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air-in-words · 3 years

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Badger Snakes and The "Red-Stained Ledger"

Since my recent announcement identifying as a Badger Snake (don't @ me if I change my primary at some point lol still going back over that one,) I've looked up some characters that have been identified as Badger Snakes, and found two things:

1) There weren't very many in fiction and

2) most go through the same personal journey I had described in my previous post.

By that, I mean, a very similar feeling of self-loathing or feeling as though you have some dirty secret to hide, AKA the Red-Stained Ledger Natasha Romanoff refers to. The two main ones that have been agreed upon I'll be focusing on are Woody from Toy Story and the aforementioned Black Widow, but I'll also be bringing two new characters into the fray, one that's been sorted as such based on the portrayal, and one that I've discovered on my own. They are Selina Kyle AKA Catwoman and Dewey Finn from School of Rock.

It's interesting to find the similar plotlines that certain sortings are given consistently in media, and The Power Behind the Throne AKA Badger Snake seems to pretty much only have the one: They fight for the group that they are loyal to, but they can't seem to help but do so in a way that they aren't proud of, one that they're sure would lead said group to shun them.

I'm sure someone could point out a character I'm not referencing here that doesn't have that plot, but at the very least, this plot dominates the sorting.

Woody in the first movie goes through exactly that issue. He only wants to fight for Andy's toys, and in many ways, all toys he comes across. He makes choices that he believes will benefit everyone, and prides himself on being able to make the "tough choices." But, he ends up having to do so in a "duplicitous" way, when he seeks to manipulate Buzz Lightyear out of his group. This is a horrible, dirty secret to him, and he feels almost as if he could never return to them, never show his face again because of how he chooses to fight. In the end, he reaffirms that his actions come from a good place, a place of love for his group, and finds ways to use his crafty talents that are slightly more constructive and a little less "cloak and dagger."

Natasha Romanoff has given me the namesake for this Badger Snake element: the Red-Stained Ledger. She describes her desire to fight for her country, for her family, but struggles with what she knows she's good at. She believes she's inherently a bad person and is determined to remain a loner due to her "badness," due to the "monster" she is. Good people don't lie or manipulate. Good people... uh... I dunno, bake cakes or something? Work humble jobs? But, her contribution to the world, her ability to be clever and tricky, means that holding her group, her country, her family, the Avengers themselves, only in her heart and not in her hands. But, her true colors are shown in her never-ending dedication to the cause, down to her being willing to give her life so that no one else has to do it. In a way, it's sad, because she died believing she in some way deserved it. But, none of her teammates felt that way about her. She may have been crafty, a master manipulator, and a skillful liar, but she was the farthest thing from bad.

Now, onto the two newer additions. I've seen Selina Kyle sorted as Double Snake, and I would agree that there are many interpretations that could fit the bill. But, if you ask me, the truest interpretation of her is as The Power Behind the Throne, the Robin Hood with no loud cause to shout from the rooftops; only a desire to help the people of Gotham. She uses her skills as a thief to act as a sort of "guardian angel" to the poorest in Gotham, but she has no grand statement to make. She sees people hurting, her group, the underdogs of Gotham, and came to their aid. But she does so quietly, secretly, because she believes in her heart that the way she has done so is not worthy of praise. She's a con and a thief, but, she places people above all else. She, in some interpretations, is one of the main people to open Bruce's eyes to the fact that not all criminals are necessarily bad people. Some of them are just in terrible situations they can't get out of. And yet, she won't afford that benefit of the doubt to herself, believing she is simply a broken toy not worth fixing. Her occasionally lackadaisical attitude towards killing may seem to make Badger primary unlikely, but Badgers are not always loyal to ALL humans. Her group is the poor and downtrodden, and those who act against them are less than human in her eyes.

Now, we come to my personal favorite, my own personal discovery: Dewey Finn from one of my favorite movies, School of Rock.

Dewey is a fabulous example of a Badger Snake, in my personal opinion. His chosen group is Rock with a Capital R and "the band," whichever band that may currently be. He may have some sort of Burnt Snake primary performance/model going on, wanting to play the part of a "rock star" that truly only cares about himself, but his true loyalty is very clear. He is worried about doing his chosen group justice in every way, making sure that Rock is being well-represented and that he's serving his current band the very best he has to offer. Being kicked out of his band at the very beginning is earth-shattering to him, not because he has a Snake primary style devotion to only them, but because they told him he let them down, and implying that he wasn't representing Rock the way he should. His Snake primary performance/model melts away as he bonds to his new band, the kids he teaches. He brings them into his chosen group of Rock and creates a new bonded group with them in particular as they form a band. He actually finds himself liberated by taking a backseat to the children (a very Badger primary thing to enjoy,) allowing Zack to play his song, guiding Freddie away from making bad choices, helping Tamika find her voice, encouraging fellow Snake secondary Summer how to use her shrewdness, and, using a method I believe is best utilized by Badger Snakes, helping Principal Mullins find her chill. Lol.

Badger Snakes, more than any other Snake secondary type, will rely on the "we aren't so different you and I" approach to get what they want. He finds out Mullins also enjoys Rock. This is something they have in common! Let's create a situation where we "naturally" find out we have this thing in common, placing us both in the same group. Although other primaries don't glorify groups as much as Badger primaries do, all people are more likely to listen to or help out someone they feel is like them in some way. So, Dewey puts some Stevie Nicks on the jukebox and gets Mullins on his side.

In a similar fashion to the characters listed above, Dewey believes he is truly a loser and has nothing of any actual value or goodness to provide. But, the children help him see he's wrong, and he finds a way to utilize his talents in a way that truly fulfills him.

In conclusion, although seemingly unrepresented, I think there actually may be quite a few more Badger Snakes hiding in media, and, perhaps, they can be outed by looking for the Red-Stained Ledger plotline. Badger primaries are more likely, in my opinion, to be disturbed by their actions than say a Lion primary, due to where their loyalties truly lie. Although Lions may fight for the right thing, and that right thing may involve people's rights or serving a group, they serve that right thing before any of the people they may steamroll over to achieve it. Badgers, by definition, serve things. And, usually, lying, cheating, or otherwise being crafty is viewed as the worst possible way to serve someone or something. They do care about the things they may hurt or damage through their actions, and how they use their talents does, in fact, matter to them immensely.

So, to my Badger Snakes out there struggling with their own so-called "Red-Stained Ledgers", just remember that Dewey Finn would think you're kick-ass.

EDIT: Sorry, was thinking about it, and had to put an edit. Another way to think of this plotline/character archetype is mentioned in School of Rock as well as in a musical I know very well. I wouldn't use this moniker as the name for this plotline, only because it describes a very specific Snake secondary, one that is playful and light-hearted, and not all Snake secondaries are like this.

Zack's song refers to Dewey as The Magic Man, a person that swoops in and, almost by magic (in actuality, manipulation) brings out the best in the people around them. In the aforementioned musical, this character is called The Music Man.

Harold Hill may very well be another Badger Snake, although one more heavily disguised than Dewey Finn. I won't go too deep into his characterization here, but know he's a conman who claims to be a band instructor, while he has no musical talent himself, planning on taking the money for the uniforms and instruments and running. Instead, almost without realizing it, he encourages and manipulates the people of the town he enters into becoming better versions of what they are now. And, the most tragic part of his character is revealed once another character, one of the children he's conned, points out that there isn't a band, and never has been one. Harold tells him "I always think there's a band, kid."

It's interesting that, in both of these cases, they are associated with music and an almost mystical ability to bring out the best in others. I might do a more in-depth look at Harold Hill at some point, since I've been planning on doing some musical characters for a bit.

If thinking about having a Red-Stained Ledger is too negative for your own self-image, think of yourself as The Music Man. Your friends and the people around you may actually see you as an almost mystical force for good, someone who always seems to know the right thing to say or do to bring out the best in them. :)

#badger snake #badger primary #snake secondary #sorting hat chats #sortinghatchats #harry potter #hogwarts housing #hufflepuff #slytherin #hogwarts #red-stained ledger #woody toy story #natasha romanoff #black widow #selina kyle #catwoman #dewey finn #school of rock

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cowboymantis · 3 years

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Let's talk about Kazuto Arase

Yakuza / Yakuza Kiwami , Yakuza 3 side content spoilers. Later on Yakuza LaD too, but I'll give a warning before that especially since a lot of people haven't played that yet.

So I have a lot of thoughts about Yakuza on my mind and just want to scream into the void about it somewhere to write 'em all down somewhere! I'm starting with... Arase.

Yeah, I know, a mostly very hated character (personality and battle-wise) that has so little screen time on top of it all too, is the first thing I'll be talking about.

Hear me out, I actually really love this character and only really started to appreciate him after I went for the Yakuza 3 platinum trophy... I've replayed this game so many times, I didn't mind it when I played through it first but seeing all the hate it has gotten, I went to replay it just in case and with that replayed it again and again because I just somehow loved it so much-

And you know, one part of Yakuza 3, also completion related so there was no way I could've missed it, were the Hitman missions. In general, after playing through all the main games I started to come back to a lot of characters I didn't like or minded the first time playing that are now some of my favourites (other examples are Tamashiro or Lau Ka Long, hell even Katsuragi)!

To come back to Arase, let's start with, well, the start: Yakuza / Yakuza Kiwami.

Introduced already in the very first Yakuza game, Arase is just there for a brief moment in the game, yet has a heavy impact on the game's story and Kiryu. It starts with Arase's oath brother Shinji being shot by Arases subordinate, Mochizuki, at least it looks like it. Shinji came here to rescue Reina, whose corpse then gets dragged on the roof of the Dragon Palace by Arase, Sergeant of the Nishikiyama Family. Now that's a pretty... heavy and sadistic first image for a character introduction, and honestly, his strong personality like that seemed also to be the reason he wasn't exactly loved by other members of the Family.

His battle theme in the first Yakuza game is called "Turning Point" which also puts more emphasis on how important this scene is, Kiryu breaking down, his scream when he sees Reina's body... It's really a turning point in the story.

In Kiwami, his new theme "Virtical Point" is also used as the intro song (or at least, the intro song "Vertical Point" is similar and shortened). Which also once again shows the importance of this piece.

Of course, he's not the most important character in the story, but it's still interesting to see how much there is around him other than his rather short appearance.

Then, his fighting style. Yeah, most hate this too and also the fact that starting from there, other bosses also sometimes use his moveset or a similar one. Like, take Jiro or Jo Amon or Andre Richardson... Basically just the usual dual wielding guns while being an athlete on crack - layout. It is actually not that bad, it's even less bad when you've got the right equipment but I have to admit I didn't really have that much good equipment when I first played all the games and basically just rushed through them because I just couldn't stop!

Arase's goal here of course was also to beat Kiryu but well, just like every other character ever, he couldn't do it and got beat instead.

And that's the end of that... The end of his part in the story and also the end of his part in the Nishikiyama Family, because he got disowned right after his failure.

Which is so... hmm... It makes me think. Many others have tried to take Kiryu down, too. And I mean, Arase was normally a very successful assassin, right? Yet this one failed attempt, at which everyone else too failed, got him disowned? Seems to me like they didn't like him and gave him an impossible task to have a reason to throw him out, huh?

And with that wonderful transition, let's get into his appearance in Yakuza 3.

You get introduced to the concept of the Honest Living Association, in short the HLA pretty much after Kashiwagis death. An association, founded by Kashiwagi to help Yakuza / former Yakuza who weren't meant for this life or just wanted out but just couldn't do in it on their own. For some, all they knew was the criminal life, so having a thing like this is especially helpful. Although, I'm kinda sad this was never a thing anymore after Yakuza 3. The whole concept of it was very cool.

Kiryu gets asked by Ibuki to help the HLA because there is an organisation of hitmen, also known as The Reapers (or The Avengers on PS3) whose goal was a different one than the HLA's, it was to kill Yakuza. The Reapers consisted of former criminals, mainly Yakuza, who were wronged by their superiours and expelled, disowned, you name it. Basically what happened to Arase.

Apprehending those hitmen is a totally optional part of the game and I have to admit, I didn't finish it my first time playing. Which is such a shame because it goes by so fast too when you play it after finishing the game! And the individual stories are all so interesting too, I've really enjoyed this side content and also replayed those missions already. You don't really expect someone like Arase to be behind all of it when it turns out to be him who is the founder and the leader of it all. I was already taken aback by Shinzaki being the lieutenant, or part of it at all. I often stopped by to listen to his guitar playing and talked to him, often asking myself is there's anything else up with him.

And once this one hitman contract came in and guitar playing was mentioned, I was just thinking "It can't be him...?", god, this whole side storyline just was so good. And here people come and say Yakuza 3 was a bad game.

The whole build-up to then reveal Arase was just so cool, honestly. It made me start to look more into his character after this confrontation. The fight was really cool too, just having to fight Shinzaki so many times wasn't really necessary, but Arase seems to like to fight alongside others, so fair enough.

And his theme "End Point" is also just so good. It's more similar to Turning Point than Virtical Point was. The name is also again fitting, since this is the end for The Reapers and Arases power.

It is made clear here that Arase has a strong hatred against the Yakuza and especially holds a strong grudge against Kiryu. He sees Kiryu as the reason he got wronged and had to leave the Yakuza behind, while also seeming to be very aware of the fact that the others there probably didn't like him at all.

He's so angry at him, he holds this whole speech and talks about revenge while Kiryu tries to talk some sense into him, eventually Ibuki also joins and tries to reason with Arase too. Telling him how that's what Kashiwagi wanted, even for Arase to find a new, honest life.

Arase is too strongly lead on by his grudges, so even though it seems like he might be thinking about turning his life around, he decided to not let them help him. Then he goes on about how he will definetly return to take revenge on Kiryu... Well. That's the end of that.

It becomes clear that Arases stubborn way of thinking is kind of childish. Not taking responsibility for any of his actions, thinking that his vile personality and actions are in fact the reason he got disowned. Failing to beat Kiryu was just the final puzzle piece to have a solid reason to throw him out. He's clearly unstable, doesn't think twice before shooting someone, he could turn on anyone and wouldn't be sorry for it. Just, he doesn't seem to really think about what he does.

I guess he probably thinks he's strong enough, he doesn't need to be careful. Also fitting for that is his fighting style in Dead Souls, how when he gets low on HP, he pretty much fends for himself, disregarding orders and just charging head first with full strength.

His Dead Souls appearance is also interesting. Okay, we all know, this game isn't canon, it's a spin-off and just doesn't fit in to the story. But it is interesting how he teams up with Kiryu for a bit and then leaves again. The game itself takes place after the events of Yakuza 4, meaning at this point RGG did remember that hey, they have a rival that swore to beat Kiryu one day. But after that... radio silence.

Really, this is such a shame. Just alone from his short appearances I can talk so much about Arase because he really is an interesting character with so much more potential! The only thing that's good about it is that he didn't die, making him technically one of the longest surviving characters in Yakuza which really is a great achievement.

Okay, we don't exactly know that he's still alive, but assuming due to there not being a mention of him being dead, he's probably alive. He might be, might not. Schrödinger's Arase.

One other thing I thought about is Jo Amon. I mean, his outfit and fight style is also similar to Arase, but that's not what I'm mainly thinking about. So the name Amon is for the greatest assassins, right? And they have a strong hatred against Kiryu at the beginning too.

So, putting those things together, Arase being a former assassin in the Nishikiyama Family, then the leader of a dangerous hitman organisation... Then, to fight Jo Amon in Yakuza 3 you also need to do all the hitman missions other than the substories and the IF7 fights. And to start the search for Amon, you also need to go to Ibuki again, where you got all the other hitman missions.

Yeah, it's a bit far fetched, but ... not too far fetched to think that maybe Arase and at least Jo Amon could know each other. I'd say, they could team up in a future game but. Well... Yeah.

Now some more things I thought about, I'll put a warning here though.

Yakuza LaD spoilers ahead!

Soooo, in this game we've gotten a couple of characters "back" ... Some more real than others... Thinking about Joon Gi's body double.

But one character that survived is Kashiwagi! Now the bartender of a bar named Survive. What a fitting name. After surviving such a heavy attack and believed dead by, well, everyone, it was the best approach to keep a low profile, start a new life. Also, he doesn't seem to be fit for any fighting after the incident.

So Kashiwagi is still there. And, now I just thought about, what if there was a possible redemption arc for Arase? Kiryu is believed dead now too, alone the fact that it seems that Kiryu never met Kashiwagi while being in the same area is kinda sad. I like to imagine they met each other...

I think it could go either way, Arase somehow got information on Kiryu being in Ijincho. He is a professional after all. Plus, by now Kiryu is also, well, not really working with... but. You know, not fighting with the Amon Clan anymore, even having Shin Amon to help determine Ichibans strength with the (True) Final Millennium Tower.

And, now, maybe there can be some other comnecting inside the Amon Clan and some info got out to Arase, ah, hell, I don't know, it's all so far fetched but I just like to have those possible headcanons of Arase somehow coming back!

Another possibility could also be Arase thinking Kiryu has died, just per chance being in the area and just going to the Survive bar? He'd probably be way more open about the thought of redemption and with Kashiwagi probably being pretty good at talking former Yakuza into that, given how the whole HLA was his doing.

Just... Thinking about possible things.

Yakuza LaD spoilers end here!

Well. That's that.

At the end of the day, the chances of Arase returning are pretty much 0, other characters you never thought of reappearing sometimes appear in one way or another, so it can be possible, but probably won't.

But one thing is clear, looking more into this character made me really appreciate him more. I guess that's the fact with a lot of characters, not just in Yakuza, but in general.

The characters in Yakuza are just so well written and even though it has some very weird and silly plot points and plot twists, I just love this game so much and looking more into it and replaying it is just so much fun.

I even started to like the minigames in Yakuza 3, even though I got very hopeless at the last pool opponent and the goddamn Mahjong completion, ugh. But at the end of the day it's all just really fun once you get the hang of it. It hasn't aged too well when you play it after the other Yakuza games, but replaying it on all the difficulties and then casually, then trying to beat it as fast as I can just made me love the game more and more every time.

So, uh... I don't know if it's a blessing or curse for me to often really like the characters that either everyone hates or have almost to screen time. Because well... there's such a lack of content and appreciation but hey that's what I'm writing this for!

I hope maybe someone starts to appreciate Arase more after this - if anyone even reads further after learning that I love this character. :D' I swear I tried to write it with as little bias as possible. I do know he's a morally very very grey character but after all, it's a video game character. (...There's no way I'll ever like characters like Yoneda...Ogita...Or Kume though... ugh)

Well anyway, with that, I go!

#ryu ga gotoku #yakuza #yakuza 1 #yakuza kiwami #yakuza 3 #yakuza lad #kazuto arase #yakuza arase #rgg #yakuza dead souls

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nonbinaryresource · 3 years

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hi. i wanted to ask whether or not it’s ok to take comfort in a person that has not officially come out as trans but has included many forms of gender expression in their work? i’m trans and when i listened to this artist’s work (harry styles - she & fine line) i connected with the songs immediately? i found a lot of people in the community who too connected to the songs and interpreted the lyrics as a struggle with one’s gender identity. at first i was against calling harry trans because i thought it was wrong, but then after reading master posts i discovered that he constantly portrays gender in his work (using the trans flag on his album cover; being ok with his friends referring to him with she/her, miss, ‘sue’ instead of ‘harry’, and sis; his obsession with babies and especially wanting to get pregnant; relating himself only to female artists; etc.) and now i’m really confused. it feels comforting as a fan to relate to him and i, and a lot of other fans from the community, sometimes refer to him with he/she/they instead of he/him (he never said his pronouns are he/him). is that wrong? every time my (trans) friends and i refer to him with pronouns other than he/him or tell people not to assume he’s cis as he never specified that, other (usually cis. a trans fan called me transphobic and told me to stop seeking validation from cis white men.) fans will start calling us transphobic and delusional and attacking us to the point we had anxiety attacks over it? i’m just really confused right now. i don’t want to misgender anyone but i don’t understand why relating to someone who, from their actions, could be part of the community is wrong. i’m not out to anyone irl and sometimes i wish people caught on to the little things i do and recognise that i am part of the community. i don’t understand why people keep shutting down the idea the harry could be trans when he never said he was cis and was ok being referred to as she.

he has previously said that there are no lines between what's masculine and what's feminine for him anymore. i'm sorry this is so long and thank you

(You also sent in the song lyrics - thanks for the easy reference! - but I’m clipping those for length reasons.)

Disclaimer before I dig in: I am not a Harry Styles stan, I know very little about him, most of what I am going to say specifically about him is stuff I researched about specifically to answer this ask. I want to speak mostly generally to your question.

Okay, so you posed a pretty succinct, straight forward question. “i wanted to ask whether or not it’s ok to take comfort in a person that has not officially come out as trans but has included many forms of gender expression in their work?“ However, there’s also a lot of context to this ask that makes things not so straight forward, and there are several distinct issues touched upon here I want to delve into. But it seems a good a starting place as any to start with the direct question you asked.

Yes, of course it’s okay to find your own meaning in art and role models and relate to art your way from your perspective based on your experience. In fact, that’s nearly the entire purpose of art! And it makes sense too, that we as social creatures would look up to and be inspired by celebrities, artists, mentors, role models, etc. Feeling connected to and less alone because someone in the spotlight plays with gender presentation like you might or want to makes a lot of sense!

However, we have to remember that A) sometimes art is just art, and B) someone being in the spotlight doesn’t mean we actually know or understand them or are/should act familiar with them.

As an example, a couple years back, Will Jay released a song called “Never Been in Love” that pretty much exploded with aros and aces and became a bit of an anthem for a lot of us. Many wondered if he was aspec himself and there was a lot of queries about it (and I saw quite a few blogs reminding folk that they were allowed to relate to the song even if it meant something different to Will Jay or he wasn’t actually aspec). Earlier this year, he released the song “Lies” where he admits that he was writing songs he thought people would relate to and he actually had been in love even before writing “Never Been In Love”. That should do nothing to diminish how meaningful the song was to people, though! If we related to the song, we related to the song, and if it was meaningful and made us feel seen and understood, that’s great! A lot of times, art is personal, but sometimes art is just an exploration.

This concept applies even more to people themselves. It is soooo easy to idolize and romanticize people you’ve never actually met and really only see the persona they want you to see. Yes, they share personal information with the world and they experience a general lack of privacy that makes you feel like yeah, you really know who they are. But how can you really, personally, intimately know someone without interacting with them, chatting with them, getting to know them one on one? It’s fine to have role models and feel represented by and relate to a celebrity - just do not lose sight of the fact that what you’re feeling is personal feeling on your own end. It’s not something that this celebrity has actually built with you.

To put this another way: it is fine to headcanon fictional characters, but it’s not okay to headcanon real people.

Now, what I’m building up to here is that there are a lot of assumptions I am seeing - from both sides - that we cannot truly know because all we know is what Harry [or anyone] chooses to share with us. I’d like to break this down by going through some specific points.

at first i was against calling harry trans because i thought it was wrong

Okay, there are two sides to this.

1) It is wrong to apply a gender label/descriptor to someone without their permission.

2) In a cisnormative society, “cis” is the default gender label/descriptor to apply to everyone, and that’s equally wrong, so I get why it feels like a rebellion of the system to go “well, there are Reasons they could be trans, so I’m just going to go ahead and call them trans”.

We should get away from automatically labeling everyone as “cis”. However, the way we fix this isn’t to just decide we get to apply whatever label/descriptor to someone we want.

If someone hasn’t clarified or specified their gender (and you can’t/it isn’t a good or safe idea to ask them), it’s the safest bet to go by what they seem to be majority being called or what you can find of them referring to themself as.

In some cases, when someone seems to be specifically avoiding labeling themselves or uncomfortable with labeling themselves, it may be most comfortable for you to also avoid labeling them just as much as possible.

being ok with his friends referring to him with she/her, miss, ‘sue’ instead of ‘harry’, and sis; his obsession with babies and especially wanting to get pregnant; relating himself only to female artists; etc.)

It’s worth considering - is this something for friends only? Or is it open to fans and other public sectors?

Usually if something is for friends only, it’ll be kept out of public eye, but if only friends are doing this, is this something that is only being shared with you or is it something you’re entitled to as well?

Aaaaaaaaalso, it has to be pointed out that it’s binarist and cisnormative in it’s own way to equate different names/pronouns automatically with being trans or being a specific trans identity. Wanting to get pregnant? Do you know how many cis women I’ve heard go on and on about wanting a penis so they can pee standing up (like... all of them anytime we’re outside or camping)? Plenty of cis people use pronouns you might not expect! You don’t have to be trans/nonbinary to use multiple or ‘atypical’ pronouns. Cis people are allowed to use other pronouns as well! They’re allowed to have names typically associated with other genders! Not all gender nonconforming or genderqueer people/people queering gender are trans! Not everybody exploring their gender nor gender presentation is trans!

not to assume he’s cis as he never specified that

It’s great to not assume someone is cis! But that doesn’t automatically make them trans.

i don’t want to misgender anyone but i don’t understand why relating to someone who, from their actions, could be part of the community is wrong.

Do you specifically, absolutely need to gender someone in order to relate to them?

i don’t understand why people keep shutting down the idea the harry could be trans when he never said he was cis and was ok being referred to as she.

I’ve only recently seen a tiny bit of this ‘discourse’ around on twitter, but what I see is a few issues/points:

A) It’s not up to us to claim someone as trans if they have not come out as trans. Coming out is an extremely personal choice and should be up to each individual. “Claiming” them is basically dragging them into something that very well may be not theirs. And if it is theirs, why would you want to steal that moment of getting to determine and declare that away from them?

B) We are all so done with cis, able-bodied white folk being prioritized above the rest of the queer community!!! There are actual, legitimate, out trans people that can be your trans role models and they’re being shoved to the back of the closet in favor of a privileged, white Schrödinger’s Trans. Let’s uplift our actual community instead of getting stuck on someone who may or may not be a part of community - and may not even want to be a part of it!

All that being said, I do want to say something really quickly on Harry himself because it ties back into the assumptions we’ve been talking about. Harry’s sexuality has long been a question on fans and journalists minds, and Harry has pretty consistently made it clear that he’s not really interested in labels or boxes. Harry’s gender is not something that has been asked about, talked about, or answered on much. And his comment on masculinity and femininity? Let’s remember that, like pronouns, masculinity and femininity don’t automatically or inherently relate to one specific gender or not. And, quite frankly, it is faucet of toxic masculinity and cissexism to equate a gnc man/man in a dress with being trans. Men are allowed to wear dresses and makeup and heels! Men are allowed to be soft and nurturing and to cry! Cis or trans, men are allowed to be these things, and arguing that they’re trans simply for doing or being any of these does continue to enforce dangerous and strict views of the gender binary.

Okay, it feels like I kinda put you through the wringer, so I want to go back and reiterate: it is 100% valid to relate to and feel connected to/inspired by someone on the basis of their presentation and gender exploration. It is not valid to claim ownership over their identity because of this. It is possible for two people to experience same or similar things and yet come to different conclusions about themselves!

If Harry Styles as an icon is important to you, I’m glad you can have that! But not everyone will or has to share your connection, and the only one actually qualified to speak on Harry’s gender is Harry himself. Harry could be trans, but it’s his right and his right only to claim that label. Any assuming we do is just that: an assumption. And I want you to be careful with your own feelings getting too attached to the image of Harry you’ve built up in your own head only to potentially have them shattered if Harry decides to speak on things and it turns out his feelings don’t mean what you thought.

Your identity is valid regardless of how Harry Styles feels or identifies. You feeling validated and seen and represented by Harry’s actions is valid regardless of how Harry Styles feels or identifies. It’s great to have role models and be inspired by people, but remember that at the end of the day, you need to be able to rely on yourself to keep up your ego and determine your sense of self.

~Pluto

#long post #mod pluto #identity #role models #discourse #gender #gender binary #cisnormativity #cissexism #mod tera #Anonymous

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wondereads · 3 years

Text

Personal Review (09/19/21)

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Why am I reviewing this book?

I first read this book in freshman year when it was the only book my entire book club liked. Now, it's really grown in popularity and a TV show has come out, so it seemed like a great time to reread it (because I didn't remember a thing) and finally finish the duology.

Plot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Six criminal teenagers pull off a heist to break someone out of the most secure prison in the world for a prize that could solve all their problems. They are lead by Kaz Brekker, a thief so ruthless he verges on urban legend, and consist of Inej, an acrobat-turned-spy paying off her indenture, Jesper, a sharpshooter with a gambling addiction, Nina, a heartrender who'll flirt with anything with a pulse, Matthias, a disgraced witch hunter in it for a pardon, and Wylan, a demolitions expert with no field experience.

The plot is so incredibly fast-paced. Even at the beginning, when the scene is being set and they're just preparing for the trip, gang stand-offs and long-standing grudges keep the story moving. The heist itself is one of the most ingenious, chaotic things I've ever read, and then it ends with a horrible cliffhanger that will make you instantly pick up the next book. In case you can't wrap your mind around it, the Ice Court Heist is so clever it takes me a moment to understand how the characters get from Point A to Point B, and yet I never once stopped in confusion because things were explained as they went.

My only complaint is that it relies a little heavily on the worldbuilding established in Shadow and Bone. For example, Nina's powers, while exemplified throughout the book, are never really explained. I remember when I read it for the first time that I had no idea what a Grisha was, and I kind of just had to pick up context clues because there is no definition given.

Characters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The character development in this book is impeccable. Each of the six gets their own arc (complete with a tragic backstory), and their development is worked into the plot, which forces them to face their troubles straight on. Buckle in, this is a long section.

Kaz, everyone's favorite, heartless, teenage mob boss, who starts off so unemotional at the beginning, gradually begins to allow himself to feel again. It's only for Inej, not everyone, but it's a start. His backstory is absolutely horrific, and, even though he is the self-titled Bastard of the Barrel, you find yourself rooting for him.

Inej's revelation in the incinerator shaft (yes, that is an actual part of the book) made me want to cheer. After so many aimless years, I was so proud of her to have established a clear goal for herself, and such a badass one too. I also appreciated that she set some clear boundaries with Kaz since a lot of YA romances tend to just throw away those sorts of reasonable concerns in favor of ~true love~.

Jesper makes me hurt. I really feel for him; he's the prime example of a kid in too deep, and I think if any of them got their money I would want it to be him so he can fix his past mistakes and start again. Besides that, he's a funny character that isn't reduced to comic relief, and I like action best from his perspective.

Nina is a walking easter egg for fans of Shadow and Bone. I didn't realize it my first go because I hadn't read the original trilogy, but the number of times she name-drops a character or event from there...I loved it. She's a levelheaded, badass woman who's comfortable in sexuality but not oversexualized. I do wish she'd gotten some more attention here, but I do know that the bulk of her arc is in Crooked Kingdom.

Matthias grew on me. I didn't like him much, but he presented an interesting dilemma–loyalty to love or loyalty to home. I liked watching the struggle between his beliefs and what he's been taught and the new friends he's made and their contrasting lifestyles. I also appreciate that he is the #1 simp for the girls in the group.

Finally, Wylan is a bit tough. There are no chapters from his perspective in the first book, which makes sense because he's got some information that would spoil everything. Still, he was absolutely hilarious in my opinion and his gradual corruption through his time spent with the crows was great. I mean, this fifteen-year-old kid wanted to wake up guards so Jesper could kill them guilt-free.

Writing Style 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The writing is really good. It shifts nicely between the more serious and humorous scenes. I think the romance is written very well. There's quite a bit of it and yet it never overpowers the plot. I never had a moment of "please dear god we get it you're in love let's move on now", which is something that plagues YA.

As for the humor, it was really good in this book. There were points I had to hold back a snort because I was in class, and each of the characters, even Kaz and Matthias, got a chance for a fun one-liner or sarcastic quip. "My ghost won't associate with your ghost."

Meaning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 N/A

Be gay do crime. I'd say I'm just kidding but this book pretty much says breaking into a prison for a bounty is okay if you and your friends really need the money.

Overall 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This book was great the first time and amazing the second time. It was well written, it was fast-paced, it was funny, it made me feel, it was all the things a good book should be. It's probably one of the best YA adventure books out there, and any adult would probably be able to read this and enjoy it. There's a reason it's so popular! I would recommend this book to people who enjoy heists, three-dimensional characters, and morbid humor.

The Author

Leigh Bardugo: 46, Israeli-American, Jewish, also wrote Shadow and Bone and Ninth House

The Reviewer

My name is Wonderose; I try to post a review every two weeks, and I take recommendations. Check out my about me post for more!

#books #reviews #six of crows #leigh bardugo #grishaverse #fantasy #ya

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awsugawara · 4 years

Text

bnha hcs with an artsy s/o [2/?]

part two of this series! i will continue with maybe 2 more sets of bnha characters, so if i don’t touch basis with one you really like, then don’t be afraid to send a request! i can also do pt. 2s or scenarios for these, if y’all want as well :)

note: your quirk will be the same all around, if implied you have one!

Quirk: AMBIENT ILLUSION - with a single touch of your hand or glance, you are able to make your opponent think that they’ve been taken to another “realm,” but in actuality their body movements mimic those in the illusion; it’s a quirk that can be used for good or for bad; your creativity isn’t limited, but the side effects are headaches, nausea, and sometimes insanity for a short period of time until your stamina runs out or unless someone knocks you out

Hero Name: Chiaroscuro or Chiasu [for short]- referring to the major contrast of light and dark in an image; in italian it is said to literally mean light-dark

enjoy :)

---

i. midoriya

> you both go way back to childhood years, but you moved away

> you two only reunited because you knew mirio and he told you about izuku

> “wait- does he have a broccoli like hair?”

> nevertheless, izuku was ecstatic to reunite with you and vise versa

> he noticed the subtle changes to your appearance, such as your choice of clothing

> you talked a lot about your newfound love for art and aesthetics, he found it cute

> he told you about all might and his new quirk becuz something seemed off about him

> being quirkless, you make the most of being kind to people all around the world and to those you meet

> that’s one of the qualities that izuku likes a lot about you

> he isn’t really there after moving to the dorms, so you try to make the effort to come see him and that’s how the rest of his friends met you

> he feels bad you’re always spending time alone, while he was training really hard

> as an artist, you do get insecure, so losing deku to his dream was kinda a harsh reality check and you needed to find another outlet

> you worked at a nearby art teacher at the night painting sessions and you loved it

> gaining better critiques and learning about different potential styles made you so much more confident

> when izu saw you after long grueling training for the provisional license exam, he saw you were glowing with confidence and he was convinced he was going to one day marry you

---

k. bakugo

> he keeps you a hidden secret from the rest of his nosy friends. PERIODT.

> katsu is kinda embarrassed to admit he has a BIG soft spot for your artsy self

> you work at an art store and one day kirishima and kaminari decided to grab some materials for an art project that aizawa assigned

> you happened to be there helping out a flirty kaminari and an enthusiastic kirishima

> he was just kinda there...staring at you and your cute HANDMADE grenade earrings

> “you good bakugo?” -kirishima asked when they left

> “tch whatever.”

> he was forced to go BACK THE NEXT DAY because he broke some of the markers when he was getting riled up

> he ACTUALLY made a compliment to your flame earrings that day and you wrote your number on the back of his receipt

> fast-forward, he takes the time to escape the dorms during the weekends to see you

> his mom LOVES you to DEATH

> she knows you’re the one and pesters baku about marrying you NOW

> neway, you’ve made cute little charms for your boom boom boi as good luck

> BONUS: you have matching charms that he keeps in a display case in his dorm room in his desk drawer

---

s. todoroki

> since he’s fairly quiet, he never really mentions you, except to his sister or izuku

> he collects the scrapbook pages you put together in a safe scrapbook

> for once, his dad is actually proud of his son’s gf and as he proclaims “his-future wife”

> your quirk is something that his dad practically fangirls about

> your family doesn’t really like the idea of quirk marriages just because they value trust and love

> shouto loves that and so he can be seen coming over often on the weekends

> he admires all the art pieces you draw in your sketchbook that you carry around for your quirk

> the more details you can memorize of a scene, the more the victim becomes more entranced

> he admires the fact that you like making art not only for your hero courses, but because you value making others happy with your gift

---

d. kaminari

> den asks himself how and why he ended up with such a cute and gifted girl

> you like making him small gifts and art pieces because it brightens his day

> but you attend seiai academy, which you extremely dread

> but when it comes down to it, you aren’t one to associate yourself with saiko intelli, just because she’s kind of in over herself with her fancy teas

> you spend a lot of time drawing and such that you never really socialize with the other girls

> you only attend seiai because you had gotten a recommendation from your old art teacher, and suddenly...you feel out of place

> all the girls in seiai seem to be snotty rich girls with nothing else better to do other than gossip and drink leaf juice

> denki tries to make you feel better after talking about his day and then asking about yours, which you respond to as “the same old lonely dorm room day”

> he feels really bad and tries to make you happy

> the day of the sports festival, he invited you to attend a week before since it was a really big deal coming from class 1-A

> you met his friends and eraserhead at the provisional license tournament, which you had finished pretty quickly, considering how you broke away from your peers and kinda just went for some unlucky chump

> eraserhead was impressed oop-

> anyway, when you saw their performance, you got literal chills and was pretty jealous of denki, you made some excuse to go home

> you ended up crying by yourself, but that crying sess ended when you found den at your dorm room, hugging the daylights out of you

> “i have a suggestion for you...how about you ditch these rich girls and come eat the rich with the rest of us at U.A.?”

---

f. tokoyami

> edgy boi + soft aesthetic s/o = b a l a n c e

> fumi isn’t one to outwardly express himself in the love dept, so how he ended up with you was simply being classmates

> being a transfer from shiketsu high school was probably the most nerve wrecking

> after everyone had gotten their provisional license, your dad came back from overseas and didn’t like that you weren’t at U.A., so...yea

> ANYWAY, fumi is soft edgy boi for you, and really admires your pieces

> he gives you ideas for some dark pieces that could help you spook more people

> fumi does little thoughtful things to help you through commission surges like bringing you flowers, snacks and dinner

> when you moved into the dorms, the rest of class 1-A had convinced you to let them into your room, which consisted of a lot of ORGANIZED art supplies and...PETS????

> apparently you had gotten permission from aizawa to bring some of your pets to the dorms, such as a cat, a puppy and a couple of birds

> “i couldn’t possibly come up with my pieces without having them”

> **cue cuteness overload**

> class 1-A didn’t pick up on your relationship with him and when they did, they were like......!!!!

> it was all thanks to your polaroid and printed photos of all your friends and some of your dates with fumi

---

e. kirishima

> you met during one of his patrols with fatgum and tamaki

> fatgum recognized you as you frequently came from seiai to visit, since fatgum was your relative

> kiri was curious about you since you go to seiai, an all girls academy

> fatgum had taken you along with his two interns to patrol and let me say kiri began simping after seeing you in action

> as a prep girl, you spend quite some time in the art room for your quirk

> having been prepared, it wasn’t any big deal to have you take down the bad guy within mere 15 minutes

> you were close with tamaki, but even closer with kiri

> at one point, you both started dating and you met his friends when you came from seiai to drop off some food you made for him

> “you go WHERE???” -denki

> lemme say that a lot of class 1-A was skeptical of you, but kiri convinced them that you meant no harm and was just visiting him

> “it’s okay, kiri! i’m sorry to intrude! i’ll be heading out now!”

> **cue dejected kiri for the rest of the week**

> his classmates felt bad seeing him in such a downer state, and apologized to him

> “nah, it’s okay...i was kinda hoping you guys would like her too and i’m sorry i’ve been down lately...so not manly.”

> but they learnt that kiri’s gf had been getting bullied for dating someone from U.A. and they had to go and make it worse

> “kirishima?” -mina

> “oh hey, what’s up?”

> “how’s s/o?” -denki

> “do you think that s/o would want to come to U.A.?” -midoriya blurted out

> mission: get s/o to attend U.A.

---

SORRY SOME OF THESE ARE LONG! I COULDN’T HELP MYSELF AOAFNOANF

#bnha x reader #mha x reader #midoriya x reader #bakugo x reader #kirishima x reader #tokoyami x reader #todoroki x reader #kaminari x reader #bnha headcannons #mha headcannons

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gascon-en-exil · 4 years

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I am replaying Blue Lions with the DLC and I just got his and Hapi's B-support. I was struck by Hapi explicitly identifying him with Patricia/ Anselma. Commenting that he reacted the same way his step-mom did to Hapi's plight. Patricia clearly influenced him a lot. I think that gets overlooked a bit. Also, playing the game a second time, it occurred to me that Dimitri was a bit female coded. Like a lot of his custom interactions would normally be seen coming from a female anime characters. IDK

Hapi saying he has some of Patricia’s mannerisms is confusing, admittedly. It’s hard to reconcile with Dimitri’s accounts of his stepmother as a distant woman who never allowed him to get too close to her. This indicates that Dimitri is ridiculously empathetic to pick up traits from someone who was never very intimate with him, or else this is another case of the writers not comparing notes. Given his character, I could accept either.

Even aside from that however you’re right that Dimitri is strongly feminine-coded. Part of that could just be retroactive association with the “girly” male lords of the past like Marth, Seliph, and Eliwood who contrast against more conventionally masculine ones like Hector, Ephraim, and Ike, but I think in his case it’s more deliberate. That contrasting dichotomy is most likely something that only Western and more specifically English-speaking fans bring to the games, firstly because it relies on Anglo (northern European?) conceptions of masculinity and secondly because those of us who’ve been following FE for a long time were conditioned to see that type of dynamic in the male leads via FE7 explicitly creating it with Eliwood and Hector.

And that doesn’t work for Three Houses, at least not in terms of two male leads who are foils to one another, even though many people were expecting it as soon as we found out about the lord trio setup. Claude is not a wholly original character type, but he’s the first time we’ve had someone in the vein of Jeorge or Lewyn as a lord (and if we’re making comparisons to the Blazing Sword lord trio Claude’s backstory is almost identical to Lyn’s.) and as such brings an entirely different style of characterization to the role of protagonist.

Instead Dimitri alone embodies both male lord archetypes, but in a much less superficial way than Chrom the blue-haired bishonen + biceps does. Dimitri loves his friends and relatives and relies on them for emotional support, he has no grand ambitions of conquest, he’s sensitive to his people’s needs and wants to take care of them as king, he’s fond of children and especially orphans, he is resolutely queer-coded...and yet all of that is superseded (in the story temporarily and by his critics in the fandom) by his “feral” state, in which he’s this gravely-voiced, superhuman murderer obsessed with revenge and cut off from everyone in his life who wants to help him. It’s easy to see both how much of that is the product of repeated and intense trauma and also how destructive it is, not just for Dimitri himself but for his loved ones and the Kingdom as a whole, and in that you read some commentary on toxic masculinity and on how the story of AM encourages growth away from that mentality toward one focused on love and forgiveness and community.

I find that very fascinating, and it’s a tragically unappreciated element of Dimitri’s arc and of AM. There’s so many other avenues to explore there too, like for example how it plays into his deeply intimate relationship with Dedue who is incidentally also scarred by wartime trauma and who balances a masculine physical presence with conventionally feminine hobbies. Another would be the contrast with Edelgard’s pronounced masculine coding, which is arguably at its strongest in AM because it’s the route that gives her the most focus as an antagonist and dilutes her character the least with the way her attraction to Byleth warps that coding for maximum self-insert romance appeal. I’ve used it myself to talk through my problems with Dimileth and why turning AM into La Belle et la Bête just doesn’t work for me and why I don’t think that approach is even necessary for getting the most out of Dimitri’s arc. Obviously I’m of the opinion that Dimitri is pretty much the best and most consistently-developed character in FE16 and that these diverse elements of his character deserve to be talked about more, because he’s a whole lot more than just a damaged man to “fix” and/or fuck and the “KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!” meme.

#Fire Emblem #FE16 #Fire Emblem Three Houses #Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

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popculturepsychology-blog · 5 years

Text

What disorder did Lindsay Bluth have?

(NOTE: Fictional Diagnosis delves into the minds of fictional characters. The diagnoses given are a way to learn more about psychological disorders and give an individual viewpoint of made-up people. The intention of these blogs is in no way to belittle or mock the severity and real consequences of these disorders, but to simply provide a unique way of learning about diagnostics and the DSM-5. People cannot truly be diagnosed unless they are working directly with a clinician. What follows is merely the opinion of a bored masters of psychology student who watches too much TV)

As self-centered as she is insecure, Lindsay Bluth Funke made us laugh along with the rest of her clueless family on Arrested Development. Her dramatic and selfish nature seems almost normal compared to the rest of the Bluth’s and can easily be played off as simple eccentricity seen among the rich. But as many of us in the mental health field know, “eccentric” is a term reserved for the wealthy frequently to cover up some genuine mental health concerns. As with everyone else I’ve discussed so far, Lindsay is a fictional character, but that doesn’t mean she does not fit some pretty clear criteria for a mental health disorder.

When diagnosing an individual we must always look at several factors. The first is to consider her symptoms. She is grandiose, dramatic, self-centered, easily annoyed, and rarely finishes projects, and seems to have low self-esteem despite her societal position (she is considered classically beautiful, but is wary flirting with men and has even said she “can’t even sell this” referring to herself) Once symptoms are discovered, they need to be evaluated. A good way to remember to do this is the abbreviation FIDO: Frequency (do you always have these symptoms, usually, or rarely?), Intensity (is it severe, mild or moderate?), Duration (do the symptoms last hours, days, or consistently?), and Onset (when did the symptoms start?).

These symptoms for Lindsay seem to be consistent. They are not episodic as she seems to always be this way. Though Lindsay does have moments of clarity, shame, and guilt, these feelings rarely last long and never lead to any monumental change. Her symptoms are fairly intense, with her self-centeredness going so far she frequently forgets the existence of her own daughter. The duration, going along with frequency, are consistent. And the onset is difficult to say, but we do know that she has acted this way throughout her adult life.

With this in mind it is likely Lindsay is experiencing a personality disorder. With personality disorders, episodes do not exist, the symptoms are ingrained in the person (though that does not mean they are untreatable or unworkable!). With the intensity of symptoms, their emotional nature, and the lack of psychopathic/aggressive tendencies, three potential disorders stick out: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), and Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD). BPD can be ruled out when you consider that this disorder is characterized by intense reactions to interpersonal relationships. Lindsay’s interest in other people is more strongly related to her need to be appreciated, not due to any real perceived connections, nor genuine fear of losing any. And though she can get emotional, she rarely really gets explosive during arguments or over insults (except for when it’s coming from Lucille).

The next disorder we can rule out here is NPD, the features of which are below, and five symptoms must be met:

Has a grandiose sense of self-importance.

Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love.

Believes that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with other special or high-status people (or institutions).

Requires excessive admiration.

Has a sense of entitlement.

Is interpersonally exploitative.

Lacks empathy.

Is often envious of others or believes others are envious of him or her.

Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes.

Though Lindsay clearly has enough symptoms to reach the criteria (except perhaps being interpersonally exploitative). However, much like with my previous example with Dennis Reynolds, there is a disorder that just fits better, and that is histrionic personality disorder. The criteria for these disorders are very similar, and like NPD at least five requirements must be met:

Is uncomfortable in situations where they are not the center of attention

Interaction with others often involves inappropriately sexual or provocative behavior

Displays rapidly shifting and shallow emotions

Uses physical appearance to draw attention to themselves

Has a style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacks detail

Shows self-dramatization, theatricality, and exaggerated expression of emotion

Is suggestable (easily influenced, gullible)

Considers relationships to be more than they are

It is easy to see how Lindsay falls into all of these. She loves to be the center of attention. Her visit to see her father in prison demonstrated that well, not to mention her inappropriately sexual behavior and using her physical appearance to draw attention to herself. With her constant change of “causes” she cares for we can see her being easily suggestable (pro-fur, anti-fur, pro-gun, anti-gun, etc.) When she discusses her passion for these causes she is excessively impressionistic and lacks detail. Lindsay frequently has rapidly changing emotions to situations, and neatly fits into the self-dramatization box. As for the final criterion, “considers relationships to be more than they are,” we need look no further than ICE the bounty hunter and their adventurous non-relationship.

With this all in mind, I feel comfortable in stating that Lindsay likely has histrionic personality disorder (301.50). As a final thought for those who may still think NPD fits well enough to be the true answer or even co-occurring, I wish to point out a key difference in these two disorders cited in the DSM. A characteristic found in NPD is a need to feel superior at all times, whereas those with HPD are comfortable appearing weak or damaged in order to maintain the attention upon them. Lindsay never attempts to show she is the greatest or most capable Bluth, her goal is to simply be seen and doted on at every opportunity regardless of the circumstance.

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dreadnought-dear-captain · 5 years

Text

You Asked, I Told

**Contains spoilers for Baghdad Waltz up to chapter 36 and the movie Soldier’s Girl (noted below); CW for some general discussion on the subject of writing about childhood sexual abuse**

Hello everyone!

I’m so sorry I’ve been so neglectful of my inbox and slow to answer Ao3 comments lately :( I have so, so many wonderful asks here, and I want to push out a few batches of answers in the next couple of weeks. I’m a little over 2/3 of the way through Chapter 37 of BW, which will probably be hovering around the 20k word count. But Bucky and Steve will be having their first therapy session! With Claire Temple! And it’s going to be… Well, it’s Bucky and Steve, so stay tuned.

You are too kind, and I’m actually bummed that BW has changed people’s enjoyment of other fics, because this is not the first time I’ve heard this, and it’s certainly not my intent. I’m glad you enjoy the minor characters here, because they have been very fun to create. I have loads of backstory that will never see the light of day, and I adore them so much. As to the second part, I’m reading this as your wondering a couple things: 1) perhaps questioning Steve’s level of devotion to Bucky (or just marveling at it, if this is a rhetorical question), and 2) perhaps also questioning Thor’s assessment that Bucky is the guy you fuck, not the guy you settle down with.

In terms of Steve’s love, some would say that Steve is clearly devoted because Bucky is a very hard person to be in a relationship with, and the fact that he’s still even around is a sign of his devotion. Others would say that he hasn’t done enough to show how much he loves him, that he should do more, because Bucky is suffering so much and needs a lot of support now. We all have our own interpretations of what “enough” is, and I see this a lot in the comments section of BW. I appreciate multiple perspectives on this, and I think we all come at this from our own experiences on one side or the other of relationships like this. I think readers tend to fall on the side of one character or the other, and the Bucky people might err on the side of believing that Steve is not doing enough (or doing the wrong things) and the Steve people might err on the side that Bucky, although clearly suffering, is not considering the ways in which Steve is devoted and the ways in which he hurts Steve. I love both of these characters and am not overly devoted to either, so I see both of their perspectives and aim to write from both sides.

As for Bucky being too “wild” and not being the kind you marry/settle with, I don’t know if we can really trust Thor’s assessment of this situation. He didn’t know Bucky for long, and the time he knew him was at a time when Bucky was pretty low in personal insight. Although Bucky has proven himself adept at committing to an arduous career and excelling greatly, Bucky still does struggle to commit in relationships. But to say that he’s “wild” could be a bit of a misnomer. Pan the camera one way, and he looks like a fun and wild party guy who loves to drink and fuck and has a charismatic, wild personality that is irresistible. Pan the camera the other way and you’ve got someone who’s desperately trying to manage his emotions with alcohol and sex and sometimes can’t, a guy who is essentially “wild and charismatic” because he has trouble with emotional and interpersonal regulation due an extensive history of trauma. As he works to uncover and confront his history, we will have to see how things unfold and whether he commits to engaging with care for himself after his rift with Scott.

I hope this addresses your Ask!

I have had a good deal of interaction with the military system in my life through various channels and have also done a LOT of research. For every military-heavy chapter, I look over a ton of regulations (even weapons manuals - fun!), talk to Army veteran friends and associates who are very generous with their time, watch documentaries, scour the internet for hours and hours and HOURS and just do… a lot. Which is part of why this fic is so slow to come out.

I just want to say thank you for this. I don’t know if this comment still holds for you, because I received it between chapters 35 and 36, but this is one of the things that I feel the absolute most anxiety about when I post this fic. The last thing I want to do is write anything that is going to be exploitative, especially since I know how many people in the general population have experienced childhood sexual abuse. I agonize over how much detail to include, because I don’t want to include unnecessary details just for shock value. However, I also don’t want to avoid the content if it’s part of the character’s internal experience. In chapter 36, for example, it was important for me to convey what it was like for Bucky to experience an intrusive memory of his abuse, because that is consistent with how I write the internal experiences of my characters. It’s part of my style and part of why people read BW, I think. To back away now because it contains this kind of content would be a disservice to the character and his experience, because this is important to his life and the person he’s become.

But I also don’t want it to just be an opportunity for readers to be like ohhhhh all the DETAILS WOWWW. So with everything that I write, I strive to think - what is the purpose of what I’m including? Is this consistent with the way a network of traumatic memories would operate? What’s the cue in the environment that would light this up? If the purpose is character development or plot progression, I can justify including the details. In chapter 36, for example, it was important for us to see that Bucky is allowing himself to remember his past, that it’s dysregulating him, which lead to his rift with Scott and his relapse. All character and plot points. But if it’s just for funsies or for some Jerry Springer-style reveal to shock the readers, or anything even close to that, I would try my hardest to screen for that. As for creating an arbitrary tragic backstory for some other character to heal, I can see how that would be a tempting thing to do for a writer. Although this is a part of Bucky’s history, and although there could be times when he feels like it defines him, challenging that may also be part of his journey. And I’m sure Steve would love if he could heal Bucky with the power of his love (or cock magic) alone. If only.

Thanks so much for this.

This is a good question. As you’ve seen, people certainly can have profound functional impairment when their symptoms come to a head, to the point where hospitalization is sometimes the best option. Bucky has made great strides in his recovery and has accumulated a lot of skills from AA and DBT that he didn’t have before, even with a meltdown and a relapse thrown in there. I know it’s sometimes really hard to see how far he’s come, but he’s traveled lightyears from overdosing at the Holiday Inn on Long Island.

That being said, this reaction isn’t extremely promising, given the implication that these are just the first real burbles of his traumatic past rising to the surface. I’d say a few things could happen as more of this starts to emerge.

1) He could do as you say, decompensate, have a lot of trouble functioning in his daily life, maybe go into some sort of partial hospitalization or inpatient hospitalization. This option would allow him to be in a controlled environment, the kind of place where he might be able to manage this stuff without other demands getting in the way.

2) He could rely very heavily on coping skills and social supports to manage this stuff as it comes up, and maybe it doesn’t overtake him completely. This would be extremely challenging because it would require him to reach out for help and accept it.

3) He could find some way to stop this process altogether by resuming drinking or some other maladaptive coping behavior. This would be very tempting for him, especially as things get exponentially more difficult.

Importantly, Bucky is still the same person as he was before, in terms of the primary effects his traumatic history has had on his life. What’s really in question here is his ability to face his memories and the truth of his own experience, which he can’t run from anymore because his old compartmentalization and avoidance strategies are falling apart. I think a lot will depend on whether he continues to make himself an island or whether he lets others close to him to support and assist him in this process. So much of the latter depends on trust and his sense of personal and emotional safety, which have been deeply shaken by his experiences. This makes everything so much more challenging. We’ll have to see how it all unfolds!

Thanks for the Ask!

**CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE**

UGH. Okay, I rented this DVD from Netflix when I got this Ask, because I thought, hey, why not… and then it sat on my shelf unwatched for about seven weeks. Netflix probably thought I just kept it. Obviously I have a pretty thick skin, given the shit I write about, but I was dreading watching it. The sleeve gives the plot away, so I knew what was coming, but God, kill me.

I died over a lot of the military inaccuracies, but it’s a TV movie, so it kind of gets a pass I guess. And it took place at Fort Campbell, Bucky’s least favorite place on Earth! This movie is also a creature of its time, which was fascinating in itself - a cis man playing a trans woman (megasigh, although admirably well), the commentary after from people on an active DADT policy still in effect, which was incredible. It seems so ridiculous to me now that it was ever in effect, especially when I recall the arguments against allowing open service for LGBQ folks (“but they’ll look at my butt in the showers!!”), and I wonder what kind of world we would have if Bill Clinton had gotten his way when he was elected and didn’t have to compromise with DADT.

It was very interesting to hear Barry’s sexuality being questioned so much because he was in love with a trans woman. The film makers talked about him “discovering something about his sexuality” because he was in this sexual relationship with her — like what? There was a lot of implication throughout the film and special features that trans women aren’t real women. And perhaps some of this stuff speaks to some level of sexual flexibility that might be present in someone who’s happy to give oral sex to a woman with a penis etc., so okay, I can buy that perhaps. But a small amount of flexibility is not necessary sexual confusion or radical sexual discovery, and it’s certainly not gayness or a sign that he’s not straight (though he may have been somewhere else on the sexuality spectrum, but that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with having romantic/sexual feelings for a trans woman). But there was an odd cissexist/transphobic thread that ran through the whole film, even though the actors and production team were clearly very enthusiastic about the story and sensitive to the characters. And Barry’s mother was straight up like “maybe they were just friends, who knows.” [sigh] I dunno.

But to the point of what actually happened to Barry - God. That was rough. It reminds me of kids who are bullied for being gay perhaps because they’re not masculine enough, etc. and end up killing themselves, even though they’re not gay. His death was brutal and shocking and horrible, and it gave me kind of a “Boys Don’t Cry” feel for me, but in reverse? If that makes any sense. The way he was ostracized by his peers made me sad, especially when he was working so hard to integrate into his unit, and it reminded me of all of the people who were victims of the witch hunts prior to DADT and even after, how lonely that must have been, how devastating to one’s career and connections to their military family. It’s one of the reasons Bucky tried so hard to appear either extremely occupied or extremely straight. But overall, I thought the movie did a good job of making this a love story and not fetishizing Calpernia’s trans-ness, and I thought it was pretty balanced and nuanced for a 2003 movie trying to tackle this subject matter. I’m glad I watched this, even though the end was awful. I think I left feeling kind of good about the love story, imperfectly told as it was.

Thanks for the rec!

**END SPOILERS**

Oh god, I am so bad about Tumblr and everything else. I’m sorry for being so bad at all the tasks of maintaining a presence on social media etc. and yeah. I feel bad about it. I’m basically a social media renunciate in my personal life (my job is YOU NEED A LINKEDIN and I am cry), so it’s really not a habit in my fandom life. Thank you for your support (and the EG dig <3), and I’ll keep plugging away!

Please, please no worries!! I didn’t take it like that. I just want people to know that I’m working really hard and would get these out to you so much faster if I could. I know you’re all waiting and I wish I could deliver faster, but alas, adulthood. And I want these chapters to be as good as I can make them and sometimes writing is just really fucking hard, especially when your characters are falling apart. I do love them and telling this story and sharing it with all of you, so thank you for being awesome <3

I will have more “You Asked” soon! Thank you so much for dropping me these messages. I am thrilled to get them, and I promise I will get to them all.

#you asked #asks #send me asks

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paperclipninja · 5 years

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Younger post-ep ramble 6x09

After the very public outing of Liza’s real age last week, it was no surprise that this week’s Younger episode, ‘Millennial’s Next Top Model’, was all about the fallout. In true Younger style we were treated to some unexpected twists and turns, saw Kelsey take control at work and in her personal life and welcomed back my #1 mega-villain who I hate-love fiercely, Quinn Tyler. This ep was written by Grant Sloss, who is responsible for a number of my favourite episodes and lot of my fave moments in the series and one thing I am always blown away by is his ability to craft character interactions in which the sentiment and emotion are really palpable (plus the one-liners are always top of the game) and we certainly saw a number of those this week. Even though Liza is 100% responsible for the position she now finds herself in, my heart went out to her this whole episode and Kelsey, Charles and Diana’s show of solidarity right from the get-go pretty much sums up everything I love about this show.

I need to say upfront that while I know this episode is all about Liza, it is hands down my favourite episode of Kelsey’s in the series. In a time of real pressure and stress, we see Kelsey step up in the role of publisher, starting with the damage control team meeting in her office. I have big feelings about this opening moment, in which Diana proves why she is an actual Queen who rises above past grievances and now offers unwavering support of Liza while continuing to have zero time for Zane’s bullshit (the ‘well mercifully they have a paywall now’ to Zane’s New York Magazine tidbit was all of the yes). We learn of the deal with Infinitely 21 (was it just me or did anyone else get heart flutters at the thought of Kelsey, Diana and Liza being their brilliant selves and brokering that arrangement? Just me? Cool) and I have spoken of my love for the way this show parodies real life things but this might take the cake. Alexa, what are synonyms for ‘forever’? I just adore that it is very clear that Kelsey is in charge and that Charles and Diana are offering up potential solutions (Diana’s ‘rest her a bit’ is so in character I cannot. Between that and Charles’ thoroughbred thighs from season 4 I fully expect her to have a couple of horses upstate somewhere called Charles and Liza by the end of this series), meanwhile Zane clearly still hasn’t caught on to the fact that these three are not going to throw Liza under a bus.

Enter Liza as he’s ending his tirade about her poisoning the company (and lbh, what he is saying isn’t actually ridiculous from a business p.o.v but he’s talking about the best friend, girlfriend and (old) maid of honour of the people in the room) and it’s awkward af and pretty awful and I want to climb through my screen, wrap Liza in a blanket and tell her it’s all going to be ok. Zane’s extreme over-estimation of his importance in Liza’s life continues when he tells her that what he’s saying can’t be personal because ‘I don’t know who you are’ (worth it for Charles’ ‘Zane’ reprimand though amirite) and as I said after last week’s episode, I can’t even count on one hand the number of interactions Zane and Liza have had so yes Zane, that is accurate and nothing to do with her age reveal. At least once he discovered that Kelsey has known about the lie he FINALLY has a reason to be hurt (maybe? Still a little fuzzy on this one) and look Zane saying they’re all insane might be somewhat accurate but everyone in that room loves Liza and I love all of them so I felt personally attacked tbh.

Keeping with the stellar guest star casting this season, Shelly Rozansky (played by Annaleigh Ashford) is every kind of irritating as brand rep of Infinitely 21. Kelsey and Liza’s meeting with her, in which Shelly explains that 'the tea’ is that their authentic brand cannot be associated with Millennial’s inauthentic one (I love the moral high ground re: brand but I’m pretty sure Millennial doesn’t have factory workers making less than a living wage so…) and this very real ramification of Liza’s lie paves the way for one of Liza’s best moments on the show to date.

Taking that tea of Shelly’s and throwing it in her face, Liza’s monologue that 'everyone is pretending to be younger’ reaches it’s climax with the zinger, 'Millennial is not an age, it’s an attitude and if you can’t sell that, we’ll go somewhere else’, and Kelsey’s look of pride, same girl SAME. One thing I have commented on in the past is that as a '26 year old’ Liza rarely, if ever, really stood up for herself. The few times we’ve seen her do so have been as the forty year old who takes no crap from anyone (David, Charles, Don) so I am here times a million for strong ass Liza to finally shed that guilt, know her worth and be able to show this side of herself now that the lie is no longer in play (I feel like Diana will dig this very much).

Turns out Shelly was quite into Liza’s feisty outburst too ('what you screamed at me today, justifiably, we’re still friends promise…it resonated’ = award winning line/delivery combo), as she calls to let Liza know they’re going to unfreeze the partnership and asks Liza to be the face (and legs) of Infinitely 21’s Spring campaign. This phone call takes place in a very delicious looking cupcake shop where Liza and Charles are playing cards with his daughters in an all round delightful family situation that gives us a glimpse of the Miller-Brooks dynamic and makes the point that after a pretty terrible day, Liza is grateful to have this in her life to counter all the drama. I am also pleased to see that Bianca and Nicole have been located (meanwhile Caitlin, Beth and all of Josh’s friends remain stuck in the Upside Down or have become bunker people or something equally ominous I fear).

I am very into a number of aspects of this entire scene: a) Charles eating candy just up and gets me for some reason. I don’t know why, I can’t explain it, but it’s akin to seeing him walking round barefoot, it confuses my brain but I’m pretty sure I like it; b) Bianca is clearly the fave child with her cute little, 'I won’t take your last bag of candy Liza’ (lol at Charles’ 'wow’ when Liza offers that up for the taking btw, he knows that’s a serious gamble) though I was 100% Nicole as a kid; c) those kids are so not sleeping after all that sugar so I hope they’re staying at Pauline’s, while Charles’ dad game is strong with the breakfast cupcakes and; d) Charles kissing Liza on the cheek as she takes Shelly’s call is so damn sweet (pun intended) and supportive and I love that Liza suggesting he go stand with the girls in case she starts crying again indicates she has been an open mess around him. It’s writing like this that I really appreciate when there is so much to fit into an episode, because it provides insight into the kind of relationship Liza and Charles have when there simply isn’t time to show it.

While Liza is drowning her sorrows in candy and cupcakes, Maggie is at the brilliantly cringy art exhibit, 'Masculinity Detox: A Softer Male Gaze’. Look I have to be honest, I was really happy to see Oded Fehr because he can play a skeeze with charm like no other, but I don’t know how I feel about this entire plot. I can only comment on it from a straight perspective, so I am aware that I’m not really in a position to express an opinion in relation to the impact of showing a gay character thinking it’s a good idea to sample a penis every ten years or so, but I certainly feel like it’s problematic. In relation to this character though, it is consistent with Maggie sleeping with Tommy Minetti (and his sister Tammy) as a result of Berlin’s 'Take my Breath Away’ (I don’t know why I remember that, I can’t remember what month it is yet this stuff is right there) and there is no denying that there were actual sparks between Maggie and Rafael in the loft, the palpable chemistry that Grant Sloss’ eps seem to draw out on full display.

Another dimension of Maggie that I love seeing emerge in this ep is that while she is usually a total badass in absolute control, every now and then we see that her judgement of character is just way off. There was Montana, those weirdo art collectors who actually collect artists and now this guy. I love that there’s a side of her that gets a bit blinded by flattery so she thinks 'what the hell?’ and the inevitable 'oh I CAN-NOT with this bullshit’ that follows, usually very publicly - Exhibit A: Maggie countering dirtbag Rafael’s, 'I’ll change you mind, I’m a flipper’ with a literal flip of the restaurant table once she realises she was simply another conquest. She seems so unflappable that these reminders that she’s fallible (I legit sometimes forget she’s not an actual super hero) are really great and maintains the 'flawed human’ aspect this show does so well. Honestly, other than Liza in a full tracksuit (sweat clothes?? I don’t know what it is in American but that cute pink sweat top and sweatpants combo) thinking they were being robbed and very confused by what had happened (so were we all lbh and Kinsey 9 LOL), it was Maggie equating sex with a man to being suffocated by a damp rug that was the highlight of this entire storyline for me. So damn funny.

Diana continues to have Liza’s back as she heads to the photo-shoot to steer her away from anything pleather (I may need a spin off of these two or some kind of one off special episode that’s just an elaborate Diana/Liza adventure, maybe rescuing Caitlin and co. from the bunker??), but not before we catch Kelsey still slaying it as a boss as she leaves a voicemail for the increasingly petulant Zane. Hearing her so firm and sure of herself is brilliant and the friendship vibe between Diana and Kelsey is peaking and I am loving every bit of it. I am so glad we heard Diana asking Kelsey how she took the lie, while Diana was able to forgive and move forward it would have been strange if we didn’t see her still processing some of it this week. Plus it’s Diana who points out that Zane’s tantrum is not because Liza is who he is upset with (and THANK YOU Kelsey for pointing out that Liza and Zane hardly know each other).

Rather than letting the whole Zane thing fester away, Kelsey continues to impressively show initiative by going to Zane’s and offering to cook dinner (which Zane knows is a lol and it’s not long before he’s cooking, so well played Kels) to give him the opportunity to ask anything he wants and she will answer honestly. Once a proper explanation of why Liza lied and why Kelsey kept it from him is given, Zane suddenly reverts back to being a rational human being which is a relief because he was fast becoming the worst (though his comment that they were all bad liars, what now?? Yes they be cray but their lying game is strong friend). I am not particularly invested in Kelsey and Zane as a pairing but I always appreciate good storytelling and writing, and revisiting the fact Zane told her he loved her in past tense was an example of both of these. In order for any kind of relationship between these two to progress believably this needed to be addressed and hearing Kelsey call Zane out on his shitty and manipulative behaviour was great, but even greater was seeing Kelsey drop her guard.

Opening up about being mad at herself too and that maybe if they were both more open about their feelings they wouldn’t have wasted so much time denying how they really felt; that she felt, no, feels, the same way, present tense; the resetting of the timer so she can finish what she was going to say instead of taking the option of backing out; the honest conversation…you know what all this is? Growth. Kelsey Lorraine Peters, I am just so damn proud of you because I am the first to admit that I was not sure this character could be redeemed for me after last season but here we are. The emotion for this whole scene, you could feel it and Zane’s, 'oh that timer was for food’ was fab, before he just casually drops in, ’ I love you, but stay out of my kitchen’. OK. Smitten mode activated.

Meanwhile, Diana is no doubt enjoying Shelly’s disbelief that she and Liza are almost the same age about as much as a root canal and Lauren appears with a 'bowflex for your face’ to combat the 5 o'clock jowls. Side note: Lauren and Liza really need to have a convo asap because I definitely feel like Lauren is not ok with the lie since it’s been revealed. Scene of the ep goes to Charles walking into the trailer (with flowers for Liza *swoon*) while Diana is flapping that contraption, before he slowly backs away and I tell you, I was howling so hard I almost ruptured something. Liza’s hideous romper/scooter combo is just no on many levels, she clearly feels super unnatural and the photographer snapping Charles and Liza, who are not expecting to be photographed while her being made up to look so young obviously makes them look very far apart in age and a bit awks means that yes, the daddy/daughter dance vibe is strong, though that line made me vom in my mouth a little bit.

Between shoots our extremely excellent villain Quinn pays Liza a visit to show her support and her well-polling glasses. Her real talk that the good news about the publishing reaction to Liza’s lie is that 'eight blocks outside of midtown, nobody cares’, is what we were all thinking and is def to be filed under 'G’ for Gold. So naturally Quinn drags her into a completely self-serving NY1 interview (bless Liza for thinking they wanted to interview her) and I freaking love Quinn, she’s such a delicious character coz she’s awful and funny and pretty and a total smart ass. I stan.

Before we jump to the second part of the photo-shoot I have to say that the very obvious ploy to try and juxtapose Liza’s relationships with Charles and Josh felt like it was trying too hard and was mostly disappointing to me because it felt so forced. I want to be very clear that it has nothing to do with who I like Liza with romantically, it would have felt contrived regardless and was the only aspect of the episode that I felt could have been crafted with a little more nuance. Or maybe that was the point? Perhaps the obviousness was part of the humour of it *shrug emoji*

Either way, Liza is looking pretty exhausted when Josh turns up at the bar photo-shoot for reasons (whose name I am betting is Lauren Heller because there is no way he would just turn up and it is 100% in her wheelhouse to send him along after seeing the expressions on her face at the earlier shoot. I feel like this will def come out at some point and that really this whole shoot is serving to bring about stuff in future eps) and he doesn’t get to explain why he is there because he’s teasing Liza about being a model and I really do love their banter. Shelly has no idea what’s happening but she likes it and is thirsting pretty hard as she shakes his hand and I enjoyed hearing Liza talk about Josh as patient zero, her 'would you correct him?’ as she squeezed his cheeks made me smile. I know there have been a LOT of feelings about this scene expressed on social media, but I found the reminiscing, as Josh talked about how when he first met Liza he thought she was smart and sexy and he wanted to keep talking to her, really sweet (and quickly countered by his joking about being really drunk and it being dark).

I actually love this dynamic so much and if this show had moved these two properly into the friendzone I would be celebrating this as a pin-up example of how to show romantic-platonic relationship transition. I still may, because at this stage there is nothing to indicate that Liza is anything but committed to Charles and Josh gave no impression of pining for her IMO, but as an experienced TV connoisseur (aka obsessive tv show watcher) I am not naive enough to think that this interaction mightn’t be setting in motion a resurgence of the triangle. By the same token, I do not see any triangle in play at the moment and one thing this show does excel at is surprising us, so time will tell, but I am going to keep my faith in the writers to tell good, compelling stories that stay true to all the excellent characters and narratives they have in front of them, as they have done up until now.

While Liza’s colleagues aren’t going to throw her under a bus, Quinn is not only more than happy to, I’m pretty sure she’d drive the bus herself if it served her own self interest. Quinn saying that she found out about Liza’s lie the week before in The New Yorker article, ooomph, did you feel that? It was the wind being knocked out of all of us, along with poor Liza, as Quinn counters Liza’s suggestion that she knew the truth before she invested on live TV. It was evident fairly quickly that Quinn was using the interview as a campaign platform and Liza’s expression as Quinn betrays her so publicly is yet another credit to Sutton Foster’s incredible talent.

My Kelsey love was brought home this week when she met Quinn following the NY1 interview. She is unrelenting in her backing of Liza and unwavering in her stance to Quinn when she is asks her to fire Liza. From the moment she arrives Kelsey is so kick ass, she sees every one of Quinn’s attempts to bully her into getting what she wants and Kelsey’s, 'please don’t minimise the strength I bring to this meeting’ was such a hell yes moment. There is something so satisfying about seeing Quinn in a position where she needs something from Kelsey and Kelsey standing so firm. Kelsey’s 'are we done here?’ before walking away was such a power move and the transition into her own office the next day, with Charles reassuring her that she did the right thing, was wonderful. Seeing these two as equals, talking business with a bit of a mentor/mentee dynamic is a dream. It was on my season 6 wish list and I can’t wait to see more of it.

It is upon discovering that Audrey Colbert’s manuscript delivery cheque bounced and that Diana just heard one of the Jennifer’s, the sloppy one from publicity (this line, I swear and also I need to meet her), say her direct deposit didn’t go through that we discover Quinn has thrown the ultimate tantrum and pulled her funding and Mercurennial is broke.

Poor Liza feels that it’s all her fault, I’m sure partly because of the way her colleagues turn and look at her when she walks in the office and partly because it is, but Charles continues to play the role of ultimate supportive partner as they stroll down the street after work, pointing out that Liza attracted Quinn to the company in the first place (and we ALL know it was not the company she was attracted to). I am simple folk and Charles saying he’s spoken for as he put his arm around her made me melt into a puddle and if anyone is feeling concerned about Liza’s level of besotted, watch this final scene as Charles reassures her that, 'you know what’s great about the worst thing happening? There’s no place to go but up. Only good things ahead’. I may have actually died from the sweetness of the entire thing and Liza does exactly what any self respecting person would in that situation and kisses him before they walk off hand in hand. To live happily ever after…jokes LOL I mean it’s television and it turns out Infinitely 21 has the most efficient marketing team on the planet because their campaign is launched and whattya know, it looks as though Liza and her ex will be plastered all over the city.

File under 'O’ for OF COURSE.

#youngertv #younger tv #ramble #review #younger season 6 #6x09 #liza miller #charles brooks #diana trout #kelsey peters #team charles #tv

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imagine-lumpygrab · 4 years

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For the fanfic ask meme... C, D, H L, M, Q, and U

@charliecharlo I keep procrastinating when replying pls don’t kill meh

C: What character do you identify with most?

Of those in my fics? Welp, if I had to only choose from my AT writing then there’s not much choice there. After giving it some thought I decided that I – surprisingly – don’t identify with Lemongrab all that much. The lemonboy has got some trauma I have never experienced and, unlike me, is currently in the process of getting his life together and has a girlfriend. So I think – and it’s equally surprising – that I identify with LSP the most. She didn’t really have that much of a reason to run away from her parents but because she’s impulsive (like I tend to be) she did it anyways. It reminds me of how I started going camping with this scouting club. Going on my first three-week camping trip was like a punch to the guts, and so must’ve been living in Ooo, sleeping in a forest, making herself shelter, (not) getting along with other creatures... But she rarely loses her confidence in front of others. She doesn’t allow herself to give up, partly because she wants to show off, and I get that. Because despite genuinely wanting to be a best me I can possible be, there’s a small bit of me that wants the approval of others, and LSP yearns for this approval too.

Also, she loves Lemongrab and supports him with her heart and soul and I definitely identify with that sentiment :D

D: Is there a song or a playlist to associate with “Pretty, pretty lemonman” and “Will everybody please give him a little bit of space”?

Y’know it’s a weird coincidence, but when I started writing my AT fanfics, I started writing down songs that the reader could potentially listen to? I guess? And I never did that before, so it’s funny that I’m answering it here.

I don’t have a specific playlist I could provide a link to, at least not yet. BUT my main inspiration and mood setting music is made by Cavetown, who for example made a song named “Lemonboy,” I mean, what a coincidence! I think if no other, their songs “So Much” and “Meteor shower” should definitely be on any potential Lumpygrab/Lemongrab/Adventure Time related playlists. But almost all of their songs really fit the bittersweet aesthetic most Lemongrab-related fanart possesses.

H: How would you describe your style?

Most of the time it’s all hugs, softness, occasionally wings and/or dancing. Very rarely nightmares, stress-talking and endless tears, and also hugs.

My style consists of everyone being happy, although sometimes they have to suffer first. It’s great because if you’re a reader who likes angst with happy endings, my angst is almost guaranteed to always end well :)

L: What's the weirdest AU you've ever come up with?

Well, you reminded me that we’ve come up with what we call the “David Černý AU” where everything is the same except the Czech artist David Černý is Lemongrab’s architect. He builds cars with four legs, buses with muscular arms, and giant babies with barcodes for faces. In our reality they’re all statues. In his reality? They become cryptids or normal Ooo citizens :D

That means when he builds Lemongrab’s castle it’s frickin magnificent.

This is, however, more @charliecharlo’s AU than mine, honestly, I just provided photos :D

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you'd care to share?

I am... still working on “Battle over the planet Lemongrab,” and developing that world. Because of surprising demand on Charlie’s Discord server, I’m also considering adding more chapters to my High School AU, but I don’t know about that yet. I’m always open to prompts so if you got them then throw them at me!

There’s two AU one-shots I’m trying to focus on, but I won’t specify what those are about just yet.

Q: Do you have any discarded scenes/storylines/projects?

Not really, no. I know I’ve said it many times, but I don’t have that many AT fics and even though I haven’t worked on some of them for months, I’m not considering them discarded just yet. Just... works in progress. Forever and ever.

U: A pairing you might like to write for, but haven't tried yet.

Well, if I’m being honest, I’m considering writing a self-insert with Breakfast Princess? Just because she’s adorably tsundere and I wanna make her a better person. But I haven’t written self-insert since I was like twelve so I still don’t know if I wanna do that.

Thanks for asking!

~Secret~

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cromulentbookreview · 5 years

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All Snake-Fascinated

“There was one time when we were children, he... he transformed himself into a snake, and he knows that I love snakes. So I went to pick up the snake to admire it, and he transformed back into himself and he was like, "Mblergh, it's me!" And he stabbed me. We were eight....at the time.”

Or: LOKI: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee!

I will have to admit to some difficulty writing an unbiased review of this book. Not that I normally try to be unbiased here – I mean, nobody reads this and I don’t care, I just like talking about books. But, still, with this particular book, the bias is pretty damn strong. OK, so I am a huge fan of Mackenzi Lee. I may have mentioned that here before. Because I am a shameless fangirl who very much enjoys her writing style, I will pretty much read anything Mackenzi Lee writes. And, as someone whose general philosophy towards Marvel Movies is “shut up and take my money,” when I heard Mackenzi Lee was going to be writing a YA novel about Loki…yeah I’m pretty sure I may have broken the sound barrier. It doesn’t help that my favorite Marvel movie of all time is Thor: Ragnarok (honestly, Taika Waititi should have directed all the Marvel movies. All of them). It also doesn’t help that I like the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Loki. Also not helping re: my ability to write an objective review of this book is the fact that Tom Hiddleston is extremely attractive.

I may have lost a bit of respect for him as a person re: the Great HiddleSwift PR Stunt, but…damn he’s hot.

He can enter into a PR romance with me any day. I mean, come on:

Right?

So we’ve got the perfect storm of things that I like – an author I enjoy, a fandom in which I’ve been thoroughly entrenched since Iron Man came out in 2008, a gorgeous Englishman portraying a popular, fan-favorite character…Yeah, this is going to be tough. This review really could just be a bunch of nonsense punctuated by Tom Hiddleston gifs.

Wait. Nope. That’s exactly what it is. Damn it.

And I wonder why I’ve failed at being a real writer. Well, that and laziness and a clinically poor attention span. Oh well. That’s what Tumblr is for. I assume. Tumblr! For when you’ve failed at pretty much everything else.

Anyway: LOKI: Where Mischief Lies!

Since this is a young adult novel, we get to deal with adolescent versions of Loki and Thor, which is a pretty long time ago considering that they’re gods and they age very, very slowly. Either way, teen Loki has a best friend/partner in crime named Amora (I see what you did there, Ms. Lee, don’t think I didn’t see what you did just there). Amora is a sorceress in training, and she’s been secretly helping Loki learn magic. Asgardians aren’t big on their princes being sorcerers - they’d rather their princes be golden boy warriors with huge muscles and blonde hair. You know, like Thor. Poor Loki, eternally trapped in Thor’s shadow.

Things get worse when, at the feast of Gullveig, Odin looks into the Godseye Mirror, which is this a supercool mirror that can show the future. The Godseye Mirror just shows general warnings about Asgard’s enemies and Odin then shares what he sees and tells everyone how they will triumph. You know, the things you do with a future-telling mirror. However, at tonight’s feast, what Odin sees in the Godseye Mirror is so terrible he refuses to speak about it publicly. Loki and Thor, eavesdropping on Odin and his council, learn that the prophecy Odin saw had to do with Loki doing something terrible. Gasp! Of course Loki has to know more. So he and Amora sneak into the vault to try and look into the Godseye Mirror themselves.

Except they accidentally break it.

Whoops!

Amora takes the fall for the whole scheme, and, as a result, she’s permanently exiled to Midgard, where she will live the rest of her life without magic. Loki is bereft at the loss of his friend, but Frigga, being the best mom ever, takes over Loki’s magical training, Asgardian prince-standards be damned.

An undetermined amount of time goes by (again, immortal beings, time doesn’t really have much meaning with them) with Loki still, STILL, living stuck in Thor’s shadow. Everybody loves Thor - Thor seems to be able to effortlessly do everything right, while Loki is always having to prove himself. Even when Loki follows all the rules and does everything right, he still manages to fall short of Thor. Plus, there’s still that vague Godseye Mirror prophecy hanging over his head...

When the Norn Stones - the most powerful magic amplifiers in the whole of the Nine Realms - are stolen, Odin tasks Thor with looking for them. It’s a pretty plum assignment, the sort of thing you’d ask a future King to do. Loki, on the other hand, is punted off to Midgard to help some dumb humans. Not a very kingly assignment, but still, Loki has to do it. He arrives in 19th century London to help the SHARP Society investigate a string of murders that appear to have links to Asgardian magic. Unfortunately, the SHARP society isn’t exactly your 19th century version of SHIELD - the whole society consists of Mrs. S, the elderly widow of the society’s founder, Theo, an engineer with a badly damaged leg, and Gem, a cop who has to keep his association with the society secret or else he’ll lose his job.

The indignities Loki must put up with just keep getting worse and worse, but still - if he wants to actually impress Odin, he has to complete this assignment. But humans are just the absolute worst. Only, Theo might not be so bad...

As a Marvel Fangirl, I absolutely loved Loki: Where Mischief Lies because of course I did. I do have a few complaints, though: at times the plot moves a little too slowly, and some of the characters, especially those of the SHARP society, seem a little underdeveloped. I wanted more scenes between Theo and Loki, more time for them to develop a rapport. Honestly, I just wanted more in general. This book could’ve been 800 pages and I would’ve been happy to read it. I mean, it’s Loki gallivanting around 19th Century London solving crimes. If you’re a fan MCU’s Loki, then you’ll love the book. If you’re a very serious book reviewer who doesn’t read books for fun, then, well, you might have a tough time of it.

Still, who knows - the copy I read is an ARC, meaning the text is unfinished. There’s bound to be some changes made to the copy between now and the September release date, so perhaps all my complaining about pacing and underdeveloped characters will be rendered moot. We shall see. In the mean time, 19th Century London + Loki = one very happy fangirl.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Marvel fans, Loki/Tom Hiddleston fans, anyone who enjoys a fun blend of YA Fantasy and Historical Fiction, anyone who can just picture Loki running around 19th century London in a stylish waistcoat...

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: DC Fans, comic purists, people who dislike Thor and Loki for some reason,

RELEASE DATE: September 3, 2019

RATING: 4/5

TOTALLY UNBIASED FANGIRL RATING: 500,000,000,000,000,000,000/5

THOR RATING:

LOKI RATING:

RATING FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN’T GET THE TITLE REFERENCE:

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homestucky · 5 years

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ok ok this is like not anything new but still since i havent been on here i havent fully ranted about this yet. big long rant incoming

re the epilogue (spoilers etc)

ok. i have onl y read meat. but fucking? dirk? dirk? ok? dirk??

no.

i am aware of what happens in candy. i know he dies.

i also know in the version i read, in meat, he becomes his ultimate self, all versions of dirk. as many people have said, this includes AR, this includes bro, this includes even to some degree, LE. its an interesting idea ill give you that. but its also.... shitty and not backed enough by well, anything?

so heres my personal rant about the shitty things in Meat.

when i first finished it i couldnt help but think. was the dirk narrative even necessary? on the one hand it was meant to be the MAIN PLOT and it defined the narration etc, but.... it honestly didnt seem to have any importance. i know it was likely a set up to imply future stuff like making the next sburb or whatever but like

who CARES? why on earth would that be interesting or important? maybe im crazy but like, the ‘b plot’ which was mostly about character relationships and jobs in earth c, was compelling and enjoyable. the narrative with john ‘not important and not the main character anymore’ egbert had details and conclusions ACTUALLY RELATING TO HOMESTUCK, THE COMIC I LIKE AND WANTED TO READ AN EPILOGUE FOR. it was tragic and frankly very upsetting! im not saying i liked it!! but the tragedy felt compelling and significant.

i appreciate that dirk as narrator IS BIASED so him saying that these narratives are less important is inherently like. not to be trusted but. just. i cant help but feel like you could have cut the whole ‘main dirk reality affecting’ narrative OUT

and that seems to me maybe like... not good? if such a central part of your narrative has almost no bearing on homestuck or anything anyone cares about?

but im sure there are other people who found it compelling and necessary. thats fair. cant relate but you do you. there are other issues.

me saying that the dirk narrative felt weirdly isolated and insignificant sounds pretty weird given that it put jade into a coma, manipulated kanayas mind, effectively killed rose and destroyed rosemary right? WELL that brings me on to the next thing. people have noted that meat barely passes the bechdel test. and hey, sometimes things like that can just be a coincidence or unlucky. but the repeated erasure of the female characters minds, motives, identities and autonomy was???? a little too consistent to dismiss. like ok terezi was still her dope self in a lot of ways. jane kinda did some stuff (under dirks direction, and only shitty stuff but . whatever).

(sidebar: ofc it doesnt make sense to talk about calliope and roxy in the context of the female characters in Meat but either way they were very in the background. like cool an all, and i always love roxy. and i respect they were mostly just minding their own businesses??? which is fair)

i just. urgh. homestuck has such a genuinely good track record of giving female characters genuine motivations and powerful abilities etc. the fact that almost ALL the female characters involved were working for or manipulated by DIRK. DIRK of all people. is like... is this even based off the real comic? idgi????

roses loss of autonomy.... rose is such an important character. and she goes along with everything dirk says because dirk is suddenly all OP and ‘theyre basically the same person anyway’ like i get that there was some magic bullshit going on or whatever but at the end of the day rose was still written as weak and passive. dirk as strong and skilled and decisive. i get the undertones.. hes a prince of heart. a destroyer of souls, and identities. he messed with kanayas identity , destroyed roses, repeatedly ignored roxys and calliopes, and god i wont even get started on jake yet. but that doesnt make it satisfying to read. or even really feasible.

so theres a possibility im missing something. but im confused about WHY dirk is allowed this power. in the narrative its waved off as a kind of ‘i guess because im like a prince of heart or whatever and im just super good at managing identities and being a strong boy’ like ok if theres some implication somewhere that that is MEANT to be a bogus explanation id be interested to know because it sounds pretty goddamn bogus. why would this happen to dirk? why? literally? one reason? one that makes sense? because there arent any i can think of. why, in the new universe, would dirk, a prince of heart, manifest into a narrative controlling supergod. and fucking WHEN has dirk showed any actual capabilities in this area before?? he KINDA sucked at it in the game. dirks an idiot! hes smart and capable in like, some ways but. its like

why is dirk so powerful suddenly -> its because hes become super ultimate dirk -> ... ok why -> uh because like. hes just so naturally inclined towards being a great manipulator yknow..... canonically.... uhhhh

it just. canon dirk to epilogue dirk is the most ridiculous leap character wise, skill wise, arc wise, personality wise, with minimal reasonable explanation.

which brings me on to the next thing. so i roasted dirk and said he wasnt strong enough to be able to manipulate things this well. well, obviously through some other means dirk HAS been afforded this power. but what about his personality? its obviously gonna be warped with self importance and knowing how things ‘have to be’. but hes heartless, cruel and hateful. in some ways it seems like canon dirk levels of ruthlessness, especially when it shows that he is actually doing something dumb and petty like his treatment of jake. that shows that he STILL has emotional connection to people as dirk. he also seems to care about some people, like dave and roxy, and cracks jokes and wants to have ‘fun’. this makes the ways in which hes so warped and cruel seem even worse. maybe on the one hand im giving dirk too much credit, everyone knows he has the potential to be a real bastard. but i dont think that was the trajectory he was on when we last saw him. and if this is truly due to him just.. becoming other versions of himself too including LE and bro and stuff..like. i dont see how it could have gotten that bad without say, roxy or dave noticing.

‘oh they didnt notice because hes just so good at hiding’ why on earth would i believe that!! dave especially this is kinda insulting for. dave is shown to have an almost supernatural ability to detect danger. partially this might be timeline stuff, knight stuff, but also notably im sure his upbringing is involved too. he was trained to be hypervigilant. who was he trained to be hypervigilant for? bro. bros manipulation and traps. near the end of the epilogue we show that dave IS capable of detecting the mindfuckery thats happening. how would that not set off 1 million alarm bells? theres literally apparently a twisted dirk-bro mutant INSIDE HIS HEAD telling him what to do. i just. know that scene was played for comedy and romance but at the very least thats gotta like???? mess with u if ur traumatised? and thats like , why i think dave should have had an inkling abt what was going on!! this is exactly the thing he hates and fears and was traumatised by! and it just going under his nose n him not even knowing , and still pretty recently being all buddy buddy with dirk seems just stupid and infeasible to me. maybe this is me being naive or kind of a stretch but i just feel like daves danger instincts would have been kicking up a whole assed ruckus that whole time.

also kind of unrelated but i associate sunglasses with strider style toxic masculinity and hiding things so like. ok transitioning or changing gender presentation is one thing but roxy apparently permanently wearing sunglasses makes me NERVOUS

and ill probably wrap up this mighty rant soon but i wanna also say jake was done so fucking dirty. i know he was like, meant to be, because for some reason god dirk just hated him? like ok petty much. but. urgh jake is such an interesting character with a lot of potential and while i appreciate that him being manipulated by someone who may reasonably have a problem with him may make him do stupid and embarrassing stuff, all the narrative seems to have taken a backward step in how hes represented. jake isnt stupid, dirk clearly knew this in canon and he maybe was the only one even including jake. and there was some acknowledgement of this near the beginning of the epilogue. but then for some reason it goes back on itself. everyone still thinks jake is just completely stupid, including the embittered superdirk. so yeah i guess hes upset with jake or whatever but. its still dissatisfying to be like oh yeah jake isnt stupid he actually has a complex set of motivations and potential etc BUT over the X number of yrs on earth c no one else has realised this yet?? hmm. then his narrative is just gonna end up with him being a total joke and essentially becomes as stupid and incompetent as his worst critics say he is. feasible given the mind control ? yeah. enjoyable to read or having any kind of satisfying bearing on anything? nope!

so anyway. i feel like any criticism i have could be argued back with ‘but oh it has to be this way’ or ‘mind control!!’ or ‘not everything has to be nice and happy !!’ but like. dude. there are flaws. many of them. and seeing characters just get shat on is never gonna be good writing.

#hs epilogue #epilogue #meat #epilogue spoilers

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gg-astrology · 5 years

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Duo Dynamic | Jung Soojung (Krystal) - Jung Sooyeon (Jessica)

Hello! 💕 I got a request for this a few days ago, so I want to get it out and introduce you to the wonderful sisters if you haven’t yet! 💕

Masterlist

For this series I’ll be looking at their placements individually, and then I’ll look at the similarities/differences as the conclusion-- I hope you enjoy! 💕

Disclaimer: This is just my interpretation of their placements in the context of the individuals themselves as well. If you share the same placements as them and don’t relate to the things below please don’t take it too personally/bring it down on yourself! 💕 Everyone works differently, and sometimes context does matter lots!! 💕💕 Please love yourself in your own way!! 💕

Jessica Jung (Jung Sooyeon) | April 18 1989 (San Francisco, California)

Brief Background

If you’ve been watching her in the earlier SNSD days, Jessica garnered a lot of fans for her sweet face, her sweet voice and being one of the kind of ‘sweet and petite’ girl style amongst the fans.

She also had a title as the ‘Ice Queen’ (she isn’t, but here’s why we’re going to talk about that today).

At least on broadcast, she may seem just a little awkward and nervous, and she’s often quite blunt when she talks.

Otherwise-- she used to get joked about for her sleepy nature and her tastes for fashion (low-key possibly one of her ‘images’ within the group)

Here’s where we ‘uncover’ some of that ‘image’ from Jessica the Idol and Jessica Jung, a real person/brand by herself.

By Herself (Just through her Placements)

Aries/Sagittarius decan thrives best when they expand/challenge themselves creatively.

They may have a penchant for traveling or opportunities where they can manifest themselves best, by being determined but flexible in their own life choices/autonomy.

Unlike the typical Aries, Jessica’s Aries Sun is more optimistic than she lets on (as well as snarky to counteract that into realism).

Often allows her to cheer others up/give strength when they are at their lowest. But it also brings knowledge/wisdom, empathy and courage/motivation to others.

Basically, Aries Sun in this case can act like pillars of strength for others when everything else seems to fall down on themselves.

You can see how she could do this for her sister-- Krystal-- but also for those around her as well.

With Jessica, it’s a no-nonsense attitude and she’s very grounded in her approach to advice giving (Taurus Mercury)

She often finds time to hang out with others, Aries finds it’s personal autonomy/freedom in being able to spend time with people it wants to spend time with.

Often, they’re that friend who asks for hang-out days where you don’t have to do anything exciting/new in particular (especially with her Taurus Venus)

But mostly just a day that ‘breaks’ the routine they’ve been living in, they’re offering a change of pace, something refreshing to just laze around or do with minimal efforts together.

(Taurus-- but the other person does have to make an effort to meet them/make themselves available -- meet them ‘half way’/Aries, because otherwise, that’s just irresponsible and unjust to the Taurus/Libra person.)

Most of these hang outs consists of just-- catching up, really low-key ‘so how have you been doing?’ while eating burgers together hang outs.

Low-maintenance kind of hang out really. But in a way, these people also may intimidate people with the luxurious goods they surround themselves in when they’re not around others (private/recluse self--Taurus Venus)

They don’t see themselves as anything special or different from others (regarding social relationship) -- mostly, the luxurious goods thing is just how they self-care/take care of themselves. It’s what makes them happy, material wealth as an expression of their self-identity/assertion makes them happy.

It can also be-- pretty low-key like having a ‘spa’ day or just putting on make up. Taurus here doesn’t indicate anything fanciful all the time. It might however, talk about a tendency to spend too much/frivolously as an ‘impulse buy’ (Gemini Mars/Libra Moon) in order to ‘de-stress’ themselves. (Which may or may not make them cry internally because Taurus does want to be prudent with their financial wealth/money on principle of liking to save/see money stack up.)

On the other hand, listening to others also seems to be a prominent theme (Aries/Sagittarius Sun - Taurus Mercury/Venus) -- they’re often generous with their time/energy and would rather hear things that are positive/uplifting rather than nagging/complaining all the time.

Another thing about listening/talking/communicating is that with Taurus Mercury -- she may take her damn sweet time to come to a conclusion/make up her mind about something.

It’s not indecision like Libra per say, it’s more about wanting to make up her mind for herself and having the space/time away from people to do that.

Taurus Mercury may also indicate a charming voice/talker, because Taurus is Venusian ruled and it also rules the throat-- with it being in the Mercury, the native may often find themselves coming across as humble, sincere, honest but also charming and influential to others at the same time.

This can sometimes have trouble with the native seeing it for what it is (a gift) -- because Taurus is a rather stagnant sign, therefore they may tend to feel like they’re ‘slower’ than most or not as ‘conventionally charming’ like others as well.

Taurus gives a lot of strengths to the native, but that strengths can feel like a really large backpack they have to lug around. Thus it may weigh down on their back/physicality (mental health) as well as cuts down on their mobility (mentally).

It’s this-- awareness that they may not be working as fast/witty as those around them tends to be (making fast decision/actions) that makes them separate themselves away from others and do their little ‘isolation’ thing to ‘gather themselves’.

Realize it for what it is, this ‘gathering themselves away from others in order to focus/concentrate their energy to ‘enhance’ mobility’ won’t help with the speed Taurus works at. What they can do instead is focus on Scorpio (and where it lies on their chart).

Focus on shifting/changing their Taurus energy into being more Scorpionic will help with their self-expression as well. They share the same principality and end goals-- stability, devotion, faith, loyalty.

What they don’t share is how they get there, Taurus is Venus ruled which in this case might be what’s holding them back. Try to think of Scorpio, Mars-ruled. And it’ll help align the nature of Aries Sun to Scorpio action better as well.

To put it in another way, Taurus’s Venus is making the person less assertive, more cautious. Often has to look for not upsetting others and thus, can sometimes ‘hide’ themselves and sticks close to what makes them comfortable/stable instead of taking the chances like Scorpio does.

Scorpio encourages the person to push into the ‘less than perfect’-- the ‘true’ dark and light side of the person. To transform from self-empowerment from the inside-out. By ‘uncovering’ truths about themselves the Taurus tends to suppress/covers over in order to not think of themselves as ‘someone they’re not’.

Scorpio-- as a water signs, talks about accepting emotions as emotions. As human we all go through the goods and bad. It talks about not keeping the self safe when we need to express these emotions forward because then it’ll lead to obsession/possessiveness over something. As well as uncontrollable energy/emotions if our Taurus breaks completely.

Scorpio implies taking the helm of transformation. In order to make decisions based on wit and cunning, instead of trying to keep a cautious, steady, harmonious front about it.

Scorpio also talks about pro-active engagement/involvement with shaping the narrative of the self. Instead of relying on charm like the Taurus does, dissatisfaction/restrictions can easily be overcome by knowing where the self lies with others (social relationship wise/ don’t be afraid to not be harmonious all the time. Learning how to accept the Martian/Arian traits will help with counteracting the less-active Libra/Taurus as well) and a strong sense of personal identification of the self.

It embodies rebellious nature, a side that has to be uncovered and truly accepted in order to work out that Sun-Moon opposition (with a lot of the energy concentrating on Venusian side)

By learning how to balance the Taurus Venus with Scorpio energy-- the individual can also learn how to overcome their own self-restriction and expand their imaginative/creative pursuits.

Determination from the Sun alone isn’t going to manifest in success if it’s not well-balanced.

The Taurus is working hard to come up with solutions/decisions that are rather ‘sound’ or ‘financially stable’ (again, material wealth associated with the physicality/tastes of Taurus) -- but if they’re really going to take the Sun’s persona/branding to the full potential-- they really have to understand the core/Martian side of their nature as well.

See here’s the image. Because the chart is so Taurus heavy, it’s leaning more towards making decisions/behind-the-scenes safe. While the Sun embodies the branding/persona that’s selling the product/character of the person.

The person has potential to fully max out their branding/persona charisma to 100%. Instead of the weird 80% Taurus and 20% Aries right now.

In order to utilize that, the person has to uncover/discover their Scorpio side. The Scorpio is the charisma, the ‘less than safe’ decisions that trusts on their intuition/desire/passion and go full-in towards the direction that they feel intuitively secure.

The direction that they can feel the transformation is coming at the tips of their finger tips, the one that they can feel the public pooling towards (but haven’t manifested towards yet) the one where they truly get to explore their creative niches/inventions towards before it hits the market (whatever market that may be).

Scorpio is the trend-setter, not the trend-follower/appreciator. Yes, they can appreciate trends, but every Taurus-heavy individual has the ability to truly expand their creative visions by not using the trend as guidelines (sometimes even restrictive boxes) but rather -- proof their own individuality/innovation by truly uncovering part of themselves into something passionate and primal as well (speaks to them emotionally, primally, without explanations or rationality.)

Honestly this sounds really weird coming from an astrology blog, and I’m in no way an authority on the subject but all this is saying is just-- see where the Scorpio lies in the chart (what house) and work towards manifesting that in order to help with the heaviness Taurus can have on a person sometimes.

Anyways we should probably talk about more light-hearted stuff now?

Taurus (since it rules the throat) also talks about food/hunger. In particularly, talking constantly about food and feeling fulfillment at being able to indulge in their favorite foods (Taurus Venus).

Eating with people is a good way to get them to socialize, it’s one of the only way to get them to enjoy time outside of their own home sometimes when you lay out a table with food to lure them in.

Taurus Mercury as a friend giving advice to others relies a lot on ‘common sense’ --- as in, they’re the friend that reminds you of the ‘bigger picture’ sometimes. Remind you to go through with something, hold you semi-accountable for it (or like, give you an unimpressed look if you didn’t).

They stand up for those they care about, often may even feel emotionally riled up/protective for those who’s been wronged.

If you ask them to do something for you, they’ll go through with it till the end/finish the task completely (it’s a matter of honour sometimes, especially when someone goes back on their words the Taurus might get agitated and finish the task anyways -- Aries Sun)

And if you feel yourself unable to stand/be stable by yourself-- they’ll be there to stabilize you and stand by your side.

Most Taurus Venus takes to being in the ‘presence’ of someone (physically) in order to take care of them. They do things (practical things, like find places, resources, the hard labour work) in order to make other’s life easier for them.

They also care in physical ways, like hugging, holding someone’s hand, being there for someone visibly/physically in order to nurture them.

With Taurus, they may find themselves being fond over others and feeling protective/nurturing over them. Fretting may occur.

With Taurus Mercury-- they try their best to be deliberate in their speech/thinking.

They may find, that they’re a lot more ‘straight to the point’ than most people expect them to be. This can also be sarcasm or bluntness that is unexpected.

With deliberation in their Mercury, it also means they often find themselves sounding quite knowledgeable/authoritative on a subject.

They influence others through their practical presentation, often swaying others over because they seem to have a realistic approach to things based on research/common-sense rather than an idealistic view.

With both Taurus and Aries in the mix-- the individual may find themselves sensually and sensationally oriented. Whatever gives them the most expansive view/potential opportunity to expand themselves, and then what benefit it will bring to them personally (how they can apply it to their craft). Tends to be the general blend of the person.

One last thing I’d like to touch on is her Gemini Mars --- combined with her Aries Sun - conjunct- Taurus Venus [3′34] that already makes her pretty peace-loving-- Gemini Mars would do it’s best to avoid confrontations with those they love if it’s possible.

Think about it... Libra Moon talking about wanting to harmonious her subconscious/emotions to others and then Gemini Mars being like ‘hah swerve :’)’ whenever someone tries to have a go at her-- she’s emotionally unprepared for confrontations that can flare up-- and is often afraid of letting her mouth run/counteracting back because she doesn’t trust herself to not be harsh to others (too harsh) that she’ll regret what she says later as well.

It’s kind of like....imagine if someone confronts her about something suddenly, and her ‘swerving’ tactic doesn’t work. She’ll be pushed to stand up for herself right?

Well since placating isn’t an option (Libra Moon negated) she’ll try to aim for the most objective point of view (Taurus/Aries/Libra)-- at the same time, she may feel personally attacked by the confrontation (panicky emotionally-- if she doesn’t suppress her emotions atm/Gemini-Taurus for the suppression thing)

If it escalates even more to a pretty serious fight (like, yelling or finger pointing fights) --- all bets are off, objectivity be damned. She’ll yell if she has to make her point heard. She’ll keep repeating the point until the other person gets it.

Unless they backed down first, she probably won’t back down when she’s this close to forcing the fight to close in her own way (kind of mediating in a way).

At the same time, whatever she said during that time-- she’ll probably think back on it a lot and reflect on what she did wrong (during the moment)

Her air sign wouldn’t stop looking back/analyzing herself and the word she said during that time, the communicative aspect of air being suppressed in order to win-- might have a problem with how it was forcibly ‘shut down’ under her earth/fire in order to do so.

Most likely, the after-math will end with her trying to smooth things over with others. Admitting what she can admit to, and promising to show through dedication/demonstration that she’s taken what they said into consideration too.

Regarding the Controversy with SNSD/SM Ent

*Note: We don’t really know what’s happened on a personal scale, so this is just some notes on what we could say in regards to astrology. It’s not meant to be taken seriously as truth, please remember that! 💕

Regarding the controversy about her leaving the group because of her own ambition, considering how emotionally attached she is to others as her source of strength/support. I don’t think she would’ve even left out of her own will and the only option was legit the company forcing her to do so (by law).

She has a Libra Moon that talks about compromising, being there for others, emotional attachment to those around her. Also considering her Taurus Mercury/Venus -- it would’ve been hard for her emotionally AND mentally to make sudden changes at all/up-root herself by her own ambition, no matter how how ‘creative’ that Aries Sun is.

If you consider how she has her Sun-conjunct-Venus (plus that Libra Moon) -- her social relationships and the things she’s built with other is literally a part of her ego/self-confidence and core self (Sun).

People with this aspects may even sometimes be too nice for their own good, especially with Taurus Venus who already has such a hard time letting go of things that can even be toxic for them. Due to attachment with the stability/memories those experiences brought them (security at the time, to be who they are today).

With how stagnant/fixed her placements are-- It would’ve be really hard pressed for her to choose herself (her Sun) over her emotions/attachment to others (in case someone wants to say ‘oh she’s selfish’--- she really isn’t. It took a huge toll on her more than she lets us see-- Aries has a hard time showing vulnerabilities to others, especially with Taurus in the mix. They’re really really stubborn about making sure everything looks ‘good’ and ‘happy’ -- even to the expense of their own emotional downfall/neglect.)

Here’s a couple more things that points to her being very socially heavy/inclined-- and it probably helped a lot (being around groups of people) with her anxious/nervous energy that the air placements brings.

Aries/Sagittarius first of all, has a lot of expectations/energy towards group/social settings. In particularly learning/teaching within the group environment (Sagittarius/Jupiter)

A lot of energy towards doing something that brings ‘hope’ into the world (Jupiter) and with the blessings of Aries-- they tend to be highly protective towards their friends/family (even more emphasized with Taurus). This is something that concerns the core/principle of the person (Sun).

Thus, even if everything else is going wrong in their life-- they can be prone to look towards their moral obligation/principle regarding their treatment of others (and how stead-fast/self-assured in themselves they are about this subject) as a ‘pick up’ point for wherever they’re in in their life.

If there’s anything they know about themselves, first is their own ability to determinedly make their own goals/future happen (independence/freedom/self-made skills/expressions).

And second is their moral principality that keeps them from being a ‘bad person’ (or what they think/consider to be a ‘bad/morally bad person’).

The second part contributes greatly to building up confidence/defensive shield, especially when people throw accusation at them for it

(If they do hear criticism about them, once they’ve reached this point of conciliation within themselves. They can be so self-assured that they may often just calmly tell others ‘No. This is how I am.’

That’s the level of self-confidence an Aries/Sagittarius has when they learn how to gain strength from their principality.)

However, the thing that may be blocking them from expressing themselves completely is their emotional attachment to others.

In this case, we look at Libra/Taurus.

Emotional attachment coming from Libra/Taurus is not going to be as clear to see from others (as say like, water-signs tend to be.)

Aries hides it’s vulnerabilities, even when it’s self-assured and seems ‘accepting’ of it’s own flaws (humbled) -- they can have a hard time (maybe in their posture/expressions) letting others know that they care and truly coming across as a ‘harmonious’ person.

See, because despite being Venus-influenced greatly in her life (Libra/Taurus-- both Venus-ruled) both of these signs are in placements where unless she spends a lot of time building a strong emotional foundation with others (and even then)

Libra/Taurus emotionality/harmonious energy towards others is often ‘blocked’ from being truly understood by others-- mostly because there’s conditions before they’re expressed.

This ‘truly being understood’ part is important-- because whilst Taurus/Aries builds trust out of their bare-hands/effort, it’s trust made out of respect for personal difference and individuality. Not trust that is based from sharing the same goals/understanding (like say a Pisces) or unconditional trust.

Taurus/Aries trust foundation is one that has to be maintained, well-kept and groomed constantly. The individual may often have to reaffirm, verbally/emotionally, how they feel for others -- to others-- as well as constantly put in effort to make it last as well.

Libra/Taurus may also find it hard to trust others completely with their inner-self. Since they do indicate a rich internal plane of existence (can be prone to ‘testing’ others/being cautious of those they let in)

Regarding this, her Sun-Moon is opposite to each other (Aries-Libra/un-aspected bc the degree is around 5′) -- thus, this might’ve been what caused the divide in the first place.

Others can see her (those who grew up with her/know her best by her core aka the members) through her Aries Sun. Stubborn, quietly determined, sometimes single-minded in her pursuits.

But they often don’t get to see the Libra Moon or Taurus Mercury/Venus (or Gemini Mars) that she has.

To them, Aries/Libra/Taurus indicates comfortability and charming them in order to show her Aries desires later. It’s an indication of her cardinal (self-assertion) mixed with what they assume is mutable (flexibility/adaptability) which can indicate a certain selfishness to her.

This is often a misconception around those who has a strong Aries in their chart, but also an important Libra placements that may be ‘hidden’ or part of their subconscious/emotional control.

Because to others, it is seen as the ‘wishy-washy’ nature of Libra (indecision) and the impatient action-oriented ways of Aries (pioneering energy) manifesting in her energy that made her ‘drop’ her.

To Jessica, it causes internal conflict/emotional betrayal (breaking of trust). Between her internal alignment and the misinterpretation/her trust being broken instead.

Her Libra/Taurus (and Aries, let’s be honest) indicates a strong, almost stubborn principality on loyalty. Libra in particular, tries it’s hardest to be fair/just to others. While Taurus is almost impervious in it’s devotion to others (once they gave their words, it’s unbreakable).

In her own mind (Mercury) her ‘fixed’ position is in the group. Not only do they provide emotional gratification/solace for her (Libra Moon) but she also has space/time to nurture, care, and really sink her ‘roots’ down in the group dynamic (Taurus Mercury/Venus).

The Taurus Venus talks about taking their commitment seriously, especially because the Taurus Venus themselves don’t tend to take their responsibilities lightly themselves.

Honor (Taurus) and the ‘not breaking of each other’s reputation’ in order to not undermine each other’s standing in the world is extremely important to the Taurus/Aries.

If SM really didn’t break it off so completely on their side, Jessica would’ve been in a situation where she would’ve tried to carry the sinking boat regardless.

With that Sun/Venus and Libra Moon, she’ll probably try to do so through her mediative/diplomatic emotional buoyancy as well as trying to assert her energy into making sure everyone gets to connect with her/communicate with her on a personal level-- so they know of her integrity/honor that she won’t betray them like that (’she’s not that kind of person’ is the message through this demonstrative effort on her part).

Her expectations were probably were to continue on the paths of SNSD, having all those years become ‘wasteful’ is the worst feeling for Libra/Aries/Taurus to feel.

She already has emotional connectivity to them, this is just a matter of not being ‘gas-lighted’ into a situation where she’s accused of one or two extremes.

One being ‘you don’t want to be in SNSD anymore’ -- because she probably does. She built up her career with SNSD, she lived with them she worked with them. That kind of trust and bonding she holds dear to her heart.

The other being ‘you want to start your own career’ -- she probably does want to too. But these two conditions (not being in snsd =\= starting her own career) aren’t mutually exclusively to each other.

She might want to explain that, while she does want to start her own career-- it’s possible to do so while still being a member of SNSD.

Unfortunately, with how the circumstances works out, and the short-time period where she had the controversy and then suddenly got cut off (it really was a short time-span of probably only a few weeks) --- it was impossible to negotiate or remedy the situation where she doesn’t have time for her Taurus Mercury/Venus to be there physically. Where she’s mentally unprepared (and arguably a bit slow to make her point across) and thus--- it was a circumstances that was more to do with SM making the decision for her rather than her getting to decide or explain herself better.

Another thing to note is that, the branding/establishment of her fashion line is a crucial time in her life/career.

She’s been in the industry for so long and the actual creative process of finally having something established (as a brand) only had a small window of opportunity for promotion/establishing itself.

If she didn’t get to really associate to her brand then, it would be hard to get the brand out there later on.

The brand would’ve been in the market for some time (while SNSD is doing activities/promotions) and the responses might’ve been much more lackluster if people didn’t know about her association to it as well (which helps with the marketing/lifting the brand to find it’s ‘market’)

Considering everything, she made the best out of the situation and really push herself into finding her full potential.

She’s proved that you can be an entrepreneur and also an artist, that you can do both and still find social circles/societies to fit in as well.

The world is so much larger than just what we know, and the Aries/Sagittarius Sun native can always look to find themselves flourishing best when they discover their own bravery and autonomy in their own life decisions as well.

Krystal Jung (Jung Soojung) | October 24 1994 (San Francisco, California)

That was a lot on Jessica kdsnfjs I’ll do my best to fill this out for Krystal as well ;;

First of all, we love a duo Martian Sun - Air Moon sisters!

Krystal has her Sun in Scorpio [1′] and Moon in Gemini [28′22] which really explains how she’s really the emotionally stable ‘core’ with those around her despite being so active/reactive as well.

Generally, with Scorpio natives (and mutable Moons) they’re a lot more energetic, having to expel their energy elsewhere with those they’re close to (***important distinction)

They may seem much more ‘refreshed/energetic’ to those they’re comfortable with, often indulging in funny little quips/jokes and cheering others up.

Generally a ball of joy to be around, because they really do their best to not be a downer on someone when they care for them.

By themselves, they’re often anxious in energy (subconsciously) may get distracted or do multiple things at once in order to find ‘stimulis’.

At the same time, it’s this mutable ‘restless’ energy that drives them to reflect a lot on themselves or ‘sink’ into their own feelings.

The Scorpio Sun/Venus both talks about having these periods of time when-- if they’re not driven by stimuli, they tend to not want to do anything for a while and just--- sink.

Sink into the stagnancy within themselves, let the waves devour them whole. They let themselves be engulfed in their own expectations of themselves, their principality, their ambition.

Their emotionality becomes more self-connected once they do-- but it can be hard to swim back up from being ‘swallowed’ by the ocean.

Most likely, the more ‘upbeat/lively’ side of the Gemini Moon she has may be few and far between (to see for others).

The first approach for Scorpio/Gemini is criticality, there’s a lot of strength and sharpness in the mind here. And it comes through in expressing their wit and questioning of others.

Scorpio/Gemini may pose things as rhetorical questions to others, it’s a way to make them reflect back on others (Libra Mercury) and for others to see if what they’re thinking/saying truly makes sense or if it’s total bullocks.

The tonality of it, because it’s influenced by Scorpio/Gemini and Libra Mercury is in rx-- may come off as more aggressive than intended.

This line of questioning doesn’t really mean any harm, the sarcasm and snarky humour is just the way Gemini expresses itself under Scorpio Sun sometimes.

The native however, should look that other’s don’t misunderstand them and think that they have a superiority complex somehow.

Because Scorpio/Gemini brings a lot of emphasis on the Mind (mental/communication/thinking) being related to the person’s ego/core-essence/self-confidence. The person may easily give off the impression that they’re ‘judging’ someone based on how they present themselves, the exact wording of their phrases that gives way to their ‘inner intensions’ (that the Scorpio/Gemini is not afraid to point out-- without tact) and because of their shrewdness, they may often scoff at the ‘presentation’ of others when they have different values/approach to the ego then they do (i.e. often commenting on ‘its the inside the matters’ meaning the mind and integrity of the person-- thus if someone’s showy and likes to show off their material wealth, or if someone’s more emphasized on physical beauty of others etc. -- they may feel ‘less than’ immediately because of how blunt the Scorpio/Gemini can be)

The Scorpio/Gemini didn’t mean that in a definitely negative light-- which others may tend to take it (because the Scorpio/Gemini may sometimes lack tact when talking) -- they meant it in a ‘prove me wrong’ kind of way.

Waiting/observing the other person to offer them the communicative stance (mind/personal integrity) they want to see. So that they can ‘connect’ to each other as equals that way (Scorpio Venus rx)

The Scorpio/Gemini person should realize that they can’t force everyone to communicate the way they want to be communicated with all the time (**on a personal level).

Even if they didn’t want to come off as threatening/challenging--- learning how to utilize the flexibility of Gemini to connect to others is a task the Scorpio/Gemini person may need to take a step back and realize.

Connection to others come from taking a moment to realize that they may have put too much emphasis on the inside that they haven’t learn how to compromise with others yet (Libra Mercury rx has to learn how to work itself properly as well)

They may be too stagnant in their own ways (Scorpio Sun-Venus/Leo Mars/Libra - cardinal) and driven to get things done their way that they may not even realize that they have space to grow/learn still.

This mostly stems from the Libra Mercury and Scorpio Venus being in retrograde, which brings the mind and the social relationship of the person to be more self-reflective of themselves (in order to connect to others) -- rather than the usual ‘extroverted’ reaching out to others that they need to actualize.

Mercury in retrograde brings challenges in voicing their thoughts out /communicate their thinking out the way they intended it to be. Truly they are a person who thinks a lot before they speak, often going back and forth between themselves (sometimes indecision) and has a lot on their mind. They may also want to seek fairness and equality when they make a point to someone (Mercury potential).

They may not think they’re quite tactful (considering their Scorpio/Gemini placements) but they do have the ability to utilize tact (inside of their mind) to their speech.

Mercury has the potential to really persuade others, helping Scorpio achieves it’s goals if the energy is aligned healthily.

Because so much of her energy is driven inwards, ‘freeing up’ those spaces inside by externalizing the Libra Mercury outside (through action/active focus on Libra Mercury alone) will help with expelling/tiring out the space and thus

This creates an area where Gemini can slip in and really push that upbeat/up-lifting impact she has on others into manifesting outwardly openly as well.

It doesn’t make her any less cunning or calculating (it doesn’t undermine her capabilities) it just adds onto it.

Sometimes, not everything has to be heavy all the time. The ‘lightness’ of Gemini/Libra being externalized constantly may feel like it’s a useless/hopeless process that’s not leading to anything-- but trust that it is.

It’s helping to stabilize both the external and internal, even if the individual may not see it themselves-- others may take notice of the difference in their demeanor, as well as help with the constant frustration with themselves to resolve itself better through taking action like this.

Considering how she probably has already utilize this to a certain extent (comments from her co-actors in ‘bride of the water god’) -- more focus on this for the purpose of the self (self-development long-term/for the benefit of her own emotional-mental health and it’s longevity) will help combat some of the more depressive episode/emotional inactivity she may feel by herself as well (Pisces Saturn rx)

Venus in retrograde points to challenges connecting/building social relationships that aren’t personal (so impersonal relationships in the case of Scorpio) with a lot of the force being built on trust and other’s emotional understanding/compassion and connectivity to them first (instead of them putting themselves out there more openly)

It can lead the individual to seek emotional understanding and nourishment from others (Water Venus) and offering faithfulness and loyalty in return (stability).

The key thing with Venus rx is that the individual may tend to have extreme ‘cuts’ in their life. Those who they may have shared good memories with once, may find that when the relationship’s ended it could never come back and be what it was before.

Scorpio talks about transformation, and in this case it’s the closure to one relationship without flexibility/benefits to the self (and their own emotional/mental health)

On the other hand, this ‘extremity’ is more to do with the Scorpio themselves wanting to prolong/actively finding ways to ‘work through/devote’ themselves to the relationship as long as possible while it lasts.

Whether the relationship was toxic or not, they already have a hard time cutting themselves away from people in the flexible/adaptable way that others do (and thus coming back to the relationship and nourishing it as something else later).

That’s why when they cut, thats the end of it.

End of everything, but it’s more out of principality/self-protection rather than the realistic flexibility of relationships being something that involves both individual’s development/decisions (like, with regards to the human side of people and learning how to recover-- ‘forgive’ something-- which will benefit both people more.)

A way to help with Venus rx is to put themselves out there and challenge themselves not to have a stagnant ‘principle’ or views on what a relationship should be.

With Scorpio, there’s a lot of expectations for the relationship and what ‘fits’ into the bill of what they’re looking for.

Therefore, learning how to ‘let go’ of that and learning how to just be more involved in the ‘process’ of an ever evolving idea of ‘relationship’ might help them better as well.

This is not to say, they shouldn’t have strong regards/ideas on what’s good/not good for them. It’s just that they could add layers to that, be open to learning/experiencing more things while showing more active compassion for people in a demonstrative way instead of being so stagnant in themselves sometimes.

All of this is do-able, I think it mostly it lies on that Gemini Moon/Libra Mercury rx manifesting itself properly that will help counterbalance the Scorpio in her chart.

In regards to her Leo Mars, with her Scorpio Venus square Leo Mars she may tend to exhibit even more Scorpionic trait than before. Both of these signs are really stubborn, so in a way the enhanced trait tends to be alot of fixed water energy that leads her Leo to take less action than how it wants to be.

Think of Leo as like, being in the wrong camp. It could really benefit from supporting Gemini/Libra (helping to perform/manifest in a playful upbeat manner-- but with calmness and personal satisfaction) but instead it’s often butting head with Scorpio on taking commands/different values on how things should get done.

Venus square Mars may make the person look for challenges, intense desires or passion for something. It looks for ways to prolong the desire/emotions in the moment-- but at the same time, it’s focused so much on the ‘making it last’ part that it often overlooks the ‘in the now, moving together’ moments.

The lack of adaptability or movement in these signs besides the internal (desire, emotions, passion) is what’s holding them back.

By learning how to listen to the Leo Mars more (since it’s not making aspects to anything) the individual can learn how to balance the two by mix-matching Scorpio/Leo and adding other elements from their placements/chart into the mix as well.

It’s just a matter of -- making rooms for movement internally that’s blocking the person from really reaching the fullest potential.

Thus why, the external movement/release of energy through Gemini Moon is important here. By being able to utilize more air into their personal life (and not borrowing it from someone else-- really getting in touch with their own air and learning it’s full capabilities) is what’s going to benefit them best and help them be independent AND sociable the way they want to be.

Conclusion: Jessica - Krystal Jung

In a way, they balance out each other with their sister signs Taurus/Scorpio

Both these individuals have their strengths in similar yet opposite ways

While Krystal may come off as the more confrontational of the two if you just look at them on first impression (*not really getting to know them, because honestly Jessica is the equally-- if not more-- stubborn and more verbally confrontational than Krystal) she may find herself in contrast to her sister- much more adaptable when she’s next to her

(but again this is why we’re pointing out the part about being adaptable/flexible with herself from her internal core--rather than being comparative/learning it from someone else-- she’ll benefit more from truly grasping within and really making her own path on finding out how to bring that Gemini/Libra/Leo out properly together).

Whilst Jessica may seem like she’s tactful in her approach to things (Taurus Venus/Libra Moon -- may appear more ‘harmonious’ in her relation to others in the communication/impersonal aspect) -- she actually might have a harder time letting herself feel things or let go of her feelings/need for others-- which she can truly benefit from learning through Krystal (gaining strength from each other).

I think the point of this is-- once sister signs manifests in Actual Sisters -- it can be hard to figure out how to actualize their own placements away from each other (independently/fully within themselves) -- instead of what they gained/learned from each other.

Think of it like this, you find a perfect ‘counterbalance’ to yourself in another person.

You learn a lot from them because of your connectivity to each other (helping each other push/build and correct each other in their own strengths/weaknesses).

However, because the other person’s strength is what you supplement/support in your own way. You’ll get stuck with the supplementary role when you’re by yourself (without them) and your knowledge of what you’re using to supplement them is somewhat based on that experience with them (instead of seeing it within yourself/it’s full potential within your own context).

It’s hard to truly realize your own traits as it’s own thing, instead of being associated to your experience/that person all the time.

Kinda like a problem with IC, where you ‘brush off’ your core self to those who grew up with you. At the same time, while communication and stimuli is strong between the two (shared air placements -- Gemini/Libra) reliance on both of each other’s understanding/strengths towards themselves ‘cuts off’ communication/opportunities for it to manifest properly to those they aren’t close to as well.

Thus why, both of their ‘misrepresentation/miscommunication’ with other people problem is something that has more to do with realizing/finding themselves through separate experiences/venues rather than together.

Just...think of it as siblings who are the opposite case. Where both of them have totally different hobbies/personalities from each other.

This relationship may have more fights/bickering and misunderstanding between the two-- but towards others, the self manifest/actualize into it’s ‘full’ potential is because of that experience.

As the individual learn how to manifest their full potential properly, the earlier misunderstanding/miscommunication can be dissolved easier because they’ve faced it before.

Compared to a really strong ‘fixed’ relationship (especially with Taurus/Scorpio) -- the emphasis on sticking together and emotional/personal reliance on each other can be so over-powering they may struggle to see the alternative benefit to growing/progressing independently at all.

This is not in any way saying that what they have is bad, it’s very very good. It’s really fucking amazing to be honest, but their shared ‘fixed’ modality is a problem to both of them that is inherently a part of their subconscious/psyche (growing up/IC/connection to each other) and how they shape themselves after (into development)

Think of it as--- manifesting into the MC, ok? That’s the highest point in the chart, the point where we’re truly ourselves independently from others (and regardless of what others may think of us sometimes).

In order to become that MC, it involves the balancing of IC. To mix and let go of some of the things that held us back before in order to truly see ourselves that way.

This is not implying that they have to let go of each other, I’m talking about figuring out individually that they are more than just what they see right now.

Not being afraid to cut themselves out of their own restriction/boxes and looking at the parts of them that may be less dominant (but the connective thread) when they’re with each other-- and utilizing that to push themselves more.

Usually, when you mix so well with someone you see your own strength (the differences between you) shine through better because of them.

It’s looking at the subtext of that, the thing that’s helping you not pick a fight with them even if you’re different from them (in this case, for Krystal it’s their air sign, and for Jessica it’s the water sign)

It’s manifesting those two things properly, take what they got from the relationship and learning how to fully utilize it within their own independent persons properly

There’s a -- fear that if you get ‘too good’ or ‘too much’ of the same thing as someone you’ll be intruding on each other’s territory--- don’t be afraid of that.

Especially with this pair, they may be afraid of confrontation (full confrontation) or hurting each other emotionally so they always try to swerve/avoid subjects that brings them to that even if it’s bad for them both to do so (have so much more to learn from fighting without objectivity/reason than like, pointlessly avoiding confrontation/being complacent together sometimes)

Another thing that might be blocking them from realizing their own placement is that--- Jessica may seem more ‘emotional’ of the two (or more ‘emotionally sensitive’) while Krystal may seem more ‘earthy/stable’ of the two.

The ‘swapping’ of their counterparts (Krystals being full of water/no earth and Jessica being full of earth/no water) tricks people into thinking they don’t ‘relate’ or have the full capacity to connect to their own water/elemental placements because of this.

Because the other may seem to ‘embody’ the more ‘obvious’ part of what the element entails (earth/water - emotions/self-sufficiency) the person look to embodying the part that is going to ‘help’ the other manifest their own elemental placements (i.e. Krystal being more/seeming more self-sufficient **independent?? in a way, while Jessica being more emotionally connective or communicative/sociable to others)

This -- ‘swapping’ with each other, stops the Scorpio and Taurus from seeing their placements for what it is fully.

The Taurus in particular, may tend to think of themselves as more emotionally inclined while ignoring the problem with their lack of flexibility when they become ‘fixed’ on something (which is what a water-placement would’ve manifested truly in)

While the Scorpio may scoff at the idea of showing vulnerabilities/reaching out to others emotionally first

May think of themselves as being complex, hard to understand, kind of stiff--- when in actuality they are very fluid emotionally and can often adapt better than the ‘stability’ persona they’re putting up.

It creates a --- discordance inside of the persons if they keep this up

Thus why, learning how to realize, actualize and manifest the placements/potential inside of themselves individually will help with anything

Ending Ment

Besides this, the overall relationship is very warm and caring to each other. You can tell that their bond gives the space for Taurus to really grow into itself beautifully--- taking care of others, being nurtured back, appreciated for it’s Venusian traits really fits quite well with the Scorpio’s more martian nature.

At the same time, being in the presence of Taurus makes the Gemini/Libra aspect more active. The playfulness, sensitive and more youthful side shines through (Leo Mars) because of this difference between them (not intruding into each other’s territory)

They help each other better in a way, because they’re not intruding on each other there’s a bond that relies on their different personality working together naturally. They don’t take advices too harshly, often willing to listen to what the others have to say and implement that into their life. It’s a very warm-hearted and fulfilling dynamic! Also a very devoted, loyal and faithfully balancing relationship (towards each other) as well! 💕

Other Solo Posts That Might Be Relevant?:

Amber Liu | Taeyeon

#kpop astrology #jessica jung #krystal jung #krystal #jessica #jung jessica #jung krystal #jung sooyeon #jung soojung #soojung #sooyeon #sooyeon jung #soojung jung #f(x) krystal #f(x) astrology #fx astrology #girlgroup astrology #girl group astrology #soloist astrology

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