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missymu · 2 months

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8th House Synastry

if second house is self sufficiency, eight house is merging with another. within this emotional, intoxicating & sometimes frightening rxship, there’s a depth that pervades the connection & binds the partners together, for better or worse. platonic or sexual, everything is felt too much & seems more intense; even a simple glance can send shivers down one’s spine, even small disputes will be hard to forgive & forget. the potency of this aspect can be felt the moment partners meet one another & will intensify the more partners get to know one another. the connection becomes much deeper than partner’s anticipated; they planned to have a noncommittal & fun arrangement, but they suddenly want to have an official rxship & hate when that cant be fulfilled. partners will feel urged to change their life path (career, location, etc) just to be aligned & interlocked with the other. it’s hard for partners to just be “cool” or “superficial” with each other bc interactions with one another have a very intense undertone. if partners can handle the intensity, this connection can undoubtedly lead to bonding at the deepest level, addictive attachment & soulmate connections. on the bright side, that guarantees high s3xual chemistry & physical attraction from this. on the flip side, you may experience obsessive & controlling behaviour.

if second house is our self esteem, eight house is our weak spot. forget small talk & superfical relations bc this is where secrets reside. partners unknowingly uncover each other’s rawest layers. even if one is too scared of revealing themself, the other can read them like a book regardless. even if one is typically not the type to disclose their business, they will naturally share their whole life story with the other. partners will be able to open up completely & be understood in a way they never have before. partners bond by delving beneath the tip of the iceberg, unveiling each-others deepest wounds, fears & desires. on the downside… (1) this can become their only point of attraction to one another, whilst their other basic needs for a rxship are not met. (2) many people can't handle this synastry bc its so invasive & overwhelming. this house governs the deep parts of ourselves that we want to keep hidden. when those parts are seen we feel vulnerable. (3) partners know exactly what to say to either bring up or take down each other.

if second house is the sugar daddy, eight house is the sugar baby. partners may feel urged to give or gain from one another. it's advised to connect with someone you have this synastry with if they have a higher position than you professionally or materially so you can learn from them & gain from the rxship.

if the attraction isn’t mutual, it will (1) feel painful & devastating, (2) lead you to act in ways you never thought you’d act (stalking, possessiveness, delusion, etc). but if the attraction is mutual, it can lead to a beautiful & long lasting rxship, with plenty of life lessons & genuine devotion.

it's in the darkness that we find the light & it's in the intensity of these rxships that we find our true selves. these rxships are often fated & transformative. partners involvement with each other will drastically change both of them. they meet each other to teach each other a lesson they’ll never forget. even though the transformation process can be utterly harsh & traumatic, it produces a new & improved version them. similar to a major surgery, it fixes the problem within but definitely leaves a scar, so you remember the pain of the recovery process.

eight house governs our inner power. planet is able to easily see everything house is capable of. this breeds a rose coloured glasses effect. planet perceives house as more attractive, scary, important etc than house actually is. but this may cause planet to feel intimidated, threatened & jealous. planet’s envy of house provokes planet to gossip or betray house. on the other hand, planet may feel fascination & admiration for house. this causes planet to talk abt house a lot & this is where the infamous obsession comes from. planet may become obsessed with houses hidden side which prompts planet to cross a lot of houses boundaries. for example, planet going through houses phone or diary. when healthy, planet could have a desire to empower house or planet could feel more empowered around house. when unhealthy, planet feels powerless around house & wants to prove themselves to house. what the power struggle is abt depends on the planet. for example, venus causes a power struggle over who’s the most popular, beautiful, wealthy etc.

this aspect almost always involves blessings disguised in suffering, so it’s not best placement for synastry, unless its backed up by stronger & more grounded placements. one subconsciously sees the other as a blessing delivery or redirection to their life, even if they’re being mistreated & the rxship is toxic. it can even be an enemies to lovers dynamic or a love/hate rxship that hurts so good. this is an all or nothing rxship which flows deep enough to hurt or heal both partners. partners will have the highest of highs together & the lowest of lows together. it will either cause everlasting love or everlasting trauma.

since this is such an intense connection, it is difficult for partners to leave each other completely. whenever partners try to move on, there is a sense of being haunted (which is amplified if accompanied by twelve house synastry). for example, you accidentally bump into their friends or family, you see their name eveywhere, you hear the songs they like, you find people with similar faces to them. being constantly reminded of them is why it’s so hard to let them go.

(virgo/libra/sag asc or aquarius placements)

Moon

if there’s no physical attraction between partners or there’s many other bad aspects, this connection can become extremely annoying. if partners become enemies there will be no boundaries in regards to what they will do to take each other down.

whether they are lovers or enemies, there is no denying house provoke something so intense within moon & moon feels deep emotions when in the company of house. this can manifest as compulsive desire for s3x, possessiveness, extreme, power, etc.

moon becomes fascinated & obsessed with house emotionally & sexually. moon needs to know everything abt house & moon will even cross some boundaries to dig up houses secrets. moon either doesn’t realise or doesn’t care abt how weird this behaviour may seem. despite house being attracted to moon too, house feels constantly analysed by moon. moon feels the need to spend a lot of time with house or to constantly keep tabs on house. moon can be scary obsessed with house & very controlling over how house expresses themselves. moon can turn this obsession into a dislike, becoming houses biggest hater, competing with house, gossiping abt house, etc. this behaviour can be be very one sided on moons part & house senses the power they have over moon.

partners always feel what the other feels. there is always a fear of vulnerability from both partners within this synastry. partners may break up only to reconnect years later bc of their compulsive desire for each other, which may seem to fade temporarily, but it always comes back & is never satisfied.

(aquarius moon or virgo asc)

Venus

there is a lot of feminine energy & themes here unlike ‘mars conjunct eight house’. this means manipulation, guilt trips, pettiness & emotional outburst will occur frequently.

initially, venus feels both attracted & scared of house. venus embodies pluto traits & behaves more tense. there is a mystery surrounding house that venus can't seem to wrap their head around.

there may be a lot of secrets shared or a lot of secrets kept in this rxship. the rxship may remain a secret from the public eye.

the sex will not be the “one-night stand” type. it will be intense, aggressive, intimate & emotionally deep, affecting both partners.

partners can become competitive with each other once they break up; for example, dating new people straight away just to spite them. expect strong possession & obsession too, which will be amplified if venus is insecure in any way. (aquarius venus or libra asc)

Mars

theres a lot more masculine themes & energy here compared to ‘venus conjunct eighth house’. no matter how airy or earthy mars may be… mars feels very thrilled by house & feels a sense of urgency to conquer house. mars feels compelled to bond & merge with house on every level bc they view house as their guilty pleasure. mars finds themselves constantly observing & intensely infatuated by house in a scorpion way. mars often expresses random & intense bursts of needing to physically touch or be in close reach to house. mars can take on a very intense energy around house that others will pick up on but the sheer depth is something that’ll always only exists between the two partners. convos between the two are very 1 on 1, even with people around them. initially, house feels scared & timid towards mars since mars has such a straightforward, pushy, dominant & rushing approach. house needs to see progress before completely losing their restraint & expressing their feelings. however, house simultaneously feels extremely sexy, mesmerised & aroused by mars’s raw desire. house can read mars very well. mars may provide for house. mars doesn’t forget abt house easily bc house changes mars’s life. rxship may be difficult to end bc mars will be persistent in continuing the rxship.

s3xual tension between partners is powerful & even others can feel it. this can cause partners operating more on instincts & lacking awareness of basic emotions. theres a strong need for physical intimacy & touch. for example, gentle touching or outright fighting. s3x if ever allowed can easily become addictive. partners have s3x like the world is going to end, possibly in forbidden places or secret spots. the s3x involves a lot of teasing, power plays, helping each other masturbate & holding each other as close as possible. s3x is use as an escape or release of stress. s3xually mars takes on a aggressive & passionate role whilst house can become very wild.

since this is the house of taboo, the attraction may be wrong in some way & the rxship feels forbidden even if it’s not. it may be a secretive dynamic where nobody knows they’re together or people wouldn’t expect them to be together.

despite partners feeling intrigued & excited for each other, there’s possibility of heavy feelings (frustration) for one another. one day they love each other, the next day they want to avoid each other. traumas can show through this rxship, like deep talks at night or triggering each others deep wounds. they like to pull each other, but neither takes the bait.

(libra asc or aqua mars)

#astro notes #astrology #astrology synastry #eighth house #mars synastry #moon synastry #venus synastry #synastry

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starboyjun · 7 months

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batfam as types of isekai romance male leads

in this post: bruce wayne, dick grayson, jason todd, tim drake, cassandra cain, stephanie brown, and damian wayne

bruce wayne as rudiger winterwald (i will change the genre)

bruce is definitely the cold and "i make misunderstandings for a job" type of male lead. he's the one people in the comments bash or defend for their life. bruce in his past life is the one that the female lead thinks hates them so they die thinking that he won't care but plot twist: he does care... a lot. he's the one to destroy the entire world after their death (regis floyen core) and he's the one who turned back time for her.

dick grayson as isidor visconti (isn't being a wicked woman much better?)

dick grayson is the childhood lover, the one you don't think would be interested in you because of his bright personality. you think he's doing all these things out of pure kindness until after 100+ chapters he likes you. dick grayson is the one to stick by your side and in both lives, was devoted to you.

jason todd as izek van omerta (how to get my husband on my side)

jason todd is the one who unintentionally is cold to you (another idea is he's your killer in your first life) and probably causes your death... unintentionally... maybe. he's the slow burn type of romance where you fix past misunderstandings that have been building up for the past years you've known each other/been together. after a lot of years you've spent together, he's the greenest green flag you've ever met.

tim drake as schdermel raft (my dear aster)

tim drake is the male lead who takes a while to own the reader's hearts lowkey. timmy is a duke that rose to power in the female lead's previous life and is the one that could help her/protect her from her family/problems. timmy is such a sweetheart and i think it'll take a while before romance starts to come in the story (and has reader's asking novel readers who's the male lead).

cassandra cain as dorothea millanair (the tyrant wants to be good)

cassandra cain is the ultimate "i didn't want to be this, my surroundings made me be this." cassandra had a hard childhood because of her father and her "home" similar to many manhwa female leads. cassandra is the type to regret her past life and change for the better. she's not a brainless female lead, she knows a lot of things and will want to change (similar to dorothea).

stephanie brown as athanasia de alger obelia (wmmap)

stephanie is a female lead who is kinda stupid ("why did the plot change" type things) but overall is a strong female lead. she's one to go down in history (like athy). she's one who doesn't need a male lead to back her up and overall chases the plot to chang people's lives. steph is a happy girl and deserves a happy ending.

damian wayne as maximilian kasin ashet (father i dont want to get married)

damian is the one who (unintentionally/intentionally) killed you in your past life. damain grew up as a stuck up brat kid, though he is less of a brat, he's a trained killer for gods sake. damian is one who isn't familiar with love and being gentle. he probably grew up on the battlefield and is labelled "mad dog" or "cold blooded killer" or something along those lines. once you show damian you're not like the other girls afraid of him, he starts to fall... hard.

bonus: alfred pennyworth

the reliable butler of the family who's been serving the family for ages. he's the first one who trusts you and gets to know you on a personal level. he's always there to talk to the waynes and convince them you're a good person.

idk what to do next so lmk lol

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dead-dove-yandere · 3 months

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Yandere teacher x principal reader

I had a teacher OC already but I thought he’d maybe be too similar to Dr. Hart so I was never going to write about him - thank you anon for giving me an excuse to write about him 🙌

OC Intro - Professor Moore

Tutor Yandere

Male ♡ 35 ♡ Human ♡ Teacher

TW: Stalking, obsession, implied kidnap, murder

♡ - When you hired him as the new Head English Teacher at your school, you were delighted - Professor Moore seemed perfectly qualified in every way.

♡ - He had plenty of prior experience and gleaming references, he was superbly qualified in English and, of course, he simply had the most charming manners during the interview. He was the obvious choice, and you hired him straight away.

♡ - He was popular among many of the female students, being fairly young g for a teacher as well as attractive, but you’d never admit that out loud for the sake of professionalism.

♡ - He was a joy to have in staff meetings, offering helpful suggestions to aid the students’ learning and insightful comments as to where the students were at now.

♡ - Eventually, you found yourself becoming friends with him when you both took lunch in the staff room. He was a wonderfully erudite conversationalist, and you both always learned something from each other.

♡ - That’s why it seemed so odd that such a perfect teacher suddenly started acting strangely.

♡ - You feared the worst at first, that perhaps he was somehow mistreating his students, but none of them seemed to be hurt or upset by him - on the contrary, many seemed to enjoy his class.

♡ - But he continued to act strangely. He took far more notes than was normal in staff meetings. He’d slip in and out of the staff room at random intervals and never mention where he’d been. Sometimes, there’d be strange marks on his hands or arms. He was nearly always in the school library, but when you saw him, he almost never read what you’d expect an English teacher to read, but books on all kinds of subjects; history, engineering, chemistry. Like he was studying for something of his own.

♡ - One day, you were feeling unwell with a terrible migraine. Normally, as principal, it was your job to lead assemblies, but you asked Professor Moore if he could fill in for you. He agreed far too readily.

♡ - As you sat at the back of the hall, listening to his assembly, he went on this strange speech about devotion and loyalty and how in order to get what you wanted, you had to work for it. The assembly didn’t have a core message you disagreed with - but he seemed fanatical, his voice raising with excitement and his eyes growing wide.

♡ - The other teachers exchanged confused glances.

♡ - It came to a head when, after a troublesome student was pulled into your office, her parents decided to yell at you - after all, how dare the principal accuse their precious child of misbehaving?

♡ - When they finally left your office, Professor Moore came to your office with some tissues and a shoulder to cry on. He listened sympathetically as you told him of your concerns and how the student’s parents were going to get themselves into a lot of trouble if they let their child run riot.

♡ - It wasn’t long before your prophecy inadvertently came true - you heard that the troublesome student’s parents had been found dead - leaving the poor troubled student an orphan.

♡ - It wasn’t long before Summer break began, and worried for your students’ safety, you closed the school early since the deaths seemed suspicious. You stayed behind, the last one there to lock up.

♡ - As you cleared your desk for Summer and finished an explanatory email to all the parents, you hear a soft knock on your door and Professor Moore enters with a friendly smile.

♡ - He offers you a lift home - after all, it isn’t all that safe if nearly a whole family could get killed like that, and you two are friends after all.

♡ - You nod and agree, relieved that someone you trust will make sure you get home safe and sound. You willingly follow him straight into his car.

♡ - It isn’t until Summer Holiday is over that anyone realises that you’ve gone missing.

Personality

Stern and serious, he knows that it takes hard work to get what one wants, as he endlessly reminds his students. That’s why he’ll never give up trying to get closer to his darling. He takes a far more subtle approach than most yanderes, fabricating and manipulating situations in order to have as much time as possible alone with his darling. He prefers to play the long game. Of course, that isn’t to satisfy he won’t get his hands dirty if he needs to, but he’ll clean up immaculately after himself. Not a speck of evidence shall be left behind - he’s far too experienced to make an amateur mistake like that.

The troubled student is Cayce, Dead Dove Interconnected Universe Confirmed

Dividers Credit: See Pinned Post

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hoss-bonaventure · 3 months

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i want to expand on this post just cause i can.

so much of gus and jesse’s relationship is played as an affair. this is only because it makes walt’s anger about their dynamic feel more jilted, like a lover. when he confronts jesse about the two of them having dinner he uses language an excusatory husband would use if he caught his spouse cheating such as “tell me you weren’t as his house last night?” it’s very clearly written as jesse being disloyal to walt and their partnership. now the audience knows that’s just simply not true with jesse literally saying “if you kill mr. white, you’re going to have to kill me too” when he thinks gus is suggesting killing him. he’s devoted to mr. white throughly. even when he’s being shoved into these new situations by mike and gus, there’s never a moment where he thinks about abandoning him. he’s still in the back of his mind through everything, and every character knows this except for walt. that’s what makes most of the build-up leading to gus’s death so ironic. to walt, gus is the other woman who needs to be killed for fraternizing with what’s “his”. in reality, it’s his own brutality and sadistic behavior that is putting a wedge between him and jesse.

it’s very reminiscent of walt finding out about skyler’s affair with ted. he lashes out and throws a tantrum but he never stops for a second and asks why it happened. he never comes to the conclusion that his actions are what’s driving skyler into another’s arms. he plots to get revenge on ted, but it’s never more serious than toxic masculine how-dare-you-sleep-with-my-wife bullshit. he wants to kill him, i don’t doubt that, but he can’t. how can he? killing, torturing, and all that depravity belongs in the “heisenberg” part of his life. he cannot touch ted because he is as mundane as the life he is fronting.

now, i will admit, the skyler affair storyline and jesse’s so-called adultery are really not that similar at all. like i said, jesse is not betraying anyone--he is still fiercely dedicated to mr. white. his unfaithfulness is only interpreted as much by walt himself, and it’s walt’s delusions drive him away in the first place. skyler cheats as a means of revenge, as a way to take back some autonomy that walt had stripped her of. however, it’s the way that walt handles these individual perfidies that’s so captivating to me. when deciding what to do with gus, he immediately decides he needs to kill him. this was his plan prior, but now it’s more dire. jesse is gone. he needs to kill two birds with one stone: win back jesse and kill gus. more importantly, he needs to show jesse that him killing gus was something he did for the both of them. so thus he embarks on this convoluted, deplorable, fucked-up scheme. and hey! it works. he successfully manipulates jesse once again, implanting in his brain that no one will have your best interests at heart but me. “gus had to go” and jesse has to agree because this pseudo-son is dying and mr. white is right there and he saved him right? he saved brock and he saved jesse and it doesn’t matter that their love has a body count. their reunion is so impactful because they’re like magnets in a way. the connection they share is so strong that it doesn’t matter how hard they fight or run away, they will cling to each other once more. but what’s devastating this time around is that jesse doesn’t have a leg to stand on with mr. white anymore. he almost fucking killed him and it turns out the “real” mastermind was gus all along. so he offers his submission as an apology, when mr. white holds out his hand he takes it because this is how he can say he’s sorry. and walt? how could he not fall in love all over again. he has jesse, freshly martyred and in his arms once again.

#i found this in my drafts #tbh i cooked #i miss being able to watch breaking bad without crying #now i can't look at jesse's baby blues without fucking sobbing up a storm #takes me 2 days now to finish one episode #waltjesse #walter white #jesse pinkman #brba #Breaking Bad #Aaron Paul #bryan cranston

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comradekatara · 2 months

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Ok we should talk more about sokka and aang because these two dumbasses are adorable together! Underrated relationship

The gag with Katara and blind Toph in season 3 is still the funniest scene in the series lol

yeah their friendship very cute. i like how when they're left to their own devices their respective adhd tendencies combine, that feels very true to my relationships with my friends who also have adhd lol. it's also just really adorable how through aang's sheer lovability, sokka learns to loosen up a little and appreciate life (somewhat, sometimes) in a more relaxed, content way. aang is a really good and highly valuable influence on everyone around him, especially as he counteracts the logic of war and its necessity for violence, which is an ideology sokka not only heavily subscribes to, but to which he attaches his very personhood. aang reminds sokka that he is still a child (he reminds katara of this too, but it happens in the literal pilot, whereas sokka's journey to literally enjoying himself ever is far more gradual and grueling). aang reminds sokka that he is human.

that said, i do think that people tend to be reductive when talking about the value of their relationship. not to single you out specifically, but i do kind of take umbrage with the notion (perhaps unintentional) that all their dynamic is good for is being adorable and funny. calling them "dumbasses" because they can be silly and goofy sometimes, or scatterbrained and absent-minded. i genuinely think that aang and sokka constitute one of the most interesting foils in the entire show. normally when we talk about character foils, we talk about characters who are positioned in opposition to each other, but aang and sokka are fascinating because they're allies (and friends) who nonetheless approach the same problem with the same intentions and the same goals but from completely different angles.

in many ways, sokka is aang's most distinct opposite. but first, to address their similarities: they're both victims of a genocidal imperialist project that has burdened them with a responsibility to their people that they are too young and barely equipped to handle; they are both expected to shoulder this burden easily by those around them due to their nature as "gifted" child prodigies with distinctly unique skillset and an unprecedented ability to absorb and apply new information that they learn at a genuinely abnormal rate (remember that aang is not just the avatar, but an incredibly prodigious avatar at that; he mastered all four elements within less than a year by the age of twelve, whereas most avatars take at least another four years to master their elements); they are both the "leaders" of their small guerrilla militia of child soldiers, and they take turns giving each other guidance and trusting and following the other's lead; they both consider katara the central figure in their lives and love her with an almost obsessive devotion; they both repress their grief and other unpalatable emotions through humor and constant distraction, and sometimes even depersonalize entirely when they feel that their goal is more important than retaining their humanity (sokka does this more frequently, but when aang does it, it's more blatant); and of course, they both harbor massive guilt complexes for the devastating tragedies (largely beyond their control) that have shaped their lives, and are constantly replaying those moments of "failure" as that of acute shame to motivate themselves as they strive to rectify and "atone" for their past errors.

so, as you can see, reducing their friendship to "adorable dumbasses" is already not very interesting. to me, the best aang and sokka scenes aren't the ones wherein they are playing and goofing around together. those scenes are sweet and charming, of course, but the best aang and sokka scenes are the ones wherein sokka is positioned as the logical consequence of aang's grief. wherein present-day sokka becomes the worst case scenario for a hypothetical future aang. in many ways, their friendship is incredibly bittersweet, because it is also punctuated by moments wherein sokka threatens aang's entire value system and quote-unquote "innocence" through attempting to mold him into a Man Of War the way he does those hapless toddlers in his village. for all that sokka is remarkably open-minded and receptive to new ideas, he cannot see past the limits of the world he was born into and the mechanisms and assumptions of violence he was forced to internalize and embody. aang is, of course, totally unique in his ability to not only envision a world beyond the war (i would argue that katara has the ability to do this as well), but also to have actually experienced it. and so it is truly a testament to aang's resilience that he is almost entirely impervious to sokka's ruthless, militaristic logic, even as sokka constantly attempts to enforce it.

i have a much longer post in my drafts about how aang and sokka are positioned in "the serpent's pass" (one of their best episodes in terms of their dynamic, also just a highly underrated episode in general), so i'm not gonna get too much into it here, but katara's relationship to aang as paralleled with suki's relationship to sokka is really fascinating in this episode for the ways in which it also positions katara's grief over witnessing aang's attempt to detach himself from his grief to focus on his goals and aang slipping into "sokkahood," and the absolutely devastating implications of what that must mean for katara. i think there's a strong case, in general, for the reading of katara attempting to replace her lost childhood (with sokka) through aang as he represents a vehicle for her overly idealized nostalgia (much like how zuko projects onto aang and views him as a vehicle to return to that site of his overly idealized childhood), and thus, quite literally, replacing sokka with aang. to katara, aang possesses what sokka has since lost, or perhaps something he never got the chance to have in the first place. and that isn't to say that katara views aang as a brother, but rather that katara longs for companionship in any form, and what is aang if not the ideal companion? so aang's grief and rage scares her not only because it pains her to see someone she loves so deeply in so much pain, but also because it reflects her own pain back at her, as someone who has lost so much, including family members (also including kanna and hakoda) who are, ostensibly (at least physically), still alive.

one of the most fascinating scenes between sokka and aang in the entire show is when sokka straight up attacks aang for burning katara in "the deserter." katara is very clearly affected by this beyond simply the physical pain; being burned by the weapon that killed her mother is explicitly triggering for her, and she retreats into herself and sobs like a child (she is a child, but you know what i mean. an even younger child). and sokka in turn is triggered by katara being triggered, because his entire existence revolves around his oath to protect her, and she was just hurt by the one person to whom she stakes all her hope and pride and joy and affection above all. aang obviously understands the gravity of this accident immediately; it of course wasn't intentional, but he nonetheless takes full accountability and apologizes sincerely. but sokka only calms down somewhat once he knows for certain that katara is okay. and instead of going to find katara as she sobs, he spends all his focus on yelling at aang, throwing him to the ground, more furious than we have ever seen him. and in a way, it's clear that he's also furious at himself, for having let his guard down around and trusted aang, and for his failure to perform his primary duty, protecting his sister. the fulcrum of aang and sokka's relationship is, necessarily, katara. she is the force that brings them together, and the person who is most important to either of them, but she also person who connects them in her mind, and so our perceptions of them as the audience are primarily informed by her perception of them as the narrator.

moreover, sokka's advocacy for killing zuko (in "the siege of the north") and ozai (in "sozin's comet") constitute two more fascinating scenes with aang, for the way in which sokka does not even find the act of killing something to flinch at, let alone an absolute betrayal of core principles and values the way aang does. killing is simply not something sokka feels guilty about, despite the fact that he seems to carry guilt over simply existing a lot of the time. and that juxtaposition, between aang and sokka playing together, of sokka learning how to have fun and entertain his little friend, versus sokka chastising aang for refusing to commit murder, is what makes their relationship so compelling. when people reduce their dynamic to its most comedic and innocent mode, they are reducing their roles as they embody two opposing relationships to violence, and how that reflects their ideological positions as someone who has subscribed to imperialist logic insofar as his values have been shaped by war, as opposed to someone who knows through his own experiences to refute that logic by any means necessary. when we talk about aang helping sokka to regain his humanity, it is crucial to understand specifically how sokka lost his humanity in the first place, but also why aang specifically is so crucial in counterbalancing his logic in a way no one else alive actually can.

ultimately, if sokka represents the voluntary auto-dehumanization of the colonized subject, then aang represents the potential of preservation and even reclamation of humanity and the imaginative potential of a world[view] beyond those colonial limits. their ideological conflict is not simply one of what it means to be human within a colonized paradigm, but what it means to exist at all.

#lilith-91 #asks #aang&sokka #analysis #aang #sokka #katara #under a readmore again bc i ended up writing a bajillion paragraphs (again)#also sorry for getting kind of existential with it #again obligatory disclaimer that i recognize that this is a nickelodeon y-7 cartoon #that said. i do think aang and sokka are really deep characters. like truly #and i want to honor that properly #(when i finish that serpents pass essay its over for u hoes...)#anyway. i love them so much. they are so much more than adorable dumbasses.#although yeah they are that too

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ominous-horse-noises · 6 days

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final finale thoughts!!

things i loved about the finale

QUEER GODDESS PATHEON YEAAAAAAH!!! i thought it was such a good way to find a happy medium between kristen committing to a worldview that felt authentic and nuanced without being catholic™ about it

everything to do with the scene of Ankarna trying to offer retribution to each of the bad kids, and each of them making peace with past wrongs instead of continuing to stew in it. i love growth!!!

FIG AND KRISTEN MIRRORING ANKARNA AND CASSANDRA

everything to do with mazey and fabian. of all the fantasy high couples aside from fidayda, these two feel the most like they make sense together- they have similar interests, they have similar values, fabian had a crush on her even when she was being 'uncool' (eg. twister) and how mazey actually picked up on that and appreciated the way he used his perceived coolness to extend it to others who might be picked on otherwise. this is the couple i most hope go the distance even post aguefort adventuring academy (again, aside from figayda ofc but i literally cannot imagine those girls breaking up over anything)

fabian's fetus sibling outnemesising him despite fabian building an animosity towards them the whole season before they were even conceived. peak fantasy high insanity

controversial but i thought the maryann/gorgug being introduced and canonised in all of 15 minutes was hilarious. it was very teen of them in a way that felt authentic. my ideal scenario for them is an end of year fling that becomes amicable exes bc they truly have nothing in common beyond thinking the other is hot (real of them) but i dont have a strong opinion on whether they should break up or not

also maybe controversial but i like that kalina is straight up bloodthirsty. she felt like an equal opposite to bakur- rather than being a devoted servant who became corrupted by proxy, she was trying to corrupt her deity into a form she preferred. thematically it extends to the complementary opposites thing ankarna and cassandra have going on (though i get it might be a reach).

"... thats a four. you know what it's for we don't have to talk about it"

squeem

riz coming in clutch with the character arc right at the last moment. i joked ab his neuroticism being part of his natural swag, but im glad murph not only made sure riz FINALLY addressed the way he was burning himself out, but also that by extension, he was burning out both fig and kristen bc riz has a very calculated idea of 'success' and while he had the best intentions, those two dont fit neatly into it

THE HOLD PERSON OVER THE LAVA??? RIZ'S 'very good on paper, but no practical application."??? i screamed

a second blimey-related divine intervention roll by K2 leading her to getting pinnochioed into a real straight british girl, in real non-dnd britain, is the best thing thats ever happened in fantasy high. a simulacrum was so powerful brennan had to do the dnd equivalent of sending her to a barn upstate.

adaine and aelwyn talking about killing their mother over icecream can be something that is so personal...

siobhan's incredible play with the earworm??? phenomenal, i gasped out loud

fig maybe moving into fabian's house even after she drops out so fabian won't be alone again... what if i threw up blood actually

i liked kipperlilly copperkettle being confirmed to be rotten to the core. 'the ritual looks very different when one accepts rage willingly' GOOD!!! i like evil ambitious teenage girls who try to burn the world down to get what they want. i get why they didnt bring her back, that detail definitely cemented her as in the zayne/penelope category of 'past villains who could possibly be redeemed'

FIG AND AYDA MY LOVES!!! sorry but not even the lesbian goddesses are doing it like these two. brennan put his whole pussy into creating ayda aguefort and my life has been changed forever

zac once again dming K2's alternate universe campaign

things i hated

ik it was payoff to the running bit and it made me cackle when it was revealed, but the implications of hallariel and gilear having a baby are so bad to me. fig talks up gilear a lot, and sure, he came around to being a good dad to her, but gilear has objectively been a shit stepdad to fabian and hallariel... is hallariel. its got to sting was watch your mom be basically catatonic for your entire life, and then suddenly prove that she was capable of being an present mother the whole time- just not for you. im hopeful that senior year will address this though!! lou has always been so good giving his characters' weighty emotional arcs that feel satisfying

i dont like the implication of trackerbees getting back together. i never thought bladebees was good beyond a realistic rebound, but trackerbees was SO codependent together, i dont think its a coincidence that kristen had her best emotional intelligence moments when forced to think things through on her own. tracker always struck me as kind of a 'fixer' type, like she feels most comfortable with someone she can act caretaker-y to (hence bouncing off kristen to another girl who had similar issues). i really reaaaally hope they dont regress back into their s2 dynamic

ruben's memory wipe. i thiiink the implication is that those who were the most willing to follow through on porter's orders maintained more of their memories bc they were in control of themselves and those who didn't were compelled into obedience (which might be why ivy and oisin remember more), but it wouldve been nice to actually see the lucy/ruben close friendship brennan said they had with him sobbing and apologising to her

it felt very weird that kristen didnt get some kind of resolution to her yearlong gentle prodding at bucky?? i think ally got sidetracked with the possibility of kristen getting back together with her ex that it kind of slipped from their mind (maybe bc to them the ankarna vision of her upbringing was kristen resolving her feelings towards her family but still), but considering all of elmville was coming apart, i feel like bucky's faith could've been swaying into doubt pretty easily. idk maybe bc ive become a trackerbees hater over the season but it felt annoying that that was what ally focused in on and not their character's more meaningful relationship with her little brother

#dimension 20 #fantasy high junior year #fhjy #fantasy high #riz gukgak #adaine abernant #fabian seacaster #gorgug thistlespring #figeroth faeth #kristen applebees #fhjy spoilers #squeem

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hotheadedhero · 5 months

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Turtles x Ballerina

A/N: Written with the Bayverse boys in mind. A cute little fluff thing with our turtles dating a ballerina reader.

Leonardo

Ballet is such a beautiful art form in his eyes, especially when you dance it. The way you move like the running water of a stream has him infatuated. Your devotion and knowing that you've been doing this from such a young age is amazing - drawing similar parallels to how he is with his Ninjistu. Because of this, you have a mutual understanding of your needs to take time for practice. How else will you both amount to the best of your abilities?

When you do get time for one another, more often than not you still find ways of practising in each other's presence. Leo isn't often easily distracted but you somehow find a way of holding his attention when you rehearse. He just can't find it in himself to look away when your body straightens out into a perfect arabesque.

"Shouldn't you be focusing on your own regime?" you ask through a grin, barely even looking in his direction.

All he can do is smile fondly as he returns to focusing on his forms. The only thing that can detour him from his training is you and he holds no shame in admitting it either.

Raphael

It's such a juxtaposition to how he is as a person. Raphael has always hated the way his family would call him aggressive, a brute who needs to reign in it, but those words ring true in his mind when he watches you dance. You are absolutely stunning - a porcelain ballerina inside a music box. How could someone as elegant and delicate as yourself possibly be with someone like him?

At the start of your relationship, he'd always fear that he'd somehow hurt you with just a simple touch of his fingers. Even after all this time, he still catches himself making a conscious effort to be more careful when you're in his arms. He just doesn't want to run the risk of hurting his precious ballerina. The way you hold yourself with such grandeur couldn't be more opposite to his stature.

So it's a surprise when you watch him sparring with his brothers and say, "You move so effortlessly! That was amazing."

It takes him for a spin but serves as a heartfelt reminder that deep down he isn't as barbaric as everyone else claims him to be. When it comes to you, anyway.

Donatello

He would probably find a way to think about your movements geometrically. The way you can thoughtlessly angle your arms and legs at such perfect angles is fascinating to him. Don't even get him started on the gentle momentum of your pirouette: it's as though you're in a state of inertia, only being forced to move by the tame tug of a magnet.

Much like Leo, he is just in awe of your movements. Dancing isn't much his thing, however, so he feels a little out of his depth when you want to dance with him. He's a thinker, a builder, a fighter; the only thing his hands and body are good for is inventing and taking down criminals. When you start playing the music, his mind trips over the basic forms you've tried to teach him through word of mouth, instead getting lost in the ways he could mess it up.

"Just turn that brain off for a moment," you say, wearing that sweet smile he loves as you hold his hands. "Keep your eyes on me, okay? I'll lead."

Admittedly, it's a clumsy display on his end but you two have fun, nonetheless. He also gains a new appreciation for what you do in that moment.

Michelangelo

This guy loves music, especially of the upbeat genres, so it's different to see what you dance to. That doesn't mean to say he doesn't like it though. Although it's a little slow-paced for his usual taste, he still loves it. He would probably try and teach you some of his moves and you would do the same for him. It's not a discredit to his abilities but he definitely struggles to replicate whatever it is you attempt to teach him.

Somehow, you find a way to integrate the fast-moving music with your graceful flow. The assumably opposing styles of dance turn out to work in perfect tandem with one another and it's actually pretty kick-ass! Not to mention, it's a good time when you try to implement each other's techniques in the little dancing sessions you often engage in. This is usually in the kitchen when you guys are cooking together with some tunes in the background.

"This kind of reminds me of that one movie," you muse. "I think it's called 'Save the Last Dance' or something."

Sure enough, you add it to one of your movie nights to watch together. None of the dancers in it have anything on you though.

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venjamin-kingdomhearts · 2 months

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friendship askbox meme

send a non-romantic pairing and an emote/word to the reblogger for their headcanons! i see a lot of ship-related ask memes so i wanted to make some that focus more on friendly things. some of these where written with duos in mind, others with trios/larger friend groups, but they should all work for either/or, I think! some questions imply romance outside of the pairing but none imply that the characters themselves are/have been romantically paired. divided into groups based on themes

GENERAL

🗣️ Description — how would each member of the friend group describe their relationship to one another? do they think of each other as peas in a pod, opposite sides of the same coin, maybe family, something more queer-platonic, or something else entirely?

🎵 Music — do they have similar music tastes to one another? if they exchanged phones, what songs would they be most surprised to hear from their friend's playlist? what sort of songs would they associate with the other(s)?

🫂 PDA — what are their opinions on public displays of affection? are they comfortable with touch, or is that a big 'no' in their friendship?

🎮 Games — what's the friend group's go-to party game, and what does each person suggest to play when they're in charge of choosing?

💢Combat — for fighters, how do they work off each other to defeat a greater foe? would they have a "team attack" or tactics for attacking an enemy, or in a more realistic scenario, who would be most likely to pick a fight for the other's honor? for pacifists, is there anything that can push them to resorting to violence?

🌂Rain — how do they usually spend a boring or rainy day together?

🎁Gifts — what would they get each other as a gift?

🍜Food — how do their tastes in food differ? do they have a favorite meal to eat together? do they ever cook for each other, whether it be a nice meal as a gift, or a nasty one as a prank?

🌶️Spice — who can handle spice, and do they tease their friend(s) who can't?

🛏️ Sleep — what sleeping habits do they have? how would they comfort the other(s) after a nightmare? would they share a bed or cuddle together, or does that cross a boundary?

🏠 Housemates — how would these characters be as housemates? if they're already roommates, what does their life look like together? if not, would they want to live together, or would that be pushing things too far?

🗺️ Map — who leads the way when navigating, and who's more likely to get lost?

🎤 Karaoke — what's their go-to karaoke songs, for when they're taking turns singing and what duet do they choose when they're singing together?

ANGST & HURT/COMFORT

👑 Devotion — are they willing to die for one another? go to the ends of the earth to make each other happy? is one person more devoted to serving the other, like a knight protecting their ward?

💥Disagreements — how often do they fight? what's the quickest way to get them to have a petty argument, and what would genuinely have them at each other's throats? is there relationship one where they're quick to forgive the other(s), or do they each need time to figure things out?

⚔️ PVP — if there were forced to fight one another, how would they react? would someone throw the fight to protect the other, or would they both give it their all if something important was on the line? in a larger friend group, how would the characters divide themselves into teams if they were all pitted against one another?

🥉 Competition — who's the most competitive, and how does their friend react to/comfort them when they don't reach their ambitions?

💣 Self-destructive — who in the group had the most self-destructive habits, whether they're intentional or not? do they ever get chewed out by the other(s)? comforted?

⛓️ Chains — how do they respond to learning about each other's trauma, or what holds them back?

🌑 Fears — how open are they about their fears? who's the bravest? do they ever help one another conquer their fears?

🐺 Alone — what's something they each know no one else will understand -- no one else, aside from each other?

❤️‍🩹Healing — when one of them is hurt or suffering, what little things does the other do to help them heal (physically, emotionally, etc)?

💉Health — do either of them have health issues? how do they treat the other(s) when they're sick?

💔Heartbreak — how does each character respond to heartbreak, and do they go to the other(s) for comfort?

RELATIONSHIPS

🍼 Babysitter — if one of them is a parent/were to become a parent, who would it be, and would the other(s) be a good babysitter?

🌹 Wingman — how do each character react to finding out the other(s) has a crush on someone outside their friend group? do they have different approaches to acting as a "wingman" for their buddy, or do they worry about becoming a third wheel?

🦁 Mentor — is one character more of a mentor figure to the other(s)? what would they teach the others? is there any situation where the "apprentice" would teach their "mentor" a skill they don't already know?

🛡️ Guardian — does someone specific take the role of "guardian", or do they protect each other equally? if one character is more protective of the other(s), is their protective nature appreciated or suffocating?

🐣 Upbringing— how do their childhoods compare, and what do they think of the families that raised them? have they always been together? do they share any common footing when it comes to how they grew up? 🤝 Dream Team — for duos, is there a famous/fictional pair of characters they'd compare each other to? for groups, do they know a cast of characters they'd compare the others to? if so, who would each person compare the other to, and what characters would they assign for themselves?

#ask meme #inbox meme #friendship ask meme #headcanon ask meme #rp ask meme #ANYWAYS PLEASE GIVE ME SOME FOR KH CHARACTERS I TALK ABT A LOOOOT #i want to give my headcanons. ask me abt heart hotel friendships pls #if there's any mistakes uh. you didnt see them. bye.

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crisiscutie · 11 months

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How many times can Sephiroth cum? Because he is like super human so does he like cum more?

He can definitely do it several times, and I'd imagine because of his superhuman nature, he is capable of it more than the average man. And he'd surely have more stamina to boot, so let's hope the darling can keep up with him.

Content Warning: NSFW, Corruption, Impregnation and Breeding Kink. Featuring Fluffy Sephiroth.

I can't give numbers because I'm terrible at math.

So in general, Sephiroth's position as Shinra's top SOLDIER would necessitate a healthy and balanced diet, which in turn can help lead to a high cum production. With his alien DNA and incredibly active lifestyle, in and out of the battlefield, he likely possesses exceptionally healthy and strong sperm, perfect for breeding his darling. OG Sephy, AC Sephy, possibly 7R and Dissidia, probably produces an ungodly amount of cum due to them ascending past their humanity and becoming more ethereal than anything.

When it comes to sex, I've always imagined Sephiroth's cum as something otherworldly, even for Fluffy Sephiroth, who, unlike his yandere counterparts, isn't wicked, but he still harbors a dark nature that only remains dormant due to his darling's positive influence.

I've already discussed what's it's like for the darling to receive C.C, OG and AC Sephys cum, so why not focus this post on 7R and Fluffy Sephys?

Fluffy Sephiroth: His alien seed is similar to C.C's, initially. The forceful, heavy rush of his seed will coat her insides as they fight each other to fertilize her egg. The darling could feel Sephiroth's intense love for her through his seed, its stickiness representative of his unwavering devotion to her. She could also feel the slightest tinge of darkness in it. She might squirm a little, but it isn't unpleasant for her to take.

With time, the seeds will cease its aggressive onslaught on her egg, ultimately allowing one to fertilize it. On the outside, Fluffy Sephiroth would hold his darling tightly, as his seed continued to flow into her. He then embraced her, burying his face into her shoulder and closing his eyes, swearing to never let her go...

7R Sephiroth: The darling will feel the heavy and unyielding stream of his corrupted seed pouring into her, overwhelming her senses. His corrupted seed had a mind of its own, moving and squirming inside her like a snake. It passes through her at a leisurely pace. While the seed is less sticky than its counterparts, it will induce both discomfort and longing, as the faint traces of it left behind massages the darling's walls.

His snake-like seeds will eventually find her defenseless egg, attacking it savagely and then slowly constricting around it, drawing out its suffering. Suddenly, one of seeds will lunge forward and strike at the egg, initiating the fertilization process. During this, 7R Sephiroth held her tightly, his velvet voice whispering rambles in her ear about their perfect match, while the poor darling squirming for dear life...

#sephiroth #final fantasy 7 #sephiroth x reader #ff7 #ff7 sephiroth #yandere sephiroth #crisis cutie #yandere sephiroth x reader #house of sephiroth au #fluffy sephiroth #c.c rambles

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leolingo · 1 year

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thinking of the players’ memories of their lives before the island which are very hazy save for specific instances, i might have a theory on why their recollection of the past is so fucked,

it seems to me the federation DID attempt to wipe all of their memories previous to their arrival on the island, and it also seems like it didn’t fully work, or at least not in the way they expected it to.

see, wilbur and phil remember each other. they KNOW they’re family, somehow, despite losing some of the finer details. same thing for spreen and missa.

similarly, spreen, missa, roier and mariana all have vague memories of each other. they’re able to recall past anecdotes and speak about them like it’s something common to all four, with only minor confusion at times. whatever bond it was they had before boarding the trains, it’s still with them. fragmented and vague, but there.

+ cellbit and felps, mike and pac, lifelong friends who have naturally kept their mutual fondness. they couldn’t tell you how they met, that specific memory long out of reach, but in the back of their minds they know they’re supposed to stay together. that being separated means something is very wrong.

there’s even cases like bbh and foolish, so devoted to orbiting each other they overrule the federation’s best efforts and reclaim their natural places — both of them remember being in similar positions before, in different worlds, different eras, or so they say. philza and fit have something like this, also.

none of these examples have access to the entirety of their past shared history. they don’t know how it began, how they came to find each other, where they’re going next. all they know is the now — how it is, how it feels.

this leads me to believe, that despite aiming to get rid of their memories in full, the federation was unable to erase certain connections from the players’ hearts and minds. however it is they’re doing it, the method isn’t failsafe and it can’t completely override deep impressions such as family and close friends. the islanders’ memories of love and care live on within them through these little jagged pieces, vestiges of what they have already been — someone’s child, someone’s brother, someone’s lover!

*on a dimmer note . for my local tntduoers. lets take all of this and think about the implications….. since its been established that wilbur has vague memories of quackity, who meanwhile claims to not remember him at all <3

#qsmp #this way of interpreting their connections to the past occurred to me after missas stream yesterday #might spand on my spreen-missa-roier-mariana past lives hcs later #*expand #mine #kit.txt #kit.meta

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skrbol · 1 year

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Percy Jackson Headcanons

(A lot of these are inspired by other people’s ideas)

-Percy has Tattoos

Lots of little ones to symbolize his friends both dead and alive, obviously a tattoo devoted to Sally. But he also has forearm tattoos of the symbols of the gods and goddesses he respects, it’s only a rainbow, a firepoker in a hearth, and a silver arrow on his forearms.

-Percy introduces all his godly cousins by stupid names

Sally honestly wasn’t surprised when a god showed up at the door, she was surprised when Percy called him “cousin snake man and his two pocket snakes” (who he promptly fed rats).

-Percy has a New York accent It only comes out when he’s really angry, tired, or horny. Annabeth hears it more than others.

-Percy has long hair

It grew out past shoulder length while he was missing and he hasn’t cut it since. Both Annabeth and Sally like it, but when he grows a beard he looks like the Poseidon of myth.

-Percy can Cook

He learned from his mom and has never stopped. Baking, grilling, cooking, smoking. if it’s a type of cooking, he does it, and he does it well. Nico avoided Percy for two months after losing a pasta competition to him and even that wasn’t long enough to avoid the shame.

-Percy, Lee, Beckendorf, Silena, and Clarrise where all really close friends

It started when Percy wanted to learn to make stuff in the forge, which snowballed into Beckendorf basically adopting Percy and introducing him to his crew. It took a couple years but eventually Clarrise warmed up to him, they were a crucial part of each others mental recovery after the Titan war.

-Percy is a stoner

Just enough to keep the edge off but he refuses to touch alcohol due to Gabe. Beckendorf and Lee spent like 2 months researching demigods, filing a report, submitting it to Athena, and gaining her seal of approval on the “Study of Drugs on Demigod Physiology” (It basically says demigod minds and bodies are durable enough to nullify addictive chemicals and the negative effects of some drugs). The group celebrated the approval of such a study by smoking and watching the live action Alvin and the Chipmunks.

-Percy loves SpongeBob

Percy is currently giving Poseidon the silent treatment because he refused a burger cooking contest with him despite Percy pulling the golden spatula from the grease in front of him. Also, yes, Poseidon does look similar to early SpongeBob Neptune, and no he has no clue how Percy managed to smuggle a bucket of grease and a golden spatula into Atlantis.

-Percy is a pirate

After his third quest Percy went ape shit trying to fight the war and end it before it took anymore lives. It culminated in him carrying a gun at all times and rebuilding an old sunken ship to its former glory. He didn’t get to use it until the summer leading into the titan war where he sunk 4 ships transporting monsters and 2 ships that were moving illegal objects

-Percy doesn’t fight for Olympus

Percy has never cared about the gods beyond making sure they don’t hurt the people he loves. His speech during the battle of Manhattan was a call to the demigods to fight to protect each other, to protect their family, and to fight this war so the next generation of demigods might not have to. Him and every other counselor sees their jobs as protecting the youngest and newest demigods above all else.

-Percy is musical

Whether it’s because he has the sea coursing through his veins or something else he’s good at singing, guitar, and most instruments. He occasionally used to play as a joke for kids at camp. Now it’s mostly a coping mechanism for the wars and Tartarus, anyone that needs music to relate to is free to listen.

Most of the counselors and elder hunters have a shared memory of the night before the last day of the Titan war. None of them could sleep out of fear of the unavoidable casualties tomorrow would bring, so they gathered in the most secluded room and sat and mourned. Eventually, Percy broke out a bag of weed to help everyone relax since they couldn’t sleep while Percy and Grover performed a heart-stopping rendition of Peace Train by Cat Stevens.

#pjo #headcanon #percy jackson #hunters of artemis #grover underwood #annabeth chase #heroes of olympus #percabeth #sally jackson #clarisse la rue #silena beauregard #charles beckendorf #percy jackon and the olympians #nico di angelo #poseidon #hermes #greek gods #thalia grace #H

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literary-illuminati · 23 days

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2024 Book Review #21 – Danubia by Simon Winder

I picked this up because I’ve been trying to read one history book a month, and I happened to scroll past a viral tumblr post with a quote from its introduction as I was figuring out which book that would be for April. Helpfully, there was no one ahead of me waiting for it in the library. A one-paragraph quotation and the book’s cover aside, I went it basically entirely blind. The book took a bit of adjusting to.

The book is a history of Central Europe through the lens of the Habsburg Dynasty, and it is a history of the Habsburg Dynasty through Winder’s extensive travelogue visiting every historical city and museum exhibit in the Danube basin. A roughly chronological sequence of events is followed (common and sometimes extensive tangents and diversions notwithstanding), but nearly every new section is introduced with an anecdote of visiting some town, castle or church that was relevant to the events about to be discussed, and a contemplation of its aesthetic significance to the modern traveller.

Meandering aside, the book does a good job of covering the broad sweep of a millennium of history and hits all the high points you expect it to (Charles V, Rudolph’s Prague, the 30 Years War, 1848, 1866, 1914, etc). The basic dynastic and political history is broken up and intermixed with a surprising amount of time dedicated to the cultural products of each era, which one does very much get the sense are what really fascinates Winder. The painters, composers and architects features get space that’s determined less by their general modern fame or contemporary significance and more because they happened to capture the author’s interest. I certainly came out of this with far more opinions about Vienna’s classical music output across the ages than I expected.

Winder’s voice is strong to the point of overpowering throughout. Which is quite deliberate I’m sure – this is a breezy read full of cute trivia, not a monograph – but even still, it sometimes gets a bit much. Instead of an academic lecture the effect is similar to listening to a guy whose perhaps not quite as insightful or interesting as he thinks he is hold forth over drinks in what only barely qualifies as a conversation. The effect is usually quite charming! But it does wear on you. It also makes getting particularly caught up on the precise accuracy of every bit of trivia feel kind of beside the point.

Winder is also a middle-class guy from southern England, which I might feel bad about saying ‘and you can tell’ if he didn’t bring it up himself quite so much. Anyway, knowing this makes the whole pitch of the book as ‘a walk through the age and region where all the slaving and massacres and depopulation and brutality we associate with Over There happened in Europe too” make so incredibly more sense. Even if it perhaps still shows an ever-so-slightly naive view of what preodern history also looked like in Western Europe.

Still, a significant portion of the book is dedicated to the sheer brutality of early modern religious warfare, both between the Ottomans and various Christian princes and coalitions, and between different sects of Christians. Winder thankfully has no taste at all for grand battles or heroic violence, and devotes as little wordcount to the various epoch-defining wars as he can get away with. He’s more interested in the consequences of them, the brutal and brutalizing violence that led to the depopulation and resettlement of what became the Hapsburg empire several times over across its history.

Which leads into the book’s other main theme. Winder is very much not a fan of nationalism, especially of the kind that made the region’s 20th century such an apocalypse. The book views it as an absurd horror in general, and even moreso in a region where every city and ‘national homeland’ was hopelessly intermixed, and every land continually resettled. The last chapters make the point that the ‘nationality’ of much of the population was, if not arbitrary, then certainly contingent, with massive amounts of assimiliation across national and ethnic lines happening quite late into the 19th century (and before that, historical nationality being more happenstance of language and religion that any primordial cultural essence). It is only as the Habsburg’s legitimizing mythology fell apart that nationalism became the only vital organizing force in the empire, and the grounds on which battle lines were drawn and spoils competed over.

The book does portray the whole latter 19th century as a dialectic between increasingly absurd and ineffectual but (and so) increasingly benign Hapsburg rule to the rising and inevitably exclusionary and vicious nationalisms that would tear it apart. The closest thing to the political left that makes a sustained appearance is Napoleon. Which is somewhat excusable in terms of what the post-Habsburg political situation did end up looking like, I suppose, but given the size and significance of the SDAPO it’s a bit of a gap. One more way the author shines through, I suppose.

The tragic epilogue is of course that Europe now is full of (more-or-less, if you squint) neat and semi-homogenus nation-states. Not because of any peaceful triumph of liberal nationalism and self-determination, but rather one outburst after another of apocalyptic violence, of emptied cities and gore-soaked fields. The book was written before both the current invasion of Ukraine and the most recent war in Gaza, but had either been ongoing they probably would have gotten referenced as further examples of the bloody logic of nation-building (Winder have basically categorized Zionism as the Jewish iteration of the general outburst of homeland-conquering nationalisms in later Austria-Hungary, with the Palestinians in the same unfortunate position as the inconveniently-non-Romanian Magyars in Transylvania.)

Anyway, overall a fairly charming read, and Winder’s steadfast belief that the only real justification for the Habsburg Dynasty is all the weird art they paid for is very endearing. But more entertaining than enlightening, I suppose? And if I hadn’t read it in small daily chunks Winder’s voice would have worn on me until I wanted to reach through the pages and pour a drink on him halfway through the second tangent about his family vacation in Paris.

#book review #history #nonfiction #danubia #simon winder

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alicefromwhichplanet · 17 days

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Alice’s Ship Guide: Blitzbee

Good day. The Blitzbee Week 2024 has just concluded. I had a lot of fun attending it. However, after seeing some of the interpretations of this ship, I find them quite different from how I understand this ship. At the same time, many of my friends who share my interest don’t ship Blitzbee, which probably has something to do with the popular interpretations of them. So I would like to share my views on this ship, and see if I could inspire some new thoughts on them. Should be fun.

*most of the following analysis is based on tfa, but not limited to it. I like shipping two generally consistent characters in different universes, as a way of training my imagination with slightly different dynamics.

1） They are two childishly reckless young adults. There is an age gap but not very big/important.

Most of the ships I like are “mutuals”: they are equal in strength and mental status. They understand each other better than others.

In tfa, we see many “corresponding” characters in the two camps, for example, Lugnut and Bulkhead are both “the bulky one with destructive power” on both teams. Blitzwing and Bumblebee form a “corresponding pair” as they both play the role of “the funny talkative guy in the team”. They are both young and reckless, having an immature side of them compared to other teammates.

Examples are:

Examples are: Blitzwing (in particular his “random” alter) made a free fall into autobots to have fun messing with them , forgetting about the task Megatron repeatedly told him to do first. Likewise, Bumblebee acts recklessly on many tasks/occasions as well (for example, challenging “Colossus” on a tv show).

The two have an amazing interaction in the episode “Velocity” when they chased/raced with each other, which clearly shows their similarity in personality. Many have noticed the childishness of Bumblebee but failed to see that in Blitzwing as well.

As for the claims of Bumblebee being “underage”, you have to admit autobots are using child soldier in their army to prove that (which is not likely). Bumblebee attended military school in preparation for the elite guards, which should only take adult/ almost adult students, long before he joined Optimus’s team of engineers. The team doesn’t treat him as a child. And seeing from Blitzwing’s personality, he is not so far from Bumblebee’s age. The two are like 20 and 25 year olds mentally.

Also I want to mention that the age of transformers should not be the counted the same way like humans, because they are alien robots who don’t die easily unless they are killed in a military conflict. There is little chance they will perish for old age (all the parts are replaceable), so they can actually live for a very long time if no fatal accident happened. In this case it should be natural for adult bots with an age difference to date, for there is no obvious physical deterioration as age increases. In this case similarity in mental age/ state of maturity is more important than actual years of living. This makes Blitzbee a couple with similar ages rather than a couple with huge age difference.

2） “Growing up together” is the most interesting theme in their relationship.

As I have said, Blitzwing and Bumblebee are both reckless, immature young bots, I would like to see them growing into more responsible and stable ones through learning to take care of each other.

Blitzwing has the mental issue that causes mood swings. He also might have experienced more trauma of war and abuse compared to Bumblebee (the famous triple-changer adaptation being the major one in my fan fiction ideas). After he developed a secret relationship with Bumblebee he would become more stable and his trauma will be healed to some extent by Bumblebee’s powerful, devoted love.

This leads to my major take that Bumblebee should eventually play the role of a “caregiver/protector” in this relationship, speaking of mentality. He should learn to be the one that “fixes” Blitzwing with love and trust. I love to see Bumblebee grow up and learn to be the responsible one that takes care of his lover, rather than staying in the shell of childishness forever and letting traumatized Blitzwing do all the dirty work. Growing up together is an amazing part of this ship and I would love to see more of this in their dynamics.

3） Megatron and the Decepticons are not their enemy.

This is also a major issue I’m having with the majority of Blitzbee fandom. I’d like to propose that since we’re depicting a cross-fractional relationship, it is an excellent chance for us to explore the autobot/decepticon dichotomy in a more meaningful way. Both camps attracted numerous followers and lasted long in the civil war. It is neither reasonable nor meaningful if Megatron’s reign is sorely established on threatening, violence and jungle rules. The decepticons should have fraternity/comradeship inside their camp if autobots do. Decepticons love and respect their battle mates as well, and Megatron as a much trusted leader does show care towards his decepticon soldiers (no need to say that tfa Megatron has shown amazing tolerance and a cool mood in all three seasons). Dehumanizing decepticons to create obstacles for blitzbee is the cheapest and most shallow way of interpreting them either as a couple or as two individuals. Blitzwing as a decepticon soldier has his beliefs and loyalty to his camp too. It is sad that many blitzbee writers simply dismiss Blitzwing’s choice of being a decepticon as being threatened or forced into it, which is just unreasonable since Blitzwing is one of the most trusted subordinates of Megatron. There is a way of exploring both Bumblebee and Blitzwing’s struggles of dating an enemy and their guilt of betraying their camp they willingly joined. This makes the ship more in-depth and lively, only that it requires the shipper to have enough knowledge of politics and an unbiased attitude towards the decepticons.

4） They don’t follow traditional heterosexual roles. They are a homosexual couple (basically, gay. I can also accept genderbending both of them women).

This actually applies to every couple I ship. I don’t like the traditional depiction of romance that requires two individuals to either play by the “feminine script” or “masculine script”. I think this kind of view is rooted in unreasonable expectations/ gender stereotypes of patriarchal society, and is harmful and outdated. I don’t want to assign Blitzwing and Bumblebee fixed roles as “top” or “bottom” as well. Everything should be dynamic in their relationship.

5） If they become mature enough to handle children, Blitzwing is the carrier.

This conclusion comes from 4), and also simply because of the fact that in tfa, decepticons are larger than autobots, this naturally makes the possible cross-fractional kid a “middle size between autobots and decepticons”. This means the kid should be bigger than usual autobot kid (if spark-sexual reproduction is possible) and it would be dangerous for autobots to carry a half decepticon child. If such rule exists, there should already been natural selection working on Cybertron to let the decepticons carry the child if pregnancy happens. Also, as I mentioned in 4), I don’t want to assign traditional gender roles to Bumblebee and Blitzwing, so when it comes to carrying, it is actually the same as other things they should do as a couple: it is alright for the fittest one in a relationship to do it. If the child is big, Blitzwing be the carrier. It’s natural and smooth.

6） (nsfw) Size kink? They have so many more kinks! They actually enjoy non-penetrative sex and spark sex.

This is also based on my take of dismissing traditional gender stereotypes. Penetrative sex is not the only way to get pleasure. Since there is a size difference, it should be uncomfortable/ unpractical for Blitzwing and Bumblebee to carry it out often (If you think they have a size kink, I’ll have to say that kinks shouldn’t be the main reason they get together as a couple, or the relationship would become unhealthy with objectifying the other for sexual pleasure. And it’s certainly not the kind of serious relationship that involves love and respect that I’m trying to write about.).

For one thing, they are very playful childish individuals, besides, sexual reproduction is still not in the codes of Cybertronians, it is actually a perfect chance to break the stereotypes of sexual pleasure solely achieved in penetration. I would like to imagine Blitzbee having all kinds of kinks that may entertain both of them trying all kinds of tricks. Penetration is just a bit too old-fashioned for them. Spark sex, as a more daring method free from any trouble of size, should also be a good choice for them.

7） If there are humanformers, I would like to see Bumblebee being Latino/from Latin America, and Blitzwing being German.

This is my personal interpretation of their human forms based on their accents and designs in canon, and some of the interpretations in fandom. Their personalities fit pretty well for people coming from these two regions, and Blitzwing in particular. There are simply too many German implications in Blitzwing (his accent, his helmet and look, icy) that I just can’t imagine Blitzwing’s human form being anything else.

If you like my interpretation and would like to try this ship, I’ll recommend you my blitzbee fan fictions (ideas). Though they’re limited in number, they’re all consistent to my interpretation above.

Tfa:

Old World, New World

Tfp:

One More Light

Bayverse (Bumblebee movie):

(And the just finished Blitzbee Week 2024 piece)

The Phantom of the Opera

More works are under construction. And if you want to hear out my headcanons just search for #blitzbee in this blog. Thanks for reading!

#blitzbee #tfa #blitzwing #bumblebee #tfa blitzwing #tfa bumblebee #feminism #gender roles #analysis #ship analysis #Alice’s ship guide #my thoughts #maccadams #blitzbeeweek2024

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rriinnnie · 8 months

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reach you | suna rintaro x reader

bandau!guitarist! suna rintaro x singer!reader

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧

PROLOGUE

it’s in the middle of december when sixteen year old y/n encounters the nineteen years old suna rintarou for the first time. Two orphans who decide to start a band and eventually bond like family to overcome the shitty world they live in. As years goes by they come to the conclusion that they can’t live without one another anymore as they become one thing together - inseparable - to the point where it is too toxic.

However it seems like destiny has different plans for them as they have to saparate ways in order to achieve their dreams and goals.

Is their love strong enough?

Two hot headed people who face each other again after long 4 years. Now y/n is 20 and Rintaro, who is now 23, is the famous and handsome guitarist of NoMemories.

“Rin is more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of - I am sure of one thing - his and mine are the same”

WARNINGS: smoking, use of drugs, swearing, toxic relationship, nsfw, sex, vulgar and strong language, rehab, addiction, anxiety, mental illness, depression

AUTHOR’S COMMENT: ATTENTION THIS IS NANA INSPIRED - MOSTLY REN AND NANA’S RELATIONSHIP - CUZ I LOVE IT SO MUCH SO SORRY IF THIS IS TOO SIMILAR TO THE ORIGINAL STORYLINE. BUT I WANTED TO CREATE A SIMILAR STORY WITH SUNARINN CUZ I NEED MORE STORIES OF HIM BEING IN A BAND

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧

~ CHARACTERS INTRODUCTION ~

y/l/n y/n is the lead vocalist of the popular punk band of Revival. Y/n is a tall/short young woman in her early twenties with long/short c/h hair. Numerous characters have stated Y/N as beautiful.

She’s kind hearted and devoted to her friends. However, after being abandoned by her family, she slowly develops abandonment issues which leads her to become quite selfish towards the people she loves - not wanting them to think about anything but her. She spent her childhood alone - refusing to be sent in an orphanage. Therefore she learns to take care of herself.

Despite insisting that she wants to be independent Y/N often turns to Osamu and mostly Eita for help.

In her teenage years she’s rebellious, intimidating and cold - often addressed as “cold princess” even in present time. This changes when Osamu breaks through her icy exterior and presents her to his childhood friends Rintaro and Eita, both grown into the same orphanage.

When she first lays eyes on Suna Rintaro, she feels mesmerized and captivated not only by his look - especially his bright olive eyes - but because of his talent. Therefore she finds herself accepting the offer to join the band - and this is where their love story begins.

Suna Rintaro is the popular guitarist of NoMemories. Before moving to Tokyo he was previously the guitarist for Revival. Ever since he was a kid he has always being called “the prodigy of music”.

Rintaro was an orphan who was abandoned right after his birth. Subsequently, he stayed at the same orphanage as Eita. After Semi was adopted, Rintaro frequently visited his friend, so much so that his foster mother offered to adopt him, an offer which he refused.

Later, he formed a band, Revival, with Eita as the leader and bassist, himself as guitarist, Osamu as drummer and Y/N as lead vocals. He also fell in love with her. However, despite the band being quite popular, he was offered to join NoMemories, but declined because of Y/N. With Eita convincing him, after a while he then joined Nomemories as their lead guitarist. As he left, he and Y/N tearfully broke up.

Rintaro is very handsome, has dark brown, slightly combed down hair, with few strands sticking out at the top of his head and middle-parted bangs. He has grayish-yellow narrow eyes.

Despite being popular he suffers from anxiety which is why he often relies on drugs to calm down - to the point where he becomes an addict. Eita feels responsible for it as he knew that Suna couldn’t live in this industry especially under people constant judgement and being followed by ossessive fans and paparazzi.

He was able to quit drugs for a few months but fell into the abyss of addiction once again.

Despite Eita, Osamu and his Nomemories’ bandmates awareness about his problem, he keeps Y/N in the dark - not wanting her to have a different view of him.

Semi Eita is the popular leader and bassist of Revival. He handles most of the band's business related matters. He is a long-time friend of Suna Rintaro, with whom he created Revival.

When he was little, both of his parents were killed in a car accident, and was therefore put into the same orphanage as Rintaro.

He is older than the others, and the only one of them who has higher education, so Osamu sometimes teases him by calling him "old man". Ever since he met Y/N, Eita has been an older brother figure for her and sometimes Osamu, and acted as Y/N’s "guardian". While he admits to being in love with her, he baits Rintaro to steal her from him in order to convince him to quit his addiction. However Rintaro says that Eita - since they were kid - has always let him have what ever he wanted - to the point that Semi had to give up on his feelings towards Y/N.

Eita looks after her in place of Rintaro, who can not.

Eita has thick and messy ash blonde hair with dark grey tips. His eyebrows are black, contrasting his hair. His eyes are brown and sharply shaped, and he's often seen with a small scowl on his face. He has a lean but muscular build.

Miya Osamu is the drummer of the popular punk band of Revival and was the only person able to befriend Y/N during high school — with whom he coincidentally began their shared love for punk music.

Osamu is a kind and caring guy, willing to stand up for people he cares for and for what he believes is right. He’s very friendly which is why he has a lot of friends. Especially he enjoys being around people who are different, unique, even strange. He is a curious person, who loves to seek out something new and unusual in the world.

He always cares for Y/N’s well-being and tends to have a sense loyalty towards her - resulting to be the first one to be able to stand most of Y/N's tantrums.

He also highly respects Rintaro and idolizes him - dreaming to be one day as good as him.

However when he discovers that Rintaro’s doing drugs again he feels powerless and scared to lose him.

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧

EXTRAS:

- NoMemories memeber’s will be revealed soon

- Eita refers to Suna as Rintaro while Osamu calls him Sunarin

- Y/N refers to Suna as Rin

- they often call each other bastard, punk, fucker

- Rintaro loves to tease Y/N and often calls her “princess”

- when Revival reunites in Tokyo they start to look for another guitarist

- Revival’s new guitarist will be revealed soon

˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚ ˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧༚˚✧₊⁎⁺˳✧

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centaurianthropology · 7 months

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Why Spenser Starke is a Fantastic Horror GM (and the Core Fantasy in Candela Obscura)

So, I have seen some rancid takes about Spenser Starke online. Less so on this webbed site, largely because people around here are not in a pissing contest to prove who’s the most cynical, superior, and dickish. But there have still been some mind-blowing ones, from “he says UM too much” (guess who else does that? Brennan, but I don’t see these people criticizing him), or “he describes scenes like shots in a movie and that’s BAD WRONG” (while you might not stylistically enjoy it, I for one adore seeing a new interpretation of how to narrate while GMing, and think he’s doing great).

But the two that rub me the wrong way most are that he “controls the narrative too tightly” and doesn’t allow the characters to meander too long before throwing them back into the narrative, and that he’s “too harsh” in that even mixed successes tend to net characters damage of some sort. I saw accusations of “GM vs Player” mentality, but everyone was clearly enjoying themselves and the experience.

And that, I think, highlights the fundamental disconnect between these complainers and what’s actually happening on the screen: they don’t understand the core experience.

They have likely never played horror TTRPGs. They may have never played TTRPGs period, and instead are armchair DMs based purely on how Matt and Brennan DM, not really understanding that there are a thousand other ways to DM. But if they have played TTRPGs, I would guess that they’ve exclusively played D&D or its ilk. And I say that because there’s a very clear belief here that empowerment and ‘winning the game’, as well as wandering about freely to create your own narrative at your own pace are all fundamental parts of the TTRPG experience as a whole. But they aren’t. They’re fundamental to D&D, yes, but this is not what players come to a game like Candela Obscura for.

Each TTRPG has a central fantasy playing out. In D&D it’s heroic empowerment. D&D is mechanically built around getting more and more power and eventually defeating the big bad. A good GM in D&D, like Matt Mercer, focuses on giving out challenges, but always helping their players strive to overcome and grow and become better. This self-actualization is at the heart of the experience.

Horror games are not about that at all. The closest to that fantasy is something like ‘Vampire the Masqerade’ or other World of Darkness games, which do feature power growth, but the core fantasy is actually about learning that you are a monster. And embracing power will lead to even greater monstrousness. The horror in games like this is both political and personal, and the system is mechanically built to accommodate that horror.

And if you watch LA by Night or NY by Night, you’ll actually see that Jason Carl employs a fairly similar narrative tightness to his storytelling as that of Spenser Starke. Because a huge part of horror is about establishing and maintaining a mood. To do that, a DM has to keep a tighter rein on pacing, cutting from scene to scene and moment to moment in a way that is more directed than in D&D, because that helps establish and maintain the vibe being created.

Candela Obscura plays, thematically, a lot like one of my favorite games to run: ‘Call of Cthulhu’. CoC is a game all about disempowerment. The power differential between the players and the monsters is vast. Combat is vicious, short, and deadly, and direct combat almost always ends badly for an investigator. There is an entire chapter devoted to running away for a reason.

Both CoC and Candela are built on danger, vulnerability, and a constant sense of tension. And Spenser is fantastic at all of these. He keeps his narrative laser focused, moving between moments rapid-fire to keep up that tension, and to introduce new dangers. He is a ‘vicious’ DM only in so much as even mixed successes hurt. But this also keeps the tension up by keeping the characters and players on the edges of their seats. They are almost never safe. They are almost never well. They are constantly juggling dwindling resources. They are underpowered, vulnerable, and afraid.

And that’s the core fantasy here: exploring fear in a safe way. Being stressed out in a way you can leave behind as soon as the scene is done. Constantly living on the edge, fighting the odds, and knowing that you likely won’t succeed or will only do so at great cost. And he is masterfully keeping that intensity running through each session.

He gives characters time to talk about themselves, time for scenes to play out, until he feels the tension begin to flag, and then he pushes on. He never lets the air go entirely out of the narrative sails. He has a great sense of when a character needs a moment (his use of the red PTSD lighting exemplifies how closely he’s paying attention to his players and adjusting the setting to fit their moods). He sometimes pushes on, gets pushback from a player who wants another beat, and is always happy to give that to them. He keeps the pace up, but is always very careful to make sure his players have what they need to still enjoy this particular experience.

All this is to say that Spenser is absolutely killing it at being an exemplary horror GM. His sense of pacing and tension, his ability to direct action while still always embracing player autonomy, and using the mechanics of the system to never allow them to feel entirely safe are all great tools in a horror GM’s toolkit.

Horror games are not for everyone. Certainly there are plenty of people who only ever want the hero fantasy of D&D, but I think it’s important to recognize what the goal of a game is, and what constitutes success within those parameters, rather than parameters that only exist in an audience member’s mind, because they don’t really get how horror games work.

#candela obscura #spenser starke #I was frankly shocked at how many people were bitching about him #and all their whining mostly boiled down to him not GMing a horror game like one would DM D&D #it was just a fundamental misunderstanding of how horror stories sort of have to get told #in order to actually scare your players #and give them the core experience of HORROR that they came to the table to feel #I love running horror games #I think Spenser is not only doing great #but he’s got quite a few tricks I want to try out myself #This is not DM vs Player mentality #this is literally just how you play these sorts of games #constantly being close to death or running out of resources

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