Letās talk about zodiacs and TPN Part 1
This is largely inspired by the fact that I talk about the charactersā zodiacs nonstop in the fanfic Iām working on for my tpn witch au, and Iāve been chortling to myself the entire time about how well some of them fit their sign and how some of them just... donāt. Iām going to simply infodump about each character, their sign, element, and some attributes they fit to a t while others donāt make sense. I will also touch on compatibility for all you shippers out there, donāt worryyy. Now this isnāt at all a critique or review of the characters themselvesā I know astrology is not the first thing authors consider when choosing character birthdays, if they even do at all, this is simply me rambling about my hyperfixation and projecting onto fictional characters like we all do.
A couple last notesā one character in particular (cough cough Ray) has a different ācanonā birthdate from āactualā so Iāll discuss both. Also, while I will be doing surface level research to make sure Iām not talking out of my ass, im not a professional astrologist, Iām simply a witch with an enthusiasm for zodiacs. Well then, without further ado, letās talk about the kiddos.
An overview: The funniest thing to me about Emma is that sheās literally the epitome of a Leo. Fire signs are generally very outgoing and energeticāthey talk a lot and tend to be the leaders of the packs. Leos in particular are incredibly admirable and truly know their way around a conversation. If I ever wanted to get stuck in an elevator for 48 hours with no wifi or connection to the outside world and only one random stranger to talk to for the entire duration, I would pick a Leo in a heartbeat. Emma is very much the leader-type, sheās someone everyone pauses and listens to when she calls for their attention, and she always prefers to talk her way out of conflict rather than fightābut not in an underhanded manipulative way, no, Leos are very genuine with their feelings and will be upfront about their reasons for their actions.
Take this scene between Emma and Leuvis for exampleā this to me is about the closest to perfect of a summary of what Leos are like, and how Emma fits her sign beautifully.
She doesnāt want to fight, but she will if she has toāfor the good of her friends and the good of humanity. She can stick to her ideals and yet extend a hand to the enemy anyway. This is what makes Leos such a force to be reckoned with in leadership roles.
Compatibility and ships: I know I know, this is the part youāre most excited about. Iām going to attempt to refrain from sharing my opinion on each ship itself, I will simply point out which have the highest compatibility levels. First of all, essentially all signs are most compatible with 1. Other signs of the same element and 2. Their compliment sign, their elemental opposite.
Since Emma is a fire sign, sheās generally compatible with other fire signs (Sagittarius, Aries, and of course Leo) as well as Air signs (Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra). So speaking broadly, sheās compatible of course with Norman as an Aries, as well as Ray IF he truly is an Aquarius. But if we narrow it down a little bit, I should mention that fire signs being fire signs can often clash with each other because both their energies are so high (personal experience lmao), and therefore their elemental opposite, air, are generally the way to go. Usually youāll find on astrological charts and sites that Leos are most compatible with Geminis and Aquariuses, so Ray again if he is an Aquarius, and then we bring Violet into the picture because sheās a Gemini. (Uh, speaking as a Gemini, Leos are my favorite people to date, and I always seem to crush on them as well. I have a problem. A Leo problem.) Iām so sorry Gilemma shippers but fire and earth signs are like the worst combo, I donāt know how this happened because I love Gilemma with all my heart. The stars simply did not align for us this time
Overview: okay listen. I didnāt believe Norman was an Aries at first because heās not as high energy as most fire signs, but then the more I thought about it, the more it just makes sense. The most key trait to an Aries is loyalty. They are so incredibly loyal and caring to the people they love that they often neglect themselves in the process. They can be very quick to anger if someone hurts or insults their friend, and are unafraid to start a fight or commit morally gray or even black actions in service of their loved ones. Point is you donāt mess with an Ariesā family or friends. You will get burned.
All the loyalty applies to Norman so incredibly wellāthe way that his plans and actions revolve entirely around Emma and Ray, and the way that he sacrifices himself for their escape even though heās terrified of dying. But even more so this loyalty strikes you in the face when he returns as William Minerva, willing and committed to full on genocide all to keep his friends alive and safe. As Iāve said Aries are quick to anger, which seemingly isnāt very present in cool-headed, thoughtful Norman, but then you remember this:
Look at his expression. Even if he doesnāt easily lose his cool, when he does itās terrifying. So essentially Norman is a much more subtle Ariesā heās not in your face aggressive or full of energy, but he has all the hidden signs. So yeah, I honestly canāt think of any other sign that describes him better. Norman is an Aries.
Compatibility and ships: being a fire sign and all, Normanās compatibility is actually very similar to Emmaās. Heās compatible with other Fire signs (Sagittarius, Leo, and Aries) as well as Air signs (Libra, Aquarius, and Gemini). Speaking broadly that makes him compatible with Emma and Ray again, but narrowing it down Aries are much better in general with Libras and Leos so congrats Noremma shippers you won.
āCanonā Birthdate: January 15th
āActualā Birthdate: February 5th
āCanonā sign: Capricorn
āActualā sign: Aquarius
āCanonā Element: Earth
āActualā Element: Air
Overview: alright Ray is a bit of a mixed bag to unpack. Because itās been stated that Rayās January 15th birthday is not his actual birthday outside of the source material, then itās reasonable for me to count both birthdays because people have different ideas of whatās canon and whatās not. Interestingly enough though, Ray does indeed fit well enough into both the Capricorn and Aquarius signs, however I personally believe one shows through him better than the other.
Weāve been talking about fire signs for Emma and Norman so itās finally time to dive into two other elements! Weāll start with Capricorn then, the Earth sign. The most important thing to remember is that the Earth signs are the most grounded and practical. If you want someone who can give you logical and rational advice, your best bet would be the Earth signs (Air signs are also good at this but this aināt about them. Although you will notice some overlap in traits between these two, particularly in Capricorns and Aquariuses).
We can already see the āpracticalā side show through in Ray by the way he hyperfocuses on taking Norman and Emma to escape but insists on leaving the other kids behind. This isnāt to say he doesnāt feel for them, on the contrary, Earth signs are indeed very in tune with their emotions and empathy, but Capricorns really know how to set that part of them aside in favor of the calm and certain route. They like tangible solutions, things they can grasp with the least amount of risk, and theyāre very resistant to changesālike giant rocks. This is also noticeable in how Ray gets so very flustered by Norman and Emmaās impulsivity. He clashes with both of them because Earth signs prefer to take things slow while Fire signs just like to make a leap and hope for the best.
Note how Emma says ānot that I mind...ā meanwhile Ray is out here going āI MIND!!ā Which we learn is because of his identity as the spy. Heās got his own plan and a tangible solution to shoot for, and Norman and his impulsivity and Emma going along with it is messing everything up. Thus, he forcibly retakes control of the situation via making a deal with Norman after the traitor is revealed. Very Capricorn stuff.
And if you want an image that just completely sums up the Capricorn in Ray, here you go:
On the OTHER hand, if weāre to go off Rayās āactualā birthdate, which was so lovingly calculated by Tempo, then we get Aquarius Ray, the Air sign. The most important things to note about the air signs is that theyāre the thinkersāthe farthest from impulsive, theyāre the least in tune with their emotions, and they are oh so horribly indecisive. Where Earth signs will be able to give advice that adheres to both logic and emotion, Air signs stick purely to logic. Where Earth signs are able to make calm and rational decisions, Air signs will agonize over options and often find themselves lost, searching perpetually for a solution with no cracks in it. Hello. Iām an Air sign. :ā))
Iām gonna come right out and say it. I hate Aquarius men. Aquarius women and enby folks, theyāre great. But Aquarius men? I may, as a Gemini, get along with them in surface level casual conversation, but behind every Aquarius manās back is a Mal waiting to strangle him the moment I am given the opportunity. Iām so sorry Ray my son but you are not an Aquarius okay. Alright. Well, letās just talk about the parts of him that do fit Aquarius.
So from the very start Ray is obviously a thinker, someone who considers his options very carefully before he makes a decision, and someone who hates making choices based solely on emotion. In fact, he hates expressing emotions at all. Aquariuses are very good at repressing or hiding their emotions behind other emotions (most air signs are). The most common way to do this is to put up a wall of either numbness or full-on rage. We can see both in Ray.
Instead of showing vulnerability in a healthy way, he would rather do that. Ok cool Ray.
Aquariuses can also be very quiet people, and Rayās pretty dang quiet for most of the series too. Theyāre the intellectuals you know are intellectuals even though they arenāt up in your face about it. Their reserved nature makes them 10x scarier when theyāre genuinely angry, because boy can an Aquarius rage.
The thing about Aquarius Ray for me here is that while Ray does indeed have Aquarius energy, itās not the Core of Ray. To me heās so much more of an Earth sign, so therefore I diagnose Ray with Capricorn.
Compatibility and ships: ok this is a mixed bag again. Now if you got Aquarius Ray then of course heās compatible with other Air signs (Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius) and Fire signs (Leo, Aries, and Sagittarius), which would make him compatible with Norman and Emma for sure, as well as probably Ayshe for you Rayshe shippers because my personal HC is Aquarius Ayshe.
If youāve got Capricorn Ray, then Capricorns are compatible with other earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) and their compliment water signs (Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio), though theyāre best with Cancers and Tauruses. So yes, Anna is a Taurus, which makes Rayanna a compatible pair. But guess whoās a Cancer. Don. ALL MY RAYDON SHIPPERS GET OUT HERE YOU COWARDS IM CALLING YOUR NAME. YOU WIN THE SHIP GAME.
Overview: So again with the practical and grounded Earth signs. Tauruses now, are the most stubborn of them, which can be a little irritating at times, but itās also a great asset when you consider how reliable they truly are. Theyāre bulls, which makes them solid and difficult to move, and you can always fall back on them when youāve leapt too far ahead. Gilda is of course the epitome of reliable, and her stubbornness does show through at timesālike when sheās the one person against Emma going out into danger all the time, constantly trying to talk her down into a more practical and certain solution. Sheās also the first to attempt to bring Emma to see Rayās side of the escape plan, which is very earth sign of both of them good job guys.
Compatibility and ships: I know I know Iām still upset Gilemma isnāt compatible astrologically but we can talk about other Gilda ships! Tauruses are most compatible with other earth signs (Capricorn, Virgo, and Taurus) and water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces) which makes her compatible with our other lovely Taurus, Anna! Gilanna shippers unite. But theyāre best with Cancers and Scorpios, which means Gildon is is at highest compatibility.
Overview: HEY YALL ITS TIME TO TALK ABOUT MY LEAST FAVORITE SIGNS: W A T E R. (Iām sorry my water friends, Iām sure youāre lovely, but as an air sign I am always extremely suspicious of water signs at first meeting because our compatibility is so low it might as well not exist) So the water signs are at the absolute highest emotional level. This can make them extraordinarily kind and nurturing, but it can also make them absolutely unreasonable and destructive. None is this more present than in Cancers, one of the most sensitive signs, but also one of the most empathetic. We can tell very clearly in Don that he wears his emotions on his sleeveāheās unafraid to cry or show his anger, but he also takes very good care of his younger siblings and shows such an intense concern for them that it can become frightening.
Heās such a good boy š„ŗ
Compatibility and ships: okay so same drill, Cancers are generally compatible with other Water signs (Scorpio, Pisces, and Cancer) as well as Earth signs (Taurus, Capricorn, and Virgo) though their highest compatibility is with Tauruses and Capricorns. So again. GILDON AND RAYDON SHIPPERS R I S E.
God Iām so sorry if I cause a ship war. I rambled for too long and Iām very tired, so you only get these five characters for now. BUT! Thatās why itās a part 1. If you want more please feel free to harass me in my ask inbox about the characters you want me to overanalyze the signs of. Gemini out!