#or like how there can be no more authentic rebellion - maybe that's what it's like from your cushy position

[tutyayilmazz]

The sheer number of older and more experienced professionals involved in Måneskin introduces a tension between the rock conventions that characterize their songwriting and the fundamentally pop circumstances under which those songs are produced. They are four friends in a band, but that band is inside an enormous machine. From their perspective, though, the machine is good.

The American visitor to Rome arrives with certain preconceptions that feel like stereotypes but turn out to be basically accurate. There really are mopeds flying around everywhere, and traffic seems governed by the principle that anyone can be replaced. Breakfast is coffee and cigarettes. Despite these orthopedic and nutritional hazards, everyone is better looking — not literally everyone, of course, but statistically, as if whatever selective forces that emerge from urban density have had an extra hundred generations or so to work. And they really do talk like that, an emphatic mix of vowels, gestures and car horns known as “Italian.” To be scolded in this language by a driver who wants to park in the crosswalk is to realize that some popular ideas are actually true. Also, it is hot.

The triumphant return to Rome of Måneskin — arguably the only rock stars of their generation, and almost certainly the biggest Italian rock band of all time — coincided with a heat wave across Southern Europe. On that Tuesday in July the temperature hit 107 degrees. The Tiber looked thick, rippled in places and still in others, as if it were reducing. By Thursday morning the band’s vast management team was officially concerned that the night’s sold-out performance at the Stadio Olimpico would be delayed. When Måneskin finally took the stage around 9:30 p.m., it was still well into the 90s — which was too bad, because there would be pyro.

There was no opening act, possibly because no rock band operating at this level is within 10 years of Måneskin’s age. The guitarist Thomas Raggi played the riff to “Don’t Wanna Sleep,” the lights came up and 60,000 Italians screamed. Damiano David — the band’s singer and, at age 24, its oldest member — charged out in black flared trousers and a mesh top that bisected his torso diagonally, his heavy brow and hypersymmetrical features making him look like some futuristic nomad who hunted the fishnet mammoth. Victoria De Angelis, the bassist, wore a minidress made from strips of leather or possibly bungee cords. Raggi wore nonporous pants and a black button-down he quickly discarded, while Ethan Torchio drummed in a vest with no shirt underneath, his hair flying. For the next several minutes of alternately disciplined and frenzied noise, they sounded as if Motley Crüe had been cryogenically frozen, then revived in 2010 with Rob Thomas on vocals.

That hypothetical will appeal to some while repelling others, and which category you fall into is, with all due respect, not my business here. Rolling Stone, for its part, said that Måneskin “only manage to confirm how hard rock & roll has to work these days to be noticed,” and a viral Pitchfork review called their most recent album “absolutely terrible at every conceivable level.” But this kind of thumbs up/thumbs down criticism is pretty much vestigial now that music is free. If you want to know whether you like Måneskin — the name is Danish and pronounced MOAN-eh-skin — you can fire up the internet and add to the more than nine billion streams Sony Music claims the band has accumulated across Spotify, YouTube, et cetera. As for whether Måneskin is good, de gustibus non est disputandum, as previous Italians once said: In matters of taste, there can be no arguments.

You should know, though, that even though their music has been heard most often through phone and laptop speakers, Måneskin sounds better on a soccer field. That is what tens of thousands of fans came to the Stadio Olimpico on an eyelid-scorching Thursday to experience: the culturally-if-not-personally-familiar commodity of a stadium rock show, delivered by the unprecedented phenomenon of a stadium-level Italian rock band. The pyro — 20-foot jets of swivel-articulated flame that you could feel all the way up in the mezzanine — kicked in on “Gasoline,” a song Måneskin wrote to protest Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. From a thrust platform in the center of the field, David poured his full emotive powers into the pre-chorus: “Standing alone on that hill/using your fuel to kill/we won’t take it standing still/watch us dance.”

The effect these words will have on President Putin is unknown. They capture something, though, about rock ’n’ roll, which has established certain conventions over the last seven decades. One of those conventions is an atmosphere of rebellion. It doesn’t have to be real — you probably don’t even want it to be — but neither can it seem too contrived, because the defining constraint of rock as a genre is that you have to feel it. The successful rock song creates in listeners the sensation of defying consensus, even if they are right in step with it.

The need to feel the rock may explain the documented problem of fans’ taste becoming frozen in whatever era was happening when they were between the ages of 15 and 25. Anyone who adolesced after Spotify, however, did not grow up with rock as an organically developing form and is likely to have experienced the whole catalog simultaneously, listening to Led Zeppelin at the same time they listened to Pixies and Franz Ferdinand — i.e. as a genre rather than as particular artists, the way my generation (I’m 46) experienced jazz. The members of Måneskin belong to this post-Spotify cohort. As the youngest and most prominent custodians of the rock tradition, their job is to sell new, guitar-driven songs of 100 to 150 beats per minute to a larger and larger audience, many of whom are young people who primarily think of such music as a historical artifact. Starting this month, Måneskin will take this business on a multivenue tour of the United States — a market where they are considerably less known — whose first stop is Madison Square Garden.

“I think the genre thing is like ... ” Torchio said to me backstage in Rome, making a gesture that conveyed translingual complexity. “We can do a metaphor: If you eat fish, meat and peanuts every day, like for years, and then you discover potatoes one day, you’ll be like: ‘Wow, potatoes! I like potatoes; potatoes are great.’ But potatoes have been there the whole time.” Rock was the potato in this metaphor, and he seemed to be saying that even though many people were just now discovering that they liked it, it had actually been around for a long time. It was a revealing analogy: The implication was that rock, like the potato, is here to stay; but what if rock is, like the potato in our age of abundance, comparatively bland and no longer anyone’s favorite?

Which rock song came first is a topic of disagreement, but one strong candidate is “Rocket 88,” recorded by Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythym band in 1951. It’s about a car and, in its final verse, about drinking in the car. These themes capture the context in which rock ’n’ roll emerged: a period when household incomes, availability of consumer goods and the share of Americans experiencing adolescence all increased simultaneously.

Although and possibly because rock started as Black music, it found a gigantic audience of white teenagers during the so-called British Invasion of the mid-1960s (the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who), which made it the dominant form of pop music for the next two decades. The stadium/progressive era (Journey, Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner) that now constitutes the bulk of classic-rock radio gave way, eventually, to punk (the Ramones, Patti Smith, Minor Threat) and then glam metal: Twisted Sister, Guns N’ Roses and various other hair-intensive bands that were obliterated by the success of Nirvana and Pearl Jam in 1991. This shift can be understood as the ultimate triumph of punk, both in its return to emotive content expressed through simpler arrangements and in its professed hostility toward the music industry itself. After 1991, suspicion of anything resembling pop became a mark of seriousness among both rock critics and fans.

It is probably not a coincidence that this period is also when rock’s cultural hegemony began to wane. As the ’90s progressed, larger and again whiter audiences embraced hip-hop, and the last song classified as “rock” to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 was Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me” in 2001. The run of bands that became popular during the ’00s — the Strokes, the Killers, Kings of Leon — constituted rock’s last great commercial gasp, but none of their singles charted higher than No. 4. Let us say, then, that the era of rock as pop music lasted from 1951 to 2011. That’s a three-generation run, if you take seriously rock’s advice to get drunk and have sex in the car and therefore produce children at around age 20. Baby boomers were the generation that made rock a zillion-dollar industry; Gen X saved it from that industry with punk and indie, and millennials closed it all out playing Guitar Hero.

The members of Måneskin are between the ages of 22 and 24, situating them firmly within the cadre of people who understand rock in the past tense. De Angelis, the bassist, and Raggi, the guitarist, formed the band when they were both attending a music-oriented middle school; David was a friend of friends, while Torchio was the only person who responded to their Facebook ad seeking a drummer. There are few entry-level rock venues in Rome, so they started by busking on the streets. In 2017, they entered the cattle-call audition for the Italian version of “The X Factor.” They eventually finished as runners-up to the balladeer Lorenzo Licitra, and an EP of songs they performed on the show was released by Sony Music and went triple platinum.

In 2021, Måneskin won the Sanremo Music Festival, earning the right to represent Italy with their song “Zitti e Buoni” (whose title roughly translates to “shut up and behave”) in that year’s Eurovision Song Contest. This program is not widely viewed in the United States, but it is a gigantic deal in Europe, and Måneskin won. Not long after, they began to appear on international singles charts, and “I Wanna Be Your Slave” broke the British Top 10. A European tour followed, as well as U.S. appearances at festivals and historic venues.

This ascent to stardom was not unmarred by controversy. The Eurovison live broadcast caught David bending over a table offstage, and members of the media accused him of snorting cocaine. David insisted he was innocent and took a drug test, which he passed, but Måneskin and their management still seem indignant about the whole affair. It’s exactly this kind of incongruous detail — this damaging rumor that a rock star did cocaine — that highlights how the Italian music-consuming public differs from the American one. Many elements of Måneskin’s presentation, like the cross-dressing and the occasional male-on-male kiss, are genuinely upsetting to older Italians, even as they seem familiar or even hackneyed to audiences in the United States.

“They see a band of young, good-looking guys that are dressing up too much, and then it’s not pure rock ’n’ roll, because you’re not in a garage, looking ugly,” De Angelis says. “The more conservative side, they’re shocked because of how we dress or move onstage, or the boys wear makeup.”

She and her bandmates are caught between two demographics: the relatively conservative European audience that made them famous and the more tolerant if not downright desensitized American audience that they must impress to keep the ride moving. And they do have to keep it moving, because — like many rock stars before them — most of the band dropped out of high school to do this. At one point, Raggi told me that he had sat in on some classes at a university, “Just to try to understand, ‘What is that?’”

One question that emerged early in my discussions with Måneskin’s friendly and professional management team was whether I was going to say that their music was bad. This concern seemed related to the aforementioned viral Pitchfork review, in which the editor Jeremy Larson wrote that their new album, “RUSH!” sounds “like it’s made for introducing the all-new Ford F-150” and “seems to be optimized for getting busy in a Buffalo Wild Wings bathroom” en route to a score of 2.0 (out of 10). While the members of Måneskin seemed to take this review philosophically, their press liaisons were concerned that I was coming to Italy to have a similar type of fun.

Here I should disclose that Larson edited an essay I wrote for Pitchfork about the Talking Heads album “Remain in Light” (score: 10.0) and that I think of myself as his friend. Possibly because of these biases, I read his review as reflecting his deeply held and, among rock fans, widely shared need to feel the music, something that the many pop/commercial elements of “RUSH!” (e.g. familiar song structures, lyrics that seem to have emerged from a collaboration between Google Translate and Nikki Sixx, compulsive use of multiband compression) left him unable to do.

This perspective reflects the post-’90s rock consensus (PNRC) that anything that sounds too much like a mass-market product is no good. The PNRC is premised on the idea that rock is not just a structure of song but also a structure of relationship between the band and society. From rock’s earliest days as Black music, the real or perceived opposition between rocker and society has been central to its appeal; this adversarial relationship animated the youth and counterculture eras of the ’60s and then, when the economic dominance of mass-market rock made it impossible to believe in, provoked the revitalizing backlash of punk. Even major labels felt obliged to play into this paradoxical worldview, e.g. that period after Nirvana when the most popular genre of music was called “alternative.” Måneskin, however, are defined by their isolation from the PNRC. They play rock music, but operate according to the logic of pop.

In Milan, where Måneskin would finish their Italian minitour, I had lunch with the band, as well as two of their managers, Marica Casalinuovo and Fabrizio Ferraguzzo. Casalinuovo had been an executive producer working on “The X Factor,” and Ferraguzzo was its musical director; around the time that Måneskin broke through, Casalinuovo and Ferraguzzo left the show and began working with the stars it had made. We were at the in-house restaurant of Moysa, the combination recording studio, soundstage, rehearsal space, offices, party venue and “creative playground” that Ferraguzzo opened two months earlier. After clarifying that he was in no way criticizing major record labels and the many vendors they engaged to record, promote and distribute albums, he laid out his vision for Moysa, a place where all those functions were performed by a single corporate entity — basically describing the concept of vertical integration.

Ferraguzzo oversaw the recording of “RUSH!” along with a group of producers that included Max Martin, the Swedish hitmaker best known for his work with Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. At Moysa, Ferraguzzo played for me Måneskin’s then-unreleased new single, “Honey (Are U Coming?)” which features many of the band’s signature moves — guitar and bass playing the same melodic phrases at the same time, unswung boogie-type rhythm of the post-Strokes style — but also has David singing in a higher register than usual. I listened to it first on studio monitors and then through the speaker of Ferraguzzo’s phone, and it sounded clean and well produced both times, as if a team of industry veterans with unlimited access to espresso had come together to perfect it.

The sheer number of older and more experienced professionals involved in Måneskin introduces a tension between the rock conventions that characterize their songwriting and the fundamentally pop circumstances under which those songs are produced. They are four friends in a band, but that band is inside an enormous machine. From their perspective, though, the machine is good.

“There’s hundreds of people working and talking about you and giving opinions,” De Angelis said at lunch. “So if you start to get in this loop of wanting to know and control and being anxious about it, it really ruins everything.” Here lies the conflict between what the PNRC wants from a band — resistance to outside influences, contempt for commerce, authenticity as measured in doing everything themselves — and what any sane 23-year-old would want, which is to have someone with an M.B.A. make all the decisions so she can concentrate on playing bass.

The other way Måneskin is isolated from the PNRC is geographic. Over the course of lunch, it became clear that they had encyclopedic knowledge of certain eras in American rock history but were only dimly aware of others. Raggi, for instance, loves Motley Crüe and has an album-by-album command of the Los Angeles hair-metal band Skid Row, which he and his bandmates seemed to understand were supposed to be guilty pleasures. But none of them had ever heard of Fugazi, the post-hardcore band whose hatred of major labels, refusal to sell merchandise and commitment to keeping ticket prices as low as possible set the standard for a generation of American rock snobs. In general, Måneskin’s timeline of influences seems to break off around 1990, when the rock most respected by Anglophone critics was produced by independent labels that did not have strong overseas distribution. It picks up again with Franz Ferdinand and the “emo” era of mainstream pop rock. This retrospect leaves them unaware of the indie/punk/D.I.Y. period that was probably most important in forming the PNRC.

The question is whether that consensus still matters. While snobs like Larson and me are overrepresented in journalism, we never constituted a majority of rock fans. That’s the whole point of being a snob. And snobbery is obsolete anyway; digital distribution ended the correlation between how obscure your favorite band was and how much effort you put into listening to them. The longevity of rock ’n’ roll as a genre, meanwhile, has solidified a core audience that is now between the ages of 40 and 80, rendering the fan-versus-society dimension of the PNRC impossible to believe. And the economics of the industry — in which streaming has reduced the profit margin on recorded music, and the closure of small venues has made stadiums and big auditoriums the only reliable way to make money on tour — have decimated the indie model. All these forces have converged to make rock, for the first time in its history, merely a way of writing songs instead of a way of life.

Yet rock as a cluster of signifiers retains its power around the world. In the same way everyone knows what a castle is and what it signifies, even though actual castles are no longer a meaningful force in our lives, rock remains a shared language of cultural expression even though it is no longer determining our friendships, turning children against their parents, yelling truth at power, et cetera. Also like a castle, a lot of people will pay good money to see a preserved historical example of rock or even a convincing replica of it, especially in Europe.

In Milan, the temperature had dropped 20 degrees, and Måneskin’s show at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza — commonly known as San Siro, the largest stadium in Italy, sold out that night at 60,000 — was threatened by thunderstorms instead of record-breaking heat. Fans remained undaunted: Many camped in the parking lot the night before in order to be among the first to enter the stadium. One of them was Tamara, an American who reported her age as 60½ and said she had skipped a reservation to see da Vinci’s “Last Supper” in order to stay in line. “When you get to knocking on the door, you kind of want to do what you want,” she said.

The threat of rain was made good at pretty much the exact moment the show began. The sea of black T-shirts on the pitch became a field of multicolored ponchos, and raindrops were bouncing visibly off the surface of the stage. David lost his footing near the end of “I Wanna Be Your Slave,” briefly rolling to his back, while De Angelis — who is very good at making lips-parted-in-ecstasy-type rock faces — played with her eyes turned upward to the flashing sky, like a martyr.

The rain stopped in time for “Kool Kids,” a punk-inspired song in which David affects a Cockney accent to sing about the vexed cultural position of rock ’n’ roll: “Cool kids, they do not like rock/they only listen to trap and pop.” These are probably the Måneskin lyrics most quoted by music journalists, although they should probably be taken with a grain of salt, considering that the song also contains lyrics like “I like doin’ things I love, yeah” and “Cool kids, they do not vomit.”

“Kool Kids” was the last song before the encore, and each night a few dozen good-looking 20-somethings were released onto the stage to dance and then, as the band walked off, to make we’re-not-worthy bows around Raggi’s abandoned guitar. The whole thing looked at least semichoreographed, but management assured me that the Kool Kids were not professional dancers — just enthusiastic fans who had been asked if they wanted to be part of the show. I kept trying to meet the person in charge of wrangling these Kool Kids, and there kept being new reasons that was not possible.

The regular kids, on the other hand, were available and friendly throughout. In Rome, Dorca and Sara, two young members of a Måneskin fan club, saw my notebook and shot right over to tell me they loved the band because, as Sara put it, “they allow you to be yourself.” When asked whether they felt their culture was conservative in ways that prevented them from being themselves, Dorca — who was 21 and wearing eyeglasses that looked like part of her daily wardrobe and a mesh top that didn’t — said: “Maybe it turns out that you can be yourself. But you don’t know that at first. You feel like you can’t.”

Here lies the element of rock that functions independently from the economics of the industry or the shifting preferences of critics, the part that is maybe independent from time itself: the continually renewed experience of adolescence, of hearing and therefore feeling it all for the first time. But how disorienting must those feelings be when they have been fully monetized, fully sanctioned — when the response to your demand to rock ’n’ roll all night and party every day is, “Great, exactly, thank you.” In a culture where defying consensus is the dominant value, anything is possible except rebellion. It must be strange, in this post-everything century, to finally become yourself and discover that no one has any problem with that.

#måneskin #maneskin #i had a free nyt article so here you go #the article is so painfully a middle aged american perspective #which the author admits #and like thinking the fans on stage is staged?!?? #or like how there can be no more authentic rebellion - maybe that's what it's like from your cushy position #but doesn't go into tdi at all #the stuff about the industry surrounding them i agree and its worth the read though

[wellofdean]

I read your post about Supernatural being queer somehow from season 1 and I have two questions.

1. Don't you think it straight-appropriates the word "queer" to say it just means "not normal"? That argument seems disingenuous to me, and a lot of us want representation, and to see that word applied to explicit depiction of queer sexuality, and it's a cheat that they don't. Queer studies did start as the study of queer sexualities and the experience of queer people.

2. Are you saying that the makers of Supernatural intended for it to be "flesh on queer bones"? Do you think they intentionally sat down to tell a queer story?

Those are good questions my anonymous friend. Thank you for asking. Here are my thoughts:

To answer your first question: no, I don't think it appropriates anything. Here's why: firstly, if we're talking about sexuality and gender, it's queer 101 that no one owes anyone a justification of their queerness, and not everyone who is queer is interested in labeling it or making it legible to you, and they have no obligation to do so, and not doing so doesn't make them any less queer. Furthermore, some people who are queer are not interested in sex, so what about them?

All of that together is why, for me, the entire queer project is much more deeply about non-compliance with hegemony, and specifically with hegemony around gender roles, sexuality and to put it under a big umbrella, patriarchy, than it is about who you fuck. Those things extend into so many other aspects of life that I think you can easily talk about "queering" a very wide range of topics, and possibly? ANY TOPIC.

You are responding to this post, I think, and in it, I made a choice to talk about family and hunting, and our heroes roles and characterizations in that, and did not talk about gender shenanigans or sexuality, because my point was that even before we get to anything to do with it, Sam and Dean are immersed in a queered world in a fundamental, structural way. That said, I assure you that if you go back into season 1 of Supernatural, you will find LOADS that could be said about gender and sexuality, too. As well as other things, and a particularly important area, as @ironworked pointed out in the tags, is blue collar/white collar class issues.

As I said, the depth of queerness in Supernatural is actually dizzying just in terms of the story's BONES to say nothing of how they flesh it out. Queerness is about deviation from the norm. It's about rebellion and disobedience against hegemonic systems for the sake of personal authenticity and love.

Think about Cas for a minute. Cas's whole story is that he rejects his role in a hegemonic heaven. He rebels for love, and that is pretty explicit as early as season 4 when he tells Dean "We're making it up as we go". Fellas, that is THE QUEEREST SHIT EVER even if he didn't do it for Dean, and like... HE DID IT FOR DEAN. Cas did not have to tell Dean he loved him for me to know it, and for Cas to be a deeply queered character. When he DID say it, I wasn't the least bit surprised he was in love with Dean, because seriously, we been knew. I was only surprised I got to have the immense pleasure of hearing him say it and looking at Dean's face while he took it in. Jesus. I will NEVER RECOVER.

This is my perspective on representation in Supernatural: It's excellent, and I relate to, and feel seen by it as a queer person. Nobody needs to get fucked on the maps table for me to do the math that this is a queer story. It is very, very, very thoroughgoingly canonically queer in so many ways, and not all of them are to do with sex. I think some fans will only allow it to be called queer if dudes make out in it. I am not one of those fans.

As to your second question, I think there is a wealth of evidence in the filmic oeuvre of Eric Kripke to suggest that as an artist and a writer, he is concerned or maybe even preoccupied with masculinity issues and issues around family, and around the way patriarchy fucks men up. So, yes. I think he knew what he was doing and he knew that queerness was part of the mix. For fucks sake, it's a family of men who hunt monsters. That is very fucking on the nose. Do I think he kicked off Supernatural in 2005 planning a 15 year operatic queer romance between Cas and Dean? No. I don't think anyone planned for it to go as long as it did, and it's a matter of record that some things were influenced by fan response, actors' chemistry, different writers and showrunners' preferences and etc. What I will say is that when they had a choice to "straighten shit out" or lean into the queerness, they fucking leaned in, nearly EVERY TIME. Like, it's pretty amazing how consistently they lean the fuck in.

I'll admit -- I wasn't watching it with those eyes the first time, and I didn't give it much real estate in my mind when I watched it as it aired from 2006 to the end, but the last three episodes reshaped it for me and made me angry, and also made me need to watch it all again, this time with an explicitly queer lens, and BOY HOWDY let me tell you this: the Supernatch rewatch journey is a wild and wonderful trip to Queertown. It is legit more difficult to argue that Dean is straight than it is to argue that he is queer. There is a full on CORNUCOPIA of story evidence to support that read and relatively little that convincingly counters it on the straight side, and that starts right at the beginning, when they bend pretty baby Dean over a police car in episode one, and he smirks insouciantly in his lip gloss. Do I think everyone involved knew how that looked? Sexy, submissive and a bit gay?

YES I DO.

#supernatural #spn #dean winchester #Eric Kripke #watching with queer goggles #I recommend it #it's just queer yo #anti-trashnatural agenda

[devine-fem]

i know ive said before in the past that i don’t particularly want jondami/damijon to become canon because i feel like the writers would ruin it but how would YOU guys want jondami to be handled if it were up to you how they become canon?

ill go first.

First thing, we would have to have young jon question his sexuality in a authentic, nice way. be able to get into his head and him display like “i think girls are cute but… guys as well… is this normal?” just HAVE him be pathetically bisexual, i know that in a comic book that i cant remember a girl touched his hand and he accidentally used his super strength and broke the thing he was sitting on due to his hand clenching in reaction, basically i want there to be some sort of build up. THAT would be super nice bisexual representation. i wouldnt want their relationship to be rushed or spontaneous at all. maybe have it be mostly about jon and him trying to keep his feelings to himself because he doesn’t want to weird out damian, not wanna ruin their friendship etc etc. kind of sad but also itd be nice representation of the queer experience, since the supers are normal people, jon having a cliche and simple story would make sense for him. perhaps as jon is growing up as a hero, he experiences some thing that maybe will go into his feelings, like i know one time where he thought damian had died and he freaked out and rushed to find him, it could be like that, like having jon have moments in his heroism that makes him feel like “maybe i should confront this before its too late” - having jon think about how human damian is scare him in a way to the point he wants to be protective and his agency of needing to protect him be the thing that makes him confront and deconstruct his feelings… between jon and damion - jon would confess first, and for their confession, don’t let it be on a bloody battlefield, let it be in a safe controlled environment. im tired of the adrenaline pumping and passionate kiss trope, let the characters just talk it out so it feels genuine.

on damians side thats where itd be a little harder because i feel like damian would have to go through some stories and be in a place where hes fleshed out enough to start feeling normal human emotions, yknow? since he was raised as a weapon. he could just see jon as one of the few genuine friends that hes had and thats stuck with him. damian could also have a nice moment where he starts feeling simple emotions for jon like, comfort, adoration, missing him or jealousy but he doesn’t understand them so he acts out in a way that makes more sense to him, like the violence and rebellion pent up inside him. in my confession - if there would be a confession though, itd have to be in a safe setting for the both of then where they are just talking like i said. i feel like itd make sense for damian to even reject him at first, thinking his responsibility to the mantle is more important/ he doesnt have time for something like that. and he feels like he couldnt give jon emotionally what he deserves. then they could grow up (and in most people’s opinions i actually dont want jon or damian to become superman or batman, i want them to be their own thing. its the most boring part of their character and would be the biggest reason for the writers to not allow them to be in a relationship because that would mean superman and batman dated at one point or somethting) then after they grow up (it doesnt even need to be a long time after the confession, can be like months or so) and damian confronts himself he can go back and damian could be like “im not good at this type of thing, but i want to try” and then they could be together happily. because out of everything their mantles is the thing that pults them together but at the same time rips them apart. i ship them because they are polar opposites that have the same destiny but their paths are what damages the both of them the most and what holds together their relationship. theyd have to be friends or lovers more on normal terms, hang out outside of robin and superboy which we havent seen yet… at least not in comics where theyre hanging out JUST to hang out. then after they get together they can just be jon and damian, doing normal civilian things, perhaps they could also find different titles to bear as heroes like how dick became nightwing or something.

i also don’t want damian to lose his general, teasing and snide remarks to jon or anyone, keeping their dynamic the way it was as they were friends would be more fun but yeah thats me.

#jondami #damian wayne #jon kent #supersons #jonathan kent #super sons #damijon

[edge-oftheworld]

okay, it is time we talk about atl

putting this video up here bc i love how she compiled things with a focus on what we know to be true, not just simply anonymous claims. because the 2000s and early 2010s were a really wild time and i hope that we all share in wanting to make the music industry better than it has been. because doing that requires thinking about how we talk and how we call people to account, in a targeted purposeful way that also affirms, where reasonable, their ability to do better and to choose it themselves as well. i hope you manage to watch it through and think about her criticisms of especially their statement at the end, and ponder the question of, how, realistically, would we call them to do better? (also, abigail??? what are you doing here?)

and also, because from there leads us to the question: do we think it's right to ask ashton to boycott their songs, and if so how hard is it appropriate to push him towards that--or are we channeling our energy in the wrong place, perhaps even causing harm, or 'punishing what we want to see'? because unlike some of their idols, 5sos do have a track record of being respectful to fans, and, if we want to make the music industry better, don't we want to see more of that? i draw some parallels and come up with some ideas under the cut.

I'll admit I don't know a heap about all time low; i enjoy some of their songs, appreciate a (maybe a little cringey) reference to microplastics and I know 5sos looked up to them a lot when they were younger and alex gaskarth helped write some songs off sgfg and showed up in the how did we end up here documentary. I've never been to one of their shows, had no idea about the bras, or that they formed in high school just like 5sos, with a lineup that parallels the instrumental roles of 5sos. in some ways it's like they're an american 5sos eight years ahead in their careers and about that much older than them too. rose to fame alongside bands like panic! at the disco, and like p!atd, made their shows run with energy of sexual liberation that meant saying some careless things, doing some morally ambiguous things that are highly problematic when taken out of context or thought hard about with a critical lens of how some sexual liberation when it has power attached to it, infringes on the rights of those with less power in the name of rebellion, and can even uphold abuse. so, problematic.

does this mean any of them are rapists? not necessarily. but have they taken less accountability than brendon urie? arguably.

and so clearly, the parallels with 5sos stopped a while ago. i've said it before but one thing i do notice about all the music 5 seconds of summer have put out, is that in an industry where it's normal to objectify women/sexual partners in general, in genres that often have a little of that sprinkled through songs i'll sometime overlook or sit through for the sake of the song as a whole--they don't have a trace of that. or if they do, it's playful, humble, not forceful by any stretch, and an invitation to a collaborative kind of sexuality (greenlight), a celebration of an existing relationship with its shared wants (slsp, valentine) or a kind of reflection on experience that went some kind of way (ela, talk fast, iwct, wayf, teeth, a lot of their discography). it's also all really genuine, it feels really safe to listen to--and that's unfortunately a really rare thing that they have.

so, in the event atl are actually looking to do better, not simply reactively to enraged fans and the general public (because for a lot of fans, the morally grey stuff is normalised. and people are loyal) there's a lot of artists they could learn from, where it could feel like a really authentic and autonomous learning process. and who are they likely to listen to?? maybe some guys who have looked up to them for decades, gone along a similar path, reached a similar level of fame, and kept this aura of respectfulness about them while also being cool people who aren't moral purists. 5sos have no obligation to do that, and maybe ashton simply didn't think before playing their song--but think about it. if we want to make any industry better, as much as supporting those who are doing it right (and imo this does include not forcing them into an inhuman standard of perfection) it includes facilitating accountable pathways for people who have done things badly to do better.

that doesn't change the fact that what is alleged is horrible. that as much as there isn't any proof of it, there's no proof it isn't true--how much more of a case they'd have if jack's partners from that time came forward and said they were with him at the time and there was no evidence of there being anyone else. if he came out and said that he's got some standard of how he treats underage fans (even if it is looser than we may like) and after whatever happened with abigail which was 10 years ago when he was still a young adult, he's learning more about who it's appropriate to date. and in the case if the allegations are false, if he's got nothing to be afraid of and they don't need to try strongarm it with the support of the law to make it go away, we actually do have another example (if very much unintentional) of how to transparently respond to false allegations sharing what you know and what you would and wouldn't do from our very own 5sos. (which again, parallels. sometimes reality offers the best irony).

because if it's not true and that can be shown in a transparent and respectful way, they have nothing to worry about. they can take this as a warning to think about their behaviour; we can hear the stories behind the allegations made, all can be put to rest. I hope the lawsuit uncovers the truth; I'm not too confident it will but the truth does have a way of coming out eventually. and the victims of the allegations deserve to have their voices heard, deserve to be respected and validated, even if we can't for the moment say for sure it was one way or another. we have to keep crying out for the truth to be found. for some of us it may mean stopping supporting them until we can do so ethically, but for some of us it may mean keeping them relevant, not stopping talking until we know the truth. some of us may decide this isn't the focus of our activism.

but is it up to us to decide that ashton specifically must choose the method of boycotting them? it's not up to me to decide that for you. but please at least think. is this the best use of my activism energy or is it better directed somewhere else--somewhere that might actually bring some sort of resolution to this?

#all time low #jack barakat #alex gaskarth #ashton irwin #5sos #5 seconds of summer #michael clifford #calum hood #luke hemmings #sa mention #atl #Youtube

[nicki0kaye]

you.

@mymblesbuir, you get it

that bitch was so ready to die. it was pure chance he was able to escape, and like. Obviously he does create a plan on the fly, but I think that shit was him moving on instinct. And even then, it was a CRAPSHOOT that the Ghost would catch his escape pod at all.

and there was no plan beyond that.

he barely integrates into the rebellion, is still talking like a bond villain, idk maybe its just how I see him, but the man is not adjusting. Not in how he speaks or carries himself, and that has to be a choice for such a calculating person. I do think there's an aspect of he just can't turn it off, but I also think that he just straight up doesn't know what he'd do if he DID. Like...he has no idea what to do with himself. He is consciously out of place, in part because he never thought he'd get out. I don't know if he still believes he should be out beyond, like, having no choice and also being a genuine asset for the rebellion.

idk, its just something I love to think about, how out of place he is and how conscious he must be of that fact and how much of it is his choice to remain so obviously Imperial-in-Rebel-Clothing. How much does the dissonance bother him? Is he doing it to keep ppl at a distance? Is he playing to ppls expectations or his own? Is he genuinely so focused on work that he doesn't care to loosen up or is he using work as an excuse to avoid having to rebuild outside the strict but known social parameters of the Empire?

is he genuinely comfortable in his own skin, or is it just the skin he's worn for so long, he can't trust what he might find underneath? There's so much more going on, after all. Him 'finding' himself is such a low fuckin priority.

I got to explore that a bit in my 'Meet the In-Laws' Kalluzeb fic for those curious. The context is he's met with his older brother, Tuz, who is giving him flack for covering his tattoos and keeping up a fake accent. Tuz insists it's because Alex was ashamed of his family. Alex goes off;

"I was an Imperial spy who had defected to the Rebellion," Alex hisses. He can hear his own voice going pitchy from stress, from the strain of keeping it lowered and this private conversation private, but he has to explain, or more accurately, he couldn't stop himself from explaining, now, if he tried. It just has to come out. Tuz has no idea what wound he's prodding at– (Would Zeb? No, Alex has never told him, not in so many words. He's never told anyone.) "I was under constant scrutiny after–after nearly two decades of pretending to be a model example of the Empire's–of humanity's superiority, hunting down and snuffing out any descent! Do you know what would have happened if I suddenly dropped that act? Hmm? After switching sides? When everyone around me was scrutinizing my every move, because they either suspected or were out right certain I was some triple agent? Still bowing and scraping for the Emperor behind closed doors? All the grace I'd earned would have gone up in smoke, that's what. Wasted on something as juvenile as ego." Blood now pounding in his ears, Alex starts punctuating each declaration with a rough stab at the table. "They needed to trust me. I needed them to trust me so I could do my job! Yes, I hid my tattoos, because I didn't have time to waste, explaining how I got them and whether they were authentic. I didn't start talking like I used to because it didn't matter, and it would have only distracted from the karking war." He cuts himself off, there. Swallows down around the rest–how isolating it was, how claustrophobic it felt at times, how maddening the contradiction of it was, that he was free and still, voluntarily trapped in his Imperial costume. How he had so many selfish reasons for leaving the Empire and near all of them were set aside for the sake of the Rebellion, and that it ate at him– –that it eats at him still, 8 standard months out and still stuck in his ways, afraid of upsetting the tentative balance he's found with Zeb in their new home. It's choking him slowly, and still he clings to what he knows, falls back on the bad habits and the lies, continues to make excuses for why it just isn't 'the right time' to begin his soul searching, to find who he 'really' is. (When is he going to admit to Garazeb how afraid he is that there's nothing under the costume to find?)

#kalluzeb #kallus #nik v sw #fulcrum #obviously there's the fact he's a side character in an underfunded children's cartoon #but rebels has also never shyed away from showing how one action can completely remake them #esp in the later seasons #but its also season 4 and they had no money and no time and really needed to yeet Thrawn to wild space so I do understand

[juneviews]

idk if this is an unpopular opinion or anything but i honestly really don't like how a lot of bl dramas try to have such dramatic high concept plots lately. don't get me wrong im also sick of the engineers and uniforms but honestly if it's well-made i don't mind.

i believe that gay stories should exist in a variety of settings. it's just so many dramas try to depict these political anarchist storylines that sort of fall flat, because the writers treat serious topics as backdrops for romance without exploring them (don't even get me started on the mafia ones god they are SO tacky.) eclipse the series was good but could've been way better if it didn't try so hard to be deep.

i think itsay and to my star are good examples of shows that managed to achieve quality while doing something a bit different. itsay was a typical coming of age BUT (apart from everything else) it had a unique setting which tied into the story. then for to my star it goes without saying.

idk maybe it's just me but i feel like there's so many gangster/rebellion type dramas popping out lately and each one feels less and less authentic.

hmm... interesting opinion. personally I see where you're coming from in the sense that the bl genre seems to always follow some kind of trend, and before it was engineers, now it's mafia/gangster stuff. but I personally LOVE that we're getting more high concept stuff, bc while I love romances that are just that, a show that can balance both love & crazy storylines is bound to be more interesting. also I feel like your "political anarchists" line is solely directed at not me as it's the only bl show I can think of with this type of storyline, and here we're obviously gonna disagree. for me not me is on another plane of existence from every other bl show & every other high tension criminal show, from the fact that its topic is literally replicated nowhere else & also, contrary to other bl shows, it's directed by an art house director. so trying to imply not me is following a trend or like other criminal bl shows is plain wrong imo. but I agree that with the explosion of gangster dramas, it's gonna become the same thing as the engineers bl shows that feel all the same & less authentic at each release. personally I take each show on its own & see what it has to offer. just like there are some great engineer dramas out there, some gangster bls are worth it, while others not so much.

xxx

#answers #also next time you wanna not so subtly shade not me please go elsewhere #we do NOT entertain this type of idea around here 😌

[sparksnevadas]

I've feeling so many emotions. They're all so relationship constipated god bless em. When mumbo and grian were joking about their single braincell ping-ponging between each other when they're hanging out all i could think of was "no its pingponging between every single person in this building." none of them know how to interact with each other god. It's like watching several unsocialized chihuahuas trying to have a friendly interaction. Mwah. Exactly what I wanted from a GIHASM update

And the Pearl and Grian interactions are so good. Sibling stamp of approval frankly. They torment each other so much it's so good. I love them so much. Wriggling my fingers in the taste of a plan we got, but I do love a good Rebellion Against An Organization. Mmm mm mmm

God they're all so cute when their braincells are and arent functioning. Grian I am holding your face. Why are you so dumb. God. I. I'm knocking Mumscarian's heads together like sacks of potatoes being moved on the back of an old farm truck, tbh. Maybe eventually that braincell will start triangulating.

'dont teach the child about crime' is certainly a sentence being said I love them so much. Also, do teach the child about crime, actually. Grumbot deserves a little crime, as a treat.

Its all the little details that make me love GIHASM so much. Mumbo Jumbo flubbering his words and going for 'time-clingy-. Scar passing off all his bell peppers. The medicinal muscle salve. How Bdubs using his vines to gesture. Ahhh its so good. The worldbuilding spice of life.

Also that whole interaction w Bdubs and Grian in the Kitchen im - bdubs I will SQUASH you excuse you. You leave my bird chicken man alone. We are so close. We are SO close. Bdubs I swear. I love that Scar swoops in to save the day though just. Bdubs you are like a bug I am putting inside a cup, pray I poke air holes mister.

I love that Etho is long suffering but I just also love etho. 😍 My long suffering nincompoop. I don't think plan is technically in Scar's vocabulary. Also that whole scene where Grian lifts Scar up with ease is everything to me. It's so funny.

God the CHARACTER INTERACTIONS. the way the entire infirmary scene parallels the opening where Grian leaves to now, where Mumbo is basically confirming he wants him to stay. I am feeling so soft about them. I love them so much. AH

BELLE OH MY GOSH!! I wasnt expecting an actual ESSAY in my inbox after you read the update!! but im so grateful!!

"none of them know how to interact with each other" i mean... YEAH, grian doesn't even know how to interact with his own feelings. hopefully not too annoying to read, but either way... we're nearing the point were grian has to confront himself head on ; )

the pearl and grian scene is my baby,,, that's the oldest part of this new chapter, probably done in late october. I wanted them to feel authentically sibling like and also i had just started watching pearl more often so i had a good grasp on her voice! I'm glad it didn't lose its spark (heh) after so much editing around it. I was so excited to finally write her beyond a few sparse lines

they are idiots. / affectionate

Grumbot can and will commit voter fraud and get Mumbo elected, please don't teach him about crime belle, please-

time clingy my belobed,,, I love making all of them sound and look silly. theatre of the mind and all that :D

THE KITCHEN SCENE. okay this is the part that was the hardest for me to write but grian needed to confront the fact that he can literally leave whenever he wants but he hasn't even thought about it. like hello? (grian if you werent in love how could anyone justify staying that long, sleeping in the same room, CUDDLING--) bdubs apologizes after so please poke holes and give him a bottlecap of water belle im sorry orz

grian lifting scar up was funny. I literally wrote it, thought "this might be too silly" (and also as an ace/aro spec i dont really see the appeal of getting lifted but i like doing it to others to be silly) and sent it to you/atherix and a friend (Ash) and all three of you loved it. A genuine stamp of approval in my eyes hehe

I love parallels :)

Thank you so much for the ask/comment Belle!!! <3

#its belle! #gihasm #talking to friends

[gerogerigaogaigar]

Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

Oh no! It's another one of my Favorite Albums Of All Time™. This is the best rock album of the 90's. Somehow blending ennui and deep longing into one contradictory emotion. Crooked Rain speaks to the contradictory feelings of growing up in a middle class suburb. The rebellion vs the comfort. The desire for something that you don't know what it is, but you need it so bad. It's an album about growing up, but it's great contradiction is that it brings me back to childhood every time I hear it. And that isn't nostalgia talking either, I didn't hear this album at all until I was out of high school. If you only listen to one album off the list so far make it this one.

LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver

Deadpan irony delivered with dispassionate sincerity. It's hard to tell whether LCD Soundsystem is making fun of you for having feeling or if they're making fun of you for thinking that you don't. Are they genuinely mad about being mistaken for a European band or are they joking? Is the title track sympathetic or dismissive of teenage angst? Is party culture self destructive or triumphant? The lack of any real answers meld with the slow building and steady instrumentals to create a world where the answers are whatever conclusion you draw. Maybe things can be more than one thing.

Usher - Confessions

Ngl man if you gotta write two back to back songs apologizing for shit then she's probably in the right to leave your ass lol. This album is solid. I think it drags a little, but its not like it's top heavy or anything. I think I just get bored with sensitive R&B guys faster than others. The fact that the album's tone is to be unapologetically horny but also very apologetic at the same time is hilarious to me. I know it isn't deliberate camp but when Usher goes from I'm good at sex songs to please take me back songs it's like environmental storytelling for toxic dudes.

Los Lobos - How Will the Wolf Survive

I'll admit that a sorta folksy sorta rockabilly album from 84 is not an exciting prospect to me. It wasn't bad by any means, but it didn't rock my world either. Not a complete bust though since there is some nice accordion playing here and that always makes me happy.

Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True

The idea to wrap up the brattiest, meanest lyrics in Buddy Holly style rock n roll was one of the greatest masterstrokes of the 70s punk scene. Typically when an artist tries to emulate past styles, especially from the pre stereo era, they either emulate too perfectly and end up derivative or they fail entirely and wind up sounding sterile. Elvis Costello somehow avoids this entirely. The lo fi punk rock production compliments the 50s throwback aesthetics in a way that feels authentic to both styles.

The Four Tops - Reach Out

When I was a child my dad listened exclusively to an oldies station that didn't seem to realize that music existed outside of the years 1951-1968. Hits from the Motown records label were naturally staples of their lineup and the songs that always stood out to me happened to be by The Four Tops. I Can't Help Myself, Bernadette, Walking In The Shadows Of Love, and Reach Out I'll Be There wound up being some of the most foundational songs of my childhood. This album contains three of those four songs. The only real point of this anecdote is to explain how I'm not qualified to review anything by The Four Tops. Hell I even named myself after Levi Stubbs' character from Little Shop of Horrors. This isn't one of my favorite albums of all time, but it contains some of my most essential songs of all time.

Hüsker Dü - New Day Rising

Right in the middle of their discography and in the middle of their evolution from hardcore punk to alt rock pioneers. New Day Rising almost feels like it could have been an early emo influence. Buzzsaw guitars threaten to drown out helplessly shouted vocals. And far from the traditional punk aesthetic that prized political lyricism and outward facing aggression Bob Mould writes personal and introspective songs. Without a doubt this album, while not a turning point in and of itself, is still part of a large scale shift in what rock music would be going forward.

#500 album gauntlet #pavement #lcd soundsystem #usher #los lobos #elvis costello #the four tops #hüsker dü

[witch-of-snow-and-stars]

What is the meaning of having Aphrodite square Uranus in a natal chart means?

Ok so I'm going to talk about asteroid Aphrodite and then Uranus, and after that I'm going to talk about how I explain squares.

So Asteroid Aphrodite deals mainly with about love, beauty, talent, sex appeal and how you approach and identify that in others. Uranus deals mainly with enlightenment, progressiveness, authenticity, novelty, rebellion, and ingenuity.

The best way I can explain modalities (and squares by extension) is that elements deal with goals/values/priorities while modalities deal with how placements move through the world. Modalities operate in similar ways but with different end goals in mind, which is why people with placements in the same modality tend to work well together and also why it’s annoying when they fight. Imagine 4 people tied together in a square and their all going in their own direction as much as they can while hindering the others by default, that tension is how a square works. That tension tends to make it so that it can be very difficult to reach fulfillment for either placement because the other is constantly pulling at it. Squares are not comfortable and require constant self work for either placement to be fulfilled realistically, but squares can also prompt the kind of self healing and self improvement that other aspects don’t. When I see squares in people’s charts (and process my own), there feels like this constant debate going on in the background where both placements challenge each other

So knowing this and depending on other aspects and what signs and houses both placements are in (because tbh both of those details are going to impact how these placements manifest by a lot), I would say that the themes of Aphrodite and Uranus within a chart are going to constantly challenge each other. Maybe the person in question will manifest their sensuality/sexuality in a way that ends up being radical, or perhaps the activism one engages in will be informed by Aphrodite’s themes (perhaps shades of both). However with Uranus there’s likely going to be a want for authenticity and progress.

If you want to send in more information or ask about this further it sounds like something that would be really interesting to explore (especially if it’s your own placements, I’d love to here your insights on this!). Sorry I could only do this summary but it’s all I can really do based on the information. Have a good day 💜

#ask the witch of snow and stars #astrology #asteroids

[piccolo-reads]

thoughts from chapters 22-24

- ugh the way katniss wants comfort and connection with her mother so badly but cannot risk it because she knows she can’t handle being abandoned again. the same reason why she refused peeta’s friendship and connection before the games because she knew (she thought) that they would be separated by the games

- it’s so interesting how katniss questions how safe her opinions about the capitol can be around peeta, because of how ingrained the propaganda is in peeta’s mind (at least about never entering the woods, but that’s part of the propaganda keeping him - and others - in panel instead of freedom in the woods). it’s not that she questions his morals or thinks he’s loyal to the capitol, it’s simply that she thinks he doesn’t know any better. and if they were anyone but themselves in any other situation it would drive a wedge between them. how can she be her authentic self when she doesn’t feel safe to vocalise her opinions

- it (and by it i mean propaganda) is in a way, a tool of severing connection between the oppressed, especially between socioeconomic classes - like the seam and the townspeople in d13. if you cannot voice your opinion comfortably to others, you are isolated. the rebellion is restricted and contained by propaganda

- (i am far from the first person to have this thought but it’s poignant all the same)

- (again connection saves her. feeds her when she allows herself to open up to peeta, instead of drawing those curtains. even if it is a performance.) (but is it really) (is it really katniss?)

- katniss values privacy. she wants to experience her emotions in peace, whether that’s teenage girl crushing on peeta or mourning the death of a fellow tribute. a friend?

- she’s also very smart. like i noticed before, she knows how to play the game, not only playing to the cameras the audience the gamemakers but also to haymitch. she can see “the strings attached to the pot of broth”. i think that’s why snow targets her more over peeta, even though they were both victors. maybe he realises she is capable of more.

- to reiterate how the capitol’s dominance is reliant on keeping the districts separated. the way katniss doesn’t even know peeta lives on stale bread. she just assumed.

- ig the point of this book is “u wanna overthrow the oppressors? unionise”

- of my god of course haymitch lives alone for a reason. of course this fear of connection is what allows snow to keep his dominance over the victors. haymitch knows what it is like to be a victor. they are all so afraid - as finnick is, as cecelia is, as katniss is - that their families and loved ones will be harmed, that some of them close themselves off to connection altogether, like haymitch and johanna. their isolation furthers their submission to snow.

#the hunger games #thg #khanh rereads the hunger games #khanh reads #it’s always with the connection in my thoughts about this book huh #connection between peoples connection between the oppressed connection between loved ones and strangers #lots of thoughts this time

[novantinuum]

Hi, I was just wondering if you had ever thought about what would have happened in your story "Hollowed Moon" if you had continued it. I always thought it was such an interesting setup that could have gone in so many different directions. And there really aren't other stories focusing on Stevonnie and Spinel, so it was unique!

Hiya!

So, I do have some half-written, half-plotted out material to share. I gave this story some consideration the other day, and came to the decision that I don't have the desire to finish it out, alas- I have far too many other active WIPs to add it to the list. There's a few good reasons why I discontinued it, anyways... intimidation over the huge surge of attention it was getting back in 2019, some rude comments from overzealous Spinel fans, (I know everyone isn't like this, but a certain segment of the Spinel side of the SU fandom kinda burned me over time, hhh), and a future chapter containing a sensitive topic that I wasn't in a good headspace to write about at the time.

But! Anyways! Below the cut is all the existing material I have for Hollowed Moon past chapter 14, consisting of a mixture of descriptions, sketchy dialogue, and prose. It honestly feels nice to finally be able to put this story to an official rest.

__

Chapter 15

“I... I saw her.”

“Who-?”

“I saw Pink Diamond. I saw you, in this exact garden, in a dream. I- it was like I was experiencing everything through her. She explained your game, tapped your nose and told you to smile, then warped away—“

“That’s it, that’s what happened, almost exactly! But how could you even know that, I never—“

“I don’t know,” they blurt out. “I have empathic abilities, and sometimes that makes dreaming a little weird, but I have no idea how or why I saw any of this.”

[Pause for Stevonnie to think]

“Spinel, I’m so, so sorry,” they whisper brokenly. “But I think... she left you here.”

“What...?”

“She said she’d return, but before she warped away she whispered goodbye, like she didn’t actually intend to make good on that promise. She was lying to you,” they choke out, voice thick.

“No. No,” she says in clear denial, “no she’s not. She can’t be! She told me she’d come back! I can wait! I just have to wait—“

“But she’s not! She... she can’t, because Pink Diamond is gone. She- she was shattered, Spinel. Five thousand years ago, on the Earth. I- I should’ve told you this from the beginning, and I didn’t, and I- I’m so, so sorry—! But she left you behind, and now she’s never coming back.”

[Silence. Tears brim in Spinel’s eyes. Her eyes grow dark, pained, and then she glares at Stevonnie with such venom it almost knocks them backwards in alarm. ]

“NO!” she screams, tears streaming down her faded pink cheeks.

[She tears her feet up from the roots and runs away, using her arms like an orangutan to vault herself forward super fast so Stevonnie can’t catch her.]

___

Chapter 16

AN: Content warning for self-shattering attempt. Part of the reason why I had to stop writing this story at the time. I considered pushing the plot another way, but it didn't feel authentic to how I believed this scenario would play out for Spinel when she didn't have a direct target for her anger. Without someone to actively be jealous and upset AT, I could only imagine her breaking inwards instead of outwards, feeling that she's utterly failed in her life's purpose. Nothing more than a description for this chapter... and it'd be a short one.

[When Stevonnie finds her, she’s smashing her fists against her gem in her sheer anguish. She’s already cracked it. She’s glitching. It looks terribly painful. She’s about to strike her gem again when Stevonnie intervenes.]

___

Chapter 17

[Post timely intervention. Spinel is still cracked at this moment, though... her form glitching as she cries.]

“I was... her best friend,” she cries, fat, glistening tears streaming down her cheeks. “I was supposed to make her happy! Why wasn’t she happy? Why didn’t she come back?“

[Spinel reasoning that maybe if Pink came back for her, she wouldn’t have been shattered in the first place]

“What did I do wrong?” she whispers hoarsely, gazing pleadingly into Stevonnie’s eyes. “Wha- what am I doing? Why do I wanna hurt myself so badly?”

“Shh, now,” they reply, tears of their own brimming at the crease of their eyes, and pull Spinel’s head to their chest. “I’ve got you...”

___

Chapter 18

They know their throat is tight, and their voice scratchy. They know they’ve never sung this song in front of another living being, since it’s something personal they composed alone on one of their late nights back on Earth, thinking about all the difficult days Steven and Connie have had to face over the months. Pair this with their active crying, and there’s no way their singing will be anything pretty.

But pretty doesn’t matter right now.

Stevonnie opens their lips, and— clutching the broken hearted Gem close, rhythmically rocking with her back and forth— lets the wandering melody emerge from within.

“I guess I have to face That in this awful place I shouldn’t show a trace Of doubt...”

“But pulled against the grain I feel a little pain That I would rather do Without...”

“I’d rather be Free, free Free...”

[Hoarse, Spinel starts singing with them.]

“I’d rather be Free, free Free...”

“Free, free Free...”

“From here...”

[Stevonnie holds her tight while crying, their tears healing it back up.]

___

Chapter 19

AN: Don't have anything but a single bit of dialogue in this chapter note- I'm assuming I intended it as being a good few hours after the events of chapters 16-18... when Spinel has calmed down a little and has a moment to reflect on the upsetting news she's just received.

“I think... I always knew,” she says, voice hoarse. “In a way. It was so obvious how she felt about me.

___

Chapter ?

AN: From here on out, the plot hasn't been split into individual chapters.

[At some point shortly after chapter 19, Lars and his crew locate Stevonnie in the garden, and pick them and Spinel up. The next few bits of dialogue and description takes place on the ship.]

Rutile twins: “I haven’t heard of Spinels being produced in over five millennia.” “Me neither!”

Rhodonite: “Yeah, I heard they stopped making them entirely after the rebellion on Pink’s colony.”

[A bit of overwhelming conversation later, no one really noticing Spinel's conflicted emotional response to so many Gems hovering around her at once.]

Padparadscha: “I predict that you’re both going to make Spinel feel very uncomfortable aboard this ship.”

Rhodonite: “I’m sorry, we don’t exactly meet new Gems every century.”

Rutile twins: “Yes!” “It’s just been us until we met our captain!”

Fluorite: “Our new huuuuman friend helped us escape the tunnels on Homeworld. Now... we’re slooowly making our way back... to Earth.”

Spinel: “Earth?? You’re going to Pink’s world? But why? I heard she... was shattered.”

___

[Spinel feeling a sense of kinship with the idea that there’s other Gems who didn’t serve their rightful purpose and are now escaping their life on Homeworld to be free of that. Because now, without her Diamond, since she was unable to keep her happy, she’s an Off Color too. She failed her given purpose same as them.]

[Discussion of Earth, and the rebellion, and how there’s Gems living free there. And how Pink’s colony was siphoning life away, and that’s what these Gems were fighting to protect. Stevonnie points out all the plants and wildlife that used to live in the garden, and asks her if she felt happier when it was around. Spinel says yes. Stevonnie says that this is what the Diamonds are destroying, with each lifeless colony they forge. Everywhere they go, dead wildlife lies in their wake.]

Spinel: “I... guess I never thought of it that way.”

[(Stevonnie adds...) And while they’re very sorry for the personal connection there, and can’t imagine how painful that must be, that’s why Pink Diamond was shattered.]

[Spinel is given an open choice... Lars gives the invitation to stay with him and the Off Colors, and Stevonnie offers for her to come with them back to Earth. It's not a hard decision for her in the end, though. She's always dreamed of seeing what was once Pink’s planet, ever since she heard the Diamonds bequeath it to her.]

___

Stevonnie: “Okay, so… before we go, I need to be honest with you about something." [deep breath] "I’m actually a fusion of two separate people who are close friends. You... know what fusion is, right?”

Spinel: “Duh, o’course! What, d’ya think I was made yesterday?”

[...]

Stevonnie: “But even with that, I can’t be together as me all the time. Steven and Connie, the two who come together to form me... they love hanging out with each other so much, but they also have their own lives! Other friends, other hobbies, their own families. They still talk when they’re apart, but they know it’s okay to do things alone, too. Do you know why I’m telling you this?”

Spinel: [shakes head no] “No...?”

Stevonnie: [sighs] “I understand you’ve been left behind. Believe me, I know how bad that feels. So the last thing I wanna do is make you think I’m doing that too.”

Spinel: “Y-you— you’re going away?” Stevonnie: “Unfusing, yes.” Spinel: “But Stevonnie, you—“ Stevonnie: “Spinel. No matter what, you are my friend. Steven and Connie consider you a friend, too. And my hope is that you’ll keep making a whole bunch more on Earth, so you’ll always have people around who know and love you. But that can’t always be me, okay?“

___

[At home... on Earth. There's a bit of a close call for Pearl when Spinel arrives, and recognizes her as Pink's second pearl. This is news for Garnet and Amethyst and Steven, the first of which had somewhat suspected that Pearl used to be in the diamonds' service, but never knew for sure. Pearl, of course... can't say much on this due to her gag order... not that anyone else knows about that yet... but does manage a very concise and PD=RQ free explanation about her past in Pink's court, and her transition towards being a Crystal Gem:]

Pearl: “Rose Quartz set me free, and I’ve been a part of the rebellion ever since.”

___

[At some point between the last scene and the next, mention how Spinel had a bit of a relapse... she ended up poofing herself, and reformed differently. A little bit closer to the smudged mascara and frayed pigtails look of canon, but no rotated heart. Unlike in canon, she has a solid support system amongst the Crystal Gems, and she's working hard to recover from the heartbreak of Pink's abandonment.]

___

[Final scene is set post A Single Pale Rose. Steven and Connie fuse, and Stevonnie goes to find Spinel to check in on how she's taking the news. The final line of the fic is as follows:]

Spinel: “I know you’re not her, not really. And I know you’ll always be a better person than she ever was. But in some silly cyclical way... back in that garden... it’s almost like Pink came back for me after all.”

#su #spinel #stevonnie #su fanfiction #my fic stuff #hollowed moon #this isn't REALLY 'my fic stuff' since it's unwritten but #i think it deserves to be here. this is the full unfinished plot of a fic that got the most exposure of anything i've ever shared in fandom

[adiamondsuniverse]

Why I Stopped Posting

Hey everyone, it's been a while! I basically wanted to make this post to give some closure to the failure that was the Green Diamond AU.

First of all, I haven't checked this blog in about a year so I'm more than certain that almost everyone forgot about it, which is GOOD because that puts less pressure on me to profusely apologize for my incredible lateness, but BAD because I feel bad :p

But yeah, I'm sorry. When GD AU first took off it was gaining a decent amount of traction and I made friends with other fellow creators who were pumping out great works!

But I felt lost writing GD AU. It was going down a direction that I didn't care about. I was invested in the characters but my issues were with the plot. It felt like a story that wasn't worth telling, it was boring to me.

And some asks I got were discouraging because everyone expected Steven Universe but green. Where is Garnet and Amethyst? Where is Spinel? Where is Steven? Will the rebellion resume? Will Green Diamond rebel?

Characters and story arcs and tropes I didn't care about were expected. I tried adding Jasper but realized she wouldn't fit in the plot. I added Pink Pearl 3.0 and realized I didn't know where she'd go in the plot. I added Shauna (female green Steven) and realized she wouldn't even exist in the plot because I wanted to focus on Green and Pink.

Well, I could know, I could fit her in perfectly if I thought enough, if I was invested enough to sit down and ask myself "What are these characters doing? What's the point?"

And that was my problem. I wasn't invested. I didn't want to tell a story that was just Steven Universe but green. I wanted to tell a story about Green and Pink Diamond.

I also got a lot of attention for this comic, more than I expected! And eventually, more than I wanted. I feel like I wasted this opportunity to tell a story to a wide enough audience, I wasted my (albeit small) platform to just answer asks half-heartedly and be salty and lazy and stressed out about everything.

This is the story I wanted to tell.

Green Diamond was a Diamond made by White to replace Pink. This is a problem because everyone loves Pink and Yellow could have just taken the colony for herself like she did in canon. Besides, Pink was irreplaceable.

Green Diamond tries to prove herself by being the BEST DIAMOND EVER. She almost gets there until the Rose-Pink reveal. Then it's all about Pink again.

Green and Pink bond, become friends, Green never becomes a rebel but she supports Pink's love of the planet because she sees the beauty in it as well, so she wants to replace Pink's position as a Diamond so Pink can be Rose again. Everyone on Homeworld knows Rose is a Diamond but Rose doesn't care, she lives her authentic self as a rebel Quartz because that's who she is. She's got Pearl, Garnet, Bismuth and surprisingly Jasper on her side!

White Diamond comes along, discovers Green and Pink's plot and just cackles. They're so silly! Playing war. She turns to Green Diamond and says,

"You still believe you're a Diamond?"

It turns out Green Diamond was never Green Diamond. She was a cheap cubic zirconia made for the express purpose to emotionally torture Pink, because White was under the impression Pink would come crawling back out of jealousy if she saw someone else taking control over her colony.

(Yes, in this AU White knew Rose was Pink. It's very vague in canon but it's a headcanon I have.)

Green Cubic Zirconia and Pink Diamond fuse, creating True Diamond (not a real diamond, I know, but the name is symbolic ;_;)

Green wanted to be a Diamond so badly, throughout the story it's revealed bit by bit how much of a natural, compassionate yet composed leader she is, as she gains her gems' trust. Pink wants to be a Quartz so badly, rebellious, free, and bringing her fantasy into the real world. But they both have something in common.

They want to be what they never were.

White Diamond tries to use this against each other, but Green and Pink's love for each other triumphs White's manipulation.

True Diamond doesn't refer to Green Cubic Zirconia as Green Cubic Zirconia, nor does she refer to Pink Diamond as Pink Diamond.

They are Green Diamond and Rose Quartz, respectively.

This leads to White's realization she's wrong. They are technically still a zirconia and a diamond, but her perception on their personalities was wrong. Green Diamond wasn't her evil little lapdog who wants to torture Rose for funsies, and Rose Quartz isn't a selfish bratty child who wants a colony - she is a compassionate warrior who wants respect and love.

And that's how the story ends.

Except it didn't. Because I didn't draw it!!!!!

In 2019 I was inexperienced, in 2020 I was depressed and in 2021, I just don't want to get people's hopes up for a story that will never come.

I'd love to tell it to you, I hate spoiling it all for you guys, but I know for sure I don't have a connection to Green Diamond anymore, her story isn't important to me because I am telling ones I care more about.

But maybe it will be important to you.

And that's why I wrote this post.

Signing off, Refiba 💚💎❤️

(If you want to know what else I'm writing or just follow me on my other more active social medias just because my Tumblr is @strawberriandromeda , my Twitter is @refiba, my Instagram is @refibaxolotl and I may or may not be releasing a non-Steven Universe story sometime this year on webtoon. Keep your eyes peeled for that if you want to. If you don't that's totally cool too. Much love!)

#steven universe #comic #green diamond #gemsona #pink diamond

[mrs-gauche]

Why try to imagine young Solas when you can always listen to German Solas for free?

Now I'm joking of course (and people seem to hate his German voice anyway), but seriously. He just sounds SO much younger in German, it's always so baffling to me!

Ok, unnecessarily long ramble about my thing with voices and Solas in different languages incoming, so I’ll put it under a cut. (Hope it works, still figuring Tumblr out.) 😌

So, being German, I actually first started playing DA in German.

With games, I usually do so for my first playthroughs, so that I can fully focus on the story first, without ever having to think twice about what is being said (I am confident in my English skills but it does happen with the type of language used in a medieval fantasy RPG like DA). Which also always gets me some disapproval from my brother, because he's one of those people who could never watch a dubbed movie or really anything in German, because he never finds it authentic or natural sounding and I totally understand that.

But I'm also a little voice fanatic in that I'm really interested in any voice acting in general and having to know every voice actor and all that and (oppose to popular opinion as far as I know) I always really liked and in some cases even loved the German voice cast for all the DA games (insert shameless promo here, I even did a compilation of DAI's complete party banter in German on YouTube as well as Solas' party banter specifically, which was a LOT of work, so if you're interested, check it out :D) and let me tell you, from what I've seen, I might be the only person on earth who actually doesn't hate Solas' German voice. lol

But then again, the very first scene of DAI that I ever saw in English was the final dialogue at the end of Trespasser (like, back then I played through the whole thing, only ever knowing the German voices and then after that last scene with Solas, I was so blown away that I was like "Ok, welp, that was so amazing, gotta switch to English now to watch it again!") and my. jaw. dropped. when I heard that voice. Like holy shit, it was almost like meeting a completely different person!

But it's also really interesting for me to see some people claiming that the only thing attracting you to Solas is his voice, when he didn't even have that voice when I first played it? lmao

I mean yes, I completely fell in love with his character all over again after hearing that GDL voice and that performance for the first time, but like.. he was my favorite character even before that, so.. I guess now I can claim to have been mainly drawn to him just because of his character? 😂 Although I do find his German voice to be pleasant too, with a certain softness and warmth to it that he shares with GDL imo and to give credit to the other VAs, it really is nearly impossible to translate that same velvet rythm that GDL has in English into another language, let alone the 'Halleluja' cadence thing.

So I totally understand that his German voice can be really off putting, especially for anyone who is used to English only, because it's just SO much different!

But that's also why I find it so interesting?

Because after comparing most of DA's voices in different languages (because that's what I do in my free time 😅) to me, every other companion sounds either similar in their range or has at least the same "age" to it?

But with Solas, he sounds SO much younger in German, whereas in French his voice is so much deeper. Which makes comparing his German voice to the French one even more baffling, because they are like two polar opposites of one spectrum!

This is especially hilarious to me when you listen to all his banter with Sera, where he tries to teach her about how to lead a rebellion, calls her a child and gives her all this advice, when in German, he sounds just as old as Sera if not even slightly younger than her. lmaooo

So that leaves me kind of wondering why BioWare chose such a different tone of voice in his case, given how big of a role he plays?

Especially since I've seen so many people seemingly confused about Solas' age by just his physical appearance alone.

Maybe I'm really overthinking this, but.. Could that be part of the reason why they would intentionally choose three so different tones of voices in his case? To keep his age intentionally vague and to underline this aspect of, what they described in his concept art as "ageless wisdom"? lol

#solas #kinda personal? #this has been sitting on my mind for so long lol #I'm probably really overanalyzing this lmao #in reality they probably just went 'Yeah just take that guy that voices Leonard in Big Bang Theory' #'I mean he's a huge nerd.. Solas is a huge nerd.. perfect match' lmaooo #and so he was cast

[ofcloudsandstars]

August Magical Dates and Astrological Transits

I was thinking of making monthly posts like this (sorry if I had more time I’d have made a cute calendar graphic but I have been swamped) because it’s easier to post all together than keep up with weekly updates, though Lunar Charting was fun. Anyway we have A LOT of energetic shifts in August, mostly thanks to Uranus doing the most during Leo season and then a few retrogrades, from Uranus again and then Sedna, which will mark a chapter on Humanity’s relationship to the climate and our survival on this planet depending on us living in harmony with the environment or perishing. Yep sounds dramatic, cause it is! Leo season is going to bring in a lot of new insights and fights for justice and ourselves especially with this Lions Gate Portal which will be heightened on the 8th of August. There are little magical recommendations in the description of each days and if you have a magical journal or planner I’d suggest you mark the days with the transits or energies that appeals most to you!

Happy August!

1st - ☾♑ First Harvest

Also celebrated as Lughnasadh or Lammas. The first harvest of the year, the harvest of wheat and summer crops, celebrating success and friendly competition. (Also to any Caribbean witches that celebrate it, Happy Crop Over!) Crop over is the celebration of the end of the Sugar Cane harvest which originated from Barbados and spread over a few other islands where abundance and Caribbean cultures are celebrated. Usually celebrated from the end of July to the first Monday of August.

Mercury in Cancer Opposite Pluto rx in Capricorn

Intense self-examination can take place today. Mind control or power struggles can be revealed under this placement. It’s a great time for shadow work, self-review, especially in the realm of our hard work and what foundations we’ve built this year (in theme of the moon transiting Capricorn and celebrating Lughnasadh. It all synchronizes!)

 2nd - ☾♑

Sun in Leo squares Uranus in Taurus

This transit brings tension and electricity prompting us to change whatever in our life is stagnating or bringing sudden change upon us. It will be an impulsive and chaotic time. Use the energy wisely to bring any changes in areas that you need in your life. Not the best time to play it safe if you’re unhappy in your situation or else the tension can buildup and create chaotic change. After Lughnasadh it’s a good time to review what you need to do in order to finalize any goals you’ve set for this year.

 3rd - ☾♒  Full Moon in Aquarius

Official end to Crop Over! Moon enters Aquarius

The Full moon in Aquarius brings a tidal wave of change, reviews our feelings towards change and will shake up whatever needs to change. The moon will also be squaring Uranus itself, bringing that tensions and reflection revolving around shifts, evolution and new perspectives. On a macrocosmic level we may see this change shake up things across the world whereas on a personal level it may ask us to review ourselves and our egos, how we identify with ourselves and what needs to change there. This foreshadows a new cycle as Uranus will go into retrograde in a week and a half forcing us to review changes and expanding our perspectives from within.

Additionally, this full moon falls under the middle of the Lionsgate Portal. Reaching higher perspectives and expanding our minds and spirits can be achieved under the heightened energy of this moon.

 4th - ☾♒

Mars in Aries squares Jupiter rx in Capricorn

Restless yet courageous energy that will help us take on challenges or achieve goals that align with our true authenticity or inner growth. Great to channel this energy into meditation, self-reflection and planning. (Acting outright may come off rash and bring unwanted results so it’s best to reflect).

 5th - ☾♓ Moon enters Pisces

Official 'cross quarter' day or day in between the Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox

Mercury enters Leo

A new cycle where our mental space will feel more creative, more dramatic and passion. It’s a great time to connect with our creativity, express our uniqueness and think more confidently.

 6th - ☾♓

When the moon is in Pisces it’s great to tap into dream work, the astral plane and psychic work

7th - ☾♓

Venus enters Cancer For this cycle we find pleasure in being nurtured, find values in our emotions being expressed and are more sensitive in our relationships. We feel more tender, romantic and attached.

 8th – ☾♈ Lion’s Gate Portal Moon trine Sun | Disseminating Moon Moon enters Aries

The Lion’s Gate Portal is when our sun aligns with the ‘spiritual sun’ the star Sirius which creates a portal of charged energy, upgrades, awakenings, spiritual insights, downloads of power and actualization. The number 8 in numerology is also significant for power and abundance. Additionally this falls on the Disseminating moon which celebrates the fruit of the lunar cycle and brings in additional abundance, knowledge, wisdom and energy. With the Sun in Leo channeling Sirius’s energy and trining the energetic moon in Aries, we will feel a energetic powerful boost on this day. It’s a great day to channel the sun’s energy, do solar work, do shadow work to undo any blockages from within, go to a sound bath, do a deep trance meditation, do spirit travel or astral travel, charge all your items and download information from higher dimensions. The ancients believed that the star Sirius was the gateway to heaven and the home of higher vibrational beings. This theme of upgrades and change coincides with the Full Moon phase at the beginning of the month and Uranus’s retrograde that is arriving soon.

 9th - ☾♈

When the moon is in Aries it’s great to take on challenges, use fire magic and hexing.

 10th - ☾♉

Mercury in Leo squares Uranus in Taurus Moon enters Taurus BE READY to change your plans and be as open minded as possible with this chaotic transit! We will have to shift everything around as Mercury squares Uranus (which will also be conjunct the moon) causing changes in our personal lives and to our current perspectives. This can be anxiety inducing but the best way to work with this square is to be open minded, reflect on any new insights and perspectives and patiently work through new changes. Do not put any appointments on this day or things that need to have a fixed date.

 11th - ☾♉

Final Quarter Moon

This is a period of reflection for the cycle that has passed so far and how it connects to your intentions set during the Cancer New Moon. That double new moon was to wrap up any energy or information from Cancer season before we can move into Leo however in that transition period we have seen many changes and intense energy shifts. Reflect on your journey, what you may need to shed and what you need to wrap up before moving forward during this intense chrysalis-like energy phase.

 12th – ☾♉

Eros enters Cancer

Our sexual styles and source of drive can be found in the nurturing tides of cancer. We will crave more nurturing experiences, feel driven by our emotions and our sexual encounters may get cuddlier and more sentimental.

 13th - ☾♊

Mars in Aries squares Pluto rx in Capricorn Moon enters Gemini Today may feel intense with another lovely square this time coming from Mars and Pluto rx. This may create power struggles, intense desires to climb the ladder and achieve a more powerful position. It’s a good time to work with the energy inwards and figure out how you can strive for success which aligns with your soul. Like all squares it’s a great time for reflection on these themes or you can use the Gemini moon to glean as much information as necessary to learn information relating towards this goal. However, taking action can be met with force or backlash from higher powers that will have the upper hand during this transit. It’s good to take this energy inwards only. A great day to take action on these desires would be the 16th of August when the Sun trines Mars.

 14th - ☾♊

Uranus begins retrograde in Taurus Balsamic Moon | Moon Sextile Sun

So we got to experience the intense changes the full moon in Aquarius brought, the shifts from the Sun and Mercury squaring Uranus, Lionsgate Portal and everything just forcing us to change! Finally, it’s time to bring that change and rebellion WITHIN! Uranus’s retrograde wants us to find liberty, freedom, individuality and broader perspectives with it’s retrograde. Uranus retrograde is like when your phone updates, it may take forever to download the update, but it will be faster, more sophisticated and come with cool changes. On a macrocosmic level this means shifts happening across societies that will affect how people will relate to their communities. People may rethink how to fight for their liberties with all the unrest going on. People now focusing that liberty and freedom within may band together to form an even larger uprising (especially with the solar Lionsgate download that just happened and the aftermath of the full moon).

Additionally, the Balsamic moon will sextile the sun today creating that push to find closure on issues, banish what’s no longer needed before preparing for a period of rest. People may feel that the closure they need with all this injustice is maybe taking on the government with a new angle and broadened perspective.

 15th - ☾♋

Moon enters Cancer When the moon is in Cancer it’s great to get into ‘Cottage Witchcraft’ or magic in the home. This includes cleansing, kitchen magic, green magic and bath magic.

16th - ☾♋

Sun in Leo trines Mars in Aries

Mark this lucky day on your calendar as the energies will be beneficial for starting new projects, being courageous, confident and fulfilling any passionate desires. It’s an excellent day for fire magic, wearing luck charms and going after what you want!

 17th - ☾♌

Sun conjuncts Mercury in Leo

Mercury in Leo trines Mars in Aries

Moon enters Leo

The energies will be pulled in Leo today with the Sun and Mercury joined there along with the moon entering the frame. With all the aspects happening it will be a great day to complete tasks and focus on things you always wanted to get done as our mental energy and concentration will be heightened today. This is also a great time for debates as your mind will feel clear and you will find it easier to defend yourself. This is a great time to honor yourself, your values and goals and go after it as the path will feel clear for you to work towards what you want.

 18th - ☾♌ New Moon in Leo Venus in Cancer sextiles Uranus rx in Taurus This new moon will wrap up what you’ve learned so far in Leo season and ask you to apply it for the lunar cycle ahead. It’s a good time to meditate, visualize and set intention to channel that change positively. With Venus sextile Uranus rx we may feel a push to experience new sources of pleasure especially those that speak to our uniqueness and help us to expand our perspective in these realms. It will feel like a fun and self-indulging day that will help us open up our minds and creativity for the lunar cycle that will follow.

 19th - ☾♍ Moon enters Virgo When the moon is in Virgo it’s great to ground your tasks mentally in a to-do list, problem solve or focus on healing magic for yourself or others.  

 20th -  ☾♍ Mercury enters Virgo

Mercury will feel at home in the sign of Virgo. We will feel more rational, organized and able to keep attention towards detail. Mercury in Virgo can help us to compartmentalize our thoughts and values and focus on the details that matter in that moment.  

 21st - ☾♎

Moon enters Libra When the moon is in Libra it’s great for attraction magic, harmonizing, peace and sweetening spells and glamour magic

 22nd - ☾♎

Moon conjunct Sappho and Juno in Libra We may feel more emotionally inclined to connect with a romantic partner or someone or something that aligns with our values, our deepest attractions that speak to our authenticity or something that we feel we can commit ourselves to. This is a good day to use attraction magic to visualize what you want and draw it towards you.

23rd - ☾♏ Virgo Season begins, Sun enters Virgo Crescent Moon | Sun Sextile Moon Moon enters Scorpio Virgo seasons begins today! It’s a time to get ourselves in order, prepare for school (if you’re attending), straighten out our lives, make them doctor appointments! Find solutions to any current problems ailing us or focus on fixing and healing.  It’s the last zodiac cycle of summer when all the fruits are ripe and it’s time to channel our inner alchemist with creating elixirs, potions, tinctures and cures with the plants and fruits around us. With the sun sextile the moon we will feel a push to experiment with new things and take in new information that can help us with our intentions for this cycle. This phase on the first of Virgo’s season can foreshadow it’s cycle to bring new ideals, aspirations, experiments and insights that we will learn.

 24th - ☾♏

Mars in Aries squares Saturn rx in Capricorn

Today is going to feel OPPRESSIVE with this transit. It’s not a good day to express anger towards what makes us feel restricted and bound. That will only be met with more resistance and anger. Instead it’s a good time to reflect on what makes us feel repressed, restricted or mentally blocked from within and channel our motivation and fire in self-reflection and meditation to make plans and resolutions to change that. This may feel like a harsh transit but in the scale of the transit’s cycles so far it’s a good ‘clean-up’ time to review where all the Uranus energies are still not helping you to feel free and liberated. Wherever this square makes you feel triggered is a spot that you must focus on.

25th - ☾♐

First Quarter Moon Venus in Cancer opposite Jupiter rx in Capricorn

Mercury in Virgo trines Uranus rx in Taurus

Moon enters Sagittarius

Today will feel tense yet optimistic with the moon in Sagittarius and all the other transits happening. Venus opposite Jupiter rx brings the opportunities for us to connect with what we find fun or understand truths on our relationships by bringing new perspectives. Additionally, with the new perspectives, Mercury and Uranus will be in a trine which will bring new vivid insights, stimulate our intuitions, bring epiphanies and vivid dreams. Linking the two transits together, it’s going to going to be a time where we will gain further insight and truths into our relationships and how our values define us. This will all be channeled well into the first quarter moon which can cause tension yet ask us to reflect and plan for the cycle to come. Whatever challenges that may arise now will be great to reflect on in order to plan a strategy around them or do some unblocking magic to remove the obstacle.

 26th - ☾♐

When the moon is in Sagittarius it’s a great time for socializing, channeling prosperity and luck and giving blessings.

 27th - ☾♑

Venus in Cancer trines Neptune rx in Pisces Moon enters Capricorn

This will be a dreamy day where you can channel your creativity into projects or enjoy anything sensual that can give you a moment of tender escape. With this trine happening along with the moon in Capricorn we may feel called to give ourselves to service or put in work to help others as our sense of compassion will be high.

 28th - ☾♑ Gibbous Moon | Sun Trine Moon

Today the energy will start to feel more optimistic and heightened with the sun trining the moon and the gibbous moon phase bringing opportunities and a boost to our luck. Especially in the areas of getting work done, refining our projects and laying down our plans, there will be a boost of harmony and luck in those arenas.

 29th - ☾♑

Mercury in Virgo trines Jupiter rx in Capricorn

This will feel like a lucky day especially with work, making plans (especially booking a trip or planning a trip), making a business deals or reading up on philosophy or spirituality.

 30th - ☾♒ Sedna goes into Retrograde Moon Enters Aquarius Sedna, a powerful TNO planet begins retrograde today in Taurus. The TNO planets are further out from the outer planets and represents humanity’s spiritual journey and progress. Sedna represents our ability to face the adversity and hell we may be presented with yet come up with a solution that can help the collective. Sedna is about transforming the dark of the worst of adversity into potentials of healing, helping and hope for the collective. Sedna also has a lot to do with our relationship to nature and has the strong message while she’s transiting Taurus that if we cannot mend our relationship to nature, we will crumble under the hell we are building for ourselves. Sedna in retrograde will create a period where we will see these affects of the climate’s destruction and shifts affect people across the world and it will not be people in distant places but it will be our family, coworkers, neighbors even ourselves. Before we may have seen the disturbing effects of climate change in Sedna’s shadow which lasted a few decades, however this retrograde will affect all of humanity.

People may feel heavily victimized by their circumstance and it will cause misery, unrest, famine and death. Sedna is a slow-moving planet as it’s a TNO so this retrograde will last until 2079. Yes, that is a whopping 59 years but it will be a period in human progress where we will either figure out within how to heal the environment and live in harmony with the earth or else fucking perish with all the idiot billionaires people worship. Sedna as a planet has an intense energy (and the Inuit goddess she was named after has an intense story and power as well), and is about creating solution from adversity even in situations where we may have been abused or victimized. This energetic shift may be the end of the chapter where we may be aware of climate change but have not directly felt it’s affects in our daily lives, where as for the next 59 years we may be living in an unstable environment filled with chaos sown by the greed of the wealthy elite that has raped the Earth for every resource and will turn unrest of the remaining 99% amongst themselves as they blame the lack of resource on ‘unworthy’ populations sowing fear and ecofacism to wipe out masses of people that could otherwise rise up against them as people fight amongst each other for basic needs like water. Sedna’s descent into her underworld was brutal and humanity’s descent into this retrograde will be painful but only until we learn our lesson with our relationship to nature will we be able to survive.

 31st - ☾♒

When the moon is in Aquarius, it’s great to expand on your perspective, explore new material, work with tech magic or electricity and work with celestial magic or astrology

 -------

For more information on planetary aspects and lunar transits I post celestial forecasts with magic tips for each day weekly.

#august #transits #astrology #witchblr #uranus retrograde #sedna retrograde #lions gate #lions gate portal #witchcraft #magic #celestial witch #full moon #aquarius full moon #leo new moon

[justasparkwritings]

Codename Cupid: Chapter 16

Previous: How Cricket Got Her Name 

Pairing: Jeon Jungkook X Reader/OFC/You

Genre: Secret AgentAU, AgentAU, Government Agent AU

Rating: PG15

Word Count: 3.04K

Warnings: Swearing 

Summary: Our lovely P.I. goes on the search for Min Yoongi, and stumbles into the identity of the mystery man with Taehyung. 

(this is... rough? did not expect it to be so long...) 

Missing Min Yoongi

Present Day

           My sister always tells me she’s given me all she can, that she can’t help me past my one favor a year. It’s a ploy, a deception, a boldfaced lie she tells at work or anytime we’re in earshot of anyone else. Does she misuse her government clearance? Yes. Does she defy laws and challenge the ethical code? Yes. Has she ever gotten caught? No. You’d think the government would put more tabs on her, considering her sister is a registered and licensed PI, but no, no one seems to bat an eye.

           Min Yoongi, Park Yoongi, Yoongi, is nonexistent. I barely understand what he did at Lee Enterprises, let alone how he ended up bedding Euna. He supposedly comes from no money, no name to build off of, nothing. His grades were fine, his college experience came and went with nary a note of youthful rebellion. Now, now that he’s no longer at Enterprises, I cannot fucking find him. Nothing on the web, nothing in the statewide system, nothing in the national system. No death certificates, no marriage licenses, nothing.

           All I’ve got are his charges, well, Euna’s charges against him.

           Cheating in the 1st degree, no proof, no photos or receipts or basic evidence of his behavior. She had nothing but her recollection of the fight they had, and minimal information on what led to the break up. From her manifesto, it seems that Yoongi was pulling away and she clung to him, claws drawing blood, trying to get him to stay. He didn’t, clearly. With only that to go off of, it’s no wonder I can’t find Min Yoongi, and I’m beginning to think that just maybe, Min Yoongi doesn’t exist. He’s her Snuffleupagus, and I’m starting to not believe.

           While I’m unsure if Yoongi exists, I do know a person who does.

           The man with Taehyung.

           Spectacled and broad shouldered, quaffed hair and arms the size of tree trunks, this man exists. He goes to the gym regularly, religiously, makes his coffee at home, and frequents his local nursery. The man is obsessed with plants, it seems unhealthy. Multiple days a week he’s carrying one, or more, I have photos of him watering them, speaking to them… He tends to them with such care, such love, it’s mesmerizing. He goes to work, some corporation, and once a week meets Taehyung. They’re clearly pals, best friends, brothers. They laugh and eat and enjoy one another. It’s cute, their friendship date. Once in a while, Jimin joins them. The three laugh uproariously and often draw attention for their volume. The unidentified man doesn’t seem to understand how loud he is, his baritone resonating enough for me to hear.

           I haven’t intentionally bumped into the three of them, yet, but I’ve stationed myself near enough to hear bits and pieces of their conversations. They never discuss work, only music they’re listening to, books they’re reading, podcasts, plants, general culture. Have I written down a few of the artists and podcasts they listen to? Yes. Do I feel dirty about it? Yes.

           But it’s the job, and I tail them for a month before a package arrives. A package with my name on it, waiting outside my apartment door. It’s not addressed, no stamps or packing label. It’s new, not reused as a shipping box or gifted for the umpteenth time, no dingy tape sticking to its brown coating. The box is sitting, like it’s appeared out of thin air. A secure building is only as secure as the tenants make it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the owner snuck in behind some dummy who didn’t see the harm in letting a potential rapist, stalker, murder, into the building. Taking the package inside, and as my blood continues to cool and chills run down my spine, I delicately open it.

           I know, it could be a bomb. However, the only thought calming me down is the knowledge that my life has never once been a Shonda Rhimes production and thus, I’m not really worried this package is a bomb. Frankly, that’s far more sophisticated than any of the people I’ve worked for and gives them too much credit.

           Inside, there are copious amounts of surveillance photos and a note, written in a script that I’ve seen before.

           “That was your last warning / The line has been drawn and you’re bleeding / Next time, face to face is how we’ll be meeting”  

           Whoever heard of a stalker rhyming?

           I bag the evidence to toss under my bed so Jungkook won’t find it and pull out my list of potential threats.

Check It Once, Check It Twice

William Daniels

Cheated on his wife of 5 years with a stewardess who flew almost exclusively on his flights (big shock)

Threatened to ban me from American Airlines -  Jokes on him, I don’t fly American

Photos in the act & audio recordings

Wife divorced him immediately

He has to pay alimony out the nose

Lives in the area

Allanah McMahon

Arrested and tried for insider trading and embezzlement

Discovered who I was when I was subpoenaed to testify

Still in jail

My testimony added a few years to her sentence … oops

Cassie Harrington

Set up a Multi-Level Marketing scheme

Tried to hide out in Hawaii – but changed her Instagram to private after I’d already followed her

Ordered to pay back all the money she stole

On parole

Adam Gregory

Tried to run an illegal adoption agency for homosexual, non binary couples

Paid a fine and on parole – forbidden from creating any LLC’s or Incorporating

Brian Welch

Pissed that I found evidence of his partner cheating but turned him in on charges of possession of child pornography

In jail for kiddy porn and for threatening my life

His husband got everything despite the infidelity

           You acquire quite detailed list of people who want to threaten your life on the daily, but then again, wasn’t it Audre Lorde who said “I’m deliberate and afraid of nothing?” I can’t be afraid. If I’m afraid, they have the power. They have the power to intimidate me, to run my life for me, to make my decisions. I will not back down because they got caught. But I will protect myself, I will keep my license for my gun up and go to the shooting range often. I will strengthen the locks and security of my apartment, and I will ask Jungkook to stay over more, or sleep at his.

           I will not back down, not when Lee Euna has paid me what seems like the cost of tuition at Princeton for a year and wants answers. We signed a contract, didn’t we?

           And who am I if my word is no longer worth anything?

           Instead of harping on the sickening feeling that I’m being watched 24/7, I run through my plans for bumping into Taehyung and his friends. In the weeks that I’ve continued to follow him, he’s solidified Wednesday’s as his night for dinner with friends, and Thursdays as his cultural exploration. He goes to museum openings, concerts, movies, plays, clubs, all on Thursdays. While those nights are fun for me to watch and put on my expense account, it’s Wednesdays that I adore. I love following him from his house to the restaurants and am excited each week to see what he and his friends have chosen.

          This week, it’s an authentic Mexican restaurant. Slipping my coat on, I give them a few minutes before following in.

           The sound of mariachi welcomes me into the yellow painted restaurant. The furniture, dark mahogany against the vibrant walls, is full of people. I note the variety of sombreros, the different colors and patterns, the meanings hidden within the stitchwork. It’s not a large restaurant, but big enough to fit a few large groups of 7-10 people, and plenty of space for smaller groups such as the three men. The hostess asks if I want to sit at the bar, and I request a table near the men. Sitting a few feet away, I’m able to pick up their conversation easily. Instead of jotting it down, I hit record and let the metaphorical tape play.

           “Oh, it wasn’t that bad!” The mystery man says.

           “It was awful, Taehyungie couldn’t stop laughing, every time he hit the ball it went flying in the wrong direction,” Jimin says.

           “I was trying so hard!” Taehyung laughed.

           “That’s the problem, you were trying too hard,” The man tells him. “You’re too pure of heart.”

           “I am not,” Taehyung shook his head.

           “I know, you’ve experienced a lot, Tae,” Jimin says.

           “Joon, here’s the question,” Taehyung says, and I’m momentarily distracted by the utterance of the name, Joon. “You get to pick next week, we heading back to that barbeque place?”

           Jimin erupts in another fit of laughter, Taehyung following suit. It’s cute, watching them interact. I wonder if Jungkook has friends he does things like this with… those nights we aren’t together, if he has friends to spend his time with.

           I wait until they’ve left to take a glance at the signed bill on their table, Taehyung Kim is scribbled, no evidence of the other men, and I’m about to bag evidence when I hear my name.

           “Y/N?” Taehyung asks.

           “Taehyung! That was you!” I smile.

           “Have you been here the whole time?” Taehyung’s eyebrows express more than anyone’s I’ve ever seen.

           “I, yeah. I wasn’t sure it was you and Jimin. I didn’t want to interrupt,” I tell him.

           “Oh, you could’ve! Don’t worry about them, we’ve been friends a long time,” Taehyung smiles, it’s boxy and wide, the edges curling as his eyes soften.

           I’ve already started my dance, a waltz to an even tempo and I’ve got the next five paces planned. “Who was that new guy?”

           “Why, you single?” Taehyung smirks, his lips no longer joyful but devious.

           “I just was curious,” I reply, “And no, I’m not single, remember?”

           “Oh yes, yes, Jungkook,” Taehyung recalls with a nod.

           “You, Jimin and that other guy, go way back?” I lead him, it’s easy to lead Taehyung, he’s pure of heart, the most honest intentions in his eyes.

           “Mm, yes,” He continues smiling at me.

           “Your dinner looked fun, I’ll definitely be coming back to this place,” I tell him. It’s true, maybe I will bring Jungkook by one night when I know these three men won’t be around.

           “Yeah, we like it. We try a new restaurant every week. It’s a fun no work zone,” His arms are relaxed at his sides, one hand slipping slowly into his pocket, his cardigan open and glasses pressed close to his ebony eyes.

           “I like that, no work zone,” I agree, I wish I had one of those.

           “Yes, it helps clear the mind,” Taehyung tells me.

           “Do the three of you work together?” I inquire.

           “Kind of, we have a lot of the same shared interests,” he sidesteps.

           I nod, the final step in our dance presenting itself. “Very cool, well I don’t want to keep you from Jimin and –

           “Joon, yeah, very considerate of you. Maybe I’ll see you at the dog park again?” He asks.

           “Oh god, I hope not, Maisie is a nightmare,” I laugh.

           “Well have a good night, Y/N, take care!” He says as he walks out the door. I stand, watching, pretending to not notice how he gets in the car swiftly, not looking back.

           Joon.

           Joon.

           Joon.

           What kind of a name is Joon? If Taehyung and Jimin, and Jungkook, and Seokjin… and Yoongi, are all Korean, must Joon be short for something Korean?

           Glancing at my phone, it’s only 8:30PM, if I hurry, I can get in another few hours of work before I’m overcome with exhaustion and anxiety. But what will I find?

Oh Joon

Kim Joon

Lee Joon

Joon-Ho

Joon-Hee

Joon-Hyuk

Joon-Ki

Joon-Tae

Joon-Young

Byung-Joon

Ha-Joon

Hee-Joon

Hyung-Joon

Jae-Joon

Kyung-Joon

Jae-Joon

Kyung-Joon

Yong-Joon

Nam-Joon

Joon-Su

Ye-Joon

           Not to mention add in the top 5 Korean last names, and I’ve got hundreds of possibilities. Luckily, I can run the name against the address of the apartment building Taehyung picked Joon up from. Being a PI means I have access to the state databases, which gives me names and addresses. In the building, there’s one Joon, a Namjoon, Kim Namjoon. I pull the information before digging into my search.

           Unlike the seemingly nonexistence of Min Yoongi, Kim Namjoon is present. Every search result yields a perfectly manicured article dating anywhere from the year of his birth to age sixteen, and then, much like everyone else on this case, the trail begins to run cold. Whatever happened to him during high school, still radiates through his file. Whether he’s shaken it or not, that’s the question.

           No known career or job at all, his status as a prodigy in math, linguistics and rhetoric is astonishing. One of the highest IQ’s of recent memory, he’d mastered calculus by the time he was 8, besting PhD’s by 13, and then in a blaze of glory, disappearing by 16. He was studied, written about, documented, photographed, and somehow managed to be nominated for a Nobel Prize… how he accomplished all of that during puberty is beyond me. Not only does he accomplish that, but then, disappears completely, without a trace. How?

I’m ready to pack it in when someone steps into my office.

           “I saw the light on,” She says.

           “Ms. Lee, what do I owe this surprise visit?” I ask. This is the exact opposite of what I wanted to do tonight.

           “I wanted to, to talk to you,” She takes a few steps forward, pausing to ask for unspoken permission.

           “Please, sit. What did you want to talk to me about?” I lean back, hoping she can’t see the bags forming under my eyes or the tears from the yawn I’m stifling.

           “I wanted to tell you about, about why I need you to find Min Yoongi,” Euna informs me. She’s dressed in what can only be described as winter white, and only as a cashmere sweatsuit. Never have I ever seen such glamor in my dingy office. I feel bad that she’s risking the integrity of her outfit by being here.

           “Oh, okay,” I sit up and reach for a notebook. “Do you want me to write this down?”

           “No, you don’t need to. We can just talk between women, between friends,” Euna’s voice is soft. The slack in her jaw, the demur manner in which her hands are placed on her lap, it’s evident she doesn’t know how to be girlfriends. Raised by her family, groomed to take over, friends was never a word in her vocabulary.

           “I wanted you to know that I really saw a future with Yoongi,” She starts. “You know that place in your heart where you hold all your hopes?”

           “Yes,” I say hesitantly.

           Her eyes narrow in warning, “Do you have someone, someone who’s beginning to fill that space?”

           “Um, yeah,” I reply.

           “I thought that’s what Yoongi was. I thought we were, we were building something. Jun-Seo had Jimin, they thought they were building an illustrious future together, but one day he disappeared too.” She pinches the slight bridge of her nose, inhaling slowly to steady her nerves. “I don’t know what changed in our relationship. Yoongi didn’t want me anymore, he didn’t want to be around me, or with me at all. A switch flipped, like one day he realized he didn’t love me in the first place. I don’t know what happened, I don’t know why, but when your entire future is destroyed, do you stand back and watch it burn?”

           “Do you want me to answer that?” I ask.

           “Sure, what I did after that was terrible, but it was within reason. Everything I did was within reason. I tried to hold onto him, I did what I thought was right to get him to stay and he just, ran. Bolted, broke up with me on the phone like I’m Taylor Swift in 2012. Maybe I am,” Euna rolls her eyes, the comparison both too true and too terrifying. “At least Seokjin had the kindness to break up with me in person. But Yoongi? The coward! He knew I loved him. He knew I would carry his child, would marry him, would love him eternally and then some. I would’ve done anything for him. Even after he refused to go family dinners or go on trips with Seo and Jimin, after he started lying and cheating and stealing. He broke my heart, shattered it. If anyone is to blame for what happened after our relationship, it’s him.”

           Interested peaked, I inquire “What happened?”

           “It’s in my document,” She snaps.

           “The handwritten one?” I clarify.

           Rolling her delicate ebony irises, “Yes, of course.”

           “The abortion, the embezzlement, insider trading?” I try to rattle off the accusations she’d detailed. Somewhere I had a list and had sorted them by man, but damn, there were a lot of them.

           “Yes,” She snips.

           “That’s all true?” I ask again. The look she gives me is unwarranted, this is the first time in months, nearly a year, that she has sat down with me and discussed the charges. I am well within my right as her Private Investigator to ask clarifying questions.

           “Do you make a conscious decision to not believe your clients? Am I not paying you enough Y/N?” Euna snaps.

           “I’m sorry,” I respond.

           “I should go, I expect next week at our meeting you will have an update on the mystery man,” She stands.

           “Yes, yes, I will,”

           “Good, oh, there was a note under your door. I didn’t pick it up,” She turns and walks, stepping gingerly over the note. Scrambling behind her, I pick up the folded paper, and scrawled in crystal clear letters it reads:

           Cricket, was driving past when I saw the light on. Why are you working? Come to mine when you’re done, it’s been three restless nights without you.

          XO – Bunny 

           Fuck me, I love him.

Next: Cricket & Bunny Pt. 1 

#BTS #Jeon Jungkook fanfic #Jeon Jungkook x you #Jeon Jungkook x reader #codename #code name #code name cupid #codename cupid #BTS fluff #min yoongi #park jimin #kim namjoon #kim taehyung #secret agent au #government agent au #secret agent au #BTS agent #houseofddaeng #thebtswritersclub #ficswithluv #btsgoldnet #bangtanarmynet

[nerdybutcute]

Themes in Cyberpunk Generally and Shadowrun Specifically

What is Shadowrun about? Aside from elves with mohawks and machine guns, I mean. That much is obvious. In all seriousness, though – what should we expect from a Shadowrun game? How is the Sixth World different from other “cyberpunk” settings? What does this particular game do well, maybe even better, than other games of a similar stripe? We can answer these questions by taking a dive in the roots of cyberpunk as a genre of science fiction, but even that journey must start with the very foundations of the modern mindset, because cyberpunk as a literary movement has a real problem with modernity.The central moral concepts of the Enlightenment are autonomy and authenticity. The arguments for liberal, democratic government, capitalism, and the Scientific Revolution alike are rooted in an assumption of the importance of liberating the individual. “Liberty” is the moral center of the modern paradigm, and all the other appurtenances of modern life mentioned above are to be interpreted as mechanisms of that liberation. As imaginative fiction reflects the tenor of the times, the through-line of early 20thcentury science fiction is a utopianism based in the modern ideal, with emphasis on the liberating power of science.

But postmodernist critics soon began to question the validity of this vision. The Holy Trinity of liberal society, free markets, and scientific progress began to seem, in their analysis, less likely to free the individual than to enslave them. They posited that under capitalism, science would always be a tool for subverting democracy, and genuine freedom required taking a skeptical stance toward all three. Likewise, the cyberpunk movement in science fiction was born of these post-modern fears, envisioning a future where high-tech has ensnared the individual in a web of consumerism, drugs, virtual reality, and technological serfdom. Indeed, in the idiom of speculative fiction, cyberpunk literature could pose questions about even the moral center of the modern world, as exemplified in Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – in a world where the barrier between man and machine has eroded to the point of invisibility, what is autonomy? What is authenticity?

Cyberpunk literature, like all science fiction, leaned heavily on the science aspect – hence the “cyber” – but it was skeptical, rather than laudatory, of technological progress. The “punk” aspect encompassed the postmodern rebellion against existing structures of power – capital and government – which are posited in punk philosophy not only as hopelessly intertwined but fundamentally flawed, inevitably enslaving those they propose to serve. Punk is inherently anarchist, seeking to tear down the mechanisms of domination; cyberpunk takes special interest in the high-tech aspect of these structures. But just as punk has a difficult relationship with capitalism, constantly courted and tempted by the urge to commodify and merchandise the punk aesthetic in the name of wider exposure and increased social capital (all in the name of the movement, of course), cyberpunk replicates this relationship with technology – the interface of man and machine chips away at our essential humanity, threatening to turn us into objects that can be programmed and directed rather than free and authentic individuals, but the technological marvels of the setting are indispensable in fighting the very structures that produce and control them. The tools of the oppressors can be used against them but likewise constantly threaten to co-opt those who oppose them. And most disturbingly, of course, even the anarchist subculture of resistance in cyberpunk literature is presented as violent and nihilistic, raising questions about what the world will look even if the “punks” win – is there any hope at all?

Cyberpunk can quickly drift into transhumanism, usually when the technology of the setting is fetishized rather than approached skeptically, but also when the central characters are unproblematically portrayed as agents of the structures of power rather than subversive elements in society. But pure punk characters are rare as focal points – it’s more interesting and certainly more in-genre to focus on those who were in some way caught up in the structures of power and then cast aside by them, damaged and discarded. Gibson’s Neuromancer provides excellent examples in Case, Molly Millions, and Riviera, brutalized by the powers-that-be but still used them as disposable commodities to advance the interests of the wealthy and connected. Case is a pitiable figure, arguably the most abused by the agents of power but also, in the end, least willing to reject their blandishments. Indeed, the titular AI is perhaps the only truly free character in the story, exerting its autonomous will on the world, and reaching even beyond.

The original cyberpunk roleplaying game, called quite simply Cyberpunk, followed the style of that era of games in providing little guidance to new players in how to create characters while assuming a knowledge of the relevant genre – the fact that players could take the role of Corps and Cops was not a mistake, as it was likely assumed that these characters would, ultimately, embody the ambiguous relationships to power of their literary counterparts, rather than being uncritical servants of the authorities. The game fittingly portrayed corporations as sinister and government as largely ineffective, but the most telling design feature was the inclusion of rules for “cyberpsychosis,” a gradual disintegration of mental faculties brought on by excessive use of cyber-enhancements. This mechanic “game-i-fied” the postmodern skepticism about the liberatory power of technology and fears about loss of autonomy when the human – the free and authentic person – becomes continuous with the thing, the servile commodities produced by those structures of power.

Other “cyberpunk” games followed, missing the point to greater and lesser degree, until Shadowrun, which wedded fantasy elements to the setting. The inclusion of elves, dwarves, and other magical things might seem to dilute the point of cyberpunk as a genre, but the history of the setting makes the additions apt. Because of the precise way in which Shadowrun integrated fantasy with science fiction, the core conceits of the cyberpunk genre may well have found one of their best expressions to date.

The return of magic in the Sixth World, as the setting is called, provided occasion for the Native American people of North America to rise up, using their traditional spiritual practices – now terrifyingly efficacious – to destroy the United States. As acts of resistance by oppressed outsiders goes, this one is impressive, an apotheosis of the “punk” element of cyberpunk. And the resistance is non-technological, but rather magical – a non-technological resistance only being possible in a setting like Shadowrun’s, despite other works like Neuromancer playing with the idea of “urban primitivism” before this. The triumph of the Native American Nations in the Sixth World is a triumph over all three elements of Enlightenment culture – science, capitalism, and liberal democracy – given the self-proclaimed role of the United States as their standard-bearer in the modern world. True, this decisive defeat does not recapitulate the angst brought over into cyberpunk literature from the noir genre, but the triumph of the indigenous peoples is not the end of the story.

In the Shadowrun setting, major cyberpunk tropes are preserved – the government is corrupt where it is not ineffective, and true power mostly lays with the corporations. “Mostly” is an important caveat there, however – other power blocs exist, such as dragons, the Native American Nations, and the nations of the elves, quite aside from such mysterious antagonists as insect shamans and other foul creatures. Again, this might seem to dilute the essential conflicts of the cyberpunk genre, but Shadowrun envisions those conflicts in a different way, the clue to which is found in the dissolution of the United States in the setting’s backstory. Rather than pitting inchoate punk anarchism against rampant capitalism, rather than pitting urban primitivism and the struggle for authenticity against the insidious creep of technology, it quite literally pits the pre-modern against the modern – mysticism and tradition against the values of the Enlightenment. The outcome of the struggle is no longer pre-ordained, so the sense of futility of classic cyberpunk is lost, but a different sense of doom has taken its place: between the modern and the archaic, there may be no good choice.

Classic cyberpunk is skeptical toward the machinery of democracy and other modern accoutrement, but presents no alternative except anarchy (in this, one might imagine that blighted dystopias like Mad Max are a sort of cyberpunk, but that’s another essay). Shadowrun presents a different choice – rolling back the clock on the Enlightenment is now perhaps a realistic possibility, but one that carries dangers of its own. And it is a choice that must be made. Corporate rapaciousness threatens the natural spaces that embody the magical Essence of the Earth, just as cyber-enhancements threaten the individual character’s Essence, with the end result of too much reliance on cyberware being, in this game, death rather than psychosis. But magical threats abound, as well, such as the insect shamans of the first major myth arc in the game, and this aside from what else might be lost in the unraveling of the modern order – ideas of democracy and equality and so on. Shadowrun pointedly presents the corporate order as practically a feudal one, with employees treated more like serfs, indentured to their lords, while the reflexive Japanophilia of the cyberpunk canon is here leveraged to a different purpose – as an alternative social model based on ancient ways, another refutation of the Enlightenment. Such pre-modern subcultures abound in the setting, but they are pre-modern, which is to say authoritarian, sexist, racist, culturally chauvanistic, and so on. Classical cyberpunk fiction critiques the modern order and offers petty acts of resistance to it; Shadowrun fragments and partially overturns it, but with the caveat that what stands to replace it probably isn’t any better.

Shadowrun, therefore, while an offshoot of the traditional cyberpunk concept, is undoubtedly faithful to the core element of the genre, the critique of the modern. It dissolves the tension of fruitless struggle against it, but replaces it with a diabolical choice. Mind you, as with cyberpunk literature, this can easily fall into transhumanism; the setting-specific counterpart misstep is the glorification of the oppositional pre-modern traditions that now hold a place of honor in the world. The true cyberpunk essence of Shadowrun is best expressed in emphasizing both the intrusive, dehumanizing elements of technocracy as well as the de-individuating aspects of traditional culture paired with the cosmic horror of the magical world.

#ttrpg stuff #shadowrun #literary theory