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visiblenostalgia · 14 days

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The Future of The Internet: An Intuitive Deep Dive Into The Madness Of Millions

First off: This is gonna be a prediction on such a mass scale. I don't expect anyone to really FULLY pick this up (it is a prediction after all, so it's like throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks). But from what my spirit guides are telling me to do right now, they want me to push this out as far as I can because of the Pluto In Aquarius permanent ingress happens next year. We're all changing for the better and somehow the internet is going to FULLY reflect that. Why am I capitalizing 'fully'? Three of the most mundane planets are influencing this. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. The icey planets are changing the paradigm soon and it's gonna flip a whole switch on our digital reality. Kind of like a 'whopping us into some sense' type of way. A rough face slap essentially. Or would it be like a baby giraffe who just arrived and has gotta walk on stubbly legs? Who knows. And because of the current state of hateful and aware affairs.... it looks pretty tribal and yet all too liberating at the same time. Without further ado, more below the cut!! ~ <3

HISTORY

Now most aren't really too speculative on where the internet started, but with a little research on hand, there have been speculations that the original basis for the internet and how it was programmed in it's "alpha" form, would be around October 29th, 1969. It was mainly a military owned and insider personnel type thing. Used for the benefit of the government to send messages to its military at a faster rate than normally possible at that time. Doesn't help that if we keep it to the basics of the sun being in scorpio (the personification of what 'underbelly' means), and knowing the ruler of that sign being Pluto (which so happens to be in a mercurial/communicative sign, Virgo), insider communication seems to check out perfectly. Setting the precedent of what's to come.

On closer inspection Pluto sat at the last decan of Virgo. Taurus being its sub-ruler. Which brings its slow-notoriety and slow-growth to the public eye.

Because after over a decade, the internet has its "beta" release because of Xerox's more interactive systems. Networks being more common, has brought more information sharing and an ultimate release for IBM systems. The computer went from a government owned invention, to a technological advancement for business and relaying data on stock prices on January 1st 1983. Very much a business incorporated sign for it to be born in, being Capricorn, we look to its ruler Saturn for extra conformation. Again, more notions of privacy and economy come to the internet. It sits once more in Scorpio. Dealing with the 'underbelly' once again. Taking another chance to look at the ruler of the sign Saturn was sitting in, it brings us to Pluto being in Libra. Which libra does deal with connections and solid foundations among people. Agreements and liability. Saturn's exalted sign as well, don't forget.

So the two (Saturn and Pluto) are in mutual reception. Businesses and powers-that-be are in symbiosis despite neighboring one another. Neutralization of any discomfort (which makes me think of a sextile -- a sextile that isn't a sextile at all (man, ping that to your notes about mutual reception hehe)).

Then, when 1984 came around, the Macintosh released the FatMac. Bringing the computer to the Homefront with a 'computer for the rest of us'. A bit of virtue signaling to the future of where computers were ULTIMATELY headed. We love Apple. God bless the genius of Steve Jobs y'all <3 (besides we'll do a whole bit on this at some point the more I think on that). But to bring the internet to the Homefront, coding had to have improved. Which, once more and finally, do we get to the internet "driving down your neighborhood street". It finally comes home on April 30th 1993. A nearly exact opposite to the "alpha" release we discussed all the way at the beginning of this section. This is where the 1.0 phase of the internet comes in. The World Wide Web ("www"). From personal studies on dates I thought were significant, colored blue like this, this day would particularly stick out to be a very Saturn and Moon dominant day. Jupiter being in third. It brings a structural (Saturnian) and personal (Lunar) backdrop to what's coming down later. HTML was released this year as well. Bringing more of an emphasis on that structure. Setting off more of the creativity in some people. In terms of modality, it was Cardinal heavy. Pioneering and brand new. Plus, because of the newness to this invention and the fact that this IS the 1.0 release, it started a... settling the Oregon trail kind of energy.

I know, the connotations of saying that are very dark, but an analogy is an analogy. We colonized the digital space as a human race. And we still do with the sphere of the STILL current invention of Virtual Reality.... lil food for thought..

Let's backtrack to the nineties once more shall we? I'm not done (cause we're only getting started!)

Geocities

Established and released in November of 1994, this started the wide WIDE reach to have people start their own website. A lot of the energies involved were once again tied to Scorpio. Now beginning to show the Piscean side on top of that. Tying in more creativity and personal-ness to the sites people had made. Capricorn being involved too, enhancing the structure of the internet once again with the infamous release of this digital product.

To make another very similar analogy to American history, the internet has brought a sense of decentralized-ness. Or, if we were going to use a more 'american-historical' term, it was a 'confederation of sites'. No big central power to the way in which it worked. Even if you had search engines. It was all of the people who made them.

To make an astrological connection to this, Saturn (structure and now coding), was in Aquarius. A sign dedicated to the underdog and smaller man. The 'we-the-people' kind of energy that we see now with Pluto in Aquarius in 2024.

God had blessed the United States back then am I right?

Time flies and now we land on the date December 17th 1996. CSS and coding for the 'look' of a website makes itself a lot more accessible and easier for people to grasp. Better yet, it was a tool released for the folks willing to enhance usability and design for their digital experience at the time.

The energies on that date were relatively splashed. Nothing too significant. And with my synesthesia, the one thing that comes to mind when someone says 'splash' is paint and iridescence. Bringing more of that emphasis on the freedom to design and enhance a users experience in the personality of sites that were created. By 1996 though, Pluto has finally reached Sagittarius! GEN Z REIGN SUPREME (despite our never-ending depression we'll get through it though I promise you that)!! Again, igniting that need to bring a sense of adventure. More people start to join the online space. With Saturn at zero Aries by this day (structures in detriment and a new Saturn cycle sadly), there's a theme of freshness and the slates wiped. So, again, more pioneering and newness. Hell. This is where Saturn and Pluto are in trine with one another. And if the powers-that-be externally meet up in harmony like this, oh you know it's gooooooddd.

The golden age of the internet begins.

Although started with water, invert the alchemical triangle to the upright position..... and alchemy begins to take shape. so to say~

GOLDEN AGE - 1999

Alrighty! We made it to the y2k movement pre-2000s. color was all the rage thanks to CSS and HTML makes it much more possible to code ones own sites. The tools continue to evolve and become more advanced. Not to mention the commodified Windows 95 and 98 experience was well underway this year, and Macintosh brought in Mac OS by this point. I mean... do you see this absolutely gorgeous graphics on both of them????

(even though they were rivals, they both had a lovely look to them)

what comes next after these years? 1999 of course! A BIG PROPRIETOR FOR 2.0

Geocities get's acquired by Yahoo! (January 28th 1999): This day was huge with a lot of energies being torn between Taurus and Aquarius (yet, I see the contrasting energies actually quite beneficial to one another). Most of the Taurus comes from the degrees in which some of the planets were situated (using degree theory as a base for this). But the contrast on both has fixed earth and fixed air. Some would say it's because the detached and logical energy of Aquarius doesn't get the slow to grow and traditional ways of life side of Taurus, but I see them coexisting. Like how fog creates the dew in grass on those very revitalizing yet calm 'last days of school' that you may have experienced. Take what resonates as usual. If it doesn't es fine. But it's foggy air, calm winds and the dew sitting on cool crisp grass. It's a good mix. Hell one could say it's Venus and Uranus working together. A wonderful (Venusian) surprise (Uranian) to the collective. Hell it made Geocities far more accessible because of Yahoo being a rising name in the internet search engine space.

HTML 4.01 (December 1999) Maybe it was an attempt to absolve the 'y2k' bug, maybe it wasn't. But what it DID bring, was more unanimity to the eventual structure of the internet. The Taurus-Aquarius energies are still prominent, yet it was slightly different with Jupiter at 25º of Aries. Doubling up on Aries energy since 25º Aries is on an Ariean degree. So, more luck in pioneering more sites for more online adventures. Saturn in particular was in 11º Taurus (in the Aquarian degree) when the released occured this month. Bringing more of that 'stability' aspect to the freedom to code. And then the outer planets were set in Aquarius to Taurus degrees. Except for Pluto..... Sagittarius 10º.... Capricorn degree. This was gonna lead to success either way.

2000's

So, what else? We made it to 2000. And 2.0 was at its time. It brought such big risers like YouTube, Facebook and MySpace this decade. Geocities continues to be used and with that, there was more of an emphasis on respect for what people brought to the online space.

It of course raised the question about living double lives and with the invention of proto-social media, personas slowly begin to fall. Eventually there's more real-life integration and an 'everyone in' type energy because of Pluto in Sagittarius destroyed the boundaries of intercontinental travel with the advent of speaking to someone on the other side of the planet with your PC. Fucking wild shit man.

Soon, the 2010's approach. Windows 8 is soon to release in the next few years

.... it brings us to another component.

2013 - Neocities

The indie web. An alternative to Geocities because it used HTML4.whatever at this point. Evolution is pretty hard to pay attention to when you're tryin' to write a whole thing on the history of how we function on the web; just to prove a point.

Before we go on about the astrology of such, this year also marks a turning point in the internet. I personally see this as the seed for delusion and craze. Social media starts to make our real life selves more noticeable. Sure, it enhanced communication to an even MORE personal level. But, the internet was highly synthetic and had fictional tones. So, the homogenization begins with bringing those same sites who were rising stars in the 2.0 era, into the current state of affairs. They became big conglomerates. Years continue with them starting to implement ad-revenue systems, stock exchange and other such money-power-lucrative systems that the newly ingressed Pluto in Capricorn is willing to expose. By 2019, geocities is completely shut down. Personality has been swiped away in trade of Wix's dull and corporate look.

Back to my point, a secret stem to this internet begins to slowly form. Neocities.

June 28th 2013

Because this site is a major nostalgia revamp, its ultimate goal of replicating and replacing the former private-on-public-server brethren has since reached its goal today. Look to Tumblr and you notice the culture if you throw in the hashtag for it. Most people don't notice since they're too busy protesting thanks to Neptune in Pisces being our current cycle. Yet, when you want to leave the homogenized internet for something a little more personal and free to your own designs, then this would be your ticket. But it's gonna take effort to code a site.

Much like it takes effort to build a home, this release has a slight pull toward more of a water dominant presence. Bringing the full story of privacy and personality full front and center. But, because of the addition of fire in its chart, there's a lot of support for the freedom to adventure out and stand out. So, Fire and Water heavy.

It's best to work in short bursts. But put your ALL into it when you can/do.

NOW

With the advent of Neptune in Aries, Uranus in Gemini, and Pluto in Aquarius being on the precipice of what's to come, I think there'd be point where the homogenization of the internet is going to be too much to bear. I'm not trying to make this an eventual doomscroll, but don't you feel like the internet is kinda..... dying? Do we really need AI? Do we really need Bitcoin? Do we reallyyyy need this or that or anything to digitally exist other than just a little taste of our souls? I see a split (fracture) and a break.

SPLIT

if push comes to shove and we DON'T regulate AI or make it so where it's NOT subscribe able and it's a free service (i.e. we teach people the ways of building these mechanisms and make it easier to do so), then the internet is gonna split.

You'll have social media (the first one in the group), suddenly fall. The toxic nature could start to die down and become less and less significant as we get around to moderating our use. Respect could come back this way, but with the advent of that, it's the responsibility that comes with using the internet. Being careful with what you put out and more needs to teach digital literacy at a younger audience.

Fandom could take a slight hit because of this. Having a full-circle experience of everything I had to know about what it means to be in one, from being banned, blocked to accepted and loved, as well as the arguments over logistical means in a fictional world (which by the way Neptune in Pisces loves to blend reality with the incomprehensible imagination and raw emotions we get). Antiship and Proship wars too. (That's also gonna be something I wish to talk about with my Neptune in Aries predictions) But because of the 'digital literacy' clause and intent of stuff stated above, it'll take a slight hit where fandom may have a more respectful way of saying or doing such and so. Silent blocks, DNI alerts, the usual that we're so encompassed to.

Other than that: Forums or modified forums become the norm as we revert to a more personal and open lifestyle with the digital space. Doxxing and callouts will still happen, yet I feel as a greater disdain and utter repulsion for it could occur. All of this could be known as ADAPTATION for some. Better yet, true RESPECT.

BREAK

If push comes to shove and the internet space begins to get a little too dicey and personal, basically making it more of that TRIBAL sense of finding your people (not to mention it starts to also devolve to where there's cases of subconscious levels of aggression and too many 'what-if's' being thrown around -- i.e. assumptions, accusations and subliminal hate), then something out there or somewhere is gonna completely tear apart the fabric of the internet. For a bleak example: a foreign country hacks into our digital region. Our VPN.

Aries is ruled by Mars. Mars rules knives and seperations. Wars. If Neptune rules over the subconscious over everyone, this could bring about primal actions on a structure like this.

! not to mention that Saturn (code, structure), conjuncts with Neptune (dissolution and dissolving/illusions and spiritual destiny)... and Aries is known for the anger and drive that it has......

we could revert back to a 1.0 like state of mind. Addictions to social media will have huge withdrawals. Attention and clout chasing will get worse outside of that, and it just straight up becomes a crime.

One thing's for certain. We learn a lesson of being careful to not put our personal information out there. .... but that break gives a chance for the proto-web to come back. Hyper-personalization and drive to keep it within chat services like Discord could become even more so the norm or remain as they are. HTML 6 could come out and bringing the retro look with offline capabilities to the public. So as long as we're careful not to once again put our information out there, then that might bring us to once again let the people shine. The key theme with the break is RESTART.

I apologize if it did seem bleak or aggressive. It’s what I channeled and like I said, if you don’t resonate with it, don’t have to worry about it. 🧘✨ my last couple of statements before we close this off with resources, and one is gonna sound a lot like Smokey The Bear.

Care will prevent the destruction of our exchange in ideas and communication. Only YOU can prevent the 'break'. so let's strive for a 'split' alright? ~visiblenostalgia

and then there's something one of my professors had admitted.

"We have more information than ever, but we're more uninformed than ever."

and a small song before I really tie this up.

youtube

love you guys <3

RESCOURCES:

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greenglowinspooks · 7 months

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(DCxDP) The obligations of a rogue versus those of a parent (Pt. 4)

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Tw: descriptions of body horror, Dr. Crane has PTSD and Does Not Realize, Crane has an actual panic attack and just doesn’t care, the Riddler makes one (1) sex joke about Batman

Will be crossposted to AO3 eventually

(Pt. 1 here) (Prev here) - (Pt. 5 here)

(Masterlist here)

—

Dr. Jonathan Crane is in his lab, the acrid scent of chemicals filling the air, and his hands are shaking.

Danny’s health, for the first week that he had him, had been steadily improving at an extremely quick rate. However, his healing had begun to stagnate. Danny said that it was because his body had run out of ectoplasm, and that while there was a lot of ambient ectoplasm in Gotham, he needed a stronger type in order to heal.

And so, that led Dr. Crane here.

He had stolen the research notes from the Penguin years ago regarding his experimentation on him.

(He quite vividly remembers the sound of bone creaking and groaning as it twisted, lengthened. The squelching of shifting tendons and muscles, the strange fabric-like tightening of skin. The feeling of going from man to monster, of losing all claim to his humanity.)

Danny had called him Liminal, part ghost. He had said that he was transformed by, among other things, a kind of synthetic ectoplasm.

Danny needed ectoplasm.

Crane had the research notes. He had every ingredient necessary. And yet, attempt after attempt failed.

The chemical smell burns his nose. His hands tremble.

Dr. Crane is not afraid.

He doesn’t feel fear anymore. He’s tried to, many, many times, but nothing has worked. And yet, his hands are shaking still.

(The horrifying sensation of vertebrae pop-pop-popping along his spine, growing and lengthening. The unbearable itching beneath his skin as toxin glands begin to form. The feeling of his teeth sharpening and elongating, of his skull growing, of his vision changing and brightening. The awful stench of chemicals. The awful stench of ectoplasm.)

Jonathan takes careful note of his shaking hands, his blurring vision, his accelerated heart-rate and shallow breathing.

(Human hands. Human vision. Human heart and lungs and organs.)

He takes note of them, but he does not let that distract him from the task at hand. Danny is not a chemist, but Jonathan is.

The boy knows enough about chemistry in theory, but he won’t go anywhere near Crane’s equipment. He seems to have some sort of intense fear of laboratory settings, probably developed during his stay with the GiW, and Crane is willing to respect that, if only because he cannot afford to lose him.

As such, Crane is the only one qualified to do this. And, unfortunately, if he isn’t successful the boy may very well die.

He heats the chemicals to precisely the right temperatures, adding each one to its correct container.

Dr. Crane thinks of the Scarebeast, that creature born of cruelty and greed and a sense of superiority. That creature which he tries to ignore is a part of him, that can never be removed. A damage which cannot be undone.

He pours the contents of a small beaker into a larger flask, watching the liquids swirl together. The stench in the air is becoming closer and closer to the one burned into his memory.

Crane’s whole body is wracked with unpleasant sensations. It’s truly unfortunate, he thinks, that despite his mind’s lack of fear, his body still reacts so harshly.

Jonathan’s eyes wander, eventually settling on a purple and green card sitting innocently on the corner of the table.

Right.

Even if they wiped out the GiW tomorrow, and even if Danny could survive without ectoplasm, he would still be in danger.

Crane has to get him back to good health. It’s the only way he can be sure that the boy can defend himself properly.

The solution in the flask begins to foam, and Jonathan does not hesitate as he adds the final ingredient. He pours the mixture into a new container, capping it and placing it into a freezer set to -40 degrees.

Hopefully this time he got the timing right.

Jonathan tries to relax, the ventilation in the room slowly but surely clearing the familiar smell from the air.

He thinks of the letter.

Surely, he thinks, that man can come up with some better material for his jokes. Or, at least something new.

Same old threats, same old attempted poisoning.

Aiming his threats at Danny, though, that was new. New and utterly unacceptable.

Scarecrow did what he had to.

He doubted that his solution would last forever, of course, as with that man it never did. As such, he would prepare both himself and Danny for the inevitable moment that his choices came back to bite them.

However, for the moment, they were safe. Danny could rest and recover, and Jonathan could figure out a plan to minimize possible damages.

Jonathan is no longer shaking.

He’s exhausted. This is his fifth attempt today, and each one leaves an unfortunate strain on his mind and body.

With a sigh, he settles himself into his seat at a nearby desk, opening up his computer and logging his most recent attempt. He still has to wait for it to chill to know if it was successful, but he can always update the logs later.

Once he’s done, he stretches, joints popping loudly as he walks to the freezer.

When he sees the results of his tireless work, the ghost of a smile flits across his face.

Success.

Jonathan picks up the jug of ectoplasm and leaves the lab, which is in all actuality the basement of the new apartment that he moved himself and Danny into after receiving the note. The scrappy old woman who was his landlord had told him that as long as he paid her five hundred dollars up front, she would let him set up in the basement without any questions or cop calls.

And so, the most expensive apartment in the Narrows was his.

At least, he thought, the distance between the basement and the apartment was short enough that Danny didn’t have to sit in while he was doing his labwork.

Jonathan knew that he didn’t exactly have a strong grasp on the concept of ‘lab safety,’ proven by his built-up immunity to almost every toxic chemical he’d ever encountered, and he doubted that Danny should be around such an environment.

He was back to the apartment quickly, not bothering to hide the self-satisfied smile on his face. Danny is sitting in his armchair, trying to read one of his books. Danny looks up, ready to greet him, when he sees the jug in his hands and pauses.

“Is that..?”

“Synthetic ectoplasm,” Jonathan says proudly, “I found the Penguin’s research notes and decided to recreate it, since you said that you needed it to heal properly. I’m not sure if it’ll work the same as what you usually have, but I hope it’s helpful all the same.”

Danny is standing, now, and looking at Jonathan with a strange look in his eyes. He looks, Jon thinks, like he’s about to cry.

Then Danny is rushing forward and wrapping his arms around Jonathan, his scrawny form shaking.

Jonathan is, for a moment, horrified. Did he do something wrong somehow? Why is this child, who’s so afraid of touch, hugging him?

And then he hears Danny’s voice, and he knows that it was all worth it.

“Thank you,” he’s mumbling, over and over, “thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much.”

“Of course,” Jonathan says softly, because what else can he say?

The boy cries in his arms for a while, and Jonathan briefly wonders what his life must have been like before, if a person like him can be seen as a comforting figure.

Then, Danny pours himself a small glass of the synthetic ectoplasm, putting the rest into the small fridge which had come with the apartment, and he settles back down, sitting in the armchair once again.

Jonathan sits opposite of him, and they chat with one another as Danny drinks.

Danny talks to him about the stars and tells him about different spaceships, and Jonathan makes sure to pay attention and ask the boy questions.

He doesn’t miss the way that Danny lights up every time he asks him something about his interests. He’s so passionate, so smart, a trait that he seldom sees outside of his fellow rogues, and Jonathan wants to encourage that.

It’s…nice. Peaceful, almost.

And then the front door flies open, because Jonathan isn’t allowed to have nice things.

“Jon,” a familiar voice rings out, “what the hell?!”

Danny is frozen in place, clearly terrified.

Jonathan heaves a sigh, turning to face the nuisance who’s entered his apartment.

“Eddie,” he drawls, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Edward’s face is red with anger as he invades Jonathan’s apartment.

“Oh, I don’t know! Maybe it’s the fact that you sent a bunch of rogues a cryptic message and then dropped off the face of the earth for two weeks! I was worried, Jon!”

Jonathan hums in acknowledgement.

“I didn’t think it was that cryptic,” he says, picking up a book in order to pointedly ignore the Riddler.

“Oh, of course you didn’t, you straw-stuffed hickory dickory dickhead. I swear, you’re always—” he pauses, finally having noticed Danny sitting opposite of Jonathan, “—who is this?”

“My apprentice,” Jonathan replies, dreading the upcoming headache he was no doubt going to develop from Edward’s company, “he’s helping me hunt down the GiW. His name is Danny.”

Edward gasps dramatically.

“You—an apprentice?! And you’re letting him sit in the old man chair?! You don’t even let me sit in the old man chair,” he wails, draping himself over the headrest of the couch with a flourish, “Jonathan, I thought I knew you!”

“Edward,” Jonathan says, “get out of my apartment.”

“Oh my goodness, this is incredible. You’re becoming the bat!”

“I am not becoming the bat, Eddie, now get out.”

Edward has a shit-eating grin on his face as he waltzes over to Danny. Danny, who seemed terrified when he first appeared, is now looking at him with obvious amusement written all over his face.

“I mean, look at him! The hair, the eyes, the scrappy build. If you put him in one of those traffic light vigilante costumes, he could easily pass as a Robin!”

“I’m not doing this with you today, Eddie.”

“Riddle me this, Jon: I am a treasure hidden inside of a chest. You can break me, or steal me, or give me a rest. I can flutter, or pound, or attack, or drop, but if you don’t have me, you’re certainly fucked. What am I?”

Jonathan pauses for a moment before he groans, dropping his head into his hands.

“Eddie.”

Danny sits still, a confused look on his face as he repeats the riddle silently. Then, his face lights up in delight.

“A heart!”

“Jon, I like this one,” Edward says with a smile, ruffling Danny’s hair, “you are correct! A heart, something that I wasn’t aware that our dear Jonathan had!”

“Eddie, stop.”

“No, no,” Edward says, “I was worried about you, you deserve this. I mean, you even missed girls night! You never miss girls night!”

“Girls night?” Danny asks, absolutely delighted.

“Oh, of course,” Edward says, sprawling over on the couch, dangerously close to just laying in Jonathan’s lap, “we have it once a week. I’m invited because of Selina and Jon’s invited because Harley likes him.”

“And what does girls night entail, exactly?”

“Eddie,” Jonathan groans, “please.”

“Well,” Edward hums, “we usually paint our nails, or watch a movie, or gossip about the other rogues, and occasionally, we tell each other about any ‘encounters’ we have with Batman,” he says, raising his eyebrows up and down.

Danny’s jaw drops.

“Edward, shut up,” Jonathan says, an irritated tone in his voice that wasn’t there before.

“No way,” Danny says, “I thought that Batman, like, hated you guys or something. You mean he actually..?”

“Oh, the Bat is much like a bottle of liquor or a cheap cigarette, in that he was made to be passed around.”

Danny chokes on air.

“Edward Nygma,” Jonathan hisses, getting out of his seat and looming over the man, “get the hell out.”

Edward pales.

“Leaving, leaving!” Edward says, dashing away from Jonathan. He pauses, turning to flash Danny a quick smile.

“Remember Danny, I’m your favorite uncle! Not any of the other rogues, me!”

With that, he leaves, the room falling completely silent.

And, as per usual, that silence does not last.

“You full-named him?” Danny asks gleefully, “and it worked?”

Jonathan just sighs, sitting down on the couch and rubbing at his temples.

“Please, don’t take anything Eddie says seriously. He’s a moron.”

“Dr. Crane, please let me come to girls night with you,” Danny pleads, his eyes sparkling, “I promise I won’t embarrass you.”

Jonathan groans.

“Of course you won’t, Eddie will do it for you.”

“Come on, please?”

“I think we’re a bit busy with the GiW at the moment,” Jonathan snaps. He pauses as he notices the crestfallen expression on Danny’s face.

This boy is going to be the death of him.

“Perhaps, though, when all that is taken care of…”

Danny cheers, grinning wildly, and Jonathan is not at all relieved to see him happy again. Certainly not.

The rest of the day is relatively normal.

Danny works on trying to get information from the GiW database while Crane refines his his fear toxin, both preparing for a raid on the GiW base they located in Gotham.

It was only a temporary base, nothing of note, but there was a chance of discovering more bases through it, and that wasn’t something either of them were willing to give up.

Still, something like this would take time. Rushing would only lead to failure.

…

Late in the night, long after Danny is fast asleep in his room, Jonathan pauses.

The GiW are not the only threat out there. They aren’t the only threat to him or to Danny. Perhaps it could be helpful to reach out to someone with greater resources than himself.

He sends a quick message to Red Hood.

Hopefully, he thinks, everything will go smoothly.

—

#dcxdp #dc x dp #dp x dc #dpxdc #dp x dc crossover #dc x dp fic #liminal scarecrow #Jon’s PTSD is triggered by the smell of ectoplasm because his life is a nightmare #HDJFNDNDNFKDJF #I am the master of emotional whiplash #rip Jon just trying to have some peace in this fucking house #never gonna happen king 🫡#oh also Eddie is not lying that bat can manwhore #and like half the rogues in Gotham know this from experience #and also most of the JL #and some of JL dark #btw Eddie and Jon are besties #they’re both awful but they make it work #when Jon full-names Eddie that just means that if he doesn’t stop whatever he’s doing he’s gonna get a dose of fear toxin #Eddie isn’t intimidating enough to full-name anyone so if he gets mad he just bashes whoever in the head with his cane #Jon is the living embodiment of ‘me and my girl don’t argue she bash me in the head with a rock and I walk it off like a man’#also side note I’m not doing any ships in this #because I don’t want to #they are just Like That #if you wanna read it that way though it’s completely fine #also shoutout 2 that one scriddler fic on ao3 that helped inspire that riddle LMAO

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hauntedmoors · 6 months

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the way peeta will always be the boy who gave katniss bread when she was hungry and brought flowers home so that he could plant them in her garden .

#GUYS…. I was literally normal about the books slash movies until I rewatched mockingjay part 2 #text #gale on the other hand will always be the guy who picked power and violence over empathy. fuck that guy for real.#also soooo meta for katniss to pick the guy who embodies peace and empathy I’m actually going to be sick over them #I need to find that everlark post I had pinned on my old blog and rb it 10 times #the hunger games

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meibemeibelline · 9 months

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rewatching bits of khr AGAIN and i'm having 8018 thoughts about the fact both tyl!hibari AND present hibari's first entrances in the future arc involved seeing yamamoto laying on the ground unconscious and injured, and then proceeding to throw hands with the person who hurt him because they're 'disturbing the peace in namimori'/'harming a namimori middle school student'

#katekyo hitman reborn #8018 #yamamoto takeshi #hibari kyoya #khr #mei rereads khr #shipper brain watches roll barrel towards gamma's back and screams GET HIS ASS HE HURT YOUR BOYFRIEND #also takeshi being the embodiment of namimori - a calming presence. simple guy in a simple town. charming in his own way #and that being one of the things kyoya loves him for #and takeshi being happy means namimori is at peace #going feral for this ship again you know how it is

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hopesandmountains · 7 months

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I think one of the key things for any relationship is to discover what your needs are.

Because otherwise you’re going to try and meet those needs in ways that aren’t entirely conscious to you.

Everybody has a need for passion, love, understanding, physical closeness etc. but we all find different ways of meeting that need.

And the most straightforward answer is to find a relationship.

However for those of us with emotional trauma it’s not really always easy or straightforward to find and build a relationship. And honestly that’s not always the priority for everybody anyhow.

The need for passion, love, and intensity can outweigh the need for a long lasting connection, especially when dealing with people who are suffering from trauma or living a life where they constantly feel anxious or overwhelmed.

And of course because a long lasting and intimate connection with someone else can just be a scary thing, especially when trauma or other factors have left you unsure about your connection with yourself.

However the thing is, the solution is not really looking for a causal relationship either. If your need is true passion and investment, whether you admit it to themselves or not, you are placing actual stakes on how things are going to work out and you would be personally hurt if you ever if you were to feel used like just another causal fling.

This is especially true with those who have attachment issues or abandonment issues, because unlike securely attached people who can just walk away, unresolved attachment issues can latch you onto someone even if you hardly know them.

So realizing it or not, it is kind of like a gamble that either things will just work out together in the long run, or that by the time the relationship runs it’s course, that having that passion love and understanding will have left you in a more resourced place where you will not only be able to handle the emotions of separating, but will also be left in a more emotionally secure place that is better then where you started.

And that’s not entirely untrue. Having someone compassionate who truly cares about you can really help you boost your mental health, and if you really work at it while you have those additional resources they are giving you through their care, you can heal yourself and build that emotionally security from within.

But really the therapist answer would be to look for friends, social supports, healthy communities, groups you belong to etc. to use as additional resources to help you heal and build that emotionally security.

And in fairness, the way society is set up doesn’t really make it easy to build a social support group and it’s not always a bad idea to just get to know someone and see where things naturally go.

But it can be more reckless and unsafe. By putting heavy emphasis on passion too early on in a relationship, your risk opening up yourself to someone toxic or not good for you or in the worst case outright abusive.

And this is why it’s important to know your needs, because if you try and meet them in a way that feels familiar to your childhood trauma, it can be a recipe for disaster if you are unconsciously trying to recreate an unsafe environment.

So regardless of what you do I emphasis learning more about yourself, slowing things down, and seeing how you feel at each step. See if past traumas get brought up, if attachment issues start acting up, if what you are feeling is limerence or true connection, if you are considering your own needs in the relationship, if you are voicing those needs in a healthy manner, if you are staying true to yourself or if you are “fawning”.

And it’s not that I want to scare people off from finding connections or meeting new people, I just think it’s really important to understand your needs in a way that you can confident in yourself and confident enough in the relationship to move forward.

And confident enough to objectively consider losing the relationship, confident enough to objectively decide what kind of relationship it is that you want (considering your own needs and not someone else’s), and confident to walk away if that is what is best for you.

So try and volunteer somewhere, join clubs, slowly let yourself be more social to be build that social safety net, and yes please take risks. At some point you will have to address your own vulnerability and that means risking yourself.

And this post is already a lot so the last thing I will stress is just how important it is to understand your own vulnerability so you don’t unintentionally make yourself more vulnerable than you intend to. A lot times when people aren’t comfortable being vulnerable but want to try to be, they can overextend and be more vulnerable than they intend to. And here’s a good video to learn about that.

youtube

#attachment styles #attachment theory #anxious attachment #disorganized attachment #relationships #self care #self worth #childhood trauma #personally I am looking for a long term relationship #however that’s more of my value system and my self actualizad self #currently I have been feeling very overwhelmed so my basic needs are prioritizing finding that peace and calm now #so there’s an internal conflict because building a social support system takes time #and that doesn’t mean I have to compromise on my values or what I am looking for #it just means it’s something to recognize #so I can set a goal to get from where I am feeling now #to a place where I can be the idealized self that I want to be #I’ve been too focused on just outwardly doing things that felt aligned with who I wanted to be #however now I want to focus internally and monitor my true feelings and needs #because I need to work with myself to get to where I will be internally at peace while still embodying the self I want to be

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goldkirk · 7 months

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I cannot believe how long it took me to turn off the 24/7 tracking app in my phone AS AN ADULT after I’d ALREADY been on the warpath about never letting them use tracking software on my laptop ever again! How did that happen! At least four separate people told me multiple times that I could turn it off and I was like “No you don’t understand you don’t know how it would be if I did” and believed I truly didn’t have the option! This is baffling! I cannot believe it has been YEARS of this shit and I am STILL having more realizations! How am I supposed to ever finally fully trust I can keep myself safe if I don’t know if I know all the rules about being truly safe yet!

#i know its not this simple #etc etc #but anyway. i am fine. I just fud a little too much embodiment and got some realizations unlocked again.#I needed to get this out and now I can go back to work. yes. okay. I got this.#shh katie #I was a liar for so many years and they didn’t trust me for so many years #I was just trying to exist in the world without conflict #but the lengths I convinced myself that the label was true and I owed it to them to know my every move to keep the peace #wow.

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thewrongshop · 1 year

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i'm 100% sure there have been countless posts about this etc etc but i am not ever going to be normal about the fact that taliesin lost his nihilistic, in-love-with-life, over-the-top kind and careless character in the most abrupt and unsatisfying way possible and instead of bringing him back or trying to recreate the experience of playing him he created CADUCEUS CLAY a man who is so at peace with death and the cycle of life that he lives in a graveyard and still retains that kindness it's. i can't think about this too much actually i can feel my brain disintegrating

#it's . something about the fact that he greets the m9 with an acknowledgment that most people come to him because of tragedy #knowing FULL WELL he himself is the tragedy they're recovering from. he IS the vehicle for recovery from their friend's death.#literally taliesin himself is like embodying the forgiveness none of them asked for by coming back kind and at peace with mortality #it's the dramatic irony it's the unshakeable kindness in the face of unfairness. it's devastating to me.#ogh. dnd.#talking shop #molly isn't coming back but you can tell just from cad's demeanor that he did not go unhappily. i'm so emotional

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thespongebobsquarepantsmovie · 8 months

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not to be openly emotional about my stories but i think golbetty will make me cry forever

#what if the most comforting and peaceful presence was that of the literal embodiment of malevolence and chaos

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lord-squiggletits · 2 months

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Also I'm just gonna say that even if it were true that Rodimus was a """""true Prime"""" and Optimus wasn't, that isn't as much of an L for Optimus as people seemingly want it to be.

Like so you're telling me Optimus was never a chosen hero and the burden of the Matrix/leadership pained him morally, emotionally, and physically, yet he still survived 4 million years of war?

You're telling me he wasn't God's Designated Special Boy but he still tried his best to live up to that impossible ideal to the point of developing serious depression and suicidal ideation as a result of so much goddamn loneliness and self-doubt?

Optimus wasn't a "true Prime" and yet he still believed in ideals of reconciliation and ending the cycle of violence? He wasn't a true Prime but he still stayed on Cybertron trying to fix a broken, broken society while also trying to stop Earth from being invaded for a second time? He didn't even need to do that he could've just stayed in exile which he was originally supposed to do all along, and which he would've personally preferred?? You're telling me that Optimus wasn't Primus' Specialest Boy And Chosen Leader and yet he stepped into leadership anyways bc he perceived that there was injustice to be fixed??

Wow yeah I guess Optimus is just such an inferior leader, clearly his actual actions/moral character as person don't matter and his "worthiness" should be judged solely on whether the Magic Cybertronian 8 Ball liked him or not.

#squiggposting #idw op love #literally the more you deconstruct it the less sense it makes #ppl want rodimus to be Validated By Canon as being better than optimus soooo badly #i get it you cant like rodimus without shitting on optimus #however when you get canon wrong i can and will roast your theories #if optimus went thru everything he went thru but somehow still isnt worthy of the matrix #then what WOULD make him worthy??? like seriously #fighting to protect organic species from colonization didnt make him worthy?#trying to find diplomatic resolutions to a 4 mil year long blood feud isnt worthy enough?#doing all of this at the cost of great personal suffering to himself doesnt make him worthy??#being willing to fight and imprison his own autobots for trying to break the peace wasnt enough?#becoming villified by most of earth/cybertron by forcing them to cooperate wasnt enough???#optimus siding with the ultimate victim of cybertronian oppression and 'defeating him' by acknowledging his pain #isnt enough to make him worthy?? THEN WTF IS ENOUGH TO YOU PPL #nothing bc 'worthy of the matrix' is just code for 'validation of my fave'#and most of the ppl in this fandom dont even know OP did all of those things anywYs #also like MOST PEOPLE arent wielders of the matrix are they unworthy too???#WHAT DO YOU MEAN WORTHINESS?? WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS ALLEGED WORTHINESS #ON THE MORAL AND THEMATIC FABRIC OF THIS STORY????#literally idw optimus embodies the same values that rodimus does #it's all about love and forgiveness and building a better future and choosing kindness over violence #And if you dont get that optimus represents those just as much as rodimus did well #you prolly didnt read very closely lol

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mymiraclebox · 3 months

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What do you think would be some Kwamis' moral alignment?

Ooo, fun question! It would be a lot to do all the kwamis, so here's a good chuck of them:

Alphas: Plagg: Chaotic Neutral Tikki: Lawful Good Vitaa: Neutral Good Shii: Lawful Good Graay: Lawful Neutral Prrysm: Chaotic Good Stellar: Lawful Neutral Koree: True Neutral

Renegades: Yuume: Neutral Evil Attlantis: Lawful Evil Tonna: Chaotic Evil Nooroo: Chaotic Neutral Duusu: Chaotic Good Sotaa: Chaotic Evil

Canon: Sass: Neutral Good Fluff: True Neutral Pollen: Lawful Good Trixx: Chaotic Neutral Wayzz: Lawful Good Liiri: Chaotic Good Longg: Lawful Neutral Barkk: Lawful Neutral Roaar: Neutral Good Ziggy: Lawful Good Kaalki: Lawful Good Daizzi: Lawful Good Xuppu: Chaotic Neutral Orikko: Neutral Good Mullo: Chaotic Neutral Stompp: Chaotic Good

Others: Prrince: Lawful Good Nokk: Lawful Good Apple: Chaotic Good Dess: True Neutral Uuince: Lawful Neutral Olivv: True Neutral

#duusu's “good” is mislead as their miraculous is still broken #nooroo is out for revenge in this au #he's a hurt son #anon ask #kwamis #kwami #moral alignment #fluff is true neutral because she let's bad things happen to maintain the timeline #sotaa and olivv are tricky because sotaa isn't evil per se #but he loves violence and will do anything to make it happen #and olivv is the embodiment of peace but she'll willingly take away free will to make it happen

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ronkeyroo · 2 years

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Does Raven have any scars? (Physical and/or emotional) and is she(?) frightened of anything? 🥺

dfhdsjfd This bimbo be covered in both emotional and physical scars 😭 BUT!!! This is an interesting question...

Some of her scars are a mix of character lore, some based on real scars I share on my own body, and a couple "i just think its sexy and i wish i had it irl but i cant so Raven have it" scars SUCH AS the scars on her chin + cheek!

However, for deeper context + Depressing character lore: TW for mentions of self harm and heavy themes ;;

Raven has a complex set of Traumas she's struggling and fighting to overcome. A lone werewolf longing for connection, she wielded a tender heart that sought out love and wonder despite a lifelong of struggle — unfortunately all in a decaying world where such desires were considered nothing but wishful thinking and naive weakness, "wasted potential" where power and control were valued above all. You're either a monster, or youre easy prey to one.

Having stubbornly refuse to become such a thing under this grim reality, she insisted to fight for the good she believed in. She fought so many monsters before, she was certain she will recognize them through her journey.

However, her own path betrayed her. She was too soft, thrown back and forth between people who preyed on her vulnerability for their own selfish gain, time and time again.

With her wanderlust betrayed, sentiments corrupt, and trust broken - She entered a searing cycle of emotional decay; constantly stuck between two extremes. You, or them? Good or False? Human or Monster? Blurring her sense of self as well as sense of control.

The unyielding rage, spite and resentment for having been wronged so many times soon overshadowed the good she fought for, the tenderness she insisted to protect. And in the end she grew to believe that it was the very reason for her suffering, her "weakness". Having cast her heart away, Raven grew cold and dangerous, if only to protect whats left by course of detachment and intimidation.

One of her biggest issues would be that self sabotage and lack of self control both emotionally and physically. Everything was either too hot or too cold, too numb or too vivid. A beautiful truth, or a beautiful lie. She haven't yet developed an inner anchor to ground her when she loses herself to rage or hopelessness, nor did she believe she was capable or worthy of any good. She cannot allow those feelings release, which is why she's covered in "self restraint" scars.

Betrayed by the world around her, terrified of what she has become and resentful of those responsible - She ultimately accepted her 'fate' as being nothing but a monster in the end. Vindictive and despondent, she swore that if she were to become one - She will pledge that volatile chaos to hunt down other monsters instead.

Despite it all, her desire for love and wonder refused to fade away completely, glimpses of her warmth still slip away when met with those genuine and caring of her, her heart longing to radiate the very love she thought lost. However, stained by the wounds of the past and fearful of hurting others - She didn't yet learn the right way to co-exist with those emotions without struggling to accept them, or worse —seeing them as some sort of weakness, an illusion, questioning whether it was ever meant for her or not, and ultimately cowering away.

One of her biggest fears are all bound to that heartache. Be it to put effort into something that is bound to fail, to love only to hurt, or to become the very thing you hated all this time.

Her scars hold both stories of victory and survival against living monsters, or hatred and defeat by those of her own.

#sad werewolf bimbo hours ;_;#Raven #Character Lore #oc lore #my art #hauntedadagium #friend shenanigans #Ronkey Replies #I hope...Raven finds her peace one day #I know we will work side by side to make that happen #shes not alone through it at least ;_; theres still her guardian Shayu and his role/part in her story!#literally the embodiment of her self love #This inspired me to get back to their worldbuilding and lore...thank you sm friend ;; i hope this wasnt too depressing to read hhgndhf #i promise the soul duo shall prevail #ronkeyroo

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green-tea-lemonade · 9 months

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Shadowclan Nepeta bc my brain said so and frankly I'm inclined to believe it

#art #digital art #procreate #homestuck #nepeta leijon #warrior cats au #listen i know i have more ship art to make but #you cant tell me this wouldnt be sick af #give me shadowclan leader nep who is the nicest bitch around but wouldnt hesitate to curb stomp a bitch given the reason and opportunity #shortest leader as well and almost sickeningly nice given the clan and its reputation #is there something wrong with her? absolutely.#however she is somewhat the peace keeper for the clan and there hasnt been an all out murder spree in camp so theyll keep her #she can keep people together for the most part and is the embodiment of boosting team morale #sooooo yeah hope yall enjoy this bc i havent done nice pieces like this in a minute #also if you send me asks about aus and thoughts and theories i will literally screech like a hungry possum and will not shut up

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karinyosa · 10 months

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Hello fellow asp enthusiast lol not to ask you like…. Half of your ask meme but 4, 5, 6, 13, and 14??? I would love to hear asp thoughts

no no believe me this is the ideal situation since i have a limited number of asp mutuals so THANK you for all the questions i am rubbing my hands together gleefully

4. favorite part?

i’m bad at favorites but one part that always gets me is the section where gene talks about “his” moment in history, which in his words is supposed to be the moment where if asked generally about the world or “the world today”, a person will think of this moment/era. and his is of course devon during the war, aka his school days. i just found that very poignant, and i think it’s so in line with everything we know about gene, how he continues to live in this very specific traumatic time bubble and how it has never really died for him, it’s just as present as it always was, he remembers it just as clearly as he always has and (as the explanation implies) always will. it haunts him, it is alive for him still, he carries it around inside, etc etc. it hits me in the heart a bit

5. favorite quote?

“[E]verything at Devon, the playing fields, the gym, the water hole, and all the other buildings and all the people there were intensely real, wildly alive and totally meaningful, and I alone was a dream, a figment which had never really touched anything. I felt that I was not, never had been and never would be a living part of this overpoweringly solid and deeply meaningful world around me.”

goodness does this one hurt/hit! again i’m bad at favorites, but after i read this in middle school i was like i think i know exactly what he’s talking about in fact i think he’s hit the nail on the head. i was obsessed with that quote for quite a while and made this art piece that was a watercolor painting of devon at sunset and then i had a cut-out sketch of gene i’d done on looseleaf that i pasted in the middle. and yeah that’s exactly how i feel about it

6. brinker opinions? love or hate him?

LOVE! i cannot lie i love that boy and i also think he sucks 🫶🫶🫶 he has that lovable smarmy rudeness, which i can’t find flatly hateable. and i mean, he’s a funny guy, like he writes those poems and i think they’re very much written to be at least kind of funny. i’m not an apologist in the sense that i don’t think he did nothing wrong, but i find him a fun and interesting character with fun and interesting flaws. he also has a level of conviction about everything that he believes that is kind of endearing to me, especially when he does that 180 at the end of the book about his war opinions. he’s all, i LOVE the war everyone should come do the war with me, and then by the end he’s like i fucking hate the war. lol or at least he thought it was stupid and was sort of disillusioned about it. which was especially interesting in the context of that allusion to his Complicated relationship with his father, plus the fact that gene was AWARE of how complicated it was. i love the camaraderie implied by those two’s wariness of each other’s parents lol. and i love to think about their relationship after devon. i like to think brinker continues his 180 away from his father’s politics and expectations and becomes the loud bisexual that the spirit of gore vidal inside him is willing him to be, and i think down the line he’d be a lot more open and liberated about his sexuality than gene. but i mean, gene’s a low bar to beat in that department. i am a capricorn brinker truther

also, i'm a firm believer in the idea that all of the main four are queercoded in various ways, and i find him interesting to place in the tapestry of queerness/map of gay drama that asp paints. i'm majorly mixing metaphors but whatever. brinker is obsessed with monopolizing the attention and time of gene, while also feeling the need to present himself as morally superior to the object of his affection, to the point where he takes on literally the role of a judge. like there is something deeply wrong with him but not just in the silly asshole way and i think we haven't talked about that enough. i imagine his relationship with popularity and having kind of a curated public face/persona is more similar to gene's than it seems, and i think they understand each other in ways that neither of them were necessarily able to do with finny, which is why their friendship remains strong even at the end the book. plus i've always thought they knew each other before the events of the book took place. there's a lot of shared history there and i think that would cause them to continue to share their lives even after enlisting. this went on a tangent i didn't intend, but i have a very detailed idea of their lives after the war lesjdkksdlj

13. appearance/voice headcanons?

finny:

has heterochromia, parts of his eyes are different colors

very melodic voice, a bit higher than average (the melodic part might actually be canon)

dimples

tan for a white guy, freckles

bad at volume control, always ends up talking Loudly. if you take him to a diner, the next table over will hear his entire half of the conversation, terrible in libraries, etc

never wears his uniform fully properly. it's always folded up or modified in some way or he's just not wearing part of it

i think he has curly hair, but the color changes in my head all the time

gene:

brunette bowl cut bitch. the early 2000s movie was so right about the bowl cut. hair is wavy

pale, sunburns easily

i always draw him with these big downturned glassy eyes, always looks a little teary

ill-fitting clothes (hand-me-downs from his brother)

BAD posture that makes him palpably little next to other people

i think he has a weird like tired quality to his voice that i think dane dehaan also has. not raspiness but that kind of low, slow, round, weirdly nasally sound. is that a tired quality? idk but he and dane dehaan both have it

this is not a headcanon this is completely canon but his ass does not have a southern accent or at least not a very strong one. he was playing it up to get attention

brinker:

in ms/hs i headcanoned that he had some form of a buzz cut or crew cut at devon because he was such an enlistment enthusiast

gene described him as athletic looking which in middle school i could only conceptualize as buff. so now i just imagine him stocky, wide, and chubby, with a brief period of weight loss during/after the war

lipless. notably so

i think he cares the most about fashion out of the main four in that elitist rich people private school way, so he’d have all the right pieces and brands, everything would fit properly

enunciates very sharply. has like, a teacher voice lmao

blond but like of course he is

leper:

light brown hair, kinda dorky middle part

very quiet, breathy voice. people ask him to speak up often

overgrown hair. grandma always says he needs a haircut

i am a tall leper truther. i think he’s a beanpole and i think he’s the tallest one. i had a friend who thought the opposite

layered the fuck up in terms of clothing

the book mentions him wearing “spectacles” when he goes off to find the beaver, which were probably just snow goggles or something, but i like to think he wears glasses

leftie with an always-stained hand (paint, pencil lead, etc) and badly bitten nails

lots of knitwear from gramma

14. what would you change about the book apart from [REDACTED]?

you know i’ve admired and liked a separate peace for so long and spent so much time dissecting its various intricacies that i just haven’t been in the mindset of looking for/noticing things i want to change about it very much. if anything, i think leper’s ptsd or “madness” or whatever it was was handled poorly and with an obvious lack of understanding of what that was and how it worked, although to be fair the mental illness knowledge at the time was probably lacking in general. leper’s actions and choices at the end of the book are explained away by generic tv movie craziness when i think it could’ve been a lot more interesting to explore the implications of leper having more obvious agency in those choices, leper actively choosing to be vengeful towards gene (he definitely had reason to be!) and battling with that internally during the trial. his explosions of emotion would’ve been more impactful to me if that had been the case

i would’ve of course loved for the book to be canonically queer, just so we could get a more explicit exploration of each character’s relationship to their queerness and how it colors the book’s pet topics of repression, rivalry, devotion, and coming of age, but i don’t even think it’s necessary because you can truly just read the book as if it were queer and nothing need change. like it all works, no leaps in thought or reading-into required. i mean it certainly helps to do those things, and i think reading into things is often part of a good reading experience, but it is literally about gene’s repressed desire for finny and the unintended consequences of that repression, among other things, but very explicitly that. plus there's the ass paragraph and the characters’ relationships with family, etc etc. like gene LITERALLY stops himself from telling finny how much he means to him at the beach and that could just as much be about gay love as straight boybestfriendship, in fact i think the case is stronger textually for it being queer than not. no straight person can read asp and not have at least one moment of, hmm this seems gay, but you can absolutely just read it as gay without issue. as much as i would love to see the "canon" version of their queerness, i am also very comfortable with the amount of freedom we have to take it in many different directions ourselves, and i think there's something very poignant and true about asp's queerness being heavily implied but never outright confessed

#sorry if this took a while!#i wanted to take some time to really sit down and answer these lol #a separate peace #me.txt #ask game #i'm thinking about the thing i said about brinker's dynamic with gene and i wanted to also add #it almost seems like finny's purity is what makes him a threat to brinker #brinker must be the most cool the most popular the most pure boy around and finny is a threat to that #because he (seems to) have this very natural ability to embody everything gene and brinker covet #in addition to having all of gene's attention #it's almost like this thing of like i'm going to fuck with you to get your attention but also to prove to you that i'm better than you #so that you'll like me. plus weird baggage around purity in general. is it religion? his father? that's for you to decide

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