#wow this is a lot of nonsense

[violent138]

One of my accepted HCs about Dick Grayson that sort of feeds into a bunch of my other accepted HCs of his is that he smokes:

Picked it up near the end of his Robin tenure because it's an appetite suppresant during patrol

His ADHD makes him crave the nicotine

Being a firefighter makes him want to smoke but also perpetually drives him to quit so he can preserve his lung function.

When he's stressed he smokes a lot more and slaps on too many patches.

Donna tried to get him to quit and dealt with him more than a few times during the process.

Jason will smoke a cigarette with Dick when they randomly meet up.

Damian tosses out many of Dick’s cigarettes while Bruce makes pointed (well meaning) comments about dependency and forwards him studies about the risks of smoking.

[danpuff-ao3]

I saw a headline about "cleaning according to your zodiac sign!" but I don't care for cleaning, so I'm wondering what your thoughts would be about Sev's cleaning style relating to his zodiac sign?

Ngl this is not a question that has ever occurred to me for any reason, but...Now I can't stop thinking about it???? Thanks for that, btw.

So let's dig in!

For "cleaning" I think, starting at the most basic, is going to be in earth's realm. Earth is more about the physical world and material things. The most obvious place to look is the Sixth House, but I want to consider all earthly things, too.

So. The earth signs are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn.

For Severus we see:

Taurus: moon (emotions) and descendant (attraction/admiration)

Virgo: Pluto (death & rebirth) and True Node (fate, karma, purpose)

Capricorn: sun (ego & core), Mercury (learning & communication), Saturn (discipline & life lessons.)

So. Our man has a lot of Earth. Capricorn Sun is ambitious and goal-oriented. Taurus moon is an emotional need for security, stability, and comfort. Pluto, the chart ruler, in Virgo implies this great life or death sense regarding correctness and perfection; also very service-oriented and health-oriented. So focus on bettering the world for the wellbeing of others. And doing so in a very structured, actioned way (Virgo, an earth sign, physical world.)

Then, looking at the chart, where do the signs fall via houses? We can see Capricorn is completely enclosed within the second house (money & resources.) Taurus encases all of the sixth house (health & routine), with bits peeking into the seventh house (relationships) and the fifth house (creation.) Then we see Virgo partly in the ninth (spirituality & philosophy) and tenth house (status & reputation.)

Finally, we look at the earth houses. We often associate the second, sixth, and tenth houses with earth. I'll caution you to not take the following as strict black and white fact, but there is often correlation between Taurus & the second house, Virgo & the sixth house, and Capricorn & the tenth house. Think of it not as Taurus = second house, but that Taurus & the second house come from similar places, but go different directions. (As the signs and houses represent different things.)

So the earth houses' signs:

Second House: primarily Capricorn, with a bit into Sagittarius and Aquarius

Sixth House: wholly in Taurus

Tenth House: evenly split between Virgo & Libra

And the planets in the houses:

Second House: sun (core), Saturn (discipline), Mercury (information), and Mars (drive)

Sixth House: empty

Tenth House: True Node (fate)

So back to the planets. The predominance of earth signs gives us a very rigid structure in Severus. Very focused on the present, physical world. Capricorn sun is very ambitious and determined. A sense of pride and purpose. Taurus sun is sentimental and sensual and cares about comfort. But we also have to be aware that he has a good bit of fire in him. Fire is creativity, optimism, energy, spirit. Specifically, Sagittarius Venus (love), Mars (action), and Jupiter (abundance.) As well as Leo Uranus. Uranus is innovation and progression, which manifests in a Leonine way; so warm, bright, generous, creative, bold. (This gives me the feel of boldly, almost recklessly pursuing and exploring new ideas, i.e. inventing spells and potions.) Then a bit of water (emotion & intuition) in his ascendant (perception) and Neptune (dreams.) So we're seeing a lot of very vibrant passion from the fire and deep intense emotion in the water, all held within the tight vice of earth's grip.

So to get to cleaning style, we must first examine: "how does Severus feel about cleaning", which I'm going to hazard a guess at "necessary evil."

Taurus moon means a need to be comfortable and safe. And a filthy home is a health hazard, and a health hazard is...ding ding ding. NOT SAFE. Also...filth is probably not all that comfortable, either. But Taurus probably cares less about making the bed, so much as making sure the sheets are fresh and clean. (And maybe even warm, if we're feeling special.)

At his core, he's a Capricorn. Very appearance-based. Not necessarily beauty standards, but how he appears to others matters. It ties into status, where he is in life, where he's going in life. Capricorn is ambitious, it has its eye on the prize. Capricorn is proud, diligent, strict (ruled as it is by Saturn.) Capricorn is also a bit merciless.

So if you pair that drive for status with how he is perceived, and you look at his rising sign...Scorpio, pretty dark and mysterious. Obsessive and skeptical. Resourceful as he is, he would probably make use of what he has (Scorpio) and lean into it and use it to his advantage. So he wants to be seen as controlled and in charge, and leans into those Scorpio vibes to do it. Scorpio feels a bit dangerous, so he wants to appear a bit threatening to you; but not so threatening that it would ruin any schemes. Capricorn and Scorpio energy blends pretty well together, too. Very clever and tactical. Scorpio also rules shared resources, such as inheritances, so there's this sense of...what can be done for and to give others. You can also pull this same thread from Leo Uranus, this Leonine loyalty and generosity in the realm of creation and discovery. Big mad scientist vibes. Wanting to be acknowledged and appreciated for those contributions (big Capricorn as the Boss and Leo as the Star) while also caring about those contributions for their own sake and what they can do for others (Leo again, but also Scorpio.)

Venus, Mars, and Jupiter all in that Sagittarius vibe also lends to this. Sagittarius is the philosopher, the traveler. It's adventure and wisdom gained from it. So you see this energy and this motivation in Venus, which governs what he loves. That's what he cares about, and how he shows he cares. Mars is drive: so again, it's this energy that's pushing him forward. That big, vibrant, spiritual drive. And Jupiter is expansion and excess. So if you pair this excess of passion with the really deep Scorpionic intensity...

Well, you see a lot of what Severus' earth is shoving down and holding in.

So how does this relate to cleaning habits?

So take this Leonine sense of generosity and loyalty. Along with the Sagittarius' open mind and need for deeper insights. Sagittarius is about travel and meeting others and learning from them. And the Scorpio sense of possessiveness and vulnerability and big feelings, but also it's desire to connect and share. These all have a sense of care for others, and what can be given/provided for others, and what can be gleaned from others. So this is a lot of spiritual and emotional energy flowing, but being channeled by earth.

Most telling to me is his Saturn in Capricorn. Saturn is domicile in Capricorn. Saturn is the Big Daddy, and he's hear to teach us. Saturn rules our morals, structure, discipline, etc. In Capricorn, this shows itself as a go-getter. Someone with initiative, who is diligent, who is strict and self-motivated and controlled. It's this sense of pride and confidence and knowing one's abilities. This is a sign that takes well to responsibility and even thrives on it. Saturn is also conjunct the sun, so you see this same energy powering the core of who he is. This man was built to be self-sufficient and persistent.

Of course, the signs are what energy we're working with, and the planets are what that energy is powering. We can say that he has a lot of very big, hot, flowing energy funneled through a very precise source. We can say that earth signs might be more inclined to value structure and to work hard and put time and care into what matters to them.

But this is more to say, Severus has certain resources that can be used a certain way. And that he may be more inclined than some to care about cleanliness and orderliness.

Now, the houses are where things happen.

The Second House: money and resources. What do you have?

Here, we have his sun, Mercury, Saturn, and Mars.

So what does this mean?

A quick Google search would suggest that "sun in the second house means wealth!" but that's not true. Certainly not for Severus. Sun is our core. Our ego. Our self-esteem. Second house is possessions. What this really tells us is how much Severus identifies himself by his possessions. And remember, he grew up in poverty. Growing up in poverty shaped so much of who he is. So in some sense, it's this earthy draw to the material, and this solar sense of self. Part of it is having to what possessions he has. For Severus, this current reality might be because of his upbringing.

Mercury is about information. So it can dually be about using one's resources to gain knowledge, or using knowledge to gain resources. Well, Severus has nothing if not wits, right? But he also need not have an abundance of wealth to have resources. Our clever Severus probably used everything at his disposal to gain both knowledge and resources, trading as needed.

Mars is what drives us to action. So hard work for the sake of earning more. The willingness to do what it takes to gain what he needs. In Saturn, this portrays a fear of financial insecurity...though for Severus that fear is rooted in a real place of having survived financial insecurity. And remember, Saturn teaches us. The deprivation of resources taught Severus a harsh lesson; how he can only rely on himself, how to be resourceful, how to make do, how to survive, etc.

Now we look to the tenth house. The tenth house is status and reputation. Here we see his True Node. Our True Node is our life's purpose. The Tenth House is very career and success-driven. So this doesn't necessarily mean he will be successful. Fate doesn't mean resting on one's laurels. We can have all the potential in the world and fail to meet it. So for Severus it's less a matter of "oh, this is going to happen" and more "what should happen." It is this life's aim for him to be independent and to climb the ladder and to make a name for himself. And it's in a very public sphere. It's not just the pride of a job well done, but gaining respect and prestige through that work.

So we can maybe guess that this strong association with possessions (4 planets in the second house) and this great purpose regarding image and achievement, that Severus would take pride in himself and his belongings. It isn't clean and orderly for its own sake, but how one presents oneself, and how one cares for its belongings.

Someone who was born in poverty probably appreciates all that they do have. He knows what it's like to be without, and everything he does have was hard won. So there's this personal, private need to keep what he has in tiptop shape. But then there's also this need to present himself in a certain way, and to be seen in a certain way.

The Sixth House governs health, wellness, routines, and chores.

Yeah so this is the house in charge of this whole subject.

Aaaaand...it's empty.

Empty houses in astrology don't mean those areas are absent in one's life. An empty first house doesn't mean one lacks a sense of self, and an empty seventh house doesn't mean one lacks relationships. It just might not be a top area of focus for him.

Again: it isn't health and wellness itself Severus cares about. It isn't a joy of routine and chores. Like I said at the beginning, it's a necessary evil. Severus does what needs doing for the sake of his possessions and for the sake of his image, but it's not this deep and abiding appreciation for scrubbing pots.

And while the sixth house is empty, it still tells us something. The sixth house is in Taurus. Fully in Taurus. An earth house wholly encased in an earth sign. And it's the sign often accused (wrongfully and rudely so) for being lazy.

Taurus is about comfort and security. That's what Taurus cares about. Taurus wants to roll around in clean sheets. It wants a sturdy home that isn't going to fall over during the next storm. Taurus is cozy blankets and yummy snacks. Taurus is peak cozy energy.

So. Think of Spinner's End. (From: Half-Blood Prince.)

They had stepped directly into a tiny sitting room, where had the feeling of a dark padded cell. The walls were completely covered in books, most of them bound in old black or brown leather; a threadbare sofa, an old armchair and a rickety table stood grouped together in a pool of dim light cast by a candle-filled lamp hung from the ceiling. The place had an air of neglect, as though it was not usually inhabited.

Severus' childhood home. Remember: he was raised in poverty. It has an air of neglect. Listen, I wouldn't wanna go home there either, between what a rundown place it seems, but also the memories attached to it. But all the same, it's a home. They are possessions. They are (presumably) from Severus' past, and thus tied to who he is.

But then we have the walls being completely covered in books. Again, I can only presume this, but this addition feels very Severus. Unless Eileen and Tobias were very studious folk and avid collectors who raised their son in poverty for the sake of getting more books. In which case...they suck as parents but I admire the dedication to books. As it stands, I think the walls would be more likely to be covered in bottles if Tobias had his way, so I'm going to assume these are his.

Also think of Severus' office. (From: Chamber of Secrets.)

They entered Snape’s office, shivering. The shadowy walls were lined with shelves of large glass jars, in which floated all manner of revolting things Harry didn’t really want to know the name of at the moment. The fireplace was dark and empty. Snape closed the door and turned to look at them.

(And Prisoner of Azkaban.)

Snape had acquired a few more slimy horrible things in jars since last time, all standing on shelves behind his desk, glinting in the firelight and adding to the threatening atmosphere.

So there's a sense of clutter, yes? So cluttered, it seems claustrophobic and threatening.

We can view this at multiple levels, as the attainment of things, for a person who once didn't have things. But also, items he (potentially) values. The potions master with a collection of jars. A scholar with a collection of books. It's very intentional, rather than a haphazard assortment of knick-knacks. They are related to his areas of interest, and are useful (again, presumably.) So we have that earthy sense of practicality, and that earthy value of material goods.

But more than that: the image. It may not be high class aesthetic, but it's certainly a vibe, right? Severus has never been handsome or wealthy or popular. He's a Slytherin. He's clever and resourceful. He makes do with what he has. So he leans into it.

At Spinner's End, it feels like a prison. Severus is back to his Death Eater days, he's back at Spinner's End. A return to worse times across the board. But making the most of it, too. Peter is stuck with him, right? And doesn't the scene painted feel quite dramatic? This sort of gives me "goblin king" energy. Just going full throttle on the darkness and chaos. This man is walking like a KING in this hellhole.

Then at Hogwarts. His office is in the dungeons. Need I say more? And it's full of all sorts of creepy, sinister things. He's the dungeon bat, yeah? The reviled potions master. A strict disciplinarian (as all good Capricorns should be.) But also...think of the Scorpio vibes!! Scorpio is all things dark and deep. Scorpio is taboo and strange. Scorpio is peak dangerous, horror film energy.

You can sort of see how a person born and raised in a gutter, more or less, would rise up and use the rawness and filthiness and raggedness to his advantage. Making use of what people already see and expect and manipulating it into what he can use.

So, back to cleaning habits. It's all related, I swear.

So the idea of clutter is very connected to this second house value of resources. And connected to this important tenth house reputation, even if it's not the classic way one thinks of valuing reputation.

We can see here what it is that's important to Severus. The accumulation of things matters. Having what is necessary and useful matters. What aids in his drama and image matters. It's not really beauty that matters, or tidiness. He crammed Spinner's End as full of books as he could. He has jars upon jars upon jars of creepy crawlies.

Taurus works for what matters so that it can move onto the fun part. Sweep and mop and then take a nice hot bath. Dust and organize and then kick back on the couch. It's not scrubbing baseboards with a toothbrush.

So probably very perfunctory, I think. Cleaning up as needed. Doing the bare minimum that needs doing so he can move onto more important things. Let me clean out this cauldron because I need my cauldron in good condition, and also so this cauldron is ready to go for the next potion I make.

Then you can sort of see things falling to the wayside a bit. All of that passionate and intense focus taking him like a whirlwind. And when he comes back down to earth it's "oh wow I really left chaos in my wake, didn't I? -sigh- I better straighten this up now." But if the bed isn't made, who cares? He's just gonna get back into bed later that night. Maybe he'll hastily pull the covers up if he's having a guest, but even then he's not going to spend an hour smoothing out every wrinkle.

And if he can dump tasks like, say, cleaning cauldrons onto other people, well...all the better! If he nitpicks it's because he's a sadist, not because he cares that much how straight those knives are.

Honestly he's got way more important things to worry about.

TL;DR idk he's pretty normal about it I guess.

[disfrutalaisla]

Reminder that the qsmp has more admins than just the ones that play eggs. It’s entirely possible and very likely that the random federation worker with an entirely different admin number is not one of the eggs.

[quatregats]

Something I've been thinking about is how Patrick O'Brian manages so skillfully to write characters whose actions contradict their beliefs, which I think is honestly a big part of why his characters feel so real. Mostly with Stephen and Jack—e.g., and perhaps most notably, Stephen has notably leftist sympathies (honestly I have no idea how to characterize his politics in period terms) who nonetheless becomes very comfortable with his rise to the landed gentry, while Jack is a card-carrying Tory who much of the time sympathizes far more with working class sailors and farmers than with the upper classes—but I'm sure he does it to a lesser degree with some of his minor characters (James Dillon, while perhaps not precisely minor, comes to mind), and I love that he's able to do that, especially the way in which he embeds it in the narrative. We see how they're all unreliable narrators of themselves; we understand how they want to be seen and how that does and doesn't coincide with the reality, but most importantly, this isn't presented as something reprehensible, just as a part of their own humanity. They are not their expectations for themselves, but they don't need to be those expectations to be beloved.

[jounosparticles]

making kunikida go mia for so long just to immediately kill him is FOUL. asagiri when i find you

[sae-mian]

"Y-you'll what!?"

================ [BALLAD] [DAWNTRAIL] [ARCADION - PART 1]

i was struggling for quite a while to fit the new raid series in with Ballad (nira'sae's main timeline). they will fight for the fun of it, don't get me wrong - but it's for the fun of it. for the exercise and relief of it, not for the spectacle. not for an audience.

it didn't feel right to force them into it, either. it's such a fun series so far. i wanted them to have fun, if they were going to.

then it hit me!

nira'sae doesn't have to. there's a perfectly capable, fight-happy, attention loving bastard right there.

so! much to nira'sae's concern and confusion... minasha signs himself up for the arcadion.

hijinks will absolutely ensue.

[randomnameless]

@pandp-author replied to your post “Just thinking about it but - UO : MC learns the...”:

@themoomoorn If it's not too much asking, what is it about Petra's support with Claude that you don't like? I'm rather curious.

​If I can jump in, for me it'd be this :

Petra : Harming Trees is bad because they have spirits and it's important, the tree gives us food and shelter but it also needs us. We live in harmony, all those things.

Clout : Ah yes, you're close to the nature, unlike those stupid Fodlan people who believe everything comes from their goddess and forgot nature.

Petra : Remember when I said Billy-sensei turning green looks like the spirits I am often talking about? And how the Fodlan Goddess basically made and created those spirits? - Who am I kidding, I can't tell you this, we're in a Fodlan game, you must always have a point and Church BaD.

Clout : Of course!

Clout : I mean, imagine if the Hresvelgs could trace their lineage to Saint Seiros herself, who is said to be, in her own scriptures, a Child of the Goddess aka not a human herself or at least a divine being. I'd look like an imbecile, right?

Also fun how "uwu nobility isn't a matter of birthright, status doesn't matter uwu" when the same guy tells to Cyril :

"nobility doesn't matter we're all equals uwu except when I could use my status to compel a random to do things he doesn't want to".

But back to the Petra support :

Clout : I've heard Hanneman say the same thing to Doro.

Petra : Wow you're so strange for saying those things! And you are a noble who can climb to trees! So weird!

Clout : Are we sure Caspar can't do the same? He knows how to pummel someone to death with his fists, maybe he'd also know how to climb trees or something, given how he didn't receive any education befitting a heir of a house, since his brother is the heir and he is naught but a spare. But hey, I'll totally call you strange because you are a princess of Brigid, nevermind the link I cannot tell you about between you being the princess of a foreign land and me.

Petra : But you know how to climb trees and take care of your equipment ! I'm so impressed, I've never seen any noble take care of his own stuff before. What is that? Ferdie oils his own weapons and armor? Who is that Ferdie you're talking about?

---

Granted, given how Petra was trashtalked by Hubert (or trash thought) when he first met her and was around the most, uh, decadent part of Adrestian Nobility, I can't fault her for thinking Claude climbing to trees and tending to his own bow is extraordinary - but I suppose if she ever went to see any BL what she finds "abornmal in Fodlan and totes only Adrestia because that's the only place she visited" wouldn't be so... abnormal.

[silverwarewolf]

I will never understand the way most people seem to hold terrible resentment towards their previous relationships or some lingering something that makes them use the relationship status as a jump rope

[add1ctedt0you]

Not something new, but, while I do think that the number of women dead in mdzs is problematic, I also think that mdzs women are well written. Mdzs narrator isn't the most flattering (if you are not a certain someone), but mdzs women have their own motivations, desires, and fears, they have depth. Jiang Yanli shows love through food, but she decides to not offer some of her soup to Jiang Fengmian. The cultivation world makes fun of Wen Qing and her theories about the golden core, until someone willingly offers to do the transfer, and she succeeds. Qin Su fights to marry Jin Guangyao, because she loves him. Yu Ziyuan despises Wei Wuxian's guts, and yet, she still decides to save him with Jiang Cheng... Again, the fact that they are all dead is problematic, but they are well written characters.

[hxzelwallflower]

ooc.♡ˎˊ˗ Okay, before I disappear again there's a few changes to expect going forward. As of this moment I'm semi-retiring the primary face claim I use for Eileen on here, and sticking to the limited reaction images made by friends over the years. I don't have the energy to draw reaction images of my own right now, but I feel it's time to shift direction since her ref sheet is near completion.

Secondly clearing out followers has helped lighten the load to some degree, as part of my inactivity was due to clutter and I get anxious as all HELL when things get crowded and overwhelming. In short just trying to make things easier and maybe keep track of people on here better.

[thepoisonroom]

one of the funniest things about my worst ex that i didn't even know until this year is that they tried to use romantic lines on me that they'd lifted verbatim from casey mcquiston's red white and royal blue

[shellsweet]

Hey! I followed you when I was a lot younger, a HUGE shellhead, and DeviantART was the place to be as an artist. I don't keep up with TMNT nearly as much as I used to anymore, but it's wonderful to see how you've grown as an illustrator when your art was already so distinct and beautiful back then. I was so tickled to recognize you by your style alone, years later, here on Tumblr.

It warms my heart to see you still drawing and sharing what you make. I hope you're having a wonderful year, and I'm glad both of us kept creating!

Um, excuse me, I'm going to need a minute here in the corner to cry. That was insanely sweet of you to take the time to message me this, anon! Wow!

I miss those DeviantART days!! They feel like so long ago now, but I'm so happy that we've came across each other again! I can't thank you enough for your kind words! I hope you keep creating and that life is treating you well!

Thank you again, so much. This really meant a lot to me. ;__;

[supernowa-art]

oc hours!

[littleredstory]

i didn't know what to draw so I drew Russel being slight sad. then i thought "i should draw Stan too" but he got the short end of the sadness stick and I drew him instead going thru the worst moment of his life. damn.

[the-holy-ghosted]

oop. hello

[six-demon-bag]

another day in which i wonder how it took me so long to realize im ace