Come on dude you spent a two parter episode arc looking for her. You were very open about what she means to you. Jet of all people knows who you’re talking about!! Why don’t yah just, SAY THAT IT WAS JULIA????

It’s because it wouldn’t be the whole truth.

I’ve read some very convincing essays about how these speeches are about Faye, but that doesn’t feel quite right either.

This is where I connected the symbolism of the eyes, to what he has to say about the woman he loves.

If Spikes eyes are showing him patches of reality, then his speeches are mixed parts of the truth of what he’s feeling. He feels for both women. They both affect him deeply in this way. They are both a part of him. Just like his eyeballs.

Another hang up I had, was how the descriptions of the woman’s actions and past tense language did seem to fit Julia. Why do the speeches seem to outwardly point to Julia and inwardly point to Faye?

Why throw us off like that?

I believe it’s because he doesn’t have to face reality with Julia. What’s done, is done. It’s the past. If he outwardly admits his affections for Faye then that indicates he’s going to begin to do some thing about it. He’s not there yet. The past is easier to control and therefor easier to talk about. The present and future are the unknowns. (Which is why he is dumb ass kid on the play ground level mean to her and keeps her at a distance. He doesn’t know how to handle Faye.) He’s not quite sure he even has a future. And yet, by being vague he gets the satisfaction of catharsis. He can finally say out loud how he feels about Faye. It’s all so tragically high school.

I’m probably going to revise this essay later, but for now I needed to brain dump it into the world. In the meantime I need a glass of wine and a life.