#of COURSE things are going to be so much easier if you're learning your methods and fundamentals from morrigan

[squidaped-oyt]

Writing pre-Veilguard stuff and trying to figure out why Fiorenzo's shapeshifting method is so different from Gwyn's, and I think it finally clicked

[cherie-doll]

Okay great! Glad I cleared it w/ you first ^^

Could you please write the COD guys reacting to seeing his military crush bite an enemy in the throat, because somehow said enemy snuck up on them and, well, there wasn't much else they could do besides that, except like, die

So of course they chose to bite a guy to death, and he saw all of that

Is it #truelove or #ohmygodwhatwasthatgrossss 😭 /j

yk what's funny, i wrote a draft for this and turns out i never saved it... so here we go again

𖧧 Price, Ghost, Soap, Gaz, Roach, Alejandro, Rudy, Phillip Graves, Makarov, Keegan, König, Horangi, Nikto

ᵎ Price had always thought of you as an admirable and exemplary soldier who always completed missions with efficiency. He never questioned how your methos for completing those missions... until now. A cry was about to leave his lips when he saw the enemy sneaking up behind you, until he stood watching in shock as you responded quickly by biting into their neck.

ᵎ Simon could have thought of other... methods that you could have used when taken by surprise. Sure, he's seen unspeakable war crimes but this has got to be one of those top ten moments on his list of things he wishes to NEVER witness ever again. Let's just say the ride back was dead silent.

ᵎ Soap would have such a big, fat crush on you there isn't anything you do that wouldn't look attractive to him. You've done a number of things and he would just kick his feet and giggle to himself. Seeing you sink your teeth into the enemy's throat with agility only made him experience an initial shock before thinking, "wow, they're so resourceful".

ᵎ Kyle could see why you would do something like that but... why? Just why? You have a weapon, he was covering for you and was it really easier to go rabid on someone rather than pull your knife out? He didn't know you had that side to you.

ᵎ Roach is scared. He's running; he fears he might be next if you confuse him for the enemy. He stood aghast for a moment before booking it out of there.

ᵎ Alejandro is lowkey into that. He had been observing you, watching your moves to see how you would perform out in the field. He's heard so much about how quick your reflexes are when it comes to combat but he surely didn't expect this. He likes 'em a little crazy anyways.

ᵎ Rudy made the mistake of assuming you wouldn't react in time. He had pulled out his weapon and aimed at the enemy who was attacking you now, he heard the shot on his end and then paused for a moment. He saw two figures still on the ground, until you got up, blood dripping down your chin and for a moment he assumed the worst; that he had aimed incorrectly and hit you instead. Until he saw the bitemarks on the enemy's neck.

ᵎ Phillip is usually proud of whatever his Shadows do to eliminate the enemy. He doesn't care how they do it so long as the job is done. He's yelling over the comm what a great job you did until he hears... questionable sounds? The sound of choking, ok so he thinks you choked the enemy out until another shadow responds saying you just bit someone and the gurgling sounds was the enemy choking on their own blood. Well...

ᵎ Makarov would sort of just laugh. He's never seen you panic so much in a moment where you don't even know what to do and act on whatever idea comes into your mind first.

ᵎ Keegan was beyond weirded out. When he had told you to learn from Riley he didn't mean for you to also take out the enemy soldiers by ripping their vocal chords out, he had meant it mostly as a joke that even the dog had better skills than you.

ᵎ König does not know how to react, how he should react. He is mainly concerned and hopes this doesn't become a habit. Perhaps he should suggest you visit a doctor? Ah, for your... teeth. Yep, that's exactly why. Not to get a mental checkup too while you're at it.

ᵎ Horangi is off the rails himself, he is no stable man to judge how you take someone out. He did give you the advice to fight with everything and anything. He was only trying to teach the new rookie he had a little crush on how to survive out there. And boy was he amused to see you take that advice.

ᵎ Nikto has killed a man in more ways than he can count. Some too brutal to mention. So, seeing you using your teeth as last resort to nearly bite the enemy's head off was like really falling in love with you. He did absolutely did not care that there was blood on your teeth, spilling down your lips as you tried your best to spit it out.

[merakiui]

Rollo loving anon here! The Rollo piece about him falling in love with a tourist and keeping her there really got my brain thinking about *how* he would teach his lover French~

Keeping her on his lap, bound and cockwarming him as he tutored her... how he would praise her for getting things right and punish for wrong pronunciations...

And of course one she is fluent he would give her the best prize of all~ a wedding ring and a bun in the Oven that they can raise together-

Thank you for supplying Rollo content! I love the way you write him!! 🙏

(♡ˊ͈ ꒳ ˋ͈) omg this is so perfect!!!! Thank you, dearest anon, for also supplying more Rollo love!!!! He deserves to be talked about frequently!!!

Poor darling who can barely understand what Rollo's saying when he first kidnaps you. >_< you're so scared, trembling in the corner and avoiding him. Rollo is patient and genuinely wants you to be able to enjoy the wonders of his language. Additionally, it will be best if you can understand what he's trying to express to you so that you won't feel so nervous whenever he's speaking. He's a very good teacher and, despite all of your apprehensions, you manage to learn. He takes his time and helps you whenever you're struggling with pronunciation or grammar.

Of course his methods are questionable. ^^;;; keeping you pinned on his cock while you read through and translate the paragraph he's written for you. Rewarding you by letting you fuck yourself on him when you've done a good job, and when you've done poorly he edges you until you're sobbing, desperate for release. Maybe he'll give it to you...if you can ask for it properly in French. <3

Or maybe he only teaches you so much just to ensure you'll still need to rely on him. Not that you'd ever go outside on your own, but if you were to escape it may be easier to find you if you can't quite communicate with the locals. :) but that will never happen. Even so, he'll teach you the minimum for now. Just enough to allow you to talk with him.

When he knocks you up, you'll finally be able to understand all of what he's saying. Every single depraved comment, every lustful, obsessive remark, all of it translates clearly in your head. You're not sure if you feel better now that you can understand him. Perhaps it's not important now that you have other matters to focus on, namely matters involving the family you'll build with your captor.

[goldsaja-hunters]

The Saja Boys Chronicles-Part 1 'Strong Beginning'

*Semi-canon

The pen dragged against his lower lip as he nibbled the end, listening to the male demon in front of him singing.

Now, Jinu was straight, and the demon was undoubtedly attractive. But—

He felt liquid stain his lip and he swiped at his mouth.

Crap.

He'd bitten onto his pen.

With a snap of his fingers, the ink stain vanished from his skin.

The guy finished singing and Jinu sighed softly.

It made his stomach twist, knowing that none of the demons could help their height. Or their appearance.

If his notes had been right, and his hours of endlessly watching performances and researching the methods used in the human world, there was a particular guideline when it came to music groups.

"Alright, alright, let me stop you there. Thank you." Jinu smiled, and the demon looked at him expectantly.

"How did I do?"

Jinu ran a hand through his hair.

"Your voice is really good, and so are your facial expressions. You're a very good performer."

This wasn't the first candidate he had, but it didn't get any easier rejecting them when they didn't quite hit the appeal or mark he was going for.

"But in terms of height, I imagine someone slightly shorter. I'm sorry."

The demon's tongue poked into his cheek as he nodded, thanking Jinu, and left the room.

The door was loud enough as it closed that it jolted him slightly.

Jinu sighed and flipped the next page of the binder to the next candidate.

"Next!"

The next demon that came in was a tall man with catlike yellow eyes and purple skin, with various dark purple patterns across his skin. He wore a black fitted t-shirt, and skinny jeans, and his nose sloped down.

Jinu couldn't help the slight envy of the toned physique of this one. His arms and shoulders were impressive, and the shirt was practically one yawn away from ripping.

Jinu glanced at the paper, and the man's name tag.

Yes, this was correct.

"Hello, what's your name?"

"Kim Daeho." The demon smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Daeho. I'm Jinu. Do you have a song or performance planned for today?"

Daeho's eyes flashed as he nodded. He straightened his spine and regarded Jinu steadily. "Yes, I do."

"Alright, let's hear it then."

Jinu was speechless.

Daeho's voice could go from the deep bass notes to a high tenor, giving a smooth sound. Not to mention his charisma was undeniable. He didn't dance, rather just stood in one place and sang, but his passion could clearly be heard in his voice and face.

He couldn't help but clap quietly when the demon was done.

He's very promising.

"That was very good, Daeho. Have you always sang that well?" Jinu frowned slightly, but there was a smile on his face as he wrote something on the sheet.

Daeho smiled. "Ever since I was a kid. It's corny, but I always wanted to be a singer."

"You have a very good voice—you're not much of a dancer, are you?"

Daeho shook his head. "No, not really. But I was always asked at dances, though."

Jinu chuckled. "Of course you were. Are you open to the prospect of dancing?"

His lips pressed together as Daeho briefly contemplated it, before nodding.

"I'm willing to learn, Jinu."

"Alright." Jinu nodded. "You're in."

Jinu collapsed to his bed after the last candidate.

It was a gruelling day, having to listen to demon after demon singing, seeing them dance, rap, or otherwise try to prove themselves to what he was trying to assemble.

This was just the tip of the iceberg.

The audition was one thing.

What came next would really test them—and Jinu wanted to see if the two he picked were worthy.

His head pounded, feeling like it would implode from inside out, and Jinu crashed to the ground, seeing the fiery flames of Gwi-ma.

Behind him was the mass crowd of demons, at the door of the stairs, watching the commotion unfold. Ones with fanged teeth, others with sharp wings, ones with bodies resembling melting candles and bulging eyes.

"Jinu, the Honmoon is almost sealed off—" Gwi-ma's voice boomed. "And you have no souls to make up for it!"

The sheer force made him wince. "Gwi-ma, I can explain—"

"You will explain nothing!" Gwi-ma shouted, and the other demons behind him, at the foot of the stairs, cowered in fear.

"The Hunters are coming up with faster and more efficient ways to kill us off, and you can't even utilize what I gave you?"

His face nearly smacked the ground at the boom of Gwi-ma's voice.

"You remember our deal, don't you?"

Flashes of his mother and sister rang through his head, and he shuddered. The look of sadness and betrayal, and his sister, his sweet sister, reaching out—

"Yes." Jinu gasped. "I remember."

Gwi-ma made a sound that resembled someone hissing through their teeth. "If that's true, you seem to be gaining your humanity. I'll make sure you don't forget it."

"No!"

"Silence!"

The utter shame that Gwi-ma instilled was so intense, it felt like his insides would rip out of his chest.

"Weaken the Honmoon, get me more souls, and I'll reconsider our deal, Jinu."

The other demons were cowering, their bodies practically vibrating in the crowd as they watched helplessly.

As much as they wanted to interfere, Gwi-ma was just too strong.

With a push onto his feet, Jinu grit his teeth.

"I will. Trust me, I will."

But Gwi-ma's voice was sweet as honey, dripping with poison as he practically purred. It was the kind of tone that would comfort, yet unsettle one at the same time. "I know you will."

[robinvomit]

Tw: brief mention of death

I wondered how timber with v1 tim would react to a particular scenario that happened to me almost 2 weeks ago. Being a caregiver has been a wonderful, stressful, but fulfilling experience for me in the last three and a half years. without too much detail, I had a dear client with a DNR (Do-Not-Resuscitate) order. I could only comfort her when something happened and do nothing but call 911. Not long after, she was pronounced deceased by the paramedics. it was the first time that ever happened. i was trained to know this and what to do when coming into the job, but going through the real thing, with her and then her family, shook me a lot because i had to do nothing to save her even though it’s what she requested.

How would the couple react to reader coming home unusually early one day and going straight to occupying themselves with work around the place, anything they could find to distract themselves, then timber discover the reason why reader is trying to be distant with their own emotions - to cope with the grief and knowing they had to purposefully do nothing while their client passed away?

Thank you for reading this. I would more than understand not accepting this so pls dont worry about hurting my feelings if you dont. 🧡 take your time replying, koko. requests or just talkin to us about unrelated things, we’re happy to hear from you 🫂

[ I don't know if you ever saw my response via the other ask — but. It may not be the same and I don't claim to understand how you feel, not when I process grief and things like this completely different.. but this is what happened last year, in my living room, with my pawpaw. We weren't allowed to do anything, yaknow.. it was weird. I didn't grieve — I simply don't see death that way — but.. seeing it. Watching it. It's.. different from just grieving someine being gone. And, after that, that same day.. I just went into my room and worked. I got a lot done. Kept my head busy. I cleaned. Dusted. Scrubbed. Wrote. Washed clothes. Made boxes. Anything that took my mind off of what I'd witnessed and what I couldn't do. I don't have the experience of being a caregiver and I can only assume you may have to go through this again? I imagine it won't ever truly get easier. I'm sorry you had to do it.. I like to be one of the kinds who believe she'd be in a better place, just because our world is going to shit and I am a nd christian.. but, I know that doesn't always help or soothe. I am here to talk, if you need it, though. For anything, any time. Anon, dm, discord, etc. ]

Anywho, onto Timber— 🖤

Tim: like his reactions to most things, it's internalized and methodical but never handled in an emotionless manner. the whole situation, after learning what happened, would be something that kind of haunted him in that way some things tend to do. he wouldn't fall apart, no, nor would he be dramatic and make it a big deal - he would understand even more the weight of what you do. the fact you're just ordered to sit and watch would stick with him heavily. he's seen death in plenty of ways but never in that type of situation.

tim is the type to obsess. we all know this. but it would be in that way he always does; the logistics, ethics, laws, whys, hows. he wouldn't doubt you or your patients requests but he would hate thst you had to be handed such a pain and no way of changing it. he's used to being told to stay calm, to follow the rules, follow protocol but it still breaks him a little. he knows he couldn't have done it without spiraling. because there's a difference in watching criminals and villains die and *letting* a civilian die without moving.

he doesn't let you know any of this, of course. he just watches you. how you breathe, how you fidget, the way he can tell your movements are all fueled by trying to keep a grasp of yourself. he won't ask you to stop, won't tell you to just cry it out. no.. he stays around, he lingers, works at the table in the same room, reads near you. his schedule has shifted and suddenly he's not out on patrol as much. he would want to assist in different ways. help fold laundry, clean the counters while you reorganize the pantry for the third time. he doesn't think you’re weak, he doesn't expect you to suddenly fall apart - but he would want to be there if and when the moment came.

he would be the type to reassure you that you don't have to talk about it, don't need to have some weird therapy session with them. but, he'd make it clear that he wasn't leaving, not until he knows you're okay, regardless of how long that would take.

bernard: bern is.. considerably different when it comes to things like this. he's a lot more openly emotional and ngl, pretty shaken by the discovery. it tears him up inside to know what you went through and the details of the last moments don't make it any better. he doesn't even know how to help or respond at first. he very very much lackes the emotional armor that tim has. his grief for you is a lot louder, a lot more noticeable, even if he tries for it not to be. he doesn't want to make things worse, but he knows he would never be able to do it and the fact you came home, immediately buried yourself in work, tells him you aren't dealing well, either.

bern steps away to compose himself for your sake, which he does in a fair share of emotional situations. he's never mad, never angry, but the mental image of you have to hold it together and lose someone is a bit too much for him. he calls himself a hypocrite when he sees you busying yourself away from the feelings and thought of it. all he wants to do is stop you, pull you close and cry with you but he stops himself. he's learned between the both of you, that stepping back and letting people process how the process will always be the better option.

that doesn't mean he always follows that. it's human instinct to want to comfort. he would carefully stop you after a while and tell you that you don't have to do something just to force yourself to be okay, because it's fine if you aren't - its understandable. of course- he isn't going to make you stop, he just wants you to know that feeling it isn't going to mean the end of the world. because bernard understands all of the emotional things that tim understands intellectually - it's two ends of a spectrum. he knows that it wasnt just a *job* but sometimes you feel a weight, or a pain, or a grievance that you simply can't name.

together: it's almost routine to work with a balance, being two very different people in the way they feel and process. when one falls, it's the others job to pick them up. they both understand, process and view things in complete different lights. so, they would.. discuss. not *behind your back* in a bad sense, but just a moment of trying to figure out what they can do.

tim would explain the ethical and procedural sides, which bernard would have a moment of "do you think i dont know what a dnr is, tim?" and bernard would focus on the emotional disturbance, which tim would attempt to say something and just shut his mouth. they don't bicker or argue over it, the simply fall into sync on what to do. which is:

- neither of them push. they may comment, but they don't make you explain or talk or do anything you dont want to do.

- they make a comfortable space for you. enough distance for you to process but not too much that you feel alone.

- tim helps keep you busy with him by your side, unless you tell him to back off. bernard just checks in, carefully invites you to let anything out without pushing.

they both bring home things you like when they do leave. snacks, groceries for favorite meals, drinks - because both know your orders at just about every place in town.

tim brings up the idea to redecorate while you're attempting to rest - bernard just kind of stares at him like ?? before tim finally says that maybe a change, something new, would make you feel better. ( bernard let's him know that if you get pissed that everything is changed, he will immediately throw him under the bus. )

they do little things until they see you start to brighten again but each are fully aware it takes time. love, adoration, someone willing to stand by you through dark times.

they don't make you justify your pain or your feelings. they don't tell you it's okay, because it's not. they don't "wait" for you to get over it, they simply walk with you through it, in two different ways, supporting different ends.

[spocks-kaathyra]

how did you make those holy shit!!!

jfjskdk okay I'll take any excuse I get to talk abt this more

How I made my Cardassian prosthetics

Disclaimer: I'm no expert, it's my first time doing this!! All the resources I used can be found online. In fact, here's a playlist of all the youtube videos I followed, in case you don't want to read the whole post. You can pretty much make any facial prosthetics following these steps, not just Cardassian ones.

What you'll need:

Plaster bandages, plaster of Paris (a lot more than is pictured here), modeling clay, and liquid latex. You'll also need some things you probably already have around the house, like vaseline (or cooking oil), plastic wrap, wood glue, rubbing alcohol, q-tips, cotton balls, and setting powder (or baby powder).

Step 1: Face cast

The goal here is to make a plaster copy of your face that you can sculpt your prosthetics on, by covering your face with plaster bandages and then casting that in plaster of Paris. This is the video tutorial I followed for this step. There are many methods, and you'll find tutorials for all of them on youtube, but this is the easiest way if you're doing it by yourself, and it results in a perfectly useable face cast for our purposes. And, if you're cosplaying Garak like me, it's a great way to get into character by experiencing claustrophobia for the first time in your life!! (Jk it's not actually that bad. I lived.)

The video explains the process better than I could, but here's some tips I learned from doing it! Wear a shirt that you don't mind ruining. Go a bit closer to your eyes than I did here. When you're propping up your mask in a bowl, make sure you're not squishing any parts of it or tilting it! I ended up with a dent in the chin of my face cast because I accidentally dented the mask while I was casting it. And make sure you have enough plaster of Paris! I probably used 2-3 pounds for this part. Here's what I ended up with, before sanding or sealing it with wood glue:

Step 2: Sculpting

This is pretty self explanatory, but also probably the hardest part. Just use lots and lots of reference photos. I've got a pretty good stash for Garak, if anyone's interested hdjkfhk. I found that gifs made better references than still photos, since they give you a better sense of the 3D shape. You want to make sure you're using modeling clay that doesn't dry. You don't need any fancy sculpting tools! I used my trusty palette knife to get the small details, but you could probably accomplish the same thing with, like, a spoon and a toothpick. It depends on what kind of clay you're using, but you can dip your finger in a solvent to smooth out the surface of the clay and blend the edges into the face cast. I used rubbing alcohol, but I also heard people recommend acetone. Once you're happy with your sculpt, you can move onto the next step!

Step 3: Casting negatives

This step is technically optional. The video I followed also outlines an easier way that skips this step, by simply building your prosthetics directly on the sculpt. But casting negatives allows you to get a lot more fine detail, and a smoother finish on the final prosthetics, so that's what I chose to do. Basically, you pour plaster of Paris over your sculpt, and it hardens into a mold you can use to build your prosthetics on.

Again, the video explains it better, but some tips! If it's possible with your sculpt, do it in small pieces instead of the whole face at once. I did the chin, nose, and forehead separately. If you try to do the whole face, there's a greater chance of it getting stuck or breaking. Of course, if you were doing, say, Odo, then it might not be possible to do it in multiple pieces. Another thing to watch out for:

If your underlying face cast has any "undercuts," or places where it's, like, concave, then if plaster gets into those areas and hardens, your face cast and your negatives will lock together, and you won't be able to use either of them. For me I was worried about the sides of my nose and under my bottom lip. As long as those parts are filled in with clay, then you should be fine. It's okay if your clay sculpt has undercuts! You can see in the (shamelessly stolen) diagram that their sculpt has a lot of undercuts, but that's okay because the clay is soft and won't lock with the plaster, it'll just come off. The video I got the diagram from was also pretty helpful, even if it's meant for casting with different materials than I used. Here are the completed negatives:

Step 4: Making the prosthetics!

Now you have negatives! Your sculpt may or may not be intact, but if your negatives turned out okay then that's fine. This step is also covered in the video for step 3. Using a stippling sponge, foam brush, or q-tip, stipple thin layers of liquid latex onto your negatives. I found that a q-tip worked best, even if it took longer to cover larger areas. Make sure the edges are very thin, so you can blend them into your skin when you apply the prosthetics. Wait for a layer to dry before adding more latex on top of it, or you'll end up with fucked up results like I had:

(Left: first draft, where I didn't let it dry enough before layering more. Right: second draft. Much better!)

Build up bulky areas with pieces of cotton balls, then cover the cotton with a thin layer of latex. Emphasis on thin! It'll take forever to dry if you saturate your cotton with too much latex. This step mostly involves a LOT of waiting. When the latex is fully dry, brush everything with a liberal amount of setting powder or baby powder to prevent the latex from sticking to itself as you peel it out of the mold.

And now you have your prosthetics! You can tear away some of the excess latex at the edges to make it fit your face better. I ended up tearing away almost all of the edges around the eye ridges, so it would blend better and I wouldn't have to get adhesive so close to my eyes. Tear, don't cut! It'll result in a more natural edge that's easier to blend. This video shows how to apply prosthetics. Use whatever prosthetic adhesive you want! I used spirit gum because it's what I had on hand.

Now you can go forth and live out your lizard alien dreams!!

[oonajaeadira]

Hi Adira! I am in awe of your tarot decks collection. As someone who’s long wanted to explore the practice, can you suggest some starter decks for newbies? Or just some favourites - I love seeing the ones that people are especially attached to! Thank you! ❤️

Heya, Rose!!!! Oooooo. I have opinions. Let's go with these three:

RIDER-WAITE-SMITH

I mean, you can't go wrong with the original Rider-Waite-Smith deck. Most illustrated decks are built on the iconography of that deck and if you end up reading any books on the subject, they're going to reference that deck.

.

LIGHT SEER'S TAROT

However. If that one doesn't resonate with you, I highly highly highly recommend the Light Seer's Tarot. Chris Anne has done a phenomenal job of reinterpreting all of Pixie's original illustrations, but have given them so much life and emotion that they immediately evoke feelings (unlike the OG deck which can feel very flat if you don't know what to look for) and this can make it easier for you to start remembering what all the cards mean. And they're so layered too so as you grow, you'll see and understand new symbols and nuances in the card which can help you be a more intuitive reader.

She REALLY understands the meaning of the cards and knows what to include and what to update to give it the same push, PLUS there's high diversity in the people that are depicted in the cards when it comes to race, age, orientation and style depicted, making them feel very modern while still very mystical.

The whole deck also feels very hopeful and forward moving, which really helps to temper some of the messages if you're looking for a gentle therapy deck.

And, of course, it's inexpensive! You can generally find it for around $20. There's a standard size and a "travel" or mini size, depending on your preference. (Minis are good for on the go and shuffling with small hands, but standard size really allows you to see the images and read better.)

What's more, Chris Anne provides free learning materials! Not only is the included booklet a good starter reference, you can go to her website to see/learn more about each card and download a "field notes" journal for free!!!

LABRINTHOS

Of course, if you wanna just dip a toe in with minimal commitment or cost, I can highly recommend the Labryinthos app.

Not only is the app free, but it will give you free daily readings and allow you to journal about them. There are tarot lessons so you can learn the cards as well. I will say that the readings and lessons are very very general and short, they won't go into a lot of detail. But if you're the kind of learner that wants to build a quick and easy association with the cards, this is a really helpful resource for daily practice.

.

Of course, with these three choices, it depends on what kind of learner you are! If you are a flashcard-method person, go for Labyrinthos. Want to dig around in books and learn a little more classically? Rider-Waite-Smith. And if you want to learn to read with your heart and dive in a little more poetically, Light Seer's is your gentle and loving teacher.

.

Bonus deck:

PAGAN OTHERWORLDS

Now if you wanna talk about my attachments? If I had a tarot soulmate, this is it.

This is my very favorite deck for its faithful interpretations and soft + wild + classical style. This is a deck that's best used if you really love the RWS original but want to look past the people--all the minor arcana cards are depicted faithfully...but without people. It also comes with a few extra cards that are for mysterious intuitive reading. So it's best to know tarot a little first before diving into this one, but it is beautiful and speaks to the old things in my soul. This is a great graduation deck, and one that feels like a big treat because it's not cheap, but it's beautifully manufactured, nice to handle, and has some beautiful surprises. While the Light Seer's deck sings to your heart, the Pagan Otherworlds deck whispers to something hidden deep inside.

.

I hope that was helpful for you!!!! I'm excited to see folks start on a tarot journey!!!! <3

[girlbloggen]

school tips from a top student

hello angels ! i've always been a top student and this school year i'm going to be a senior so i think i've gained enough school experience to give y'all some tips in case you need them 𔘓ㅤ

★ procrastinating is your biggest enemy

this is pretty much self explanatory but I wanted to include it because it's the reason most people don't do well at school. every minute that you waste procrastinating ruins everything because you won't be able to study/do the assignments at all or they won't end up being good because of your stress. don't do this to yourself.

★ get enough sleep

a good student always gets at least 8+ hours of sleep every night & especially during the exam season. i disagree with some people that think that its ok to not study at all for the rest of the school year and to just pull all nighters during the exam season to study the things they missed. sleep is very important because if you don't sleep you simply can't concentrate so you should never skip sleeping.

★ don't be late

don't be late in the morning and don't skip classes randomly & without a reason. even if you don't get a detention the teachers won't respect you because you are the one not respecting them in the first place.

★ lying to your teacher = lying to yourself

now if you lie about the reason that you're late or the reason that you didn't do the assignments you're disrespecting your own self. also sometimes teachers don't react when a student lies to them but that doesn't mean that they don't understand it. stop thinking that you're an evil genius and that you're capable of manipulating the teachers into thinking that you're innocent. you're not, stop being delusional.

★ be two steps ahead, when it's possible

that's hard and of course it's not always possible but it's a good idea because that way you will be informed about the topic that you're going to learn so you'll be able to participate more actively in class & it will be easier for you to memorize the info.

★ look good to feel good

it's a fact that if you look neat & pretty you will be more motivated to do well in school because you'll be more confident, so take some time to pick a nice outfit, take a shower & even try a cute hairstyle.

★ but beauty shouldn't be your #1 priority rn

yes it's important to look & feel pretty but that's not the reason you're in school so it shouldn't distract you. I know girls that put too much effort in the way they look that they completely forget about their assignments.

★ discover how your brain works

if you already haven't, I suggest you to discover the way your brain memorizes faster info. some people have to write down things to learn them while others memorize easier things they hear. whatever it is it can help you to find a studying method that works for you.

★ find yourself a few productive distractions

distractions should be avoided in general but a boring schedule is bad for you too. to avoid a boring repetitive schedule find some productive things you can do other than studying for school. like practice some kind of sport or an art or learn foreign languages. keep in mind that ivy league schools appreciate people that are good students at school but at the same time they have more interests like sports or art. so bonus points if you want to get into an ivy league.

★ avoid drama at all costs

please, whatever you do, avoid drama. this is already a very stressful period of your life because you're a teenager & a student so stay away from things that can ruin your mental health and sabotage you. don't get into fights.

★ wrong (!!) time to party

I know that partying is fun but rn it's a wrong time of your life to party. partying can lead to procrastination & it can also ruin both your mental and your physical health. also most parties are full of drama and that can distract you. I know so many top students whose school performance went downhill when they magically transformed into party animals.

★ you simply don't care about other people

you shouldn't care about what your parents, your friends, your teachers, your school's mean girls etc think. you have goals to chase and that's what should concern you rn. other people don't exist to you. it's only you & your goals. be self-centered & goal-oriented. it sounds mean but it can save you.

★ treat yourself

you don't need others to congratulate you for your achievements. be the first one who does. every time you achieve something treat yourself by doing something you love. like buy a lipgloss, do your selfcare routine, eat your fav snack. you deserve it.

★ keep your standards high

don't let the society gaslight you into thinking that your standards are too high. I'm pretty sure that every person can achieve great things in their lifetime. even if you can't get something don't feel bad about it & be proud of yourself because at least you tried. don't be negative. there's a greater possibility to reach your goals if you give them a try. you can do it !

I really hope this was helpful ! If you need to ask me something my ask box & my dms are open <3

xoxo, a

[milkweedman]

Supported Spindles: A Beginner's Jumping Off Point

I'm trying to put together an easy mostly-video post of how to learn supported spinning for my partner, but of course am publishing it for everyone. It's starting from the context of having some drop spindle experience, so that's what I'm assuming for the purpose of this short guide. I'm including some text information for easier referencing as well.

First--you might ask "Why spin supported at all?" That's a fair question. It's not the tool for everybody, but it fills some niches that drop spindles (and any other tool) don't, so it may be what you're looking for without you even knowing it. If you're not familiar with the wide variety of spinning tools and methods that exist, you probably don't know a ton about supported spindles. They can have many shapes and sizes, but the one thing they all have in common is that they must be in a bowl (or a spinning spoon, or some other similar curved, smooth item) to spin.

Each method and tool of spinning is suited to one thing or another, and supported spinning is suited to the following:

1) thinner yarns. While it's entirely possible to spin fine yarns on drop spindles, wheels, or what have you, supported spindles are MADE for fine spinning, and largely cannot deal with spinning thicker yarns. This makes supported spinning great for people who want to spin for 3 or 4 ply sock yarns, lace (normal lace but also the truly fine lace like wedding ring shawls), etc. However, even if you don't tend to use thin yarns, there are larger supported spindles that can handle a thicker single, so the boundaries can vary a lot.

2) sitting down and/or being stationary. drop spindles are notable for being able to be used while walking or otherwise on the go, but supported spindles, since they must be in a bowl, are best used sitting, laying, or standing at a counter. I have read about them used walking via a spinning spoon tucked into the belt, but cannot attest to how practical that is myself. This makes supported spinning great for car/train/bus rides, waiting in line, watching tv, laying in bed, or anything like that.

3) small spaces. The most ergonomic way to spin supported is sitting comfortably cross legged or in a chair, with your elbows tucked in and your hands up. Your spinning is contained entirely to your lap, and (depending on your spinning style) you don't need to extend your arms out or do anything fancy. I've spun supported on a very cramped train without bothering the stranger sitting next to me all that much, which I've never been able to do with a drop spindle. For me this makes it much more suitable for public transit than drop spindles, but I think that comes down to how you use each tool rather than the tool itself.

4) low energy. Supported spinning doesn't take much energy, because you are doing very little moving (mostly your hands and forearms). It can be a great activity for when you're sick, or before bed when winding down. It's also worth trying if chronic illness or disability is stopping you from spinning on your other tools--I had to give up the drop spindle as my primary spinning tool because my shoulders are wrecked, and I can only treadle a spinning wheel on good days, but I can usually spin supported no matter what. (If supported isn't accessible for you, an espinner is your next best bet).

5) cool sound. Can't overstate this one. A wooden spindle in a wooden bowl sounds so good. Skip the metal or ball bearing tip if you want to hear it.

Without further ado, here's some videos I've compiled that covered things I thought were helpful. As a disclaimer, I seem to learn exclusively by doing things myself, so if these videos don't work for you, try looking up "supported spinning for beginner" or something similar. There are a lot of videos, and almost every single one has a different technique. Anyway, best first:

Video: Supported Spinning Tutorial by Lori Rhone (link)

Key things from this video:

get used to flicking the spindle without any fiber (just as you should with any spinning tool). try forming an O with your fingers to trap the spindle tip so it has something to fall against, flick as close to the tip as you can manage, etc.

they show a good variety of spinning bowls, especially objects that aren't intended to be spinning bowls (salt cellars, egg bowls, etc). if your spindle spins well in it, it's a spinning bowl. try out lots of stuff if you're having trouble finding a good one.

good posture and positioning--stay comfortable and keep your arms close to you, try to stop yourself from doing weird contortions, etc.

they discuss the importance of building a balanced cop, and show on another spindle how the cop they built maintains the general shape of the empty spindle. this isn't necessary, but it's good practice and certainly good to keep in mind. with drop spindles the added weight of the yarn is usually what determines a full spindle first, but with supported spindles the shape and size of the cop (or your own patience for spinning endless fine yarn) can be what does it instead.

+++

Video: The Basics of Supported Spindle by Amy King (link)

Key things from this video:

the variety of different shapes of supported spindles (there are even more shapes than what they've shown as well)

that you need to pair spindles and bowls--they don't all work with each other equally well or at all (purple--don't worry, I tested the spindle with the bowl I sent you, they like each other)

another method to park and draft on supported spindles, which is essentially the same as on drop spindles

their sweater is fantastic

+++

Video: Supported Spindles--a few tips for beginners by Nikolai Meriadoc (link)

Key things from this video:

if you have a good bowl to spin in but it's unstable, try putting it in another bowl or nestled in a blanket or something else. this can stabilize it a lot.

pre-drafting very finely can help. i forgot to go into it in the video but multiple passes where you go finer each time is usually the way to go if starting from roving or another commercial prep, in my opinion. you could also diz your fiber if you're going for a more worsted prep.

picking a fine fiber like merino, bfl, rambouillet, etc. can help you draft finer as well.

the angle at which you hold your fiber/yarn is important. it should be almost vertical while spinning, and horizontal while winding on.

+++

Hopefully that can get you all started ! There are also articles on the subject although I didn't include any as they weren't relevant for who I'm making this for, so be sure to look into them if that's something that would be helpful for you.

And remember:

This post isn't for radfems. It was made by and for trans people who love men <3

[rigelmejo]

Dreaming Spanish

Because I talk about it a lot, I'm going to link Dreaming Spanish's site, their youtube channel, and the subreddit r/dreamingspanish. (And fyi Dreaming Spanish site is free to use and tracks which videos you complete - the premium version just has more lessons, the youtube is free and has the same free lessons as the website, and the subreddit is quite welcoming to people who study using DS lessons in addition to whatever else they're using - I've found them to be one of the most friendly and least gatekeeping language learning subreddits I've visited so far).

So here's my thoughts narrowed down to their most basic: I think the type of lessons Dreaming Spanish makes - which are designed to help a learner understand what's being said with visuals for context - are a wonderful way to learn a language for people who enjoy learning things by doing them, and guessing from context. If you were the kind of kid who learned new words by reading books and fanfiction, from watching shows/movies with your parents, playing video games with your older siblings and then trying to play them without your sibling around, and guessing what the new words meant? Then you're the kind of person who will likely enjoy this type of lesson. I love learning from context. I love learning by doing. I like to learn something by doing it with someone - and learning by trying to do the thing, to understand how it's done AS I'm doing it. Learning by simply listening to the language being spoken, and by using the surrounding context of visuals/physical gestures/words you know to figure out what the rest of it means? My favorite way to learn. Oh sure, I also like reading explanations of how things work, but I prefer to learn by doing if that's an option. If you're also the kind of learner who enjoys learning to understand a language BY immediately listening to that language and trying to understand? Comprehensible Input type lessons are excellent. (And will be much EASIER than just trying to make yourself watch a show or read a novel in the language with zero aids to help you). If you're the kind of learner who hates ambiguity, who hates trying to figure things out from context and prefers to have a task explained before trying it? If you're the kind of kid who looked up most unknown words in a dictionary or into google growing up? Then Comprehensible Input type lessons are probably NOT going to be enjoyable for you. And that's fine, there's many other types of lessons that may suit your preferences more.

*A side note, that if you do enjoy comprehensible input type lessons, this wiki has links to those kinds of lessons in many languages: comprehensibleinputwiki.org (And the old Nature Method textbooks one can find on archive.org, and Ayan Academy on youtube, also teach using comprehensible input)

I think the Dreaming Spanish roadmap is also quite applicable to many language learners - how many hours it recommends to study, and the kind of skills you can expect to be capable of, at those amounts of study hours. Yes, it's a rough guide, it's not perfect. Yes, the guide is more applicable to you if you're studying with Comprehensible Input lessons and/or listening to and reading stuff you understand the main idea of, as your main study activities. But I find the level hours recommended matches up fairly well with estimates like FSI has, and ALG courses mention. People who study Dreaming Spanish the way the lessons are instructed to be used ('purists') and people who study Dreaming Spanish lessons in addition to other methods (duolingo, formal classes, word-translation tools, graded readers, anki, tutors who explain with translations, textbooks, grammar guides etc.) all report on r/dreamingspanish experiences that roughly align with the study hour level milestones expected by Dreaming Spanish's roadmap. So even if you're not studying with comprehensible input type lessons, or not exclusively studying with those kinds of lessons, I find the roadmap's suggestions for 'study hours to reach X skills' useful to a degree. Again, I want to repeat: I do not think you need to use Dreaming Spanish's lessons (or any comprehensible input lessons) as your only method of study, I think reaching milestones in terms of skills can be reached in a variety of study methods, and using other methods won't change your progress that much. I think comprehensible input type lessons can be completely ignored if they're not you're cup of tea, and the Dreaming Spanish roadmap might still be roughly useful for you to gauge how many more hours to study to be able to do X.

[queen-scribbles]

listening ear

Pre-relationship (voyage to Tir Fradi) Ves & Kurt, as I cross my fingers and hope nurturing a plot bunny will stave off the desire to replay her for the fourth(fifth?) time. ---

The thing about traveling by ship was that it got boring after a few weeks.

The thing about traveling by ship with Constantin was that when he got bored he started to talk.

Not much thought to the topic, or propriety, anything was fair game. Rumors, gossip, complaints, new things he learned, teasing. Vesper had heard all about his seasickness("it's unrelenting, Ves, I may die"), his unrequited crush on one of the Nauts("I'm doomed to pining"), the sailing vocabulary he'd picked up, and light-hearted ribbing about her choice of books.

Perhaps that was why, today, she sought an excuse to be preoccupied when he went on the prowl.

She found Kurt in one of the lower holds--half-full, large rings in the walls; maybe for securing cages with those creatures?--replacing the leather that bound the grip of his zweihander.

Absorbed as he was, he still spoke even before he looked up. "Need something, Green Blood?"

"I was hoping to get some practice." She rolled her shoulders. "With swordplay."

"Keepin' your edge or lookin' to improve something?" Kurt asked, giving the leather a twist as he neared the bottom.

"Both to an extent," Vesper said, rolling up the sleeves of her shirt. "But I have been thinking about the day we left. My weak right guard? We could work on that, once you're done?"

"Whatever y' need, Excellency," he shrugged, starting to tie off the leather. "I'm yours to command."

"You can take the time to finish," she protested with a smile. "I'm hardly in a rush." She bit her lip. "I can even help if you need an extra hand."

Kurt gave her a keen look, grey eyes glittering with amusement. "Hiding from your cousin, are you?"

"Am I so obvious?" Vesper groaned, leaning against the wall. "I love him, and I'm loathe to hurt his feelings, but if I have to listen to another recitation of rigging vocabulary I may go mad."

She could confess these things to Kurt. He knew her, knew how she loved Constantin. He'd not breathe a word that, just once, she wanted a break from playing the listening ear, and he wouldn't judge, because he knew her cousin. She appreciated that a great deal.

He chuckled. "I do have the advantage of knowin' you a long while, Green Blood. Doubt it would be as clear to anyone else here."

"What a relief," she said drolly. "Hate to start a rumor."

Another chuckle as he eyed the zweihander grip. "As to your offer... I'm nearly done, but if you could hold it steady there" --he indicated a spot--"it would make the final binding a good bit easier."

"Of course." Vesper pushed away from the wall and rested three fingers in the spot. She watched his hands, methodical, confident, as he worked. "It looks almost like wound binding."

"S'ppose it is," Kurt grunted, tying it off at the end. He reached for a small knife to trim the excess.

""I suppose you have practice with that as well, then," she murmured absently, withdrawing her hand and eyeing how well done the wrap was.

"My share," he shrugged, then cleared his throat. "Ready to practice, Excellency?"

"Mm... oh. Yes." Vesper brushed at hair that wasn't really loose and glanced around. "Do you think here will serve? Or do we need to seek out more space?"

Kurt surveyed the hold. "If I'm gonna do my usual, a little more overhead might be wise." He reached up and tapped the rafters. "Don't think our esteemed captain would like me puttin' dents in his ship."

"Probably not," she laughed in agreement. "That means either the lower hold for a higher ceiling but darker surroundings, or up on deck."

"D'you have a preference?" he asked, arching a brow.

Vesper met it with a wry smile. "Do I mind having an audience, should you land me on my backside again, in other words. No, I do not. I just need.... practice. A break." She scuffed one boot against the deck, vaguely guilty for voicing the sentiment. "From indefatigable chatter."

Kurt nodded, understanding that bordered on amusement flashing in the grey of his eyes. "Everyone has their limits, Green Blood, that's no failing." He stepped closer, clapped a hand to her shoulder. "Below decks will suit just fine."

She flashed a grateful smile and they retrieved practice blades before heading down to the lowest holds. Best to not risk damaging anything with real weapons, no matter their respective skill.

She did need this, Vesper mused, blunted rapier in hand as she took up position. Even aside from--temporarily--avoiding Constantin, she should polish up her skills. Words had always been her preferred weapon, but they were heading to a new and largely uncharted island. She highly doubted any wildlife would respond to silver-tongued negotiation as well as Gacane gentry.

She couldn't always leave defense to Kurt. (Even if he would argue yes she could, it was his job.)

The thought of her bodyguard pulled her from her reverie, and Vesper found him watching her. "Sorry."

He didn't comment on her moment of distraction. "Your move, Excellency. Seeing as it's just us."

"Ah, yes, you don't have underlings to fling at me first," Vesper teased.

"I'll just have to make up the difference, won't I?" Kurt drawled. "One to one's better if you wanna work on a specific weakness, anyway."

She tipped her head in concession and tested the feel of the dulled rapier. "Always looking to improve." She missed the back-up of her pistol, but that would be unwise on a ship even if this wasn't just practice. She studied Kurt's stance, looking at feet, hips, shoulders for hints how he would defend. She made two strikes to his right side, then feinted a third before making the actual attempt left.

Kurt parried them all, though barely for the third, and shifted offensive even as he laughed. "Very good, Green Blood. Keep the hilt up more an' you'll be in a better position to guard."

He punctuated the words with a swipe toward her sword hand. Vesper instinctively dropped her arm to avoid it. This lowered her blade and left her vulnerable to his when he swung back. She only just corrected in time.

"I see why you want to work on it," Kurt said, pressing his advantage, "but your reflexes are quick enough to balances out most weaknesses."

As if if to underscore the 'most', Vesper's heel caught on something and she stumbled even as she deflected his strike. "You're very sweet, Kurt, but we both know swordplay isn't my forte." She regained her balance, but too slow to entirely avoid another hit. She winced as his blade caught her wrist.

"Adapting is, though," he countered, blocking her return strike and grinning when the follow up actually glanced off his shoulder. "You're better at rolling with change than damn near anyone I've met in my life."

"Hm, well, thank" --blocked--"you." --blocked. She remembered his advice and kept her hand in a better position. "It's a skill I've cultivated thanks to my dear cousin pulling me into ever-changing circumstance."

Kurt laughed. "He does that."

"Not that I mind," Vesper hastened to add. She wrinkled her nose as Kurt's blade tapped her hip. He was holding back and that wasn't what she wanted. "I love Constantin dearly, but-"

"He has a habit of gettin' you in situations," Kurt said, amused, and abandoned all pretense of sparring, leaning on the blunted zweihander instead. "Green Blood, I've helped you get him out of more of 'em than I care t' count. You don't have to pretty your words around me."

"Suppose you do know both of us well," Vesper said with a sheepish chuckle. "I've appreciated your backup on those occasions, by the by."

"Just doin' my job," he said with a shrug.

She believed that about as much as she believed in flying dogs. "On that note, are we done so fast?" she asked.

Kurt's smile matched her own mood. "Though you might want a breather."

"Considerate, but I doubt brigands or beasts will show the same courtesy."

"Well, then." He swung the sword back up into position. "We can continue, if you'd rather."

Mindful of overextending herself, Vesper still stepped forward to strike at his knees and then shoulder in quick succession. Her gamble on speed over strength half-paid off. She didn't hit his shoulder, but she did catch just below his elbow as he got the zweihander up to block.

Kurt nodded approvingly, then aimed two hefty blows at her right side--in almost as quick succession as she'd done.

Vesper didn't have time to dwell on the strength it would take to do so; she was too busy trying to keep her guard balanced and deflect at the same time. She blocked the first one. Hopped over a crate jutting out. Half-blocked the second, but it caught her enough to knock her off balance. She sat down hard, dropping her rapier in the process.

Rather than hold his sword to her neck or something too mark victory, Kurt offered her a hand up.

"Clearly I still need work," Vesper deadpanned as she accepted.

"You are improving, though," Kurt said. "And I think you're better than you credit yourself."

She opened her mouth to contradict, to tease he was biased because he'd taught her, but closed it again. Aside from being a skilled swordsman, Kurt had never once shined her--or Constantin--on regarding skill. Honest assessment, only and always. "Thank you," she said instead.

He tipped his head. "D' you want to go again, or are you satisfied for now, Excellency?"

"Perhaps one more?" Vesper asked, almost apologetic, her nose wrinkling.

"As y' wish." Kurt let go of her hand and stepped back to take his stance again.

Vesper mirrored the action, running scenarios in her head, trying to gauge adjustments. Kurt didn't wait for her this time; going on the offensive with several attacks meant to immediately overwhelm. Despite that, she did much better this time--she even hit him once or twice--before her back thumped the hull. Mind your surroundings.

Kurt and his blade pressed close enough to spell her end if he actually bore her ill will. But only for a moment, before the sword lowered.

"Fast learner, Green Blood," he said approvingly as he disengaged and took a seat on one of the nearby crates, signaling an end. "Always were; shouldn't surprise me."

Vesper raked dark brown hair out of her eyes and perched on another crate, facing him with their legs crowded together. "I have a good teacher, which certainly helps," she said lightly.

Kurt grunted and waved off the praise. "It still needs work, mind, but you're comin' along."

She hummed a laugh. "Well. Good I have you watching my back until I improve, then."

"That's my job." His gaze dropped to the crates and he snorted a laugh. "Well. There's irony for you." He shifted, giving the crate Vesper sat on a light kick.

"I saw," she said with a smile. The Coin Guard seal and bright swipe of colored marking had been hard to miss. "I'm glad to see they're safe, after the machinations it took to get them aboard."

She wished he wasn't so quick to deflect compliments, but she'd let him get away with it. For now.

"Aye." They both looked up as voices floated from above, and Kurt pushed to his feet. "S'ppose we should make our way topside, before your cousin works himself into a right fit at you bein' missin'."

Vesper laughed as stood as well. "You do know us well."

His eyes gleamed as he gestured for her to lead up the stairs. "Well enough to say I'm more than willing to distract when you need a break from the role of listening ear."

She paused on the stairs, sure her merriment showed on her face as she looked back. "A sacrifice most appreciated, noble captain."

Kurt gave a half-serious salute and Vesper laughed before resuming course for the upper decks. It had been nice to have someone play the listening ear to her, for once.

[pdid-positivity]

Hello! We saw you talking to The Question Mark System about headspace and communication and the such and was just wondering if you had any tips about communication specifically? I don't think we have a headspace (to be fair it's not like I can go back there and look myself lol) so there's not really any gathering around a table per say, but even then, it's hard to try and get clear communication other than just assuming things through feelings and vague thoughts. Thank you in advance, we appreciate this blog a lot as well :-]

i'll be assuming for the sake of this response that for whatever reason, headspace is completely impossible. (i'd recommend looking to systems with aphantasia too, if headspace creation is impossible/difficult for you, but you still want one. even if you don't have aphantasia, it could still prove useful! they may also have better communication tips than me if you send asks to them, lol)

i'm going to assume that you're starting from nothing when it comes to headmates too.

we never *actually* started from nothing. like we had headmates introduce themselves to me before i was ready to accept being a system, so i already knew some basic information about them when i was finally ready.

despite that, we still have some advice!

the brain puts a mental block between headmates, so it is hard to communicate. communication is still possible, but everything might feel all muddy and fuzzy. they'll try to talk, but no noise comes out. they try to share their emotions, but in the process, the emotion is dulled out to the point where you can't feel much of anything.

you say that you can only communicate with them via vague feelings and thoughts. that's how it started for us too (when i reached out to them myself. because i repressed my headmates for a couple years so they couldn't communicate with me easily anymore)

so, i believe the best course of action would be to ask them simple questions about themselves. questions that the mainly feelings/opinions based communication you have going on now will work fine with.

for example: ask them their favorite color! maybe they can't speak yet, but they'll respond by projecting a specific shade of pink. or maybe it seems like they didn't respond, but you start thinking of the color green.

as you interact with them more, it should get easier to understand them. it will get easier for them to communicate with you. the block that the brain put between you and your headmates will eventually start to wear down.

and then the more the block wears down, the more complicated questions and conversations you can have.

i will say. there are quite a few systems who *only* communicate via emotion sharing, and are unable to speak. this might make it trickier, but is completely normal and possible to understand. you just gotta play with the hand you've been dealt! it is still completely possible to have strong communication without speech!

there has been times when i wasn't sure if i was saying something, or if my headmate was talking to me. in those cases, i would empty my mind, calm myself, and ask them if they said that or if i was talking to myself. this especially happened in my first year of syscovery. it could also help with how your main method of communication is so vague currently. do some light meditation before reaching out to them, so your mind is clear enough to talk.

in fact, i'll make it its own paragraph. learn to meditate, and meditate each time you want to reach out to a headmate! (if needed, i can try to make a post about how we meditate? we have slightly different types depending on what we specifically need.)

oh, also! if you have *any* ideas on their names and/or appearances, or even things that they showed interest in, i would highly recommend doing little doodles for gifts! or write positive little notes for them! (even if they can't front to see it in the real world)

it might not necessarily help with communication for all systems, but i remember whenever i would do doodles of my headmates, they would pop in for a moment to either compliment my work, or say that i drew a feature wrong lol. it also makes them feel appreciated and safer to interact with you.

sending positive energy towards them may not always reach them, but there is times in which it will, especially if you do it a lot!

the time it will taks to improve internal communication will vary system to system. the most important thing, though, when you're first starting out, is to make sure you're being consistent with reaching out to them. i always tried to do it once a day, before i went to bed, until i became confident enough in my abilities.

i hope this helps at all? if needed, the tag #internal communication may have some more stuff to help! :3

[ink-flavored]

HI IM HERE ITS GO TIME FOR SPACE CRUISE WIP LEGGOOOO!!!!!

📅🤔✊😎👾😲

it's TIME!!!!

since this wip is such a baby i'm going to be thinking about a lot of these things for the first time let's do it

📅 How far in the future is your WIP set? Is it a “near” or “distant” future?

It is quite a distant future! It takes place 400-ish years from our present day—we aren't quite ancient history, but it's long enough ago that people don't really consider the 21st century in their daily lives. You learn about it in school and then promptly forget it all

🤔What kind of technology is still being developed in your WIP? What’s something they’re still trying to figure out?

The brain is a fickle little meat sack, and there is no "true" mental hook-up microchip or anything like that. The things you can do to the outside of your body are very impressive, and medical technology has improved a lot of technologies that are inside your body for medical purposes (like pacemakers and stuff), but you can't send/receive text messages with your mind. yet!

✊What is the social climate of your setting? Has society progressed towards equality or regressed? Has it stayed mostly the same?

Progressed in some ways, languished in others.

Since the entire concept of Space Colonialism relies on the idea that planets are big blank slates waiting for Civilization to extract resources and set up tourist traps or whatever, there is still a lot of class disparity and plenty of wealth disparity. Countries and companies can send a "pre-colony" of laborers to terraform a planet and then essentially evict them from the place(s) they built to sell the land to permanent residents. None of the money from that sale touches the pockets of the people who built it, of course, and Space Wage Theft is rampant among these operations.

And of course since colonialism inherently needs to "other" anyone or anything that was already living in the place it colonizes, that also happens quite a bit. Especially when humanity made first contact with aliens who were doing their own space colonialism.

Also Space Cops exist. There are space cops who do predictable cop things. Also robocops (they're not sapient or anything, it's basically a surveillance camera roomba that can call for back-up) are wandering around at most, if not all, space stations, and even some spaceships if you're very important or rich.

Depending on how I structure the rest of the history on the Humans Get To Space Timeline, I will probably be able to add quite a few more to this unfortunate list, but now the good stuff.

Gender is DEAD, being gay is ALIVE, and polyamory is THRIVING!!! Obviously, this varies from planet to planet and country to country, but in the story I'll be telling, it is the case that all of these things are fine and accepted.

Gender first: HRT is so advanced that it can get you all the results in under a year, depending on the dose/method of delivery, and you can get it at any pharmacy. People can transition for a couple years, detransition just as easily, and then switch back! Whatever!

Surgeries are much easier to perform and produce more consistent results across the board, and we ARE at the stage where things like uterus transplants are a thing—either from another person or from a lab-grown organ. They aren't as "versatile" as HRT, in that you can't get your junk swapped in a single day and swap it back the next, but it's easier to customize the results.

Socially, the ease with which transition can occur means that people are more relaxed about the fact that it happens. Especially because it's so easy, it's kind of impossible to ever predict if someone you're talking to is trans unless they tell you (like in real life too but you get it), so everyone is encouraged to just roll with whatever presentation and pronoun combination they're handed by someone. Space bureaucracy means it can be kind of annoying to change your legal name, but there's no such thing as a "legal sex" or "legal gender" anymore, you put your pronouns on your ID instead.

Sexuality next: when people can bang aliens, being gay doesn't seem like that big of a deal. Whether or not banging aliens is in the cards for any given person, experimenting with whoever is normalized. If it turns you gay, people just go "yeah, that'll happen," and move on. Not having any particular label is unremarkable too, because when aliens are in the picture, it's just a lot easier to have a "case by case" sexuality. Humans who exclusively (or almost exclusively) bang other humans do tend to stick with human labels for sexuality for communication's sake.

Polyamory: What with all the experimentation with gender and sexuality, it would be foolish for relationships not to get their own turn in the lab. There are a lot of ways relationships just... work differently, when it comes to existing across the vast distance of space. If you travel a lot, if you're constantly going between the planet and the space station, if you split your life between two different planets, having an open or polyamorous relationship—or to never settle down for a long-term relationship at all—just makes sense for a lot of people. Monogamy still exists, but it's not considered the default state for all relationships ever.

Even with faster-than-light travel, trips through space can take a LONG time, and people can form a lot of really close relationships on those trips. When they inevitably have to leave the ship and go their separate ways, some people stay connected. It's more or less accepted that basically everyone has a "spaceship-ship", either exclusive to that trip or lasting far beyond it. This is foreshadowing for later.

Also, marriage isn't limited to two people anymore. Some people even have a partner on Planet 1 and another on Planet 2, and they're only married on those planets.

And again, when I have better fleshed out this world, I'll have more for the good stuff too.

😎Are there any famous (or infamous) planets known for a particular cultural or material export? What is it? Are the planet’s residents annoyed or proud of this notoriety?

Our protagonist Kavi comes from a Famous Planet (that doesn't have a name, I'm working on it), and they are personally extremely annoyed when it's the first thing people bring up.

Kavi's planet is known as the Pleasure Planet, it's where you go if you want a vacation on a tropical beach, perfect weather year-round, and sex. A lot of sex, from all the not just "legal" sex work, but privatized sex work with franchised brothels. It is the place you go to pay someone to match your freak, and while the population is mostly human, aliens live, visit, and work there too.

The particular area where this tourist hotbed is located is in a single city-state on the other side of the continent where Kavi was born and raised, but nobody really knows, cares, or would want to visit those other places (the ocean geysers can be deadly there), so they are resigned to sighing heavily every time they bring up where they're from. People also tend to assume that people from the Pleasure Planet are just as ready to put out as someone who's getting paid for it, which they also hate.

Outside of Kavi, it's a mixed bag. The people from the Pleasure City can be very proud of their culture's sexual freedom of expression, annoyed at the constant influx of tourists all over the place, or actively hostile toward not just the tourism, but the concept of the city itself. It's a lot less rosy than depicted on the outside, and the sex workers who actually have to serve tourist clients have some... grievances.

👾How many different kinds of aliens are there in your WIP? Describe them!

There will be more than one kind!! But I only have one to describe right now!!

One of the aliens that will be a main focus in this WIP is... a species that doesn't have a name yet, but they're basically crocodile people with neck frills that change color based on their feelings. Their planet has a dense oxygen atmosphere and a slightly lighter gravity than Earth, so they can get up to nine feet (that's 274cm) at the tallest, but tend to hover around 7-8ft (213-243cm) tall on average. They're cold-blooded like IRL reptiles, and don't wear much in the way of clothes because they have to bask (in the sun or under a lamp) regularly to function. They're also obligate carnivores, with like 70-80% of their diets being meat.

They tend to be long and rectangular in body shape, with comparatively short limbs considering how tall they are. They have HUGE TAILS FOR WHACKING!!!! And for swimming, they spend half-and-half of their lives in land and water basically right down the middle. They have the long snouts with lots of teeth, but also they have the single weakness of not being able to open their jaws if literally anything is holding it closed. Their rougher armored scales are on the back and the soft ones are on their bellies, and they can vary in color and pattern based on where they're from. Mostly greens, browns, blacks, and sandy yellows and oranges. Sometimes a splash of red if they're feeling spicy. They live in both fresh and saltwater climates, though the freshwater aliens can't automatically filter salt like the saltwater aliens do (they have the salt-filtering gland, but it's not "active." It can be activated, but it's nasty because they have to drink saltwater).

Their frill colors are a semi-voluntary expression of emotion. Like how humans can force a smile when they're pissed, these croc aliens can force a happy color when they're pissed. However, it is harder to hide, since usually their "true colors" will show for a bit, or start to creep in along the sides. Because their frills are, in a lot of cases, reflective of their True And Real Emotions, trying to hide them on purpose is considered untrustworthy. If an alien keeps their frills closed all or most of the time, other aliens will look at them funny, or consider them closed off and unfriendly.

I'm taking inspiration from a lot of different animals for this bit, but these aliens are capable of randomly transing their gender at any time. The main alien in this story, Zyg, was hatched female along with all of his sisters. As he started to grow up, though, biology randomly assigned him transgender to balance the population of his family, and he transitioned to male over several years—completely out of his control. This happens all the time, throughout the species.

Now, the most important part: what are their sex organs like? I'm glad you asked.

Like most reptiles, all their sex organs are internal and contained in a cloaca. Males have hemi-penes which basically means they have two dicks that drop down from internal sheathes during sex time, and females have two clitorises up there (hemi-clitoris. that's what I call it). They also have scent glands that secrete body oils when they're mating/aroused, both in the cloaca and on the sides of their jaw (real crocs also have these). They lay 5-12 eggs in a clutch, including when the eggs aren't fertilized. It's common to eat unfertilized eggs, it's not considered cannibalism, but it is bad luck to eat your own unfertilized eggs—people trade clutches sometimes. Even when the eggs are fertilized, though, the embryos don't always survive. Those eggs are not eaten, and are treated sort of like a miscarriage. These aliens can also be intersex but I haven't 100% figured out all that stuff yet

The other types of aliens are gonna include at least one other mammal species, and maybe something fish-related? Still deciding.

😲Are there any human customs that the aliens find strange, offensive, gross, or confusing? Which ones?

When it comes to crocodile aliens, they are super weirded out by species that don't swim all the time. Some of them are convinced humans can't swim at all, and many of them consider humans less civilized for this.

Also, the fact that humans have to... choose? To trans themselves? Just move to a new city. What do you mean, you can't just do it on your own? Why are you doing injections? What do you mean surgery????

On a similar note, these croc aliens also have a mating season, and their libidos basically go dormant when it's over. The fact that humans don't have one can lead them in one of two directions: humans exclusively have sex to reproduce and barely enjoy it (how sad), or humans are SEX CRAZED, ALL THE TIME (HORRIFYING).

Those are the funniest ones I can think of. They're not really customs, but whatever

[try out my sci-fi worldbuilding ask game]

[jasper-tarot-reader]

Hey Jasper! Hope you're keeping well :)

I'm Fern, he/him pronouns, no specific deck preference

So a bit of background before I get to the question... In 2024 I underwent two initiations to a Witch Mother and Witch Father, and had been quite rigourously prompted to do so despite my mere mortal mind protesting the timing. Yess I trust their far-seeing eyes and I knew this wouldn't be easy and I AM very excited... but I am currently going through major flare ups and there's crazy external life circumstances that will not chill for at least another 6 months. The main problem with this is that I'm super exhausted, and I've tried taking micro-breaks and then I've tried every divination method I can think of to get answers, but communication is just super blocked and I struggle to do even the most basic thing/reading/meditation. HOWEVER I have been given a psychopompic task that I can only put off for so long. I feel so honoured to be given the opportunity to help this spirit cross entirely, but I just don't know *how* to do it. My own research isn't very helpful (though I could go deeper, I know), and I don't know what it is that my Initiators themselves want me to do. I don't know if that's [how to help them pass] a question you can answer, and if not, could you perhaps do a reading on what my other steps should be? As in, are there preliminary actions to take, is there someone/something I should consult somehow, maybe even how to get rid of this blockage?

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

Hello there, Fern! First thing's first, I happen to be friends with a person skilled with psychopomp work here on Tumblr - @stagkingswife! She's one of the most skilled individuals I know who's actually, you know, talked about this work.

As for the reading, I went for a "word of advice" style reading with the Radiant Wilds Tarot by Nat Girsberger. It has given you the Seven of Swords shadowed.

If you want to see change, you need to be the change first - transform yourself, and you will transform the world. You've gotta start by changing things about yourself. It seems like falling back on the old stuff you've done isn't working, so you need to put that aside and focus on new stuff instead. It's hard work to learn new things, of course, but it will be so much cooler and potentially easier once you accept the fact that things need to change. You don't have to destroy the old - this isn't the Tower card, after all - but you do need to quit falling back to the same old thing when you're unsure. The purpose of initiation, in many cases, is to have your being split open and reformed to pursue magic in a new way.

I wish you the best going forward! If you feel so inclined, please feel free to send feedback in my ask box, leave feedback in a reblog of this reading, and/or reblog my reading guidelines!

~Jasper

[recoveryregression]

Engaging with religion when you're a regressor

Religion can be a tricky topic for a lot of regressors due to trauma and unpleasant experiences in the past. This post will talk about possible ways to engage with religion when regressing.

As a disclaimer I am someone who was raised Catholic although now we have alters who's beliefs span over Christianity, Wicca and Buddhism. We tried to make this post as inclusive as possible, but if I made any mistakes please let us know. Additionally, if you have any suggestions for any of the points in this post feel free to add them!

Advantages to engaging with religion when you are regressed

Recovering from religious trauma and engaging with religion is a hard topic to tackle, but I have found it personally healing, especially for younger parts who hold religious beliefs.

It can help with acceptance and understanding that what happened to you is not right, even if the people who hurt you used religion as a justification.

Reclaiming something that has been used to hurt you is a personal choice and it is scary, but in my opinion it can be worth it.

Ways you can engage with religion while regressed:

Coloring sheets and activity pages- this is a simple and effective way of learning and engaging with your religion. Usually going to Google and typing '[religion] activity pages for kids' will give you results- If you need help finding some, I am more than willing to help.

Listening to stories- This can be slightly harder to do for some religions that don't have a scripture to follow, but for other religions this is a very easy and fun thing to do. Just go to youtube or google and type in '[religion] stories for kids'. They will often have them in a child friendly format and can be fun to listen to in the background. Another method would be to use an actual kids book of stories from your religion.

Learn and/or practice the language that may be tied with your religion- I know some religions require people to be able to speak a specific language and others may be easier to understand if you have knowledge about the language. Although one day I plan on making a bigger post on language learning as a regressor, looking at kids videos and songs in your language can help.

Engage with and/or learn about the culture associated with your religion- Of course this is different for every religion and subsets of the religion as to how you could learn about them and engage with them, but I find that engaging and participating is better than not doing anything at all.

Celebrate holidays and events your religion has- This can be hard if holidays are a difficult topic for you, it can be even harder if you can't openly celebrate your religion for any reason. If you can openly celebrate and participate with your holidays, make them unforgettable in the best way you can. If you can't openly celebrate make them unforgettable and special in your own way. Remember that celebrating is a personal thing, so don't worry if you can't focus.

Prayer- Prayer is a great way to engage with religion. There's a lot of different prayers you can learn and say. I know in Christianity there's prayer books specifically for kids, so that learning what to say is easy.

Tips for engaging with religion while regressed

Don't push yourself- If you have religious trauma there may be a limit to how much of your religion you can engage with before it becomes too much for you. Listen to your body and mind and know when to take a break.

Be safe- Linking to the previous point, religion can be an amazing thing, but it can also be harmful for some. Know your signs and the beliefs of those around you so that you know it's safe to engage with your religion.

Have fun- I know for us as a child religion was never about having fun or enjoying yourself, know that this isn't true and that you are allowed to have fun and enjoy yourself!

[marshmallowprotection]

Hi! Idk if you've done something like this before but if it's okay, could i ask for a comfort from Jumin? My body dysmorphia issues went out of control lately and I'm just having a hard time looking at the mirror without feeling like breaking down and just panic in general. I just want to hide away from the world so no one can judge my body anymore and say nasty shit about the way i look and what i wear or my size whether I'm too big and just ugly

Jumin understands what it feels like to be under scrutiny from the rest of the world. It happens when you grew up the way he did. It's tough out there, even if he doesn't admit it. Of course, he has dealt with it his entire life and the way he has decided to go along with it is to brush it off like it's nothing. That's not healthy but when you came into his life he realized he needed to stop compressing everything down in the bottom of his chest and ignoring it.

Even someone in a place of privilege is allowed to struggle and have insecurities, his consciousness of the situation and how other people have it worse than him is something to be spoken about, but it's just as important to remind him that he's allowed to admit that he needs help sometimes. Your kindness is what has made a difference in that line of thinking.

You can be honest with him when you're having a bad time. Isn't that what you told him? If you're worried about people talking about you behind your back, you don't need to worry about that. Nobody in this world is going to say something ugly about you and get away with it. Sure, he can't stop people from saying what they want to say, but he can stop them from saying things in the public eye.

You are his partner and that means he is committed to you no matter what comes next. He is more than willing to gush about you and Elizabeth. He is that guy who has pictures filling up his wallet to the brim. He loves his family, what can he say?

But don't think he hasn't noticed how you don't like to take pictures and how you avoid mirrors. He's a perceptive man and you knew that when you met him. He's not going to pressure you to talk about something you don't want to talk about, but at the same time, he doesn't want you to waste away and wallow in insecure feelings when it's important to talk about them so you can overcome that feeling. Beating these feelings down is always easier said than done but it gets easier when you have somebody you love.

He's here for you, and if you need to break it down in his arms, go ahead and do it.

Sure, he understands that there are beauty standards in this world that aren't kind to anyone, and seeing how much it eats away at you makes him want to do more for society to put a stop to it all. He doesn't want to see you suffer, and he doesn't want to see anybody else suffer from these feelings of self-loathing.

You shouldn't be surprised when I say that he would talk to Zen about this feeling. Yes, he'll talk to you to find out the core problem that you have to deal with, but this is Jumin we're talking about. Once he has a subject in mind, he's going to do whatever he can to learn as much as he can... and, you know, Zen is overcompensating by complementing himself because words have power.

The more you say something, the more you believe in it, and the more you call yourself beautiful, the more likely you are to put some weight into that value in comparison to calling yourself trash. He is out of his element when it comes to knowing the right thing to say, and he's willing to admit that. He wants to better understand what makes you feel that way and how he can adapt in the moment to help you build your self confidence the way that Zen has built his.

Once he feels more comfortable, he's going to do something about this on a larger scale, but what you need is something at home for you to feel better, and he's the one to make sure that happens soon. He is thoughtful and methodical in the way he approaches you after your bad day. He cups your cheek with his hand and sighs, happy to be home with you, even if you need to sob into his embrace.

"My dear, I understand that my words may not counterbalance or even overcome what you think of yourself. I recognize that these are issues that don't disappear with a few kind words, but I want you to know that you are beautiful, witty, and everything I could have ever hoped for in a partner. Being able to face the world with you at my side brings me confidence... confidence I had not known until I met you and decided to be myself. Your beauty is more than your looks, but I know saying so may feel like I'm trying to avoid calling you the words you fear most, but that is not the case," he'd whisper with love in his eyes.

"Your smile lights up my world. Your hands warm my cold heart to the surface. When I feel the weight of your body lean into my arms, all I can think about is how wonderful it is to know your body intimately. Seeing you waiting for me at the end of the day is all I could ever want and dream of. Your beauty is leagues about what you value in yourself, and I hope one day I can help you see that."