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ryin-silverfish · 26 days

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A Guide to the Chinese Underworld (and what it isn't)

As many FSYY and fox posts as there were on my blog, I am actually a huge fan of the Chinese Underworld mythos. Mostly because I was once a morbid little kid that loved reading about the excavations of ancient tombs, and found the statues depicting hellish torture in the Haw Par Villa "super cool".

Apart from the aesthetics, the history of its evolution is also fascinating. Most of us, Chinese or not, only know the most popular version of the Underworld——the "Ten Kings" system, yet that isn't always the case. So today, I'll start off with a short summary of that.

In pre-Qin era, there was already this generic idea of a "Realm of the Dead" called the Yellow Spring, Youdu, or Youming, but we know very little about it.

Then, in the Han dynasty, two ideas start to emerge: 1) the Underworld is a bureaucracy, 2) the God of Mt. Tai ruled over the dead.

This early bureaucracy might not function as an agent of punishment; the main focus was on keeping the dead segregated from the living so they wouldn't bring diseases and misfortune to the latter, as well as using those ghosts to enforce collective punishments upon people for their lineage's wrongdoings while they were still alive.

Post-Han, after Buddhism entered China and took root, its idea of karmic punishments and reincarnation and the figure of King Yama was merged with folk and Daoist ideas of the Underworld bureaucracy, and, came Tang dynasty, resulted in the "Ten Kings" system that first appeared in Dunhuang manuscripts.

It was very rudimentary and far from well-established, as seen in Tang legends, with some adopting the Ten Kings system, some sticking to the Lord of Mt. Tai and some favoring King Yama, and overall little agreements on who's in charge of the Underworld.

But the "Ten Kings" system would become the mainstream version from then onwards, used in Ming vernacular novels and made even more popular by folk religion scrolls like the Jade Records (Yuli Baochao).

As such, most points in the following sections will be based on the fully matured "Ten Kings" system of the Underworld, as seen in the Jade Records and JTTW.

What happens when you die?

(This is a fictionalized walkthrough of the posthumous fate of souls under the "Ten Kings" system. I try to stick to the very broad progression outlined in the Jade Records, but many creative liberties are taken on the details.)

Let's say there's a guy named Xiao Ming, and he had just died of a heart attack. Bummers. What now?

Well, the first thing he saw would be the ghost cops.

There isn't really an unanimous agreement on who these ghost cops are: they may be a pair of ghosts in white and black robes, wearing tall hats (Heibai Wuchang), they may have the heads of farm animals (Ox-Head and Horse-Face), or they can just be generic ghost bureaucrats. For convenience's sake, let's say it was the first scenario.

"Who are you guys and where are you taking me?"

"Glad you asked!" The taller ghost cop, being the cheerful one of the pair, replied. It wasn't very reassuring, considering that his tongue was dangling out of his mouth way further than it should. "I'm the White Impermanence, my sour-looking colleague here is the Black Impermanence, and we are taking you to the City God's office."

This City God, a.k.a. Chenghuang, is just like how it sounds: the divine guardian of a city, who also pulls double duty as the head of the local Dead People Customs Office. They are usually virtuous officials deified posthumously, and in JTTW, they fall under the category of "Ghostly immortals", together with the Earth Gods a.k.a. Tudi.

So Xiao Ming went with the two ghost cops——not like he had much of a choice, made his way through the long queue at the City God's office, and was now standing in front of a gruff old magistrate in traditional robes.

"Name?"

"Wang Xiao Ming."

"Age and birth dates?"

"21, April 16 2003…"

After he was done asking questions, the City God flipped through his ledger, then picked up a brush, ticked off Xiao Ming's name, and told him to go get his pass in the next room. More waiting in a queue. Wonderful.

"I never heard anything about needing a pass to get to the Underworld," the girl in front of Xiao Ming asked the ghost cops, who were standing guard nearby. "Is this a new policy or something?"

"Yeah. In the old days, we'd just drag y'all straight to the Ghost Gate." The ghost cop in black said, then muttered to himself, "Fuckin' paperworks and overpopulation, man…"

(This "Dead People Passport" thing was popularized in the middle-to-late Ming dynasty, as shown by the discovery of such documents inside tombs in southern China. )

(It might have evolved from similar passes to the Western Pure Land in lay Buddhism that recorded their acts of merits. Which, in turn, might be traced back to the "Dead People Belongings List" of Han dynasty, to be shown to Underworld bureaucrats so that no one would take away the dead's private property down there or something.)

Anyways, after he received his pass, Xiao Ming departed together with the rest of the bunch, to be led to the Ghost Gate. It was like the world's most depressing tourist group, where instead of tour guides, you got two ghost cops in funny hats, and the only scenery in sight was the desolation of the Yellow Spring Road.

They weren't the only travellers on the road, though. Xiao Ming noticed other groups moving in the far distance, behind the fog and the flickering ghostfire, led by similar figures in black and white.

It made a lot of sense; realistically, there was no way two ghost cops could fetch hundreds of thousands of dead people all by themselves.

(SEA Tang-ki mediums believed there were multiple Tua Di Ya Peks——Hokkien name for the Black and White Impermanences, working for different Underworld Courts.)

At last, the Ghost Gate stood in front of Xiao Ming, guarded by two towering figures. Normally, they'd be Ox-Head and Horse-Face, like what you see at Haw Par Villa's Underworld entrance.

However, older Han dynasty works like Wang Chong's 论衡·订鬼 also mentioned two gods, Shenshu and Yulei, as guardians of the Ghost Gate, who would use reed ropes to capture malicious ghosts and feed them to tigers, making them possibly the earliest incarnation of "Gate Gods".

So here, they were what Xiao Ming sees, standing side by side like proper doormen, silently watching herds of ghosts being funneled through the entrance.

The place was more crowded than a train station during the CNY Spring Rush; the ghost cops had already said their quick goodbye and left to fetch the next group of dead people, leaving the resident officials of the Underworld proper to maintain order and quell any would-be riots.

Now you started seeing the Ox-Head and Horse-Face guys, poking at unruly ghosts with their pitchforks and dragging away the violent ones in chains. Among their ranks were other monstrous beings, blue-faced yakshas and imps, but also regular dead humans who look 100% done with their jobs, like the lady who stamped Xiao Ming's pass when it was finally his turn.

After this point, Xiao Ming had entered the Underworld proper, and his next destination would be the First Court, led by King Qin'guang. Here, his fate should be decided by what is revealed in the King's magical mirror.

If Xiao Ming was a good guy, or someone who had done an equal amount of good and bad things in life, he'd be sent straight to the Tenth Court for reincarnation. However, if the mirror, while replaying his life events, had displayed more evil deeds than good ones, he'd be sent to one of the 2nd-9th Courts for judgment and then punished inside the Eighteen Hells.

Each of the Ten Kings was also assisted by ghostly judges. Many of them were righteous and just officials in life who had been recruited into the Ten Courts posthumously——Cui Jue from JTTW is one such example, while others were living people working part-time for the Underworld, like Wei Zheng, Taizong's minister.

We decide to be nice to Xiao Ming, so, after reliving some embarrassing childhood incidents and cringy teenage phases in front of a bunch of dead bureaucrats, he was found innocent and sent to the Tenth Court.

The queue here was almost as long as the First Court's, stretching on and on alongside of the banks of the Nai River. King of the Turning Wheel made his judgment without even lifting his head when it was Xiao Ming's turn:

"Path of Humans, male, healthy in body and mind, ordinary family. Next!"

Exiting the Tenth Court building, Xiao Ming saw the Terrace of Forgetfulness, standing tall before six bridges, made of gold, silver, jade, stone, wood, and…some unidentified material. Before he could get a good look at them and the little dots moving across those bridges, he was hurried into the Terrace by the ghostly officials.

Now, both JTTW and the Jade Records mention multiple bridges across the Nai River. In the former, there is 3, and the latter, 6. The bridges made of precious materials are for people who will reincarnate into better lives, as the wealthy, the fortunate, and the divine, while the Naihe Bridge is either the common option or the terribad shitty option.

However, the Naihe Bridge proved to be so iconic, it became THE bridge you walk across to reincarnate in popular legends.

Anyways, back to Xiao Ming. He found himself standing in a giant soup kitchen of sorts, with an old lady at the counter, scooping soup out of her steaming pot and into one cup after another.

This is Mengpo, the amnesia soup granny; according to the Jade Records, she was born in the Western Han era, and a pious cultivator who thought of neither the past nor the future, only knowing that her surname was Meng.

Made into an Underworld god by the Jade Emperor, she cooks a soup of five flavors that will wipe the memory of the dead, making sure they do not remember any of their past lives once they reincarnate.

It tastes awful. Like what you get after pouring corn syrup, coffee, chilli sauce, lemon juice and seawater into the same cup.

Such was Xiao Ming's last thought, as he gulped down the soup, and then he knew no more.

Things you should know about the Chinese Underworld:

1. It's not the Christian Hell.

Rather, the Chinese Underworld functions somewhat like the Purgatory, in that there are a lot of torment, but the torment's not eternal, however long the duration may be. Once you finish your sentence, you get reincarnated as something else, though that "something else" is not a guaranteed good birth.

Other people can also speed up the process via transferring of merits: hiring a priest/monk to chant sutras and perform rituals, for example, or performing good deeds in life in dedication to the dead, or they can pray to a Daoist/Buddhist deity to save their loved ones from a dreadful fate.

Interestingly enough, a thesis paper I read mentions that, whereas Buddhist salvation from the Hells was based on transference of merits——you give monks offerings and pay them to chant sutras, so they can cancel out the sinners' bad karma with good ones, Daoist ideas of salvation tend to involve the priest going down there, sorting it out with the Underworld officials, and taking the dead out of the Hells themselves.

(The paper also stops at the Northern-Southern and Tang dynasties, so the above is likely period-specific.)

2. Nor is it run by evil demons.

Underworld officials are not nice guys and look pretty monstrous and torture the sinful dead, but they are not the embodiment of evil. Rather, the faction as a whole is what I'd call Lawful Neutral, who function on this "An Eye for An Eye" logic, where every harm the sinner caused in life must be returned to them, in order for their karmic debts to be cleansed and move on to their next life.

They can absolutely be corrupt and incompetent and take bribes——Tang dynasty Zhiguai tales and Qing folklore compendiums featured plenty of such cases, but that's a very mundane and human kind of evil, not a cosmic/innate one.

This is just my personal opinion, but if you want to do an "evil" Chinese Underworld? It should be a very bureaucratic evil, whose leaders are bootlickers to the higher-ups, slavedrivers to their rank-and-file workers, and bullies who abuse their power over regular dead people.

Not, y'know, Satan and his infernal legions or conspiring Cthulu cultists.

3. The Ten Kings are not Hades.

Make no mistake, they still have a lot of power over your average dead mortal. But in the grand scheme of things? They are the backwater department of the pantheon, who only show up in JTTW to get pushed around and revive the occasional dead people.

When Taizong made his trip to the Underworld, the Ten Kings greeted him as equals——kings of ghosts to the king of the living. If they see themselves as equal in status to a mortal emperor, then, like any mortal emperors, they are subordinate to the Celestial Host, and the balance of power is not even remotely equal or in their favor.

Also, it isn't said outright, but under the Zhong-Lv classification of immortals JTTW is using, Underworld officials will likely be considered Ghostly immortals, the lowest and weakest of the five types, much like Tudis and Chenghuangs.

Essentially: they are ghosts that are powerful enough to not reincarnate and linger on and on, spirits of pure Yin as opposed to true immortals, who are beings of pure Yang.

It's pretty much the shittiest form of immortality, the result you get when you try to speedrun cultivation (the Zhong-Lv text also made a dig at Buddhist meditation here), and if they don't reincarnate or regain a physical body, there is no chance of progressing any further.

Oh, and fun fact? In the Song dynasty, commoners and literati elites alike believed that virtuous officials in life would get appointed as ghostly officials in death.

However, the latter viewed it as a punishment. Which was strange, considering how they still held the same position and the same amount of authority, just over dead people instead of living ones, so there should be no big losses, right?

Well...it was precisely the "dead people" part that made it a punishment. See, a lot of the power and prestige they had as officials came from the benefits they could bring to their families and kins and native places, as well as the potential wealth and reputation bonuses for themselves.

A job in the Dead People Supreme Court would give them the same workload, but with none of those benefits. Since all the dead people had to reincarnate eventually, they couldn't have a fixed group as their power base, or keep their old familial ties and connections. At most, they could help out an occasional dead relative or two.

Like, working for the Underworld Courts was the kind of deadend (no pun intended) job not even living officials wanted for themselves in the afterlife. That's how hilariously sad and pathetic they are.

4. In JTTW at least, they aren't even the highest authorities of the Underworld.

That would be Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, who is technically their boss, though he seems to be more of a spiritual leader than someone who is actually involved in running the bureaucracy.

Which makes sense, since he has sworn an oath to not attain Buddhahood until all Hells are empty, and his role is to offer relief and salvation to the suffering souls, not judging and punishing them.

Now, historically...even though Ksitigarbha in early Tang legends was still the savior of the dead, he seemed to be unable to interfere with the judicial process of the Underworld, merely showing up to take people away before they were judged by King Yama.

However, in the mid-Tang apocryphal "Sutra of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha" (地藏菩萨经), he had evolved into the equal of King Yama, with the power of supervision over his judgements. By the time the Scripture on the Ten Kings came out, in artistic depictions, the Ten Kings had become fully subservient to him.

5. Diyu usually refers to the prison-torture chamber part, not the courthouse, nor is it the entirety of the Underworld.

And for the majority of souls that haven't committed crimes, they'll only see the courthouse part before they are sent to reincarnation. That's why I personally don't like, or use the name Diyu for the Chinese Underworld: I prefer the term Difu ("Earth Mansions"), which encompasses the whole realm better.

Also: even though historical sources like the Scripture on the Ten Kings and Jade Records seem to suggest that the dead were just funneled through this Courthouse-Prison-Reincarnation pipeline with no breaks in between, in practice, that isn't the case.

According to popular folk beliefs, after the dead were done with their trials/sentences, they stayed in the Underworld for a period of time and led regular lives, while functioning as ancestor spirits and receiving offerings.

Which would imply that the Underworld had a civilian district of sorts, populated by regular ghosts, making the whole realm even less of a direct Hell/Purgatory equivalent.

6. It is located in a different realm, but still part of the Six Paths and doesn't exist outside of reality.

In Buddhist cosmology, like the Celestial Realm, the Underworld is part of the Realm of Desires and thus subject to all the woes of samsara.

The pain and misery of the Path of Hell may be the worst and most obvious, but becoming a celestial being isn't the goal of serious Buddhists either: despite all the pleasures and near-infinite lifespan they enjoy, they are not free from samsara and will eventually have to reincarnate.

So if, say, the world is being destroyed at the end of a kalpa, all beings of the Six Paths will perish alongside it, leaving behind a clean slate for the cycle to start anew. The dead won't all end up in the Underworld and face eternal damnation.

7. The Black and White Impermanences would not appear in the Underworld pantheon formally until the Qing dynasty.

The concept that when you die, you get fetched to the Underworld by petty ghost bureaucrats is already well-established in Tang legends, but these were just generic ghost bureaucrats in all sorts of colorful official robes, with yellow being the most common color.

The idea of there being two specific psychopomps in black and white would only become popular in the Qing dynasty. Mengpo is kinda similar: although she existed before the Ming-Qing era as a goddess of wind, venerated by boatmen, her "amnesia soup granny" incarnation came from the Jade Records.

#chinese mythology #chinese folklore #chinese underworld #diyu #chinese religion #cw: death #hell #underworld #journey to the west #I'm lazy so if you want a “work cited” list #just dm me

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callivich · 5 months

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Just a reminder for anyone new or anyone who has been lurking:

I know it’s difficult coming into a new fandom but everyone in the Gallavich fandom on tumblr is very friendly and kind, so don’t feel nervous - just jump in and say hi.

Make an intro post and check the #gallavichintro tag to find fellow fans!

Like seriously just send a message or reply to a post. We’re here to have fun, the idea of new people is great because it means more engagement.

When I say people are nice, I mean it. I’ve been in so many different fandoms over 20+ years and this is genuinely the kindest group of people I’ve ever encountered online in a fandom space.

Give your blog an icon. People tend to assume that ones without are spam blogs and may block immediately. Here are some great icons you can use with credit: here / here / here

If you’d like a Gallavich banner for your blog, send me a message - I’d be so happy to make you one! I’ve got ones free to use here / here.

Please don’t steal gifs and repost them, here’s a great post explaining why. And another one explaining the gif search function.

Reblog content you enjoy and write in the tags or reply to the post - how much you liked something or if you have other thoughts…..creators love to hear this!

Use the tags. They’re the best way to get your posts noticed if you’re new- #gallavich #ian gallagher #mickey milkovich #ianxmickey any or all of these will work. When you make a post, you should see a little grey box that says something like add tags to help people find your post, just type in there. (You don’t need to use the # symbol. Tumblr automatically does that.)

There are so many brilliant active communities that you can take part in - I’ve done a roundup post here & I will update it with new communities.

If you feel creative? Got for it. Don’t worry about what people think, just share your work. Write that fic or headcanon or meta, draw that art, create that gifset, design that aesthetic piece, share that playlist. Chances are that a lot of people will enjoy your work!

Don’t feel shy about promoting your work either - tag it with #gallavich & the tags mentioned above.

Recommend what you’ve enjoyed! There is no time limit on sharing links to fic, art, headcanons, gifsets, posts of any kind…..reblog/share what you love and keep sharing it. Whether it’s brand new or years old, sharing the work is great idea.

Go back and explore things. Older fics on ao3, gifsets and art from years past, moodboards and headcanons that are years old. None of these things have an expiration date. So reblog them, share them, let people experience them for the first time and allow people to enjoy them for the 2nd/3rd/4th time.

Comment!! It’s such an important thing to do in fandom. Whether it’s on new work or old work, whether you write long comments or just a keyboard smash and emojis - it’s great way to share love to creators, to support/encourage/inspire them and to get involved in fandom. Check out Ian and Mickey’s guide to commenting and other posts about commenting: here // here // here

Share your ideas. Whether it’s headcanons or meta or fics or art, share it. Feel free to explore your ideas. There’s always room for discussion, analysis and creativity.

If you see ask memes or tag games going around, take part! Or even reblog one of these games and tag some people you’d like to get to know better! Don’t feel intimidated, it’s always nice to be tagged.

Keeping reblogging posts. Not just once or twice but again and again. The queue is there for a reason. And each time you do? You’re sharing it with your dash.

Remember, pretty much everyone starts out as a lurker and when it comes to being creative - everyone starts at the beginning. Those writers and artists and creators that you are in awe of? They all started out at square one. Everyone practices and creates over and over again, that’s how it goes. The more you write or draw or create, the better you get. And fandom loves to see it.

Need ideas or inspiration? I’ve got lots and lots of prompts for you!

This is a relatively small-ish fandom but it’s active and there is nothing nicer than new people joining, so don’t hesitate - jump in. It’s so much fun and we’d love you to join us! 💖

If anyone has any tips or encouragement they’d like to share, please reply to this post! 💖

And if you have any questions about using tumblr, send me an ask!

#gallavich #mickey milkovich #ian gallagher #ian x mickey #calli talks #encouragement post for lurkers #this is a revised and updated version of the post I shared last year

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fatphobiabusters · 3 months

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hello!! i love seeing your fatshion and fat art posts on my dash :]) they really brighten my day! how do you find these posts? I've gone back to the original source of them and they aren't often tagged with "plus size" or anything :o

Hi, I'm glad you enjoy the posts. I've created many strategies to find fat positive content on this website since, sadly, fat representation is very difficult to find.

The easiest strategy is to search popular fat positive tags, like "fatshion" or "fat positive." However, most people don't tag fat representation, and many fat-related tags are overrun by thinspo blogs, fat fetishists, and fatphobes.

Sometimes I search "plus size" and another word to try to find specific posts. For example, I queued posts with a Valentine's Day theme for Valentine's Day. One of the strategies I used for that was to search "plus size pink," "plus size red," "plus size lovecore," "plus size valentines day," etc. I have to get creative like this when trying to find content of specific groups of fat people. As another example, when I want to find content for fat Asian people, I may search "plus size hanfu," "plus size jfashion," "Vietnamese fatshion," and any combination of words involving fatness and usually either a specific cultural clothing or country. If I just use normal search terms, I likely won't find anything.

Sometimes I look at popular tags like "artists on tumblr" and scroll through hundreds of posts to find a single drawing of a fat person. Usually said drawing didn't use any tags for the fat representation. This strategy is extremely based on luck and will involve spending way more time before seeing any posts of fat people, but this is one of the few ways to find posts of fat representation that weren't tagged with words related to fatness. What I would give just to get people to tag their posts of fat representation, you have no idea. Even if no one else started drawing fat people, there would be a mountain of more fat positive posts to reblog if those posts were simply tagged in a way to make them possible for fat positive blogs to find.

Some tags are more likely to include fat people, like tags for Mermay. Fat people are barely represented, but some artists are willing to be slightly inclusive when drawing mermaids. The likelihood of size inclusivity also goes up with events like Mermay since some of the artists who participate will draw a different mermaid design for every day of the month. It's hard to not draw a single fat mermaid design when a person is drawing 31 mermaids.

When I find an old fat positive or fatshion blog, I'll usually comb through the entire blog for posts. Not only do I find posts that way, but I also usually find other blogs with posts I can also queue. This ends up with me going through a chain of old blogs and why you'll see us post content that was made anywhere from 5 to a whopping 12 years ago. I usually keep at least one post from each of these blogs in my queue at all times to remind me to continue searching the blogs for fat positive content. I've had some posts in the queue of Fatphobia Busters for two years because I keep them as reminders for what blogs I need to search. For every post we share, I try to thoroughly look through the blog of the op for any other scraps of fat positivity I can queue. This is another reason why some posts stay in the queue for months or years. Since fat representation on this website is abysmal, I usually only put posts at the front of the queue that were either made by blogs I've already combed, blogs that still have posts in the queue so I can search those blogs a different day, or if the post was queued by Mod Squirrel. I don't have a lot of energy to search blogs, which is why those posts stay in the queue for so long. That's also why you may notice certain blogs being posted a lot for a period of time—they're blogs I'm safe to post without missing any content I could have queued.

Tumblr has a pretty terrible search function, and I've basically never been recommended a blog by Tumblr that actually posted fat representation. However, the one helpful function Tumblr has actually been good at is the similar posts section called "More like this," which looks like this on desktop:

It's to the right of whatever post you look at on a blog. On mobile, it looks like this:

I looked at the same post for both of these screenshots. In the "More like this" (or "More posts like this") section, Tumblr will usually include other posts by the user, posts by other blogs who interact with the user, posts with similar tags, etc. etc. For whatever reason, I'll sometimes be able to use this Tumblr function to find more fat representation. As an example, Tumblr showed me the same grayscale drawing of a fat person in both of these screenshots. That drawing was posted by an entirely different blog and with no tags related to fatness or fat positivity at all, but the "More like this" Tumblr function is the only time that Tumblr realizes "Oh, for the past five years of running and modding for fat positive blogs, you've actually wanted to see posts of fat people and not all of the posts of thin people I've suggested to you all this time?"

Sometimes I'll try my luck with certain fandoms when I know the media the fandom is for actually has a fat character or if I know that the fandom is somewhat size inclusive. There are times where an artist who draws the media's fat character also has fat OCs or draws other fat people. For instance, I'll probably have more luck finding artists who draw fat people in the Magnus Archives fandom than I will in a fandom for a media that's very fatphobic or pretends thinness is an art style, like Hazbin Hotel.

If I find a fat person who posts selfies or photography of themself, I'll look at their tags to try to decipher what tags they use for posting those photos. They may have a specific tag just for their photos, like "my face," or they may tag all of their photos with a tag like "ootd," "melanin," "cosplay," "black girl magic," "lolita," "jfashion," etc. It's also important to make sure not to share any posts that have tags like "do not reblog." If a post has the tag "personal," I'll usually either skip it or ask the user if they're okay with the post being reblogged. This is especially important for text posts about fatphobia since sometimes a person just wanted to vent and doesn't want their post to be shared. Whenever I'm in doubt, I write a reply on the post and ask the op if they're okay with me reblogging it.

On some occasions, I'll see the url or tags of someone on our posts that makes me think they may have more fat positive content. When that is the case, I'll queue posts that a follower made. Said posts are usually selfies or text posts. Sometimes this means queuing a post they made about a specific product they sell on Etsy that otherwise isn't accessible for fat people, or this could mean queueing a well-written rant that they've okayed for people to reblog.

That's basically the gist of most of my strategies I can think of. You can see that running and modding for fat positive blogs involves a lot of work and strategizing just to find content. But you can help make it easier. If you:

Tag your posts of fat representation with fat positive tags

Send posts you find of fat people to fat positive blogs

Tell artists who draw fat people to tag their art with fat positive tags

Ask artists who only draw thin people to make their art size inclusive

Make posts about fatphobia and tag those posts with tags like "fatphobia" to make them searchable

Or even just reblog posts from fat positive blogs to help spread them and encourage those OPs to keep representing fat people

By doing those things, you help us a lot and also help more fat people see themselves in the media they look at.

If you do tag your posts for this purpose, I strongly suggest using more than just tags like "body positivity." That tag on Tumblr is full of mostly porn, thin people, and celebrations of weight loss, so I've given up on looking at that tag at all and would assume many other fat positive blogs don't use that tag either.

-Mod Worthy

#fat representation #fat art #fat liberation #fat positive #fatphobia #Mod Worthy #ask #citricsinger76

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slugdragoon · 1 month

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Devlog #1

Ok, I've been working super hard on my game this week, and I have something to show off. Generally, I did not want to start doing Devlogs until I had what I considered a working prototype, and that's what this is. I think I'm at the point where a lot of basic things work, and I will be able to focus on building it out, which will make for more interesting regular updates.

So, what we're seeing in this clip is:

SPLASH SCREEN - just a test of animation and the flow of booting up the game, it will not be in there for long, I just threw random assets in.

SAVING & LOADING - The title screen is plain, the "Settings" option doesn't do anything yet, but the "New Game" and "Load Game" do! They currently go off of one filepath and save games are stored as JSON so I can edit them easily for testing, and they don't yet prompt "are you sure?", they just do it, and the functions work. I can save my game and all the party and player stats and values load in properly. [Not shown: there is a save button in the Pause menu, but that menu is very basic]

BATTLE UI - All is placeholder, and ugly, but I focused down on getting it to work. That means, while I was throwing buttons in there for testing early on, I spent major time reworking menus to work with controller instead. I may do KB&M support later, once the UIs are actually fully designed, but doing them in parallel while I'm changing things would not be nice. We can attack, you don't have to click "Confirm" anymore, just a controller button, we have spells/skill and items which can target either enemies or allies, and both single-target an multitarget skills exist and flash up corresponding selector arrows, after which you can confirm your target. Party members have an HP/MP display and the character whose turn it is will be highlighted on their turn

MESSAGE OVERLAY - As you can see, I've worked out the system to have messages give the player feedback in-battle which can also be used for dialogue out-of-battle. It works off of a queue containing both messages that auto-play and messages that you have to confirm before moving on, so I can mix-and-match as appropriate. I wanted to have this in place so I can soon implement NPCs and shops, and the battles make sense to both me and the player as I add more features to it.

When we load into this test dungeon, we see the old sprite for a demon, I redrew them, as you can see in the first random encounter. None of this is final though, these were also pretty quick I just wanted to discard the really lazy MS Paint-looking sprites If I'm going to be showing the game off more, I want it to be in a better light. I'm not even sure Demons and Bats will be common enemy types in the game, it's just for testing. Nothing that you're seeing is final, or even really fits the vibe in my, mind yet, but it's approaching something that looks like it has the potential to be a game.

After all all of this I haven't added any new enemy types, items, or skills yet, the assets aren't anywhere near what they will be like, no levels have been created yet, but I think what I have is a lot of the "structure" of a basic RPG. I ate my vegetables, the boring parts are functional, and it opens up a lot of doors for what I can develop next.

NEXT GOALS -

NPCs in the overworld (+Shops, need to have a way to acquire items, currently the inventory is hardcoded into a New Game)

Implement a method to recruit and dismiss new Party Members, they are also currently hardcoded for testing purposes

There are still lingering menu navigation bugs, but nothing that can't be fixed relatively quickly

Move the starting area to a safe-zone that can be built out as the main hub and create multiple dungeon rooms with different testing conditions

More visual feedback. Having enemies flash on taking damage and displaying damage numbers would be a good start, more complex animations can come later, including spell animations.

#slugdragoondevlog #slugdragoongame #gamedev #solodev #indiedev #rpg #drpg #game development #indiegamedev #indie games

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frogcroaks · 11 months

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Hello! I’m someone who’s planning to begin taking commissions in the future, and seeing as you have experience I’d like to ask; is there anything you feel new commissioners should know as they get started? Essentials with sheets/process that are easily missable, or just things you’ve learned in your time?

Sorry for the late reply! I think I could talk about the commission process in length and each step there, but I'll just share a few tips for now. For sheets first:

Function over form: Your commission sheet is not an art piece, it's an advertisement, and while pretty graphics can entice people it's important to not let your own art be cut off or drowned by it. This is especially true if you want to showcase fullbodies, character design and larger work, where the entire piece is important.

If you can draw it, show it: Avoid having your examples all be the same subject if you're saying you can draw multiple things. I draw humans, furries/anthros and animals, so I tried to put one of each in my sheet. This also applies if you only draw a specific subject: Human artist? Show different races and body types and clothing. Furry? Show different species and body types (again) etc.

If you draw multiple things also, you may have less opportunity to expand on each area. If you think that's lacking, having an extra examples page will not hurt!

Organize yourself: I know this sounds obvious but please organize your commissions!! Especially if you're taking them on social media DMs (and if they're spread across multiple platforms). I personally recommend a trello, but it doesn't really matter as long as it works.

Things I recommend writing down: The @ or name of the commissioner, where you're contacting (email, twitter, discord, etc.), the request and details of the comm & refsheets.

This will make it so easy to put down updates, the length of your queue, who to do next and grabbing your refs in one place!!

You can check mine out, and you have my permission to just steal it for yourself. I detailed payment, refunds, process & edits and the rights & permissions. It doesn't have to be long, and it's better for it to not be long! But even if you think you don't care about your art to have them, you might find some use anyway.

I'm ending it here because this is getting long, but if you want anything more lmk! I could talk hours abt the commission process LMAO

#art advice #not art

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lucienne-thee-librarian · 10 months

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18 on the choose violence 😏

EDIT: As y'all may have guessed, my queue I was saving drafts of these in was running last night and I forgot to switch the time over so here's the real answer.

18 - It's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on: you want me to CHOOSE?!? You expect me to CHOOSE just ONE character from Sandman that the fandom sleeps on?!?!?!? Oh, jail for 1000 years - well let me spin the roulette wheel Rose and Jed.

ROSE. God I'm emotional about her. She's been through so much, the loss of her baby brother with a father who it's implied was not the nicest, lost her mother and her best friend in the same year, and she nearly destroyed the world but yknow what, she literally did nothing wrong here. She called Dream an asshole and totally got away with it. She's got gay hair and gayer friends (fellow bi!Rose truthers anyone???? Hello??? Someone else please discuss, queer people do all tend to flock together) and I hope she gets everything she wants.

I really want to explore the possibilities of a growing relationship with her and her immortal family sometime. Morpheus isn't just going to forget about her and Jed and him looking out for her baby brother is the only way I can see her kind of starting to warm up to him again. Like I WANT to see that weird tense but possibly loving relationship explored. Dream clearly respected her intelligence and wanted to give her more information (even if he was also using her to find the Corinthian which. Not cool).

(Also I think she'd go NUTS for the library of Dreams. Like she's a writer and suddenly she's seeing all the books never published?? Who wouldn't want to read them all?)

I have feelings about the parallels between her and Death. Plus I have a hc as some of my friends already know, that in one of Rose's low moments Despair finds her and something about the fact that this girl is family tugs at her. She has her function and her duties but she also has a sense of loyalty. So that could cause some seriously juicy potential internal conflict for her AND Rose honestly kind of needs an outlet for her bottled up grief and the weightof responsibility she feels. For Jed, for Lyta and her son...feel free to ask or dm me if you want to know more this post is already long enough xD

(And the fact that in a series where she's ONE OF THE MAIN FUCKING CHARACTERS for multiple episodes of this series she gets so much less attention ON HER OWN SELF - I'm talking art and fic overall PERIOD, let alone stuff where she gets any interiority of her own or her character taken seriously is just. I don't even know man)

jED. My precious baby boy my son. I want to give him a hug. I want to wrap him in a warm blanket and give him cocoa and as much popcorn as he wants. Dream's reaction to Jed was in fact channeling me. This kid has been through too much and he deserves to live a happier life with his sister, so thank God he's gonna get it.

(But also does anyone wanna talk to me about the fact that Jed is a possible candidate for Dream's successor when he's older and might be even more viable than MASSIVE COMIC SPOILER ALERT Daniel Hall and all the ways this could complicate things HELLO.)

Miranda Walker - either the gif search function is broken which isn't beyond the realm of possibility here, or I couldn't find one gif of her in this show. And I KNOW people have made them I just can't find one...sigh

But I really want her to get more attention because her story is so potentially fascinating even if she barely got any screen time. Like this girl is the granddaughter of Desire, that must've massively impacted her life. I want to know how she dealt with the relationship with her children's father going sour and him taking Jed away and her struggling to raise her kids.

And last but certainly not least drumroll please...UNITY. That's right we're giving the whole Walker-Kincaid family some love!!

HER. The queen the legend the moment.

Her story man...it gets me emotional every time. She could've had a life in the waking world. I really want to see more about what her dream life (which we know she experienced as real, with time passing and all, because of the things she said about it) was like. Even without Desire, how did she handle basically growing up in Wonderland surrounded by dreams? (I can't take credit for the Alice in Wonderland vibes that was @violetoftheendless 's great idea.) Did she make friends and a new found family there? Did she see signs she didn't understand at the time of dreams and nightmares falling into chaos and eventually leaving the realm in a slow trickle?

But also she's just such a genuinely lovely person. She took Rose into her heart without a second thought and was prepared to take Jed - I'm sure she didn't know how much more time she had but she knew she didn't have forever, and she wanted a family again and she'd lost her own parents long ago and never gotten to say goodbye...and the kicker is, unlike in the comic where she's basically on her deathbed already, she COULD have possibly lived a little longer. But she chose to sacrifice her new life to save Rose's. If this woman doesn't deserve the Spirit of Love label like I've seen in some truly beautiful meta from @windsweptinred I don't know who does. BUT ALSO she's not a perfect inhuman angel either, she is capable of being charmed by the Corinthian, which - looking around at the fandom, one can see she's not alone so I for one can't blame her too much, but also she met the king of dreams and nightmares and within less than 5 minutes called him a himbo to his face. She's beautifully human with icon behavior and Sandra James-Young deserves all the credit in the world for this role.

#rose walker #jed walker #unity kincaid #miranda walker #choose violence ask game #the sandman #me banging pots and pans together in delight going ROSE AND JED AND UNITY ARE ALL THE BEST CHARACTERS AND I WILL DIE FOR THEM AND YOURE ALL #GONNA HEAR ABOUT IT thanks for giving me the excuse :) not that I need one

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fuckterfs-deactivated20221212 · 8 days

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Hello fellow tumblrinas of all genders or lack thereof, unless I messed something up with the post scheduling today is the third of june.

It is not often that I make serious posts myself, if something is serious and important I usually don't have the necessary know-how nor the time to make my own posts and just reblog posts about those topics, like recently the palestinian genocide or the fact that deserts shouldn't be turned into green forests or lawns, or anything to do with USanian politics. Some of you may have seen one or two of my posts about german politics such as the new Selbstbestimmungsgesetz that will allow trans people like me to change their legal name and gender without a million gates to get past first.

All this to say, this post is not about the most important thing in the world, but it is about something I know about and that is important to me.

About sixteen, soon seventeen years ago, VALVe released a class-based team shooter with a cartoony style that they not much later made free to play. Anyone, so long as they have a steam account, can download this game named Team Fortress 2, and start playing. In it, you can buy clothes, weapon skins, weapon sidegrades and silly dances for real money, and making any purchase enables voice chat and normal chat as well as fundamental game mechanics like calling for a medic. The nine classes are interesting to play and play against, and along with the unlockable sidegrade weapons this game provides lots of variety when it comes to play styles.

But in its current state I can't recommend you to try it.

There are two(ish) ways to play the main game modes:

Casual matchmaking, which is free, the option at the top of the menu and managed by VALVe on their game servers as well as "protected by VAC"

(competitive matchmaking, which if I recall correctly costs money and is mainly people who are pretty good at the game and not those playing for the first time)

Community servers, which are further down the list of ways to play and only accessible through a very unintuitive community server browser, they are usually moderated by real human moderators using a functional anti cheat

(there's also "Training" but it's not against other real players and tbh sucks)

If you start up the game you're most definitely going to start queueing into a casual match, let's say Capture the Flag, because it's on top of the list of gamemodes, but it doesn't really matter what game mode you choose.

And maybe half the time you're going to join a Double Cross match full of other players from all over the world, containing queer people, actual racists, trolls, and one or two people only typing in Cyrillic. These games are fun, you'll learn stuff about the game, about the classes, about how annoying snipers and spies can be, about how much fun it is to airblast an enemy into the abyss, about good spots to put a sentry and about bad spots to do so.

The rest of the time you will join a 2fort match where most people are named something like ESCAPETHEMATRIX, and you will learn about how free to play players can still hear their distorted voice chat music on loop, about how it feels to get headshot by a slow moving sniper who doesn't even look at you every time you leave spawn, about getting vote kicked by five bots and not being able to do anything about it.

Sometimes you're lucky. Sometimes the real players outnumber the bots and you can vote them out one by one.

But until that is done, unless that is done, the game is unplayable.

There are many problems with TF2. Two years ago, during the first #SAVETF2 event a lot of those problems were voiced. But that was part of the reason that attempt failed. There was too much focus on updates lacking content, weapon balance being less than perfect in some places, free to plays not being able to use core features of the game, so that most important problem, the bot crisis, hasn't been in focus enough. It's okay that the game is not getting update-sized updates like Minecraft or Fortnite are. It's okay that some unlockable weapons are pretty much always better than stock. Those are imperfections, but they don't make the game unplayable. Maybe the problem started with the name.

#FIXTF2

That's the name this time. And it's true, TF2 doesn't need saving, it's already broken. We demand that VALVe fix the biggest issue with TF2.

We want a functional anti cheat.

VAC aka VALVe Anti Cheat is supposed to prevent cheaters and bots from ruining the game. It has not done that for many years, and is, according to people with more technical knowledge than me, merely a suggestion, and not a real anti cheat software. Community servers have found ways to eliminate cheating and bots entirely in their games, without the funding of a billions-of-dollars company that makes a lot of money off of TF2.

Creators like Megascatterbomb have made efforts against the bot problem, compiling lists of bot accounts and publishing them, and while VALVe profits off the bot hosters, these bot hosters have harassed, doxxed and even framed him at local authorities for domestic terrorism. This man wanted to help keep his favorite game playable and instead he got investigated by the police for allegedly planning to bomb a university.

How do I know that VALVe profits off of those bot hosters? Well the bots use voice and text chat, meaning they have to have made a purchase for each account.

Some of you reading this might already know about all of this, some of you might have made your own post today, but others may not even know TF2 exists or thought the problems got solved two years ago because VALVe made one (1) twitter post.

If you haven't already, please sign the petition at https://save.tf/ , maybe get more info at https://fixtf2.tf/ where you can also find links to more informative youtube videos. The petition will be delivered to VALVe HQ along with the tens, possibly even hundreds of thousands of names belonging to people who signed.

Thank you for reading. It would be nice if you reblogged this, the only way we can get TF2 fixed and stop it from being abandoned is if lots of people know about this.

#fixtf2 #savetf2

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dreamingofmuses · 5 months

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New Year's Resolutions: RP Edition

Howdy all, Ash here. I've been having a think while with family this week, and I've decided I'm going to implement some new 'resolutions' to try and help make writing in 2024 be way more successful than in 2023. This will include things from the running of blogs to jobs I really want to get finished. I'm putting them under a read-more to keep the dash nice and clean.

I will say, this has taken me an hour to write up, and I'd recommend you doing likewise if you think there's little ways you want to improve.

Overall Running of Blogs

I'm going to experiment a new approach to running the blogs. For this, I'm going to put all active blogs to low-medium activity. In other words, even if I am personally lurking on mobile, I won't be constantly writing things if I'm not able to. (Work is just about to get super busy and I'm anticipating chaos)

A queue/schedule function will be used for all blogs. I intend to dedicate one weekday evening to working without interruption on replies. Taking commutes to the city and family visits into account, this is looking to be a Thursday, which is the only day I am neither travelling to the city nor have a guaranteed family visit. Of course, this may fluctuate, but that's what I'm hoping to work with, assuming those things stay as they are.

However! What all this means is that I am going to tentatively take skullandbowties off hiatus. With that blog being quiet, it should be possible to juggle it better now. Plus, it's officially off-season so the demand for him from new blogs ought to be low. I'm very smart :D

I also plan to update all pinned posts. I am aware some of them are marking a vacation from months ago.

Individual Blog Maintenance

Create "New Here?" posts to add to the pinned posts/info tags. This is going to be a very quick crash course on what to expect from the blog, especially where some characters might diverge from fanon expectations.

FINISH. WILF'S. BIO. It's not actually relevant to anything being written on the blog itself at present, but I really want to flesh out his character and show that he was stuck in stories for years, decades even! The doc has the word count to 4,888 at this precise moment. This is a mix of summary and brainstorm. Since it's getting a 'little' out of hand, I intend to have a 'tldr' at the start that people can read, and then longer versions if they're curious to get the full story. Maybe even have it that they can jump to particular parts but... I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Likewise, Noah's version of Space needs to be finished. This one is going to be a summary, but it's a case of making sure the pieces are in place sufficiently to have parts match canon Space, but also make it clear that there is a lot of differences between canon and what he went through, with his plot entirely spiralling away for 'Part 2'. This is at 5,794 words, and the ending has yet to be ironed out...

(I am going to stop creating needlessly long-winded projects for myself that realistically add nothing of value to my blogs. These two projects are exhausting...)

Theauthorlives is returning to a very small multimuse. Any muses that aren't ones I genuinely enjoy writing are being fully archived, unless they are muses that get no traction but I want to keep the possibility open. Details of that will be shared when I do this.

Redo some muse icons (not all of them!). Though the selection I have for particular sets is a lot, I still feel like I'm missing some expressions or poses. I would like to remake one batch of icons for three characters, and finish iconning a third. Replies seem to be shifting toward iconless, but I like them for asks or IC commentaries.

OOC/Mun Related stuff

Following matters that have happened both online and IRL, I've decided to take a step back from actively engaging with people. My focus will be people that I have been in good communication with for the last twelve months (as well as people I don't talk to frequently but am on friendly terms with) rather than people I feel I have to 'chase' after. Saying that, I'm going to try and not let past experiences meddle with anything in with new writing partners - whether these are brand new to the community or people I've not had the chance to properly interact with prior to this. Just be aware that I might not be super outgoing at first. (This is where setting limits and boundaries is good practice, everyone! Don't sell yourself short, and don't spread yourself out too thinly!)

Which is where I now say I want to send even more asks! Not just memes or sentence starters, but general questions about headcanons or muse opinions. I want to get people thinking more.

My stance on Discord still stands, in that it's solely for OOC stuff, but I'm not giving it out to everyone. However, I have been in two group servers that have little-to-no connection with writing rp threads in them. I would hope that I can fully regain my sense of comfort using Discord as a whole.

Art related

Despite socially stepping back, I still want to keep some semblance of 'community' where my blogs are active so people don't feel isolated. For instance, I want to do something that encourages invasions of ask boxes. That was good fun to watch as the chaos began to spread, and when people are good-humoured to go along with my silly ideas.

I want to have one huge art-related event at some point this year. I'm not entirely what or how to do it, but I think it would be a great excuse to practice something. Portraits, comics, something like that. I'll have a think. (For those who remember, the water gun event was supposed to have an art conclusion but plans for that fell through.)

I want to try and upload drawn responses to heythereneighbor once a week if I can. Obviously, this is depending on how busy it is.

I'd also like to try doodling more on other blogs? But I'm not sure if this is even something people want to see anymore. People might prefer I focus on writing if I have free time instead of doodles or little comics.

... the writing blog. I need to do stuff with that in general. Whoops.

Finally, I want to do what I can to the best of my abilities on a particular day. I've always told people over the years that real life comes before rp, and I still stand by that. Whether I'm around or not every day isn't the end of the world. The communities I write in are a lot slower paced than they were when I started, which is great! I need to remind myself that I don't need to be writing just because I have a bit of free time.

#(but some of these won't be starting this week because my work week is a little jumbled up)#(one tldr is that I intend to have one day a week for writing that should hopefully be a Thursday #but not Thursday of this week because I'm commuting to work and have personal stuff on as well)#(aaaand now I sleep. Have to catch a bus in the morning.)

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damnfandomproblems · 6 months

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735922006632153088 This seems like it would be a logistical nightmare! I think it would be too confusing for the mods to make a post, then return to each post and find the reblogged image version (if there even IS one! if there isn't, the mods would just be wasting their time), then reblog that too. Having more than one version of each post would mess up the reading order of the blog. Plus it feels like it kinda outsources the mod's stuff to readers and I don't want people starting to feel guilty and pressured to make image versions for one reason or another. I'm sure there are other problems I'm not seeing.

For me, making the images isn't the issue, I usually spend a few hours every couple weeks making a ton then adding them to the queue, then leave it alone for a while. It's a task I actually enjoy, It's a weirdly calming activity to work on while something plays in the background.

The part that's taking so long is the rate at which they're released. I've currently got the queue filled out with 350 posts, on our current 2-posts-per-day schedule the last of those won't be seen until the end of May. Even if we managed to convert every single submission into a queued post today, it would take about 4 years for the last one to release.

We've been discussing the possibility of setting the queue to post more than twice per day. The reason we hadn't in the past is because we used to have a problem with queued posts getting eaten or not getting posted. Tumblr is a functional website and all.

#blog answers #mod sf

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thistransient · 10 months

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- I managed to log out of tumblr for a grand 24 hours or so. I wish I could say it made me more productive, but I tend to just look at reddit instead. To my credit I did do some reading before bed in place of scrolling, and actually attempted to work on my CV today... before the program crashed and everything was lost 🙄

- I finally bought a new phone, after my old one had gotten to a truly unendurable level of dysfunction (I told myself I simply could not go to job interviews with such a device, which for the past few months has been held together with tape and good fortune, taking at least five attempts to coax the screen on, refusing to run even two apps at once, and freezing at a rate the polar ice caps would envy...) The only benefit of waiting so long is that the regardless of what model I acquire, I'm always blown away by the most basic functionality, much less whatever technological advances have manifested in the past couple years (I am pleased this thing takes tolerable photos in low(er) light though).

- Today I met up with a new language exchange buddy I met while volunteering for the LGBT nonprofit. She picked a cafe I'd coincidentally been recommended by someone else because they used to host linocut classes (indeed the walls were full of interesting art). The reviews, though, suggested the baristas had an attitude, and thus I was a little apprehensive when the door was affixed with multiple signs proclaiming "Full, do not come in" in Chinese (my acquaintance had already staked out a table inside). I sustained some dubious looks upon entry before hastily explaining I was here to meet someone. I am quite sure the exorbitant price for a tiny sandwich was more of a fee for enjoying the atmosphere (and being graced with the presence of the intimidatingly aloof, attractive staff) than a reflection of the ingredients...

- Of course the one day I didn't bring an umbrella it started pouring as I was on the train, and while in theory I knew there was some sort of underground bookstore near Zhongshan Station, I'd never actually been in there, nor known how far the complex extended- it's huge! I was able to pop out of an exit quite near the café and make a swift dash for it. Later on I decided to go for a walk before getting on at a farther stop, and was treated to the sight of a middle aged man dressed all in black with a long ponytail and the wispiest of pompadours still arising proudly from his scalp mount a ludicrously large cruiser and rev it, the very picture of washed up motorcycle gangster...

- In totally unrelated news, the avocado pit I have been trying to sprout has put forth a root 🎉

- I may try to log out of tumblr more often, but never fear, the queue will go on for months even if I meet an untimely end crossing the road or something (as one does in Taiwan).

#to be fair it was a tolerable sandwich i just expected more of it #i need to go back to the Zhongshan underworld now #this language exchange was actually really fruitful cause i got some proper correction of my terrible tones #she was not afraid to go huh??? what are you trying to say?? at me

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ajcgames · 1 month

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A place for all things

When I was messing around with the various machines and layout options earlier, it suddenly struck me that you could easily run into issues where belts were backing up into machines, especially if you're merging belts for various reasons.

I didn't have to spend too long thinking of a solution for this issue, since there was something on my development radar that inevitably got bumped-up the queue to solve this.

Storage!

A big box for your things!

Buffer chests aren't a new thing in automation games. In fact, in some games they end up being a vital part of the factory infrastructure.

Storage units act a bit like a capacitor in an electronic circuit. They 'buffer' items and smooth out the flow of items around your factory.

You might want to store an output from a machine for later use when you have time, so as not to interrupt the flow of items whilst you're planning your next steps. Or perhaps you want to combine all of the outputs from various machines onto one belt and throw them all in storage to worry about later.

Picking up where you left off

To complement the storage unit, I'll be adding a new Picker machine. You can place this on any free side of the storage unit and it will take items from there. Better yet, the Picker will automatically provide filtering options to allow you to limit what the picker takes. No need to delve into the tech tree for that, since I feel like it's a pretty essential component of how they need to work for this game.

This will make the management of specific belt lines much easier in the game. You can store all of the components for one specific element of production in one storage unit, and divert them off where they need to go using pickers, without worrying about what's coming out!

The default container has 8 slots, each of which can store up to 99 of a specific item type. If the unit is full, items on the input belt will start backing up. But nobody said you can't chain storage units together, eh? 😉

Fixing some oversights

So I discovered a pretty major oversight in one area of functionality of the game - machines cannot input / output directly adjacent to other machines, even if their ports are lined up.

I guess I'd always assumed you'd be snaking belts around everywhere, and didn't factor in that some folks may want to stick a machine on the back of a splitter, or send an extractor output straight into a pulverizer without a belt inbetween them.

Thankfully, the way I manage what machines can 'see' in regard to their inputs (and their outputs) is all managed in one block of code, so I'll just need to extend this to make sure it doesn't fail if it can't find a recipient belt, and double-check to make sure there isn't a machine directly attached. Might be a little tricky, but the game will be much more usable with this tweak I think.

Anyway, that's probably all I have for this weekend now. Thanks again for the likes I've seen popping on here. I'm really grateful for you taking time out of your day to read my ramblings and share your thumbs up. It's helped to make me feel like I'm not just developing all this in a vacuum 😊

Take care, and here's to a great start to the coming week! ❤️

#indie games #game development #game dev blog #gamedev #automation #factory game

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ghostfeather · 1 year

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4/6 ooo vvip recap

i don't normally do big write-ups but this is primarily for people going to future shows with vvip that are anxious like me and need to know how it works. i just woke up and my brain is a jumbled mess so feel free to ask clarifying questions!

so yeah, my dumbass splurged and went for vvip tickets knowing that i don't like to be perceived but it was ooo, and thank god for tiered entry and the queueing system bc i got to the venue only an hour before they let us in for fansign. they scanned the ticket from my email at the check-in table right before security and then i was in. there were four separate lines for each tier but it was a little confusing once the line started to wrap around so i just...stood somewhere near a railing so i could lean on it. i thought staff would put us in order before entering but they didn't. they let us into the venue about 20 minutes to 6:00. i was queue number 222, so when the line started moving, i found #223 and just stood with them because it seemed like that's what you were supposed to do? but staff said it really didn't matter where you were in line.

when we got in, staff put us in rows based on the order we entered the venue, not based on queue number. they were very strict about where you needed to stand and i could hardly comprehend anything when they were explaining the rundown of fan engagements but i was pretty impressed by how systematic and organized it was when actually started because it ran like clockwork. staff is very good about guiding you and telling you where and when to go.

the boys walked in exactly at 6:00 on the dot. even though i was in the back, the venue was small so i could see them as they walked in. me and the people around me were just staring at each other like 🫢

then the fansign started, and it moved very fast. there's no sitting and talking with members. whatever you manage to say as they pass down your album (bring your own- only the cover may be signed) or poster (vvip benefit- 8.5x11 size) is it so make it count.

then it finally became my turn after 20 minutes or so. the order of members was junji, nine, yoojung, kb, mill, rie. my one regret is that i literally couldn't think of anything to say to them, other than "thank you" very enthusiastically. i did say happy birthday to junji and hand him his birthday card. he said thank you back and said "oh cake!" because i doodled a little cake that said "생일 축하해요" on the card. i handed everyone else their cards and kept saying thank you. on kyubin's envelope, i had it addressed to "hot guy" which he enjoyed very much and he kissed it 🙄 and then...lee sungho. y'all, that man is so insane. he's so terrifying. his eye contact was so incredibly intense like he is staring directly into your soul. in that moment, there was nobody else in that damn venue and if he hadn't handed me back my poster, i would've stayed and kept staring. anyway that was my y/n moment. he started making conversation with me, which i appreciate, so i was able to respond and act like a functioning human being. overall, the boys were all INSANELY good-looking irl. like...pictures and videos do not do them an ounce of justice.

after you get through fansign, you end up about back where you were originally standing and vip joins in behind in for the hi-touch and group photos at some point. it followed the same system as the fansign regarding how they moved us through the line. they had ten people at a time go up and high five the members, then stand behind them to take the photo. for the photo, the members are seated in chairs while fans stand behind, except the fans at both ends kneel next to the members. i stood behind mill. some people got to make heart hands with the members. i did not 😔 the staff took two pictures. i don't know where and how those get posted but i think they come out in a couple weeks? 🤷‍♀️

and then it was over with 45 minutes left before the show started. at that point, staff started calling out vvip queue numbers one by one for you to choose where to stand for the show. at our venue there are the main floor and two balconies, and i chose to stick to the main floor. there were maybe 7 people standing in front of me so i was quite close. i've had one barricade experience and realized it's not for me (can't see over my glasses), so i was pleased with how far i was from the stage. i was right in front of a speaker, which i later came to realize was uhh...not smart. i may need to invest in earplugs.

for the concert itself, i was originally not very happy with how short the setlist was but my legs were cramping and i had an awful stitch in my side by the end so it was fine for the sake of my well-being. the setlist was mostly the same except for the solos and encore. be mine and beat for solos and a song of ice&fire/angel/ooo you for encore (they did that for ME).

some highlights about the concert:

they are VERY good performers. super engaging and energetic. junji, mill, and kb do a lot of fan service. nine, yoojung, and rie mostly focus on the choreo but they completely kill it. they've all got great stage presence. also it's so satisfying to see their formations in person.

kb held nine by the neck at some point during gaslighting. unprompted. unprovoked. for no reason. that should have been me.

the members had us sing happy birthday to junji early on in the show. rie was YELLING happy birthday to junji in his ear. he kept acting very possessive toward junji throughout the night, it was hilarious.

kb told junji to blow a kiss at the audience, but junji leaned in toward kb instead. i love OnlyGayOf.

kb started acting like he was surfing for some reason. i think rie and junji? acted like the waves. they're so corny as usual, i love them.

they randomly started playing charades but that didn't work out so random long jump competition? i don't really know what was happening because i was distracted looking for my friend but rie lost and had to do a sexy dance punishment.

kb had us yelling HOIIINGYA multiple times throughout the show. he had us chanting in korean during the encore. he made us call him handsome and cool (멋있다, not 맛있다- he made that very clear), and he made us call nine cute 😤

junji's real birthday celebration was right before they took pics with the audience. they surprised him with a cake and we sang happy birthday twice. junji cried 🥺 mill had us chanting "don't cry!" then nine started chanting "cry, cry, cry!" which was so typical of wookjin behavior. then they also sang happy birthday to a girl in the audience, it was sweet.

they took song requests during one of the ments. kb told us to write the song name on your phone and hold it up. i tried to get picasso but i failed 😔 all i remember was byredo...and maybe desert?

wookjin sang daisy so my life is complete. also his body rolls bewitched me, body and soul 💀

and that's all! i go to a ton of concerts and i have high standards even for my faves but this was absolutely one of my favorites. i love these boys so much ❤️

#onlyoneof #imma need twitter to get rid of the for you page bc post-con lyon twt is starting to piss me off lmao #AND THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE NIGHT I WISHED I COULD SEE PARK JISUNG 🥺#ooo in atl

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worldsofzzt · 2 years

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Worlds of ZZT on tumblr!

After a few years of not bothering to keep the bot going here, I’ve decided to get it up and running again. Let me give a refresher after a multi-year hiatus and post a little about what this account is all about:

My name is Dr. Dos, and I’ve now been running the Museum of ZZT archive for 7 years. I'm the curator, if you will. The Museum of ZZT is the largest archive of ZZT worlds online, hosting more than 3000 games created for ZZT since its 1991 release. Over the years I have written articles on nearly 100 ZZT worlds to take a closer look at what they're all about. I've done livestreams playing through hundreds of ZZT worlds. In 2021 my work was featured on Preserving Worlds a Means TV produced video series covering the preservation and history of user-created virtual worlds. Preserving ZZT worlds and documenting them is my full time job, funded entirely by donations on Patreon.

ZZT is an MS-DOS text mode game made by Tim Sweeney of Epic Games. Players control a white on dark blue smiley face that runs around collecting items, shooting creatures, and solving puzzles. Though dated even at the time of its release, ZZT gained a dedicated following with user created worlds still being made to this day. The longevity of ZZT comes courtesy of the program’s built in editor which allows anyone to create and share their own ZZT worlds, even when working with an unregistered copy of the game. Over the past 30+ years, ZZTers have learned the intricacies of the game’s engine, taking full advantage of its capabilities, and in many instances its quirks. (It’s the only game I’m aware of where debug cheats are sometimes repurposed as gameplay functions at least.)

Due to ZZT’s simplicity, it had a significant audience of adolescents who were given the ability to create games and express themselves in unique ways without having to learn a dedicated programming language. Children as young as nine years old have used the program to create their own games, for many, especially in the past, that's an opportunity they may not have had otherwise. ZZTers often got their first foray into programming and game design with ZZT. The program has been responsible for a love of game development with many ZZTers growing up and working on video games professionally whether for independent projects, or for larger studios. These include names like Edmund McMillen (The Binding of Isaac), Jim Crawford (Frog Fractions), clysm (seiklus), Matt Dabrowski (Streets of Rogue), and many more. (To say nothing of the folks that wound up in other non-game oriented creative roles)

Despite so many ZZTers having had continued success with game development, ZZT remains sadly obscure! Often for those who were never a part of the ZZT community, ZZT is unknown to them. While the screenshots posted are randomly selected, my hope is that those who see them will be curious and start seeing just what it is about ZZT that keeps the medium going decades later and learning what great games they've been missing on, sharing them with others, and perhaps trying to create something themselves.

This account exists as a mirror of the Twitter bot that can be found at https://twitter.com/worldsofzzt. Every three hours a random ZZT world is selected, a board is chosen, and its content is rendered to a screenshot. At least for the time being, this tumblr account will remain inactive save for these automatic posts. Originally the bot would select boards at the time of generation. These days a queue system is used to allow to manual vetting, so this account will be kept PG-13 and avoid showcasing any content best not shared openly with the world. Also just for fun, on Tuesdays only title screens are posted.

There have also been some pretty substantial changes over the past 5 or so years. While ZZT itself is a program for MS-DOS that requires emulation on modern systems, the dedicated ZZT emulator Zeta makes playing ZZT worlds as easy as double clicking the executable as one would with ZZT. Zeta even has a web build allowing ZZT worlds to be played directly on the Museum of ZZT (you'll find links when applicable on all future bot posts to play the worlds being shown). This functionality also means that many modern ZZT worlds are able exist in the greater sphere of independent game development, rather than just being seen by those already aware of ZZT. Many modern releases have been published on Itch.io as well.

Today, many active ZZTers are those returning from the 90s and 2000s, though brand new faces have also shown up and been welcomed. The modern ZZT community is older, wiser, and much nicer than before. If you find these screenshots of ZZT worlds strange, unique, silly, or appealing in some other way, consider yourself invited to join us. We're always happy to have new faces! You can find us over on Discord via https://museumofzzt.com/discord/.

Right now, the plan is to continue using the Twitter as the main source of information. For reasons you can probably guess, I am beginning to look into alternatives. If you are using both sites, the Twitter account linked above also gets additional posts by me to announce newly published worlds on the Museum of ZZT, games being livestreamed at https://twitch.tv/worldsofzzt, new articles published to the Museum of ZZT, and the occasional bit of whatever else in ZZT passes my way (dumb memes and "hey why did that glitch happen" mostly).

Worlds of ZZT Links

Museum of ZZT

Worlds of ZZT on Twitter

Worlds of ZZT Discord

Worlds of ZZT on Twitch

Worlds of ZZT on YouTube

Worlds of ZZT on Patreon

#introduction #zzt

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mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess · 2 years

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Unholy

Suggestive themes ahead, also implied cheating but not in the way you think. Have fun!

He always has to take off his wedding band. He doesn't know why - it's not like the little object or its implication even matter all that much to him - but he cannot have it on when he goes there, even if they both know he's married already.

It's a mental barrier of some sort. He has to take it off, otherwise he won't go in and he won't drink and he won't ask for his favorite dancer and he won't take him back to his favorite luxury hotel suite to spoil him rotten.

But he wants to do all those things, he's been thinking about them for days now, wicked desires breaking his focus at the worst times - so he slips the golden ring off his finger and hides it into his pocket, loosens his tie and starts the car, the motor humming lowly at the command.

He's quick to send her a text. A lie, just like always. A covert "do not ruin this for me by reminding me you exist". A simple, formal "I will be working overnight. Do not wait up."

It was just common curtesy, letting her know he won't be home that night. The reason may not have been honest, but alas. He cannot be hung up over lying of all things - adultery is a lot worse, after all, and he's not particularly fussed over that, so what's a little lie compared to it?

Driving is boring. Functional, but boring. He doesn't have particular feelings about it, though he likes reminscing about the many times he used the car's backseat for a whole lot of purposes that it had not been created to. He could be a quite impatient man, after all. And he could afford the dry cleaning afterwards anyway.

The club is a familiar sight, enticing red neon lights and faint music escaping through the walls. The same image, every time. The bouncer knows him already, lets him walk right in, no queueing, and receives a generous tip every time.

It's the same chaos of light and darkness, flashing colours, special effects and loud music. Dancers entertain the crowds, money flies at their feet like they're gods. Debauchery. He's quite a hypocrite to judge, he's there too, isn't he?

The bartender hands him a glass of fine whiskey, on the rocks. The usual. And he downs it at once before the bartender tells him where to go.

The room is the same too. A comfortable plush sofa, dim lighting, a stripper pole in the middle and a personal bar. He sits and waits, basking into the prickly warmth of the alcohol being processed into his system. He feels warmer by the minute, and eveb more impatient. More aroused. He's two buttons down on his shirt now, debates undoing the third.

The door to the room opens, and the enticing, scantily clad silhouette of his favorite dancer walks in. He's wearing a pair of knee-length leather boots, heels so high it must be painful, and a pair of tight, black shorts. Nothing else. Except for a pair of nipple pasties, of course. Black, X-shaped. His hair falls down his back, untamed.

"Wei Ying."

"Lan Zhan! You're early today! I've only just started my shift!"

The man seems pleased with the knowledge.

"So, what do you want me to do for you?"

Lan Zhan looks at him, hazy with desire and alcohol. "Surprise me. I will reward you if I like it."

Wei Ying thinks for a moment, then rushes behind the bar to turn on the music, change the lighting and pick something up.

A sensuous beat fills the room seconds later. Lan Zhan cannot focus on the lyrics, all he wants is Wei Ying.

As if reading his mind, Wei Ying walks up to the pole and, swaying his hips, moves around it with elegance and sin, practiced confidence entwined with the desire to earn his partner's enjoyment and a reward for himself.

The metal shines into the red light, and Wei Ying nimbly climbs it, his muscles straining with the effort of the erotic routine he's performing. Lan Zhan cannot look away, wouldn't dare to, his eyes following every one of Wei Ying's suggestive movements, the curve of his spine as he arches against the pole, the tantalizing glint in his eyes, the flexibility of his legs as he effortlessly spreads them out.

Lan Zhan lights up an expensive cigar on a nearby table, without breaking his eyes from his own little show.

Then, as the song ends and transitions into a different one, Wei Ying crawls up to him, dripping sweat and lust, and produces a long, pristine white ribbon from his back pocket, smiling seductively. "Tie me up?"

It takes only a second for Lan Zhan to hoist Wei Ying up on his lap and kiss him senseless, hands traveling over the expanse of his skin, mindful not to burn him with the cigar.

Wei Ying moans softly at the stimulation, seeking more, and it takes just another second for it to be granted to him. It seems like he earned his reward after all.

When Lan Zhan finally pins him against the couch, ready to devour him, Wei Ying's eyes catch onto something shiny falling from one of his lover's pockets.

It's easy to guess what it is.

Wei Ying smiles, satisfied, cat-like, and lets himself fall.

The song on his playlist changes.

Mommy don't know, daddy's getting hot

At the body shop

Doing something unholy...

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #wangxian #writing attempts #lwj has some random wife bc of his uncle but dont worry shes doing unholy things too so shes not that heartbroken

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ihavenothingtodo10220 · 5 months

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Hiya! I hope I'm doing this right since I've never interacted on tumblr before 😭 I'd like a compatibility reading, including NSFW, with Hyunjin from Stray Kids 😊 (very predictable based on my username lol) I just turned 20, so don't worry about me being a minor. I'm quite experienced in astrology so I have done the compatibility myself, but I would love to get an opinion from someone else 🙂 Hope I provided enough information with my planets and houses. Thank you in advance! ❤

Sorry it took me so long to get to this! I've been busy and this long ass queue has been daunting, but now that i've worked out a better system for these readings I got this.

Astrological Placements

Sun

The sign you use for your daily horoscope represents your identity. That sign is your sun sign. If sun signs are compatible, there’s a positive energy surrounding the relationship. Your vibes flow as one, and you’re naturally attracted to each other’s personalities, making you a perfect match. So that's what we'll be starting with.

So, right off the bat, we have a Pisces Sun + Capricorn Sun.

Capricorn is very grounded, and almost immovable in a way. Like the mountains the ram that represents them live in. Very conservative and sensible. Pisces, however, is very unrestricted, quick, and always trying new things. Like a fish in the vastness of the ocean, always darting off in different directions and exploring new seas.

Capricorn is ruled by Jupiter, the planet of retribution. and difficulty. Capricorns are anchored, hardworking, and very very trustworthy. But Pisces is ruled by Uranus and Saturn. Saturn specifically rules ambition, intellect, and boundaries. Because of this Pisces is very independent and unique, and generally brilliant.

If you talk things through and voice your emotions when things are rough for you, it could probably work. But you'll both keep your emotions to yourselves, which can cause a lot of friction. You also will both hate to share your fears and weaknesses with one another and will generally walk on eggshells around one another emotionally, with both of you constantly dancing around your feelings.

But if you can get through this, your relationship can go well. You both expect devotion and can help each other with your goals. Affection, devotion, and confidence will come easily to you.

Moon

The moon governs your inner needs and desires. What you hope to achieve in a relationship emotionally and long-term can be found by looking at the characteristics of your moon sign. If you share the same moon sign as your partner, you're soulmates basically. I'm about to get poetic here.

So...How do I put this gently? Virgo Moon + Sagittarius Moon is a match made in the boxing ring.

Hyunjin, with his Virgo moon, is like the earth. Nurturing the crops, giving life to them, even. So soft, and constant, and nurturing. And then there's you! You, my friend, are like a wildfire. Burning everything. EVERYTHING. Causing destruction to everything including Hyunjin's crops he nurtured for so long, and cared for so dutifully. Hyunjin gets the worst of it, but you also suffer too. The fire damages the crops, and the earth stops the fire from spreading.

You both need to be right. You'll argue, and argue, and if somehow you make it to marriage, guess what you'll do? Argue, my friend! You both want to be right, no...You both REQUIRE being right to function. You'll both truly believe you're right too. And you're both very...Uhm...How do I put this? Verbally gifted. That's a word. You'll both say stuff that's meant to hurt and will be scarily effective in terms of hurting. You're armed and dangerous. What is the weapon, you may ask? That fucking tongue.

You need to be free. Hyunjin needs things to be perfect. Hyunjin will need reassurance that you'll stick around and stability, but you can't do that. You're kind of like...A gold digger! That's a horrible analogy, actually. You're like that rabbit in my yard. If the conditions are right? You'll stay, and you'll thrive. But if I approach let alone try and grab you and make you stay? You'll run away, and never come back. And all you'll leave behind is chewed grass. You're like a wild horse. Hyunjin pulls and pulls and tries so hard to break you in but you keep bucking and bucking and fighting, because you're wild at the end of the day, and can't be the stable companion Hyunjin needs and thinks he can make you into. So you know what he'll do? He'll stop trying. He'll let you run free, as wild as you've always been.

If this ever does get to a wedding, it will be because you were dragged to the altar, tied up in a nice and cozy straight jacket. And guess who's waiting for you at that altar? Hyunjin, in a nice and pretty matching straight jacket. Neither one of you really wants the other, you see each other as fundamentally flawed.

See...Growing old together? Probably never going to happen. Either Hyunjin will kick you out or chase you away, or you'll go out to get milk and disappear off the face of the earth. Either or. Either way, Hyunjin is changing those damn locks before he's even sure if you disappeared or not.

Hyunjin needs everything to be perfect, clean, and orderly. You couldn't give less of a fuck. Hyunjin budgets so nicely, so carefully, and so thoroughly. You couldn't give less of a fuck about some budget. Do you need to try new things? Break from HIS routine? Go on a walk without checking in with HIS schedule? Hyunjin doesn't give a fuck. You better not. You need something without structure, Hyunjin needs something that doesn't just HAVE structure, but IS structure.

You don't want Hyunjin's structured, rigid, scheduled, perfectionist love and lifestyle. You feel like you're missing out, and life and all it has to offer is slipping through your fingers. And Hyunjin? He thrives on those things. He doesn't want the chaos you bring, purposeful or not. Hyunjin grows old because he takes care of himself. You grow old out of sheer luck and probably some protagonist buff. But together? You wouldn't strangle each other. You would simply walk away and never look back. And maybe, just maybe...That's what's best.

Now you may be asking..."But Moon, what about the sex? Is the sex good?" Well...How do I put this? Uhm...If you didn't think it could get worse it just got worse.

Hyunjin thinks of sex as a way to finally let loose in a very controlled environment. You want sex because it's all friendly, sporty, and active! And because you like orgasms! You have no patience for the foreplay Hyunjin thrives off of. The long and tender yet sensual kisses, the lingering touches and soft gasps that Hyunjin could spend hours on alone. The getting ready for the act itself. His goal isn't an orgasm. But that's the only thing for you. You can't turn him on the way he wants to be with foreplay, you don't shower before the sex or have sweet pillow talk. Hyunjin feels like he got landed with someone paid to do this. Impersonal, someone who just wants to skip through the intimacy to the climax and get done with it as quickly as possible. After a while, he starts to lay down the rules, which if not obeyed, means no sex. This usually results in bed death for the relationship. And blue balls.

So...I'm a blunt as fuck realistic pessimist who usually gives zero fucks, but I'm also the therapist and even I feel bad now. This did you so dirty. So how do you make it work? This is a really tough one to fix. These two Moon are really fucking incompatible and you need to change...Pretty much your entire being to make it work. It may be best if you don't try to make it a permanent relationship. You need to be free to come and go, and Hyunjin needs to be free to have a life without chaos. If you're not married, and not attached at the hip, this solves the major problem. However, if you do wish to marry or be together for the long haul, you might want to simply live in different homes, or live next door to each other. Or MAYBE, one of you can get a nice little space in that separate mini house. I think it's the mother-in-law suite? That's not the point though. If you can give each other the physical space you need to live as you please, you can focus on the things that brought you together in the first place… whatever those things are. I dunno.

So, yeah! Thoughts and prayers that the other aspects will be...Redeemable!

Venus + Mars

Overlapping planetary alignments could mean you’re meant to be together. Venus is the Goddess of Love, whereas Mars is the God of War. Together, these planets represent the battle of love and relationships. Notice what houses these planets rest in on your charts. If your Venus is in the house where your partner’s Mars is (or vice versa), this could mean you’re star-crossed lovers.

So now, we have Aquarius Venus + Pisces Venus! You're both dreamers, but you'll definitely provide him with more clarity. He brings out your tender side, but only if you avoid a power dynamic that's out of whack.

And then there's Aries Mars + Aries Mars! The double Mars in Aries combination makes for most definitely a sexy life, and the two of you go gang-busters in the bedroom with barely time for breath or...Anything else, really. Between hectic sex sessions. Watch you don’t wear each other out. Things can get pretty competitive too... just remember making love is not a race and there’s no prize for coming first! Except perhaps a child! (That was a pun) definitely some of the roughest, kinkiest shit ever. I'm talking head banging into the headboard, the headboard banging into the wall type shit. So like...Sounds kinda violent, not gonna lie. But to each their own, I dunno. Sounds hot in kinda an unrealistic way, but it's just not my cup of tea. Though...The roughness I wouldn't mind, actually, now that I'm really thinking about it. But I'm getting sidetracked.

And now, the million-dollar matchup! The make-or-break question for Mars + Venus compatibility! Aquarius Venus + Aries Mars! Both of you are highly independent and bent on doing their own thing. But is this a case of too much freedom for a committed relationship to be formed? That may or may not have been rhetorical, we may never know. You are like an outsider in your own relationships. You can be a loyal partner, but you're most comfortable expressing your love with friendly detachment. You can be very understanding of your partner’s emotional needs and are not phased by demands. Traditional relationships are not your thing, you need room to express your quirky energy and a partner who understands this. Hyunjin must also accept that there will always be a part of you that he cannot touch. Hyunjin brings the heart of a warrior to his relationships. Full-on passion and excitement are what he has to offer. However, he has no use for romance or niceties. Blunt and impatient, he can be childish when he wants something (or someone). A creature of instinct, he will charge ahead without thinking when he finds someone he is attracted to. The chase is what turns him on, and he’ll quickly get bored if he’s not challenged (but if he’s left hanging too long he’ll move on to the next prospect) Hyunjin will be captivated by your cool, edgy glamor, and you'll be intrigued by his boldness. Things will heat up quickly between you two as you enjoy an adventurous, impulsive affair. Each will appreciate the others’ need for space, and it’s doubtful that you'll sit still long enough for boredom to set in. But this could contribute to the relationship’s lack of stability. You can be ferociously stubborn about doing your own thing, and Hyunjin will just do what he wants without asking. He may get frustrated with what he perceives as your lack of response to his passionate demands. Both will be so focused on their respective liberties that a long-term bond may never develop. Without some grounding influences in your charts, this relationship could burn out quickly.

Lunar Nodes

These points can tell you if your paths were meant to cross. Lunar nodes are not signs but are points showing the moon’s orbit. There are two nodes—southern and northern—represented on your birth chart by an axis. The south node portrays your past. The north node predicts your future.

Hyunjin: Leo South Node + Aquarius North Node, You: Taurus South Node + Scorpio North Node

When it comes to compatibility, you may face certain challenges due to their differing energetic imprints. The Leo South Node represents a past life focus on self-expression, leadership, and seeking attention, while the Taurus South Node signifies a past life emphasis on stability, practicality, and material comfort.

In terms of communication, clashes may arise as Hyunjin tends to be more assertive and expressive, craving the limelight and recognition. On the other hand, you value a harmonious and peaceful environment, preferring stability over constant attention.

Additionally, your approaches to emotional expression and affection may differ significantly. Hyunjin thrives on passion, drama, and grand gestures, whereas you seek security, loyalty, and a steady emotional foundation.

When it comes to long-term goals and values, conflicts may arise as well. Hyunjin may have a strong desire for personal achievement and recognition, often pursuing ambitious endeavors. Meanwhile, you value financial security, comfort, and a slower-paced, stable lifestyle.

Hyunjin carries a soul mission to embrace uniqueness, independence, and a visionary perspective. They are driven by a desire to revolutionize society, challenge traditional norms, and bring forth innovative ideas. On the other hand, you are on a path of transformation, seeking deep emotional connections, and delving into the mysteries of life.

You two possess distinct energies, which can create both intrigue and conflict within your relationship. Communication may present challenges, as Hyunjin tends to focus on intellectual discussions and detached reasoning. He thrives in group settings, seeking intellectual stimulation and unconventional ideas. Meanwhile, you crave deep emotional connections and intimacy, often preferring intense one-on-one conversations.

Emotional expression may become a point of contention as well. Hyunjin tends to approach emotions from a rational and detached standpoint, sometimes struggling to connect on a deep emotional level. In contrast, you are passionate, and intense, and seek profound emotional experiences.

Their long-term goals and values may also differ significantly. Hyunjin is driven by a desire for social change, often placing importance on humanitarian causes and intellectual pursuits. Meanwhile, you value personal transformation, depth, and the exploration of much deeper things.

When it comes to compatibility, you (say it with me) may face challenges due to your divergent energetic imprints. Again the Aquarius North Node represents a soul mission focused on embracing individuality, intellectual pursuits, and societal change. In contrast, the Taurus South Node signifies a past life emphasis on stability, practicality, and material comfort.

Communication may present hurdles in your relationship. Hyunjin thrives on intellectual stimulation, innovative ideas, and freedom of expression. He is drawn to group dynamics and progressive discussions. On the other hand, you value stability, tradition, and practicality. You may prefer a slower pace and find comfort in routine.

Emotional expression could also be a point of contention. Hyunjin tends to approach emotions from a logical and detached perspective, sometimes struggling to connect on a deep emotional level. In contrast, you value security, loyalty, and tangible expressions of love and affection.

Long-term goals and values may (say it with me) diverge significantly. Hyunjin is driven by a desire for social change, embracing unconventional ideas, and challenging the status quo. They prioritize intellectual pursuits and humanitarian causes. Conversely, you value financial stability, comfort, and a slower-paced, grounded lifestyle centered around the material world.

Communication may present challenges within your relationship. Hyunjin is (say it with me) inclined towards self-expression and seeking attention, often craving the spotlight. He possesses a charismatic and dramatic flair, relishing in the limelight. Conversely, you value depth, authenticity, and emotional connection in their interactions. You may prefer one-on-one conversations.

Power dynamics could become a point of contention as well. Hyunjin naturally exudes a regal and confident aura, often desiring control and admiration. He thrives on being the center of attention. In contrast, you seek a profound emotional connection and may be wary of power struggles or superficial displays of dominance.

Long-term goals and values may also (say it with me) differ significantly. You yearn for recognition, validation, and a sense of personal significance. You often prioritize personal ambitions and the pursuit of your passions. You value personal transformation, and emotional depth, and may be drawn to spiritual or metaphysical pursuits.

Overview

So, I like you! And I really feel bad about this reading but I also wanna be honest about what i've found from this. So, here's a brief overview of everything we covered:

Sun sign represents identity and can influence a relationship.

Pisces Sun + Capricorn Sun is a perfect match.

Capricorn is grounded, conservative, and sensible, while Pisces is unrestricted, quick, and adventurous.

Capricorn is ruled by Jupiter, retribution, and difficulty, while Pisces is ruled by Uranus and Saturn, ambition, intellect, and boundaries.

Pisces is independent, unique, and generally brilliant.

Both partners may keep emotions to themselves, causing friction.

They may avoid sharing fears and weaknesses, leading to emotional turmoil.

Despite potential friction, the relationship can go well if they can communicate and work towards goals.

Hyunjin's Virgo moon symbolizes the earth, nurturing and giving life to crops.

You symbolize the wildfire, causing harm and destruction.

Both parties need to be right to function, and both believe they are right.

Both parties are verbally gifted, causing harm and fear.

They both desire freedom and stability, but Hyunjin needs reassurance and stability.

Hyunjin's desire for perfectness and order is not met by you.

Hyunjin's strict budgeting and strict routines are not met by you.

Hyunjin's perfectionist lifestyle is not desired by you.

Hyunjin thrives on these aspects, while you thrive on chaos.

Together, they would not strangle each other but would walk away and never look back.

You and Hyunjin are in a volatile relationship, with Hyunjin attempting to break you in.

You see Hyunjin as flawed and wants to be free, while Hyunjin sees them as someone he can make into a stable companion.

You and Hyunjin have a strong possibility of either a fight or a disappearance.

Hyunjin values perfection and cleanliness, while you prefer a more relaxed lifestyle.

You feel like you are missing out on life and the opportunities it offers, while Hyunjin thrives on these aspects.

You and Hyunjin's relationship is strained, with Hyunjin viewing sex as a controlled environment for letting loose.

You are not patient with Hyunjin's foreplay, showering before sex, or having sweet pillow talk.

Hyunjin starts to set rules for sex, which if not followed, can lead to bedtime issues and a strained relationship.

The relationship between you and Hyunjin is incompatible and requires significant changes.

Avoiding a permanent relationship is recommended for both parties.

For non-married individuals, living separately or next door can solve the major issue.

If marriage is desired, consider living in separate homes or a separate mini house.

Providing physical space allows for focus on the things that brought them together.

The hope is that the other aspects will be redeemable. (They're not)

Aquarius Venus + Pisces Venus: Both dreamers, providing clarity and bringing out tender side.

Aries Mars + Aries Mars: Both are highly independent and comfortable expressing love with friendly detachment.

Aquarius Venus + Aries Mars: Both are highly independent and impulsive, but may not be in a committed relationship.

Hyunjin brings passion and excitement, but is impatient and childish.

Things will heat up quickly as they enjoy an adventurous, impulsive affair.

However, this could contribute to the relationship's lack of stability.

Hyunjin may get frustrated with your lack of response to his passionate demands.

Without grounding influences in your charts, the relationship could burn out quickly. (There are some but they just bring more problems. So.)

Leo South Node: Represents past life focus on self-expression, leadership, and attention.

Taurus South Node: Depicts past life emphasis on stability, practicality, and material comfort.

Communication: Hyunjin's assertiveness and desire for recognition may lead to conflicts.

Emotional expression: Hyunjin values passion, drama, and grand gestures, while you value security, loyalty, and a steady emotional foundation.

Long-term goals and values: Hyunjin may desire personal achievement and recognition, while you value financial security, comfort, and a slower-paced lifestyle.

Soul mission: Hyunjin embodies uniqueness, independence, and a visionary perspective, driven by a desire to revolutionize society.

Compatibility: Challenges due to divergent energetic imprints.

Long-term goals and values: Hyunjin prioritizes social change, while you value personal transformation and deeper exploration.

Communication: Hyunjin's focus on intellectual stimulation and group dynamics may present communication challenges.

Power dynamics: Hyunjin's charismatic and dramatic flair may be a point of contention, while your desire for depth and emotional connection may be a concern.

So...Essentially, the two of you aren't very compatible. HOWEVER! I think you may be able to work through it with A LOT of couple's therapy, and separate living arrangements. Maybe. I believe in you!

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