#(i have so many methods to try to prevent this from happening but it still does from time to time)

[muzansfangs]

You always wanted me.

Starring: Rengoku Kyojuro x f!reader; mention to past relationship with Sanemi;

Format: one-shot;

Warnings: nsfw, modern au, vaginal sex, creampie, unprotected sex, language, use of alcohol, drunkness, drunk sex but consensual, breeding kink, semi-public sex, mention to past relationship with Sanemi, cheating thought in past relationship;

Plot: A night in a pub and a failed date led you to drink away your sorrow. Unfortunately, the main reason behind your problems shows up and your tipsy state does not help you to keep your tongue tied. Too many shots of tequila, the man you have always wanted so ardently and a restroom were the ingredients required to make your heart burn that very night.

Author note: it is rare for me to put the author note on top of a one-shot, but in order to prevent possible drama to happen, I needed to clarify a thing: this fic is an old work of mine posted on my old Ao3 account and my old Wattpad profile. While I cannot log anymore into Ao3 for some reason, I can still log into my old Wattpad profile and I will try to gradually delete my old works as I fix and rewrite them! Do not worry and enjoy this little scrap!

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

“Another one!” you slurred, slamming the empty glass on the counter before you. It was your fourth shot. You were not used to drink that much, especially in a public place. The thing was you definitely had a good reason to drink down almost a whole bottle of tequila alone. You had just been stood up by a guy you had asked out to forget about your crush.

Your real crush. Or in other terms, the reason behind the loop of failed dates you had fallen into because he was so unapproachable. You wished you could forget about him, but nothing and no one could ever take his place in your heart. Why did he have to he that kind of guy that literally ruin your rationality and the chance to enjoy the company and the small attentions other men could provide you?

Disheartened, you sighed and propped your elbows on the counter in annoyace, waiting for the barman to fill your glass once again. No matter how hard to tried to ignore him, you always found yourself back at daydreaming about his piercing orange and red eyes.

Why could you not forget about him and his dazzling smile?

Whenever someone else had a chance to pick your interest and finally make you move on, something methodically went wrong. Maybe you had been jinxed.

A small smile curved your lips, when the guy in front of you carefully slided the drink in your direction. As soon as the smile appeared, it dropped, though. Someone hastily grabbed your glass and elegantly brought it to his lips, preventing you from enjoying your feast. How dare him steal your drink in such a dreadful night?

You were about to throw a punch at that rude man, but when your head snapped towards him you gaped in shock. Blinking skeptically, you gawked and your mind went blank for several seconds. That must have been a joke.

“What the Hell?” you babbled out, rolling your eyes in despair. If bad luck had a name, it would have definitely been yours. Those combined phenomena were indeed persuading you to believe some witch had cursed you for real.

“Fancy meeting you here, Y/N! Mind if I join you? You seem pretty upset. What's happened?” Kyojuro casually asked, sitting right next to you.

“You happened! - you asserted, darting your eyes on the barman - Another one, please” you asked, or better pleaded him, folding your arms over your chest.

Now you truly were irritated. Not only he pestered your mind day and night, but he also had the audacity of stealing your drinks and clubbing in your favorite place.

The blonde man chuckled and shook his head at you “Come on, don't hold a grudge. I have actually done it on purpose. I have to confess that I have been watching you for a while now. I don't think you should drink that much, you know?” he said softly, his eyes trailing up to your face. For a second, he seemed genuinely concerned.

Kyojuro Rengoku had always had a crush on you. He would have asked you out, if Sanemi had not messed up his plans by fooling around with you. After your break-up, he had noticed some changes in your behavior. You seemed not to care about anyone anymore. It was like you were running away from feelings and Kyojuro could not stand the rumors of you sleeping around with tons of strangers to possibly fill a void in your heart. It hurt him.

He was meant for loving you, not those bottom-dwellers you occasionally spent your nights with.

“So you're a watcher now! How cute! I don't need a babysitter, I can take care of myself” you blurted out, squinting your eyes and trying your best to act cool.

Unfortunately, your body had had enough. Your vision was getting blurry. You hated to admit it, but you were actually glad he was there to watch over you, even if you wanted to rip his face to shreds.

But just like your body, your mind began to wander in the very places you were trying to keep it awat from.

You glanced at him, your heart sinking into your chest at the sight your eyes had been blessed with. Kyojuro, drink in hand, was moistening his lower lip with his tongue. He seemed to be mulling something over. Maybe, he was just offended by your arrogance, or maybe he had a date and he was regretting having approached you.

Actually, you did not care. Happy, sad, angry or thoughtful it was Kyojuro. It was him, the only one your heart desired.

Oh, the things you wanted him to do with his tongue.

It was not a good time for fantasizing, though. You clenched your jaw, reaching your hand out to grab your glass, but you lost your grip on it and the shot slipped from your hand. The liquor inevitably spilled on Kyojuro's white shirt, making him stand up in shock. You wanted to apologize, your mouth was already opened, but you gawked when you spotted the outline of his toned, chiseled chest underneath the material of his shirt.

“Uhm... I— Kyo, I'm sorry! Let me help you” you stuttered, searching for a tissue in your purse. How stupid of you.

He was soaked, how could a tissue solve his problem or make it better?

You groaned in frustration, frenetically rummaging through your bag when Kyojuro's voice stopped you.

“Wait, it's okay, really! Let's go to the restroom. The dryer might help me” he reasoned, suddenly encircling your waist and pulling you towards him. Was it real? You blushed and tried to distance yourself from him, but the only reaction you got in return, was being held even tighter.

You frowned and shot him an interrogative glance, which was returned by a bright smile “Hey, you know, I can walk without you leading me around like a toddler” you pinpointed, rolling your eyes in feigned contempt. How could you deny you loved the feeling of being in such a close proximity with him?

Kyojuro, on the other hand, sighed and pushed the door of the restroom opened to let you in first “If you were fine, we would have not had a problem now. Why do you always have to be a bitch, anyway?” he asked you, undoing the first buttons of his shirt right away.

Not even firing something back, you froze solid and turned your face to the opposite side of the room, trying to ignore the urge to contemplate the celestial vision dazzling you in the restroom of a pub. You were not capable of saying a word. Your brain was fuming.

'What the fuck, Kyojuro?! Can't you just leave?' you thought, rubbing your temples to ease the pressure a tad bit.

“I’m talking to you. Look at me” he said then. You felt his gaze boring holes on the back of your head, but you knew that facing him meant losing your self-control.

“You know, I am fine staring at the wall. Don't you—…”you tried to talk back, but Kyojuro forcefully spun you around. He was done with you and the childish attitude of your drunk self.

Your hair whipped your cheeks, as you found yourself lost into a pair of orange and red orbs scrutinizing your face. Well, that was your end.

Your lips parted and you gulped nervously at the sight before your eyes. A shirtless Kyojuro was holding both your wrists in his huge hands, your eyes travelling down his toned chest and abs. Could it be even worse? Yes, it actually could.

“I'm still waiting for an answer” he stated, arching a thick eyebrow up.

You cleared your throat and shook your head “I'm not going to give you one” you murmured. Was it really that hard to understand that your behavior was your only defense against your love for him?

After all, you had screwed up your long-lasting relationship for him.

Kyojuro stared at you for a few seconds, then he swiftly pushed your back against the wall. Your hands were easily pinned up above your head, as he towered over you in a iron grip. The message was crystal clear. He did not want you to move.

You were stunned in silence, your breath hitched, as his face was now dangerously close to your mouth.

“What the fuck are you doing?” you breathed out, your voice betraying you. You liked this physical contact way too much to keep on fronting.

The blonde man in front of you cracked a smile “I'm trying to solve the problem once and for all. I know why you and Sanemi broke up. — he started — He told me you screamed my name, as you climaxed around him”.

He knew.

You blushed and gawked at his words. He had just thrown facts at your face. You had been exposed. Was it really necessary denying the truth any longer? No, it was not. What about your sense of shame? It was long gone, after the amount of alcohol you had gulped down. You were not even mad at Sanemi for having blabbed out your little secret. This was just above you.

You glared at Kyojuro, tilting your head to the side to contemplate his face properly. He was handsome as Hell. You wanted him and you wanted him now. You had always wanted him.

“Well then, I guess the comedy is over. I should be thankful to Sanemi for having exposed me like that. I finally can get what I wanted from the very beginning” you said, before hungrily smashing your lips against his ones.

It took a moment for him to realize what you were doing, and maybe you were pretty shocked too by your boldness, but once your taste indulged on his tongue he gained courage and kissed you back.

Your tongues danced together, soft moans left your mouth, when Kyojuro inevitably began to lead the way.

You felt like you were on a burning ship, without any lifeboat you could jump in to escape your fate. Still, you did not fight for your life. You were happily embracing your destiny. You had chosen it yourself. You had broken the curse affecting you for years.

When his lips left yours, your breath was uneven but your eyes sparkled with a savage lust he could not ignore and it was enough for him to unbuckle his belt and slip his calloused hand underneath your dress.

Words were superfluous, you both needed your release. Your hunger was fuel to his burning desire. Kyojuro was usually the calm and collected guy everybody got along with. Getting to see what laid underneath that cheerful and respectful façade was sending you straight to cloud nine.

The moment his fingers made their way beneath your panties and reached your slit, he sighed and began to stroke your bundle of nerves in circluar motions “We won't need much foreplay. You are so damn wet” he whispered, drawing invisible circles on your clitoris.

You were breathless. Whimpers and whines erupted from your throat as you bucked your hips against his hand. You were such a mess he envied Sanemi for having got you before he did.

“Please, please, Kyojuro, I need you... Don't waste time” you breathed out, grinding your hips against his hand.

Hearing those words falling from your lips, the blonde man shoved two fingers into your core and slowly pumped them in and out of your entrance. You loved how dominant he was, you loved the way he seemed to ignore you and your needs. Everything he did was magic.

“Gosh, you're such an impatient brat” he joked, watching your mouth resembling the shape of an o. Sinful moans erupted from your throat and you digged your nails onto his shoulders not to collapse onto the floor. You were close and he knew it. He could feel it by the way your walls squeezed his fingers, almost sucking them in. Therefore, he hastily pulled them out of you, much to your dismay.

You whined for the sudden emptiness you were experiencing and your eyes locked with his one in a pleading glance. Kyojuro unzipped his pants and pulled them down enough to allow his member to spring out of his boxers.

You blushed, as his hand found its way to your dripping core again. He easily pushed your panties aside and hooked your right leg up on his hip for a better access.

You could feel his hot breath fanning your lips and his bulge pressing against your entrance, collecting your juices as a lube.

“Are you okay? Can I go ahead?” he asked, kissing you gently then.

You nodded and cupped his cheek in your hand, pressing your forehead against his one “Drunk or not, I love you” you whispered, confessing your feelings after years of fears and tears.

Kyojuro held you close to him and finally entered you, earning a loud moan of pleasure from you. He waited for you to adjust to his size, a strained moan rumbling from deep in his chest as he pushed himself into you slowly, inch after inch. Gasping and moaning softly, you felt your walls adapting to him and once he was buried deep into you, Kyojuro gently pulled out a bit. He started pounding into you slowly but passionately, filling you in places no one had ever reached before.

You screamed his name, not worrying about being in a public place and Kyojuro muffled your moans with his tongue anyway.

“Tell me how badly you wished it was me and not him back in time. Tell me. Tell me how many times you wanted to fuck me on your shared bed” he stated, slamming into you a little faster now.

You moaned his name, your legs shaking as you lolled your head back in ecstasy “Countless times” you said, as he gripped your face by your jaw, forcing you to look at him.

“I'm not pulling out, you know that?” he rasped, hitting the perfect spot inside you as your eyes locked.

It was the perfect ending, something long overdue. You kissed him enjoying every minute of it until the very end. You came with a loud moan, he following right after you. You felt his seed filling you up to you cervix, as he peppered your face in small, affectionate kisses. He was perfect, this was perfect.

“You're coming home with me tonight” he breathed out, caressing your cheekbones before pulling out of you.

You were finally his.

AUHTHOR NOTE.

Hello there! Welcome to ‘AUTHOR NOTE PART TWO’, lmao. I intended to post this yesterday but I really fell asleep after dinner on the couch. I only woke up when my boyfriend came back home and his dog began to run and bark to tell me he was opening the door. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one! I love Kyo with a passion and I wanted to show him some love too!

As per usual, likes, comments and reposts are greatly appreacited!

TAGS: @doumadono @electronicwitchcollection @mrskokushibo

[umbrellacam]

Reading A Lonely Place of Dying is so interesting in so many ways, but the question I'm still rotating in my mind is about Dick, and specifically why he ends up smiling and soft-advocating for Tim to be Bruce's Robin, after he had his morality crisis over young heroes with Jason's death.

So when he finds out about Jason's death, Dick feels guilty over giving Jason his Robin costume and not being there when he died:

New Teen Titans #55

To the extent that, later in the same issue, he unilaterally fires 15-year-old Danny Chase from the Titans, over Donna and Kory's objections, citing what happened to Jason. He even expresses doubt over his own young age when he became Robin, wondering whether that was a mistake:

New Teen Titans #55

However, when Dick visits Bruce in Gotham to both express his condolences over Jason's death and also confront him over not telling Dick about it, he explicitly rejects Bruce's implication of blame:

New Teen Titans #55

And later, when the Gargoyle is mentally torturing him over his past failures to the Titans, to Bruce, and Jason, Dick breaks through his self-blame issues and firmly asserts that there was nothing he could have done to prevent Jason's death.

Secret Origins (Vol. 2) #3

But understanding his lack of blame logically isn't the same as being totally past it, as it's part of Dick's larger cycle of guilt, as he acknowledges to his therapist:

The New Titans #57

So how does Dick get from here, still wrestling with guilt and feeling ambivalent about the idea of young heroes as a whole, to the end of A Lonely Place of Dying, where he smiles and basically urges Bruce to give Tim a chance to become Robin?

Like, yes, Dick then spends the entirety of Batman: Year Three worried about Bruce's tenuous mental state after Jason's death, reaching out to him in the midst of Batman's reckless, violent spiral, trying to both express care and to call his mentor and hero back to his foundations of crime-fighting through careful detective work, not through brutality - and getting rejected by Bruce over and over. Even while being proud of Dick's methods and the hero he's grown into, Bruce just can't seem to pull himself out of his own morass of self-destruction. Dick eventually has to leave him to it, though he clearly hasn't stopped worrying about Bruce by the start of ALPoD.

Yes, Tim impresses Dick multiple times over the course of ALPoD. First at the circus with his reflexes and his quick thinking (apparently almost as much as he irritates and baffles Dick with his stubborn evasiveness and pushy presumption, lol this total gremlin). Then at Wayne Manor when Tim goes through his deduction of Batman's and Robin's identities, although this one is more an implication through Dick's decision to show Tim the Cave immediately afterward, and Alfred's words to Tim.

Batman #441

And yet Alfred's sentiment here is immediately contradicted when Tim insistently pushes the Robin costume at Dick, and Dick gets pissed off, saying that, "When Jason died, he took Robin with him. And no matter how much anybody may want it - you can't bring back the dead."

The New Titans #61

How does Dick go from this to accepting Tim as the new potential Robin all of two issues later!! This boy's emotions are so mixed up, lol.

I feel like while Dick is clearly angered by Tim's presumptions, kind of baffled and creeped-out by the sort of parasocial fixation Tim has on both Bruce/Batman and Dick/Robin, below the surface he's also genuinely absorbing Tim's driving love and care for them both. Like, he's way too ticked off to show it or even think of it consciously at the moment - and it's hard to process!! despite that day at Haly's Circus tying them together a decade ago, this kid is a rando, it's out of nowhere, it's wild to be confronted with!! - but on some level he has to be touched by Tim's care and passion for their legacy. He wouldn't make his heel-turn later and smile at Tim so approvingly otherwise.

Like, Dick wants Bruce to have a partner that cares for him that much, that forces him to care for himself in a way that he clearly hasn't been since Jason's death. And Dick is both afraid and aware that he can't fill that role anymore - that he can try to stand beside Batman as Nightwing and support him that way, but he can't stand behind Bruce in his protective shadow again, can't cramp himself back into Robin.

So even as Dick is making line-faces at this bizarre kid pushing himself at them, talking about Jason and Dick and Bruce and what Batman needs like he knows better than Dick, UGH… Dick is also considering… is maybe moved a bit by that star-bright conviction and overflowing love in the face of all the doubts that seem to plague both Bruce and Dick lately… is maybe hoping, seeing a possible light in the dark. Not on a conscious level, perhaps, but it's maybe churning below the surface with everything else Dick is thinking about.

Anyway, Dick still tracks Batman down and tries being a supportive partner as Nightwing, even going "I'm here. Always," when Batman finally brings himself to admit that he needs help. Only to IMMEDIATELY run face-first into Bruce's control issues and post-Jason-disregarding-orders trauma - "You're not with the Titans now. If you want to be with me, you follow my orders. Now do as I say." (The New Titans #61) Oof, instant I'm-NIGHTWING-not-ROBIN friction, but Dick swallows it for now.

Then Two-Face blows up a building on top of both of them, and Tim (and Alfred!) have to rescue them both. By the time that they've been dug out, Alfred and Dick are both praising Tim's potential to a very baffled and alarmed, verging on angry, Batman lol. Dick and Alfred then grin at each other while young Tim struggles against his intimidation and argues the tremendously (and understandably!) reluctant Batman to a standstill.

Batman #442

As they drive away afterward (Bruce, Dick and Tim in the Batmobile to track down Two-Face - using the tracker Tim planted on him, good job Timmy!! - and Alfred toward home in a separate car), we get the following thought-bubbles:

Bruce: Even if he's right, I don't want another partner. Dick: Bruce, for once, think with your heart, not with cold logic. Tim: He doesn't want me, but he hasn't said no. So just do your best… Alfred: …One way or another, the rest will take care of itself.

Batman #442

"Think with your heart, not with cold logic" - so does Dick's line here mean that this is what he himself is doing at this point? Setting aside his logic, his fears and reservations about young heroes, about Jason's death, about putting another young boy in the Robin costume - because Tim joining them, maybe becoming Bruce's new partner, feels right? Because everything that Tim has shown of himself so far means the kid deserves a chance, at least? Because Bruce's caution after Jason's death would mean that he'll make sure to 'do it right this time'? Because Tim's passion and conviction could be what Batman needs, and - maybe as much if not more than that - could be something that deserves to be nurtured into something great, despite Dick's own (and Bruce's) fears?

Because Dick has to be wrestling with and at least quelling (if not fully letting go of) his fears about the risks to young heroes in these issues, it doesn't make sense for him to be okay with Tim as Robin otherwise. And it can't all be about what use Tim could be to Bruce - the leash he could put on Batman's out of control behavior. That's far too selfish and manipulative as a sole motive for Dick Grayson; especially after Jason, he wouldn't encourage a kid to jump into the meat-grinder of vigilantism solely to save Bruce or preserve the legacy of Batman & Robin.

I feel like Dick has to also be seeing something in Tim here, his potential, his determination, the good that he can and wants desperately to do, that Dick has to respect, has to think deserves a shot. When Alfred goes, "The boy should be a politician!" and Dick replies, "He'd do more good with Bruce," (Batman #442; panels above), it does feel like he's thinking of the difference Tim himself could make in the world. Dick has to be remembering why he himself could not be put off from the vigilante life when he was even younger than Tim, why Jason also went out there and did his best every night. To help people, in a way that mattered.

Anyway, Tim also puts in a good showing when they confront Two-Face, despite giving Bruce a near heart-attack over this strange unfamiliar boy wearing his son's uniform when Tim briefly appears to have been crushed - only for him to have saved himself and warned Batman and Nightwing of danger through his quick thinking.

Afterward, Alfred and Dick both advocate for Tim, so Dick is clearly pulling for Tim to be given a chance. Dick's smile here, my heart.

Batman #442

I still wish they'd been a little more explicit with the turn of Dick's mindset here, but at the same time I guess it's pretty effective as show-not-tell!

All in all, I feel like ALPoD was very effective storytelling, well done Marv, hugely enjoyable read, and I can't wait to read more.

[duskdog]

You know, fandom seems to talk about Wrathion's past mistakes a lot, but I don't often see anyone discuss his visits to the August Celestials during his legendary questline. Like, sure, people occasionally bring up his attitude towards Tong, but how many current players were there to experience (and still remember) the rest of that quest? When I think of Wrathion, I think first of the whelp who literally dropped to his knees before the Red Crane of Hope, who poured out his heart about the visions he'd had -- how terrified he was that the Legion was coming, about the "rivers of blood and cities in ruin" that would result if he wasn't able to somehow, some way, stop this from happening, and about how the only thing sustaining him was the tiny sliver of hope that he might actually succeed. This is a young dragon who foresaw something that absolutely shook him to his core, something he would do anything to try to prevent... and who felt he had almost no support, because it seemed he was the only one taking the threat seriously while everyone around him was busy fighting one another. His fear, his burden, was so great that the Red Crane himself even admitted that Wrathion needed his blessing of Hope "more than any I have ever met".

We can, of course, debate Wrathion's methods. It's fairly obvious that he didn't fully understand the lessons the Celestials were trying to teach him -- at least not at the time. It's also undeniable that he made some pretty terrible mistakes along the way. And I can certainly understand the argument that his attitude in Dragonflight is just too annoying for some people to stomach. But the thing that always brings me back to Wrathion as Aspect is the knowledge that he actually cares about Azeroth. From the moment he was hatched -- even before -- he carried the burden of Earth-Warder, and he took it absolutely seriously. Neltharion took an oath, and he broke it -- broke beneath it, I would argue -- and Wrathion clearly believes that it's his own responsibility to bear the immense, crushing weight that his Aspect father/grandfather, and his entire flight, proved unable to bear. All those black dragons betrayed Azeroth, tried to destroy what they were sworn to protect, and here's Wrathion -- first a whelp and now a drake, all alone, without Neltharion's colossal size, strength, and power, without the support of a dragonflight behind him, without the support and trust of the other flights, without any true home or safe harbor, without the regard of the mortal races that he's trying to protect -- doing his best to fulfill an oath that he personally never actually took, only inherited.

Given that knowledge, I actually think Wrathion has behaved with remarkable restraint in regard to Sabellian's sudden appearance as a rival. Has Sabellian even given us the slightest indication that he actually cares about the sacred charge of the black dragonflight? He's certainly older, wiser, and steadier, and maybe he's done a good job of raising his kin and keeping them safe in Outland... but does he care about Azeroth? Because he certainly hasn't been there when it needed him... and yet he was perfectly willing to risk reappearing just in time to claim the Obsidian Throne.

[thebibliosphere]

Hi! I was wondering if you’ve ever heard of ‘nutrition response testing’ (also called ‘applied kinesiology’ and ‘contact reflex analysis’)? I had it done a few days ago by a holistic health care practice and they recommended several (expensive) supplements for various health issues. I didn’t know that was what was going to happen going in, my mom got a recommendation for their practice and convinced me to try it. I was originally going to go along with it, since they really sounded like they knew what they were talking about, and made me feel very heard and respected, but now I’m not so sure. They made a pretty big oversight regarding me being allergic to one of the recommended supplements, which lead to me doing a ton of research on everything they were doing. It was pretty inconclusive. Some sites said it’s complete pseudoscience and doesn’t work at all, but I’ve also seen a lot of people claim it helped them with decades long health issues. I just really don’t know what to make of this, or where to go to figure it out, so I figured I’d ask you.

I also know several people who found relief from symptoms from seeing kinesiologists.

I respect their experiences and am glad they found help, but as someone who worked the holistic circuit for many years and still uses some holistic treatments in my own health journey, I am going to urge an abundance of caution going forward.

In holistic circles, there's a tendency to throw supplements at you to see what sticks. If you feel better, great! You possibly had a deficiency you were either unaware of or were just on the cusp of borderline so it wasn't flagged up in regular testing.

If you don't, there's a tendency to tell you to keep taking them because "these things take time," and also have you tried {x other product they also just so happen to sell in their clinic.}

And people do it, usually because the supplements cost less than going to see the actual doctor, or their doctor doesn't make them feel heard and this nice person is offering them a solution while sounding very confident about it.

One of the major draws of holistic medicine for a lot of people is that it lets sick people feel heard. We take time with people to make them feel valid and cared for because that is also an important part of the healing process. But again, speaking as someone with multiple holistic qualifications and who still uses some of them, holistic care is not a substitute for conventional medicine. It can be a good addition, but it should not be your only method of treatment.

Now, not all of these items are useless and not all people who sell supplements and other such things in their clinic are suspicious.

It's just that there's very little regulation on who can sell these kind of things (as well as very little regulation of the supplements themselves), and you need to be careful about who you trust and be aware of how they are being promoted to you.

(One way to do this is look up the brand of supplements being sold and seeing who their parent company is. Chiropractors, for instance, are notorious for buying supplements from companies that operate like MLMs, giving them incentive to shill them to all their patients whether they need them or not.)

It's true, some holistic types are very good at spotting deficiencies in how the body looks and responds to certain things. Especially if they have legitimate medical training to back up their practice. But that is also true of any conventional doctor who pays attention.

I walked in to see my PCP not too long ago and he was able to diagnose a zinc deficiency due to the symptoms I was describing and a subtle change he noticed in my nails.

Hell, my dentist was the one who figured out my mouth ulcers and the muscle tic in my jaw might be a b12 deficiency and urged me to see the doctor who ultimately saved my life.

In those instances, supplementation was necessary because I have chronic underlying conditions that prevent me from absorbing nutrients from my food.

Unlike any kinesiologist I've known, however, both instances were followed up with diagnostic blood work to check the accuracy of those suspected deficiencies, both to ensure it was correct but also ensure appropriate supplemental dosing.

I can't tell you the number of times someone has suggested I take "shit-yourself" levels of magnesium because someone who also shills essential oils on the side told them to. No thank you.

You didn't mention if the person you saw wanted to do diagnostic blood testing before offering you supplements, but if they didn't, that's a red flag for me. The fact that they missed an allergy you presumably told them about is another (just as it would be for a regular doctor).

So, should you listen to them? That's up to you. I personally prefer to see doctors who take a more holistic approach to the body, but I also know enough to combine it with conventional medicine and when testing is needed. I have that experience and know-how. Not everyone does, and it can be very easy to trust the nice person telling you to Buy Their Shiny Tonic To Cure Thine Ailments.

Maybe it'll help, maybe it won't. But it sounds like your gut is giving you a warning sign. I'd be inclined not to ignore it.

[letstalktea]

Content: GN!Alpha!Harper x GN!Omega!Reader, doctor and patient are both playing a game here, dildo, fingering, Harper has many thoughts

Note: Blame Pip. I saw Harper and omega in the same sentence, blacked out, and this fic was written.

Word Count: 2.5k

“And what's the nature of your visit today?” Harper asked as they wiggled the mouse of their computer to awaken the screen and pull up your file.

You squirmed in your seat, shifting back and forth in such a way that they knew the fabric of your underwear must have been rubbing against your hole. “My suppressants aren't working.”

“Again?” They feigned shock, but they could tell. Your sweet, submissive scent was flooding their office and it took all of their self-control and barely maintained professionalism not to flip you onto the nearby examination table and hump your leaking hole until they had you thoroughly bred. Clearly they needed to replace their suppressants as much as you did. “I distinctly recall informing you that you were likely suppressant resistant several visits ago so you could be aware and take the proper steps to manage yourself before it became severe enough to visit.”

They typed your reason for visiting into the notes section of your profile, glancing at you only briefly to enjoy the sight of you trying to stop yourself from grinding down against the chair where you sat. 

“How long since the start of your current cycle?” Harper asked.

“Two days.”

They typed your answer before continuing to ask more questions. “Have you had sex with anyone in those two days?”

They watched you closely. They way you bit the inside of your lip told them the answer wasn't affirmative and that you were hesitant to divulge such information.

“We've had this conversation before. If your suppressants aren't working, you should find an alpha to help ease your symptoms.” That is, an alpha who was willing to fuck your desperate hole and flood your body with enough cum to reset your brain and hormones.

“I don’t…” you muttered, “I don’t have an alpha I trust like that.”

“None?”

“The only person I trust is a beta, but… I don’t like them like that.”

“Attraction is irrelevant when it comes to a single sexual encounter for the sake of managing your symptoms.” They sighed as they leaned back in their chair. They took the glasses off of their face and held the bridge of their nose in exasperation. “But you’re right. Even if you were to sleep with a beta, it wouldn’t produce the right endorphins and your symptoms would only worsen. That won’t be sufficient.” 

“Can't we change my suppressants instead? Or up the dosage on my current ones?”

They raised an eyebrow before putting their glasses back on their face and changing which section of your profile they were viewing. They turned the screen around so you could see the laundry list of medications and shots you'd taken over the years to try and manage your heats. Each one with a corresponding note about how long it had lasted and why you had been taken off of it; tolerances, unforeseen side effects, ineffectiveness, the list went on.

“We're running out of alternative options for you to try.”

You looked uncomfortable as you fidgeted in your seat, clearly still rubbing yourself against the hard plastic more noticeably than earlier. “Isn’t there anything we can do?”

Your scent had spread through the entire office, clinging onto every surface and waving the promise of a warm, wet hole at any alpha who would happen to catch your fancy (or any whose fancy you caught by mistake). Their fingers were practically twitching as the instincts in the back of their head growled to claim the omega seated in front of them; rip your clothing to shreds and leave you spread on the floor with their cum dripping out of your bite-ridden body. Their suppressants prevented them from entering rut, but that did not make them sexless. They could still appreciate the aroma of an omega flaunting their heat.

“There is one other method we could try,” they said, trying to hide the thin smile creeping across their face.”It was used some time ago and has fallen out of favor since the introduction of suppressants and medication, but it may be the best option for you.”

Your eyes lit up and Harper had to swallow the drool pooling in their throat.

“Some time ago, doctors used to personally see to omega in heat and help them find relief.” That was to say, an omega in heat would strip down and spread their legs so they could be touched and fondled until their libido calmed down. “That method may work for you since everything else has failed.”

They didn't fail to notice the flicker in your eyes, though they couldn't identify what emotion it was you were experiencing. “Are you sure?”

“We can only try.” 

They stood from their seat and sauntered over to the box where gowns were kept, pulling one out and handing it to you. “Remove all of your clothing, change into this, then take a seat on the examination table. I need to grab something to help with your treatment then I'll return.”

Harper walked out of the room before you even stood from the chair. 

You stared at the gown in your hands. Cheap blue fabric that felt more like plastic than cloth and looked like a backwards robe. You removed your clothing, taking special care as you peeled the drenched fabric of your underwear away from your hole. You placed your clothing on the chair where you’d been sitting, placing the damp underwear on top before slipping your arms through the holes of the gown and struggling to tie the strings in the back before giving up after the first one.

With your new dressings, you finally took a seat on the examination table. A mild chill ran up your spine as your skin made contact with the cold surface, but you slowly eased into the spot.

Then, you waited.

By the time Harper came back into the office, you had started to worry that they’d given up on you and were trying to think of ways to tell you that your case was hopeless. Instead, they came in with a small bag in their hands that they sat on the floor beside the examination table before rolling their seat over to you.

They didn’t sit just yet. Instead, they bent down to reach into the bag before handing you some kind of handkerchief. “This has been doused in alpha pheromone. You may find it alieving during your treatment.”

You took the cloth from their hand, staring at it before looking back to them. “What do I do with it?”

“Generally, omega used to find comfort in huffing it, but I don’t think it matters what you choose to do with it.” They finally took a seat and settled at the foot of the table. As they gave their next directions, they began to slip on a set of purple gloves. “Lie back, bend your knees, and spread your legs.”

Your face felt hot at their request. “Really?”

They looked up at you impassively. “It’s part of the treatment.”

So, you did as they said. You lied back, bent your knees, and spread your legs wide enough that you could feel the cool air of the conditioner blow across your exposed hole. You also knew that Harper was looking at you, staring at how much slick was leaking out without having been touched, all because of your heat. You couldn’t see them, but you knew they were there.

The handkerchief still in your hand made you curious. They said it was used by omega for relief, but you couldn’t imagine how. Tentatively, you brought it under your nose and gave a small sniff. Immediately, something inside of you, something you didn't even know was there, snapped.

Harper couldn’t see your face any more easily than you could see theirs, but they knew by the sound of your sniffing that you had finally used the cloth. They could also tell what kind of effect it was having on your body by the way your hole began to gush in front of them.

Such a good little omega. You made them glad that they'd taken the time to cum on that handkerchief before handing it to you. Now they could enjoy the fact that you were inhaling their scent like a drug while they were stuck satisfying your heat without any relief for themselves.

How had you managed to make their office smell even more like you than it already had? Now it smelled of you and sex. Not the act of sex, but the desire for it.

They dragged a single gloved finger through the slick dripping down your thighs. The small surprised jolt you made before settling down again caught them off guard, but they weren't deterred from moving their fingers to press against your hole. You were already so wet that they faced little resistance as they pushed them in to the first knuckle.

“Alpha?” You cried out, voice muffled by the handkerchief that you had pressed tightly against your face.

“Stay calm. I'm only doing the preparations.” 

Those words weren't for you. Harper had to remind themselves that you were their patient in this moment. Even though you were a dumb omega that had flaunted your heat and inviting hole directly in front of them, it was their job to cure you. Although, the thought of leaving you to suffer through it until you went mad was equally appealing. Maybe you'd go hysterical and they could commit you to their waiting embrace. It was something to consider.

For now, however, they were left salivating at the sight of your body swallowing up the second finger they slipped beside the first. Such a good omega, accepting them so easily.

They pretended to ignore the small whimpers you made as they pulled their fingers out so they could reach down into the bag on the floor. Instead, they tried to focus on what kinds of sounds you'd make once you realized what kind of treatment you were really getting.

You were still huffing the cloth that smelled strongly of alpha when Harper began to pull their fingers away. Your body chased after them, lifting and rolling back to try and plunge them back inside. Unfortunately, you weren't lying at the right angle to succeed, so all you could do was continue to lie there and indulge in the scent of alpha flooding your head.

Your poor hole felt lonely and neglected in the time before Harper returned. This time, however, it wasn't their fingers pushing into you. It was something much thicker, smoother, colder than their fingers, and it was prying your hole open one inch at a time until it couldn't go any deeper. Then, they began to pull it out halfway before pushing it in again. The pace was slow and rhythmic as the object slid in and out of your hole, guided by Harper's steady hand.

And what a greedy hole you had. It opened up and accepted the phallus so easily. Harper barely needed to coax your body more than the basic prep required. Clearly, you had been suffering during your heat if you needed to be fucked so badly that you accepted the first dick offered to you. Given enough time, maybe you could be convinced to finally allow yourself to be touched and fondled by any alpha that liked your sweet smell and then share all the vivid details of your entanglements at your appointments.

They couldn't help but notice the quiet grunts and groans you made as they fucked you with the toy in their hand, nor could they ignore how you were starting to hump against it.

“Alpha… alpha…” You muttered from behind the cloth soaked in their scent.

“That's right. Just think of me as your alpha,” they said, trying to ignore how turned on they were by the thought of you calling out for them.

They wanted to see your face, to see what pleasure looked like when you were in its midst. They wanted to yank the toy they were using out of you and replace it with their own dick. They wanted to be enveloped by your warm walls and greedy hole until your cry for an alpha was replaced with their name and your body couldn't calm down without them. They wanted to cum so deep inside of you, empty so much that it would distend your belly and show them what you'd look like once their seed managed to catch and you grew a child inside. They wanted to grab you by the neck and bite down until their mark was impeded into your very DNA.

But they shook those thoughts off, chalking them up to instinct rather than rational thought.

Their only involvement in this treatment was to endure the sweet scent of your desperate hole while ensuring you came for– because of them.

“More! Alpha! Fuck me more!” You screamed as they watched your hole clench down around the toy.

A stray thought slipped out subconsciously before they could contain it. “Are you about to cum? What a good little omega.”

The screech that came out of your mouth as they slammed the dildo to the base inside of you was like its own siren song; arousal and satisfaction made into its own sound as you came so violently around the toy that you managed to squeeze it out and let it fall to the floor despite how deeply they'd lodged it.

Again, Harper had to push the effectiveness of their own suppressants to their limits, pushing aside the way they were starting to strain against their stacks. It wouldn't be right of them to lap up the arousal still dripping from your recently abused hole and caked across your inner thighs.

They let you lie there in silence for a few moments longer to catch your breath and so they could calm themselves down. It felt like hours passed in the small office, staring between your legs and drowning in a scent so powerful that it pushed all their rationality aside.

“How do you feel?” Harper finally asked once they were no longer comfortable with the silence.

You sat up slowly. “Better.”

They removed their gloves. “And your heat?”

You paused, seeming to take account of yourself before answering. “I feel like it's calmed down.”

“Then I believe we can say the treatment was a success.” They rolled back in their chair to the computer, wiggling the mouse and typing something into your file. “Unfortunately, this form of treatment is only temporary. I would like to see you again next week to continue it.”

My omega.

“Really?”

“It's best for your health, since suppressants don't work to control your heat. As I said, this method is much older, but it appears to be effective at the moment.”

You seemed to turn their recommendation over in your head a few times before nodding in agreement. “I understand.”

“If we find an alternative method that proves to be more efficient, we can switch to that later.”

Not that they would be looking for one.

“Whatever you think is best, since suppressants aren't working.”

Although, maybe they would if you bothered to take them in the first place.

[five-thousand-loaves-of-bread]

tw ABA and abuse and examples of abuse through ABA (sort of detail describe)

.

i forget people don't know same thing i do. so if you only know ABA as "suppress stimming force mask force eye contact reward-punishment" (which, historically has been like that and even currently many place like that) (abbreviate below as "abusive ABA" "abusive methods/practices" "bad"), then of course you disagree when i say "ABA can be abusive but some survivors say it help reduce self harm stim and help learn ADLs" because would think i support they teach through abuse. which i very much don't.

(it relevant when i say "i have theory of mind trouble so i forget people don't know same thing i know" because i know people who try reform ABA to be trauma informed (whether it can truly be reformed because of its fundamental history, another topic), who call out abusive pratices. but i forget there are people who don't know these people exist. so whatever i say of course don't make sense to them.)

what i mean?

let look at self-injurious stimming during meltdowns. (stimming neutral but self injurious harm self)

one ABA therapist purposely trigger meltdown to "shape behavior." ❌bad. abusive. why you want purpose cause distress to manipulate behavior?

one ABA therapist think all stim bad, even ones who don't harm self. for example hand flap and pace when really upset need regulate and not disturbing anyone. instead want replace by "quiet hands" and sit still at desk.❌bad. abusive. they obviously not causing harm, they self-regulating. it working for them. this therapist don't actually care about distress, only care about mask emotion and behave "appropriately in normal way."

one ABA therapist respond with ignore because believe "if i acknowledge then i give them attention and will make them want do behavior more will act as reinforcement." ❌bad. abusive. ignore people geuinely distress will not make issue go away. will only maybe teach them "it not okay to feel emotion" so hide so mask. and "if i upset then no one will help no one care."

one ABA therapist think. okay to be upset but hurt self can be dangerous (ok we on right track...). so i am going to prevent them from self injury. but give nothing in replacement. just make them stop. ❌still no! mind may be on right path but still no!! even though self injury harm self, it act as coping skill and help regulate. they do it for reason. cannot just take away coping tool (even if very harm self) and not replace with something less harmful!!! you just leave empty void. not helping!! may cause escalate.

one ABA therapist also think it okay to be upset. it okay to show upset. but hurt self dangerous. then they think more. why is doing this behavior? why self-injurious? why cause? can we remove cause altogether? have we ignored previous protest & try to get out? can we teach communicate so can tell others upset before it get to meldtwon? can we teach them to take break before it get bad? then they think. what is less harmful behavior we can slowly teach to replace, a better coping skill? and they listen to person's body language and behavior to make sure not force. ✅ many ways to go wrong, but if careful and self reflect frequently. can be helpful. need to center the person at all time. need remember behavior often don't happen alone. get rid of behavior don't get rid of problems.

let look at what is typically called "avoid task."

one ABA therapist think. they're doing it because previously they tantrum and have gotten out of task, so they do it again (and think it their fault instead of parent or therapist fault who teach that). they do it to make my life hard. they do it because they brat. so they punish. they take away things they like and maybe even need (like comfort object, food, snack, AAC, etc). maybe even tie them down, restraint in chair, cannot physically leave. ❌no! very abusive!!

one ABA therapist think. oh need reward them for stay on task. give sticker chart.❌still no! still abusive! even though "reward" with "preferred item," still only look at behavior and not why they may not want do task. still teach must behave good to earn happy and love and affection and have needs met. this is still compliance. and then one day person had enough and meltdown, suddenly everyone will say "where did that come from!! came from nowhere!! must be problem child" but ignore every previous way to communicate no.

one ABA therapist think. is this task appropriate? is it because too hard can't understand? is it because more fundamental need not met like hungry? is it because have not moved enough, jump run etc? maybe they just have bad day? if it task that truly don't serve purpose, then no need to even tell them do it in first place. but if task that can't be avoided (because in life can't avoid everything), then are there other ways to respect them want take break while make sure task get done? are there alternative activities that we can give them while they take break until they ready to come back? (a good video about alternative) ✅this is respecting autonomy and respect feeling and emotion of person. this is about help not comply. (another video)

people who practice the good example and bad example all call it ABA. and while the good example we start to see more and more happen, unfortunately so many places still practice bad example (especially if like rural and low income and behind on research update). or they claim to be good but still have not fully unlearned bad example, or they claim to be good but still do bad because they use "neurodiversity affirming" as buzzword. it all very nuanced. but all exist.

found this person explain helpful. of course have not watched every single video of hers so not sure if agree with all but say many good things

[tossawary]

Some quotes and thoughts on the potentially fatal injuries of background characters due to Sha Hualing's invasion of Qiong Ding Peak. The text does not explicitly mention anyone dying except (I think) Elder Sky Hammer, every other character is just "injured" or "captured", but I think Shen Yuan just didn't get to see the full damage while he was focused on the plot and keeping relative control of the dangerous situation.

"Before the elegant, magnificent Qiong Ding Hall stood more than a hundred unknown individuals, roiling with demonic qi. The leader of this invasion was in fact a young girl who appeared to be more more than fifteen or sixteen.

Shen Qingqiu's heart thumped with excitement. She's appeared! She's finally appeared!"

Volume 1, Chapter 2, page 101.

Sha Hualing really showed up to Cang Qiong Mountain Sect with 100+ lackeys in tow! When Shen Qingqiu immediately counters "Disciple A" and "Disciple B" after leaving the Ling Xi caves, one of them says that the demons have "injured many of our sect siblings", but they don't mention anyone being killed. This bit a little later in this sequence on also seems to imply that somehow no one on Cang Qiong Mountain Sect has died yet:

"Parting her red lips, Sha Hualing elegantly suggested a method that seemed fair and just: "Why don't we each choose three representatives ad hold three matches?"

This suggestion was solid. For many years, the Human and Demon Realms had maintained an uneasy balance and had yet to drop the pretense of peace. Eliminating Sha Hualing and her mob wouldn't be impossible, but it would likely light a fuse. The demons definitely wouldn't let her death go unanswered, and it wouldn't be worth it if they stirred up an even greater conflict. On the other hand, simply letting them go would also generate trouble. They couldn't allow outsiders to come and go as they pleased from Qiong Ding Peak. By setting conditions and holding some matches, each teaching the other party a lesson or two, both parties could back down and save face. It would be the best way to handle this."

Volume 1, Chapter 2, pages 104-105.

There's a "no one has died yet, so maybe we can laugh this off still" vibe. This seems a little incredible to me! Perhaps the protocol in the face of an overwhelming force is to turn away and sound the alarm, because the bells are ringing loudly when Shen Qingqiu exits the cave. (Though a strange barrier set up is apparently preventing Qiong Ding from receiving support from other peaks.)

After the three matches, after Shen Qingqiu has been poisoned and Liu Qingge has shown up, the demons' retreat is described like this:

"Sha Hualing led her troops and fled while summoning a bolt of red gauze over her head, which she threw upward. Unfortunately, it simply couldn't block the fierce rain of sword glares. The red gauze was quickly pierced full of holes. On top of that, Cang Qiong Mountain Sect's disciples were hemming the demons in, so mot of the horde suffered great injuries or were captured. Only the small heart of the group that had kept near Sha Hualing managed to escape down the mountain, thoroughly battered and humiliated."

Volume 1, Chapter 2, page 131.

So, it sounds like a lot of the demons were killed as they fled. Some of those "great injuries" might have been fatal and I doubt that Cang Qiong intends to return "captured" demons to the Demon Realm. Sha Hualing is the only one they can't really kill, because she's important enough that her elimination could spark greater conflict.

My instinct is to think: "Oh, some Cang Qiong disciples definitely died here." If Elder Sky Hammer (with his poisoned weapon and poisoned armor) alone is any indication, these demons are here to kill people, and some cultivators may have been more than "injured" when demons showed up at the gates. There's a hundred of them! Here to cause chaos! Trying to be stealthy! (Just look at what happened at the Immortal Alliance Conference!) They probably got the drop on someone. Although I do hope that Qiong Ding has some security precautions that would allow most disciples in the demons' path to take shelter rather than engage.

Also, unless they can run from the Demon Realm to the Human Realm in a single day, or without stopping across several days (which is very possible in this world), these demons may have stopped somewhere to raid a human settlement for supplies or for fun. And I bet Sha Hualing and the remainder of her little army also caused damage on the way back to the Demon Realm, unless Cang Qiong cultivators chased them the whole way, and I hope that they did for the sake of any random people in Sha Hualing's path.

This incursion was likely far uglier than this fragment of the incident that Shen Yuan gets to see before he passes out due to the Without a Cure poison. Though I don't believe that anyone in the following chapter mentions any deaths on Cang Qiong's side, I feel like... a hundred demons invading (one of whom is wielding all of that poison) would have gotten someone on the way in.

[gloriousrunwayninja]

sleep paralysis

What is sleep paralysis?

While falling asleep or waking up, your brain sends signals that relax muscles in your arms and legs. The result — muscle atonia — helps you remain still during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. With sleep paralysis, you regain awareness but can’t move.

What does sleep paralysis feel like?

During a sleep paralysis episode, you're aware of your surroundings but cannot move or speak. But you can still move your eyes and breathe. Many people hear or see things that aren’t there (hallucinations), making episodes even more frightening.

How long do sleep paralysis episodes last?

They last anywhere between a few seconds and a few minutes

how to induce sleep paralysis

Sleep paralysis occurs just as we're transitioning to REM. It can occur at any time, but the chance of having it whilst in REM is MUCH MUCH higher than at any regular moment.

There are quite a few methods that can be used to induce SP

(Disclaimer: none of them are mine. I've listed the creators that I do know, but I'm not sure about the origins of the other methods).

First Method

(Involves waking up in REM sleep)

1. Lay down for an afternoon or night sleep

(method works better in the afternoon because we're mostly in non-REM sleep during the night [makes us harder to wake up], but whatever is most comfortable for you)

2. Set an intention or an alarm to wake up roughly 85-90 minutes after you sleep

(REM occurs between this timeframe).

3. After you've woken up, try not to move much. Stay still, keep your eyes closed, and try to remember why you woke up (as you might forget) before you make any necessary adjustments or movements to your position.

SP occurs in any position, but if you feel it necessary and want to ensure you don't fall asleep, move into a position you don't usually sleep in (can be any).

However, like I said, it's not necessary.

If you're worried about falling back asleep, a simple intention to not fall asleep during the method works just as great!

4. Then, just stay still while trying to occupy your mind someway (maybe affirmations for a good SP experience, counting, visualizing whatever you want, etc.).

This is so you don't doze off or get impatient during the attempt.

5. Since you'll be transitioning into REM, your body should very quickly enter SP (especially if you didn't move a lot; your body will be relaxed so an easier transition to SP) so as to prevent bodily harm that could come your way if you were to act out your dreams.

All you have to do is stay patient and resist urges to move.

Some parts of your body might move on their own. These are involuntary muscle movements and are normal during sleep.

Don't feel it's ruined or messed up if your body moves on it's own. But if you give in to urges, then it'll be harder to reattempt to enter SP as your body will now fully wake.

5.5. The more relaxed you are, the faster you'll enter SP, so make sure you're not tense.

You can also trick your body into thinking you're asleep by changing to shallow breaths (as happens in SP).

Again, depending on how relaxed you are, you can enter SP in a few minutes or something close to 30 minutes. So try to relax your body.

6. You might get a roll-over signal that'll trigger sleep paralysis. Your job: don't roll over/switch positions/listen to what your brain wants

If your mind doesn't think the body is asleep yet, this is the last test it'll send to the body. Essentially what happens is your brain will tell you to move someway. You might be very uncomfortable, so you'll really want to move. Just know this is a TRICK! Tell yourself this is the last part of the process to motivate yourself and resist the urge. Instead occupy your mind with something else. Think of how great it'd be to finally shift and live your fantasies. It could all be yours if you persist against the urge a little longer. So do so, and you'll enter SP from there.

7. Eventually your body kind of "shuts down." You'll know when this happens. You'll be in SP when this happens.

Second method (credit to Explore Lucid Dreaming for this method)

(Involves messing up your sleep schedule.)

1. Wake up an hour or two earlier than you usually do.

2. Sleep during the afternoon for an hour.

3. Stay active during the day

(this is to tire your body)

4. When it's night, set an alarm for 4-6 hours. Sleep and wake up.

5. Stay wake for 30 minutes.

6. Go back to bed, on your back with your limbs apart

(higher chances of inducing SP on your back)

7. Stay still for some time. Involuntary movements are okay, but if you move on your own, then you might mess up the attempt.

It's also important to very relaxed so you can trick your body into thinking you're sleeping.

8. You might get the roll-over signal soon. Ignore this. You'll enter SP soon after.

You might start seeing hypnogogic imagery (colors and swirls behind your eyes). This is normal. Just focus on your breath and don't interact with the imagery.

This method might be a little confusing but there's a reason why it works:

When our sleep cycles are messed up, our mind has no clue when we're sleeping and when we're awake. It's essentially going to be extremely confused about when to execute SP since we're sleeping in different times than usual. This often leads to more SP instances, for a lot of people, unintentional SP, because the mind is not coordinated well with the body. It's hard to explain but it's kind of the gist of it.

Third Method

(Involves deep relaxation and mimicking REM sleep)

1. Set an intention to enter SP

(Intentions are powerful and your reality will work towards helping you reach your goal)

2. Lay down on your back...

(...or side, but back is better for inducing SP).

3. Take very deep breaths. Fill all of your lungs and then exhale deeply.

4. Tense your muscles for 10 seconds, then let them go limp. Repeat this step for as many cycles necessary for you to feel a little tired.

(If you're awake and ready to take on the world, your mind will definitely know you're not sleeping lol. This is also to reduce tension in your body so you can relax easily as you would in sleep, thus makes tricking your brain easier.)

5. After you're tired and relaxed, you want to stay completely still.

6. Move your eyes up, down, left right, in all directions to mimic rapid eye movement.

(Of course, don't be very aggressive with it. It'll tire you that way. Just be gentle with yourself.)

7. After doing this for some time, your body will think you're in REM. And what's the brain's natural response to an immobile body and rapid eye movement? SLEEP PARALYSIS~

8. Again the roll-over signal will appear, so just ignore it and boom, SP!

So these are three of the general methods for SP. These three methods work very well for a lot of people and there are other methods, but they're more unique to their creators.

Just remember, the main key to inducing SP is REM! (I say this especially if you're a beginner)

𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐏

How to know you're in SP

1. Paralyzed (can't move at all)

2. Strong feeling of heaviness/lightness

3. Feeling like you're sinking in your mattress

4. Feeling like you can't breathe (just calm down and remember it's because of the way your diaphragm's limited during SP)

5. Feeling something on your chest

6. Hearing stuff

7. Hallucinating (visual and audio)

8. Static noise

𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐑

How to deal with fear

Fear will be natural in a situation where it's a new experience and moreover, you can't move. However, know that anything you see during SP is all the creation of your mind. You can control what you get to see during SP.

If you manage to see or hear something bad, try to think of something really funny. Or make fun of your demons. Humor is a great coping mechanism for fear from what I've experienced. Make fun of the figures. Imagine them with silly clothing and make up (which you'll begin to see as you continue to hallucinate). Have an insult battle with them. Seriously, anything that'll take the fear away and will make you happy.

If that doesn't work and you continue seeing a scary figure, imagine someone you consider a protector fighting them off.

Since you're hallucinating, it'll happen before your eyes lol.

(Or you could simply tell them to leave you alone and they will since your mind is listening to you very closely during SP.)

𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆/𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐏

Shifting/manifesting with SP

There's SO MANY ways to use SP for shifting and manifesting. Some people manage to get into this state often but they don't utilize it to it's highest powers, so I'll be teaching you some life hacks that you can obtain with JUST ONE SP experience.

For a quick way to shift:

1. Affirm that you're in your dr that instant

"I am in my [insert reality name] reality right now"

(The "right now" will make it instantaneous, tho it would've been so anyways)

'Jailbreaking' your CR with just one SP experience:

1. When in SP, affirm

"I am in the God-state permanently"

[Mind state: where you're aware in your waking reality that you're the creator of your reality. This leads to instant manifestations]

or

"I enter the void state whenever I intend to"

[Mind state: when you're pure consciousness in the void with no identity, and can then assume whatever identity (desired self with desired manifestation) you want and achieve it in an instant]

or

"I have the LIFA app in my CR"

[App that'll instantly manifest what you want for you]

or

"I achieve instant desired subliminal results"

[Desired subliminal results will come to you in an instant, even if you have doubts, blockages, etc.]

or

"I manifest my desires instantly"

[Just a simple intention will manifest what you want instantly]

so on and so on.

2. After you've affirmed, you'll exit out of SP and into a reality where you have whatever affirmation you said to yourself.

From there on, you can manifest whatever you want in your CR, go to your DRs instantly, and just be limitless! All it needs is just one SP period which you can definitely achieve!

cr to ❣𝐌𝐄𝐈❣on amino

love, jade

[sparkyscout]

PMMM AND REVUE STARLIGHT FAN SPOTTED UH . revue starlight pmmm au is rotating in my brain and I must ask what other people’s thoughts on the idea are so if I can, what do you think ?

Hi, first off thanks for the ask, I had a lot of fun with it! (It's also very long I had a lot of thoughts on this)

Keep in mind that my memory of pmmm is very sketchy so if something doesn't make sense that's why lol

I wasn't quite sure which way to interpret rs/pmmm au so I eventually decided on exploring what would happen if a RS character was placed in a pmmm character's shoes, backstory and all. For each of the five main pmmm characters I was going to choose two RS characters. One of which, if placed in pmmm, would not end up causing major changes to the story, and the other just for fun lol. Unfortunately, just Homura's got much longer than expected, so I only ended up doing her.

If you want to hear any more about the other castings or if I completely misinterpreted your ask pls lmk!! There are so many thoughts about rs/pmmm in here but I am so bad at getting them into words lol.

Casting: Homura Choices: Nana, Hikari The first candidates that come to mind for this role are Nana and Hikari, due to Nana's literal time looping and Hikari's I Will Perform Starlight Alone Forever stunt. At first glance, despite the lack time looping, Hikari seems to carry the most similarities to Homura. However, most of the similarities would not remain in pmmm, instead, it is Nana who would follow Homura's storyline.

If my goal was to create a story similar to pmmm canon as possible, I would choose Nana for Homura's role, as I believe that while they have different methods of achieving their goal within the loops, they would end up with similar outcomes (outcome being becoming the Devil).

Homura's goal is to save Madoka and prevent her becoming her from becoming a magical girl. Unfortunately, the only time Madoka ends up not dead or a magical girl is when she straight up ascends. Homura's inability to destory the magical girl system (kyubey....), means that she is unable to save Madoka. Nana too, when placed in Homura's situation, of trying to save loved ones from death and soul stealing in the loops, would try and fail. (Note: I am assuming that Nana also time stop/loop powers due to the similarities between early Homura and Nana, will explain more later down.)

Why? Because their storylines and characteristics have them working and winning within the system. To give some examples, this trait is why Maya and Claudine would never have won against Nana in her loops. All three excel within the system, but Nana is simply better with the system/stage then they are, and can consistently beat them. In contrast, it is Karen's nature to break the system, gate crashing the revues on Day 1, and she is the one who is able to put an end to Nana's loops. Nana is never going able to beat the system. Both she and Homura are able to manipulate more finely than most others, but neither were able to truly break it even if they tried (and Homura really tried). In the pmmm world, their story would be a tragedy because of who they are. Therefore, if looping were a constant failure instead of a constant success for Nana, we would eventually get a Devil Nana. (system vs system break characters still not making sense? sorry. good luck. words says this is it rip)

Now why would Nana get the same powers as Homura? Well, the granted powers seem to correlate to both the wish and who the girl is. Given that Nana literally also wishes to go back when faced with losing her friends (albeit in a less permanent way), I think it is safe to assume the wish would be the same. For characteristics, both Homura and Nana were lonely, unhappy kids. Upon getting a taste of friendship & the type of happiness that comes with it, they both latched on immediately, and would do anything to get it back/keep it. At their core, they are quite similar.

What they do primarily differ in is not their whys, but their hows. Homura acts as primarily as a lone wolf, relying on herself and her tools, and deals with the loneliness of the loops by keeping everyone but Madoka at arm's length. In contrast, Nana responds to loneliness by becoming as warm and friendly as possible in order to create more connections. Timelooping naturally causes emotional disconnect between those looping and those not. An yet, while Homura is forced to resort to becoming cold, Nana manages to consistently keep up the warm impression even while slowing losing some of her empathy (see scene where Nana barely pays attention to a classmate hitting their head bc of loops she knows they will be fine, not a great sign). That level of acting and emotional influence/manipulation? It's terrifying. No wonder she wiped the floor with everyone even in the original timeline. Homura faces major hurdles convincing the others to trust and believe in her. Nana would not. Or at least, not to the same degree.

Still, while their journeys would look different, their outcomes would likely be the same. Devil Nana anyone?

If Nana ended up being similar to Homura at their core and in likely canon trajectories while differing in methods, Hikari is the opposite. With Nana, enough of their backgrounds were similar that if placed in pmmm, she would not become a significantly different person. Hikari would.

While Hikari has many physical and behavioral similarities to Homura, they are at their core, fundamentally different people. Hikari and Homura share long straight black hair, names that start with H, the role of the mysterious transfer student, lone wolf tendencies, the desire to kidnap their loved ones, an aloof demeanor, a heavy promise, and having their soul stolen. However, many of these similarities are surface level or in their methods. They share the how, but RS Hikari and Homura have different whys and core struggles.

RS Hikari was not depicted as lonely child. She was quite outgoing, confident, had friends, and continued to have friends. Her promise, her why, was a shared long term goal. Homura and Nana's focus is on the past and present, while Hikari's lies in the future. When placed into pmmm, some aspects of Hikari would change, but not enough to be a copy of Homura, aka Hikari would definitely not be getting time travel powers.

Homura's heart disease would probably limit Hikari's ability to act, cutting her off from an activity that probably improved her confidence, social skills, and opportunities to make friends. To what extent is unclear, but given how Hikari was a lead in a play so young, it is likely she had a significant amount of confidence beforehand. Another change in circumstance would be the family support system or lack of. For Homura...yeah who knows but they're definitely not there. Hikari's is also a little unclear but we know they exist and played in active role in childhood at least. And someone had to be bankrolling all those prestigious schools she keeps switching between. My guess would be that PMMM Hikari would not be as shy as early Homura, more confident than Homura but less than RS Hikari, and maybe a little more cold than RS Hikari. She probably wasn't as desperate for friends as early Homura was. The conditions that made Hikari similar to Homura are no longer present, and so their non surface level similarities decrease when placed in similar conditions.

Homura made the wish that granted her time travel pre-Madoka promise. So if Hikari is different enough from Homura, both in wish and character, it is likely that she would not get time travel powers. Without the time travel powers, the promise would likely not be made. However, Hikari would likely still make a wish as the kyubey is a wiley fcking bastard. Assuming that her love for the stage remains, but PMMM lacks the physical means to explore it, her wish would likely be stage related. (If she was interested that young, discovery of her love for the stage is more a matter of time then accidental).

So magical girls Hikari and Madoka who trust the kyubey. Ah. Hm. On one hand Hikari gets to avoid time loop suffering and going insane. On the other hand, its pretty likely Hikari either dies or becomes a witch eventually so there's still suffering and insanity on the table. Oops. Sorry Hikari, this is not how I would thought you would end up.

Yeah this got much longer than I thought it would. If you've made it to the end congrats and thanks for reading!!

[vodka-bot]

Are passwords with words actually good? I ask because you mentioned being shown that xckd comic in security class

Short Answer:

Yes! Its easier to remember, and the chance of a hacker guessing your password is very low- especially if the words are unrelated (such as CorrectHorseBatteryStaple)

Long answer:

Yes, but there are lots of different ways passwords can be compromised.

A password with words- or a passphrase- is good because it adds many possibilities. For example, CorrectHorseBatteryStaple has 25 characters in total. A hacker has no idea WHAT those 25 characters are, making a brute force attack (a method where you try every POSSIBLE combination) will take fucking eons- and nobody has time for that. Using a passphrase also prevents modifications, ie. when you use 1337speak or add random capitalization (password -> p455w0rd -> Password!).

However, a password/passphrase is only as good as how many times its used. If you use CorrectHorseBatteryStaple for everything, from your Tumblr account to your bank, it makes it REALLY EASY to hack into your stuff. If you use the same email and password for a random forum that is the SAME email and password for your paypal, they could theoretically access your paypal. There's another great xckd comic on this:

So, its best to have a different password for everything. I recommend a password manager. I personally use BitWarden since its free, can connect between your phone and your computer, and it requires one master password to access everything! (Which is easier than remembering 25 different long ass passwords). I tend to randomly generate them then punch them in.

If you want to be more secure, I recommend 'peppering' your randomly generated passwords. I wont go to into what that means, but basically, a password 'pepper' is adding an extra little bit at the end. lets say you choose your pepper to be 'xkcd', your password would look like 'passwordxkcd'. That way, if something ever happens to your password manager, you STILL don't have to worry to much about your passwords!

What I do is save a password in Bitwarden (8zeCSdv7k$), then whenever it autofills, i add my pepper onto as my official password! (8zeCSdv7k$xkcd). Therefore, the only things i have to remember are:

A) a master password, where I recommend using a passphrase, and

B) a random 'pepper' word to add onto the end of your passwords

And boom! That's IT security 101 with a dude who has taken one class.

TLDR: Passphrases are good and great for memorizing, but try not to reuse them! Use a password manager and keep your info safe!

[bestfriend491]

Maybe, maybe not, I wouldn't be able to tell you

Okoye x Female Reader,

Summary: You have no sense of smell and you tend to forget to tell people. 4 times where you not being able to smell is brought up in the most ridiculous ways with Okoye there to witness it all.

Fluff

Warnings: 6.7k+ words, Slight injury, Depictions on violence, Timeline: Pre-Black Panther 1, Language.

1.

Okoye looked at you from a distance, seeing you at the other side of the training facilities, having an end-of-training spar with one of the other Dora's. You enjoyed training casually whenever you could, having to be a fierce warrior so often sometimes draining you. Your witty banter and laughter surrounded the entire place.Whenever it wasn't necessary to stand guard you became a complete child, laughing and smiling with your fellow sister's.

Your energy around being a Dora Milaje was one of the best that many Wakandan's had ever seen. You carried yourself with strength and power, and also just enough charm and charisma to still be classified as approachable.

Okoye admired that about you. How approachable you were. It wasn't something she aspired to be, enjoying the fear that she invoked on others when she walked by. But, she still enjoyed observing the way that you handled and interpreted being a Dora.

For centuries, your ancestors had used the same methods for both combat and normal guarding. Not much more was needed at the time. Just precision, and grace. But over more recent years, sometimes it was a soft persona that was needed, making it easy to get people to trust you and also making it easy to make people underestimate you so you could strike without automatic defence.

You, never fully being one for constant tradition, unlike Okoye, thrived in this realm. Finding it easy to assess and apply both the old and the new techniques that you knew to the job.

Okoye always looked for your input on somethings, knowing that you could give a more objective overall opinion.

You and her were as close as you'd expect, being a part of the same group of warriors, but you weren't as close as perhaps Okoye and Ayo.

You were friendly, and you enjoyed each other's company, but there wasn't much after that.

Truth be told, Okoye had a growing crush on you, something that she had been trying to get rid of for years now, since before you were even officially Dora's.

The two of you met on the first day of training, and you made the best first impression on her. Since then, she'd been looking at you from afar, wondering what it would be like if you were closer.

"Okoye, just ask her. What's the worst that could happen?" Came Ayo's voice suddenly, making Okoye jolt from the shock. She put her hand on her chest, feeling her heart rate increase.

"Don't creep up on me like that." She aimed a weak push towards the other woman, allowing herself to miss on purpose as the other woman watched her put up more walls than before, trying to prevent herself from being exposed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. But don't ignore my previous statement. You need to finally ask her, you've been like this for years, and you don't want to miss your opportunity. "

She nodded, understanding that Ayo was right, she needed to put her fears aside and go for it.

"What would we even do on a date?" She asked her friend, not sure where she would even take you.

"Anything. It's Y/n for Bast's sake. She is not very picky." Ayo responded, placing a hand on Okoye's shoulder to reassure her.

Okoye still wasn't too sure, never having seen you take any interest in her. She packed her things as slowly as possible, wanting to be alone with you when she took such a big risk.

When everyone else had left and it was just the two of you, she approached you, seeing you put on a concerning amount of deodorant, as well as some extra body spray to top it all off.

She'd seen you do this numerous times and she wasn't sure what to make of this, assuming that maybe you just really liked being clean and fresh. Thinking back, she had never remembered even one session of training where you hadn't done this same procedure afterwards.

By the time that she got to you, you were still distracted packing up, singing a popular song from a new band in town to yourself as you took off your gear.

Okoye cleared her throat. Gaining your attention suddenly.

"Okoye! I didn't realise you were still there. Do you need my assistance with something?" You asked, looking at the woman who usually held herself high, looking, might you say, quite flustered.

All previous plans on how to ask you out were completely thrown out of her head when you spoke to her, and she was at a loss for words.

"Okoye, are you okay? Did you need something?" Asking her again as you stood up, bringing your hand up onto her shoulder, which only flustered her more.

Okoye accidently jerked at the sudden placement, causing you to remove her hand, fearing that you had made her uncomfortable.

Finally getting herself together she spoke. "I was wondering if you'd be interested in me taking you out." She finally said, shifting uncomfortably under your gaze.

You made a sound, one that asked a question.

What did she mean by taking you out?

Okoye realised that she was leaving a lot of room for interpretation, so she quickly corrected herself.

"Take you out on a date.!" smiling at you sheepishly she looked down.

You smiled back, appreciating her clarification.

While Okoye crossed her fingers, hoping that you'd at least reject her quickly so she could never think about this moment again, you just put your hand on her shoulder again, now giving her a squeeze of reassurance.

"Is dinner at my house tomorrow night okay with you? We could go on a walk later. " you offered.

Okoye finally made eye contact with you, shocked that you were open to the idea at all. She nodded, wanting to pinch herself but also being relieved that you were interested.

You let your hand drop from her shoulder to her hand, holding it in yours before going down to kiss it.

Okoye felt a rush of blood moving up to her face, and she was glad you had walked away so you wouldn't be able to see her smiling so widely.

She left the facilities, barely being able to wait for the next day.

The next day, Okoye woke up as early as she could, not being able to sleep through all of the excitement.

She only had a half day at the palace today, being it the weekend, so she went to the palace to do her duties before rushing out as soon as she was let go of the day's responsibilities.

She wanted to impress you, and thinking that you appreciated good scents, she got you a bouquet of flowers from the market that gave off the most enchanting smell.

"Special occasion?" Asked the woman that was helping her pick the flowers. She nodded, not wanting to give that many details away and not wanting to smile too widely at the thought of being around you.

She walked to your house, which was located just outside of the busy centre of Wakanda, something Okoye had heard you talk about loving frequently.

As she approached your home, she saw you outside in the distance, sitting on a chair at the front of it.

You were wearing a loosely fitted, soft two-piece with sandals. You weren't on duty today, so you must have been home most of the day resting.

As soon as you saw her, you smiled, stood up , and walked towards her, closing the distance between the two of you with a hug. Okoye, not used to the physical contact, remained rigid, having to remind herself to allow herself to relax with you. Even if just a little bit.

"I got you these." She handed you the flowers once you let go. You took them looking at them with grateful eyes.

"Thank you, they look amazing."

She was relieved once again, seeing that you liked them. "They smell even better." She let out a few nervous chuckles.

You put your nose to the flowers, before shrugging, and directing her inside.

Okoye grew nervous again. Had you not liked them? Was the scent not up to your standards? She wanted to ask you this but got distracted by the amazing smell of food coming from inside.

"This looks amazing." She looked at you, wondering how she didn't realise that you could cook too.

'What can't she do?' She asked herself, settling into your home easily. It was a nice place, spacious but still just like you in the sense that it was warm and welcoming.

"Thank you, thank you." you replied to her spoken statement, playfully bowing down in a fake arrogant manner, like you were receiving an award.

Okoye laughed at you, feeling herself melt in your presence, a more playful side of her coming out.

She clapped and cheered you on as you walked towards the food, still bowing.

"My mom taught me. But trust me, this took years of practice, sthandwa."

Okoye's eyes widened at the term of endearment used.

There you went again, making her feel things. She hated it. And loved it at the same time.

You smirked, winking at her while offering her a plate of the meal.

Okoye kept her composure for the rest of the night, enjoying telling you about herself, and enjoying learning more about you.

"You'd said that this took practice, meaning you've messed up at least once. Do you care to share a tale of one of your cooking fails?" She asked as you were halfway through your meal.

"There are so many, Okoye. How could I choose just one?" You laughed, thinking back to the amount of times that you nearly wrecked your mother's home while you were learning how to cook as a child.

"Tell me about the first time you cooked this specifically."

"Okay."

You took a while to get your story formed correctly from foggy memory.

"Well. I'd been watching her make this for years, and she had told me to try and make some on my own while she went to work. So I got to work. Cutting, chopping, cleaning, and seasoning all of the ingredients." You struggled to get through the story without cracking a massive smile.

"I needed to allow everything to slow cook for a while so I covered the pot that it was all in with a lid and went to sit down for a moment. But I was so tired from playing with my friends earlier in the day and I fell asleep for 6 hours. The only reason I woke up was because of my mother yelling at me." You changed your posture, Okoye seeing that your new posture was resembling what your mother must have looked like at that time.

"Y/N, vuka mntwanandini ungakhathaliyo! (Y/N, wake up you careless child!)" You imitated your mother's angry tone, making Okoye laugh, remembering her own mother reprimanding her in a similar way for similar reasons.

You continued, "Ukutya kuyatsha! Ukutya kuyatsha. (The food is burning! The food is burning!)"

Okoye laugh some more, enjoying your story. "You couldn't smell it burning when you slept?" She asked as she looked at you.

Going back to your normal voice, "No. I don't have a sense of smell, so I couldn't smell it. I ended up just running around apologising to her for nearly burning down her ho-"

"Wait, what?" Okoye stopped you in your tracks, thinking that she hadn't heard you correctly. You realised what you said and began to explain.

"Yes. I don't have a sense of smell. I've never had one." You smiled at her look of astonishment.

She put a hand on your shoulder now, her face going serious.

"You're joking, right?"

You shook your head at her.

"How did I not know about this?"

"I tend to forget to bring it up, it's a nuisance to explain to some people. I just can't smell anything. I don't even get nauseated from smells. I like to say that my nose is just there for decoration" You explained, laughing at your own joke.

Okoye was still confused, she looked at the flowers she had bought. "You smelled the flowers."

"I breathed their air in, yes, but I couldn't actually smell anything. I just do that out of instinct from seeing other people do it my whole life."

She started to put the pieces together now. You must've drenched yourself in all those products after training because you couldn't smell yourself and would never know if you had an unpleasant odour. She laughed at your smart way of thinking, this somehow just being another thing that she knew she was going to love about you.

She kissed you then and there.

2.

Okoye approached her home, covering her nose to protect it from a bad smell that was occupying the area around. It was almost nauseating and it seemed to only be around the area, not spread out elsewhere.

She opened her door, knowing that you had arrived hours earlier to help her set up for this important meeting, therefore not being surprised that you were inside.

"Sthandwa! You're back!" You said, approaching her and giving her a big hug and a loving kiss as she entered.

She gave into the kiss, allowing herself a few moments to enjoy your presence, before she got back to business.

The two of you had been together for 9 months now, and your family had decided that that was far too long for them to have not met her in person yet, so Okoye offered her place as a venue to host them for the evening.

You had worked the night shift so you left in the morning to get everything ready, while Okoye worked until the early afternoon, coming straight home to help you.

She was excited but nervous to meet your family, having heard a lot about them. Your parents seemed to be quite the characters, and there were a few cousins who she was eager to get approval from, knowing that you loved them and cared about what they thought.

The terrible aroma surrounding the place was killing her spirit though, because it seemed to be getting worse.

"Why does it smell so terrible?" She asked, more to herself as you wouldn't know what she was talking about.

You shrugged, going back to cleaning the kitchen area that you had made a complete mess while making food.

Okoye went to her room, changing out of her clothes and choosing to take a quick shower to hopefully make herself feel less stressed.

She came out in a gorgeous blue outfit that was still loyal to her warrior-like style, but much more casual than the Dora Milaje armour.

She came up to you hugging you from behind, soaking in your happy energy. You turned, giving her another kiss, when a sound came from the other side of Okoye's house.

Okoye looked at you, and you quickly turned around to avoid looking directly at her.

"Maaahhhh!" The noise from outside came again.

"Y/n. What was that noise?" She asked you, turning you around to see the guilty look on your face.

"Y/n, what did you do?"

"Nothing… too terrible." You tried to minimise the situation. She glared at you, moving to leave the house and see what you had done.

You tried to step in front of her

" Okay, fine. I did do something a bit unplanned. But before you see it, I'd just like to say that it was with good reason." She rolled her eyes, moving you gently to get out of the door and turn to walk to the other side of her house.

There she saw a small herd of goats grazing and walking around. She sighed, turning again to you for an explanation.

"I was in town, looking for everything that we needed for today, and Ma Zobula came up to me asking for help. Nobody was buying her goats and she really needed them to be taken out of her hands. I felt bad so I bought them all." You said, trying to defend the choices that you had made.

Okoye sighed, looking at you with disappointment written all over her face. Bringing her mouth up to cover her nose from the smell, she took your hand and moved you away from the goats.

"Y/n, I think there's a reason why nobody was buying those goats. They smell absolutely horrific.You know that Ma Zobula is not one to be trusted with animals. Plus what in Bast's name did you plan to do with all of them?" She asked some very valid questions.

You nodded your head in understanding, realising that you really didn't know what you were going to do with them.

You then started laughing at Okoye's previous statement. You'd completely forgotten to think about the possible smell that could have been on the goats. Okoye watched you make that revelation, choosing to laugh with you, now.

"Well, what can we do now? She's not going to give me my money back?" You said in between cackles, struggling to keep yourself up.

"I don't know, but they can not stay here. I'm trying to impress your family, not scare them away." You nodded, agreeing with Okoye's words.

You definitely could not have your family meet Okoye with the goats there if they smelled that bad. Your cousins would never let you hear the end of it.

Your brain racked, trying to think of anything. An hour passed, and you began to worry as you didn't have much time before your family arrived.

"You know what. I think I have a temporary solution." Okoye said remembering who else was off duty.

Okoye took off one of her beads, choosing to call her friend.

Soon, Ayo's body appeared holographically.

"Sister, do you need something?" She asked.

"I actually do. Would you mind doing me a favour? I need to drop a few things off at your house for the day, I'll explain everything later." She didn't go into detail but Ayo agreed and you and Okoye went to work travelling the goats to her home, being glad that it wasn't that far away.

You barely stayed long enough to explain, leaving a confused Ayo looking at you, astonished.

You and Okoye rushed back to her house, doing everything to get rid of the remaining smell while also ignoring Ayo's consistent calls.

You'd explain it later.

3.

"Are you really ready for this?"

You turned your head to Okoye, your girlfriend of 2 years now as she stopped once again, silently pleading for you to change your mind and ask to go back home.

"You say it like we're going to war, Okoye." You squeezed her hand once again in reassurance, sure that you were ready to finally meet her family.

"Calm down, Sthandwa sam. I'm doing this, and you are too. Please? For me?"

Taking a deep breath, she continued walking with you as you entered the Border Tribe Village, where you were going to be meeting her family for the first time.

Although there wasn't much resistance from you or any conflict in your relationship, there was still a one year time difference between when she met your family and when you met hers. She had changed the topic every time you brought it up for months until you finally put your foot down and said that you were definitely going to meet them.

She didn't hate her family by any means, but they were a lot to handle sometimes. She was a carbon copy of a lot of her family members and she was just scared that being around that much of the same energy would freak you out.

Your family was also very similar to you, but that included all of your good traits. Such as your charm and charisma.

Okoye wasn't too sure which traits she considered to be good and which bad but she knew that either way, her family had them and her mother was definitely a little bit more intimidating than yours was. Especially when it came to Okoye's partner's.

She'd told you this multiple times in hopes that this would scare you off but instead, you just ended up wanting to meet them even more, her mother more specifically, saying that multiple Okoye's would be an absolute experience. She felt the blood rushing through her face again and this is what convinced her to show up.

Now, she regretted not resisting your attempts to woo her, because you were steps away from her childhood home and everybody was probably going to be there, ready to comment about things that weren't necessary.

Reaching the doorway, you looked her way again, nodding to indicate that there was no backing down, before declaring your presence.

She entered first, taking your hand in a tight grip as she plastered a smile on her face.

"Molweni, molweni. Sifikile. (Hello, hello. We have arrived.)"

A woman who you immediately recognized as her mother came forward, as you greeted everyone. Eyeing you over, like she was inspecting you.

"So you are the famous Y/n? The one that has captured my daughter's heart?" She asked.

You nodded, clearing your throat before answering.

"I'm not too sure about being famous but yes, that is me. It is lovely to meet you, Ma." You waited anxiously as the woman approached you slowly, leaving absolutely no room between the two of you.

She raised her arm in a gesture that you assumed was to ask for a handshake. Still scared, you welcomed her strong grip as she seemed to soften a bit while still inspecting you.

You stood still as she did so, not wanting to move out of fear that she would assume that you were uninterested in getting to know her. The atmosphere was a bit awkward and the reckless part of you thought of a million and one bad jokes to say, you having to stop them from coming out of your mouth.

After what felt like decades, she let go and Okoye's father came to the front, a lot more easygoing, demanding a hug rather than a handshake, before everyone else came in with the same welcoming energy.

Okoye sighed in relief as you were taken out of her grasp by family members that were excited to meet you. The short introduction with her mother had even gone much better than she had expected, even though she wouldn't really call it an introduction.

She finally allowed herself to become at ease, being home for the first time in a long time. She took in all of the things that were different and some of the things that were still the same about everything around there.

She turned to look for you so that she could point you to all of the areas and places where all of her childhood stories had taken place, but was disappointed to see that you weren't in sight.

You'd been taken by one of her younger cousins who wanted to show you around. She was going to attempt to come with you but an aunt of hers that she hadn't seen since before leaving to become a Dora took her to sit for a chat.

The conversation she had with her was wonderful and she really did enjoy talking with the wiser, older woman but she was itching to be next to you, so she excused herself as soon as she could, going outside to find you.

There she saw you, playing with the children, entertaining them with exaggerated stories. She could tell by your hand gestures that it was a story about some mission you'd been on, and the kids were loving it.

A yell from inside called the kids to come and get snacks while the proper food was being prepared, causing the kids to rush away from you and towards the house.

You approached Okoye now, not having been next to her in almost 2 hours but as soon as you reached her, another child popped up out of nowhere directing you into the house. Okoye decided that since you were having fun, she was going to walk around the village. See what else was still the same.

She was glad to see that not too much was different, the same people still being in their respective homes. There were more Rhinos now, something she was happy to see as she had loved growing up with them around.

She went in search of her favourite rhino. Atem, the one that she had brought up from calf days.

She found him grazing away to himself, walking slowly around to her.

"You've grown." She spoke to him, although he wouldn't be able to respond.

Instead, he grunted at her, allowing her to touch him ever so slightly. She stroked his skin firmly but still gentle, telling him all of the feelings she had about today. She was comfortable doing that as there didn't seem to be anyone else around and a rhino wasn't going to tell her secrets to the world.

"I really love her, Atem. She's made me feel things I didn't even know were possible." He grunted again, like he understood what she was saying.

"The glow in her eyes in the morning when we wake up. The smiles that she throws me in passing when we are on duty. The way that she tells her stories with so much enthusiasm. She is just perfect."

Just as Okoye was about to continue, she heard footsteps behind her.

"Y/n unentliziyo yakho, ngokuqinisekileyo. (Y/n has your heart, for sure) "

Okoye turned to see her mother next to her now, standing down again as she didn't need to be strong with her mother there. She laid her head on her mother's shoulder, although the woman was shorter than her.

"Mhm," She sighed, "I think I'm going to ask for her hand in marriage soon. I know that 2 years seems rushed but I think that it's time." She finally revealed the words that she hadn't allowed to become real until now.

"You should. I can see the intense love in both of your eyes. She's definitely the most genuine person you've ever brought home."

The younger woman nodded, smiling at her mother's approval of her decision. Her mother held her for a while as they stared up into the evening sky. Then, her mother moved abruptly, silently instructing them to walk back to everyone else. She nudged Okoye.

"Plus, I like her. She's funny and she has a great sense of smell."

Okoye stopped at her mother's words, wondering what must have given her that impression.

"What makes you think that, Mama?" She asked.

"I caught her looking inside the pots while the children were occupied. I asked what she thought and she had some great opinions on my seasonings and flavour choices."

"Is that so!" Okoye let out a laugh, wondering why on this here land you had done that, knowing that you couldn't have sensed a thing. Her mother gave her a questioning look, asking her what all the fuss was about, but she shook her head, saying that it was nothing.

As she finally got time to be around you when you were sitting next to each other eating, she took the opportunity to ask.

"My mother said you have an amazing sense of smell. Do you care to explain how she came to that conclusion?" She teased you as you put your head down sheepishly. You could feel your heart racing.

" I got nervous. How was I going to explain smelling the food when I can't actually smell it? I didn't have the heart to tell her after I realised what had happened, sthandwa. I wanted her to like me." She laughed as you hid your face from her, feeling embarrassed that you'd somehow done that.

" No need to worry about that, my love. She definitely likes you. " She said, smiling at you, thinking about all of the amazing future events that the two of you would eventually go to as wives.

4.

The building that you were located in was one of New York's most exclusive museums, and the area that was being used for the particular event happening was not spared even the slightest of expenses. when it came to the decor and the design.

You stood in a black dress with a matching blazer and heels on, scoping out the vicinity for any potential threats. You saw Nailah on the opposite side of the room, and Aneka by the doors.

You were the only three Dora Milaje at that particular scene. Prince T'Challa and the others having to go elsewhere to deal with an active crisis. The mission you were on was only a mission of speculation, someone having tipped Shuri off about an attack possibly happening at this event from an unknown threat who was trying to steal a weapon of mass destruction. One that was confirmed to be made of vibranium only weeks ago.

You always wondered why some places were so adamant on displaying such dangerous weapons, showing them to the general public, giving them such easy access, but you enjoyed international missions so you weren't complaining.

Wakanda, still being reserved in their distribution of information about their richness in vibranium and general wealth to the rest of the world, needed to retrieve the weapon if someone truly was targeting it.

Okoye, being the General, was forced to go with the Prince on his mission, not being very amused by the fact that you wouldn't be near her. She had been communicating with you on your beads non stop for 10 minutes, trying to make sure that you were okay.

"Okoye, not now." You said to yourself as you ignored your beads signals repeatedly.

Aneka laughed through your ear piece, seeing your frustration from where she stood.

"Wife troubles?" She teased as you heard Nailah let out a single chuckle too.

"You don't know the half of it." You said, sighing. You loved Okoye, you really did. And you hated being apart from her too, but the continuous interrupting of your work was becoming ridiculous.

You sent her a quick message under a table nearby, telling her to stop. This somehow only made the situation worse because now your beads were lighting up aggressively and they weren't stopping.

You huffed in agitation.

"Excuse me, you two. I need to go to the restroom to answer this woman before she attempts to show up here to see me."

The other two women hummed an "ok" in response, allowing you to break your usual code as there wasn't much happening besides the floor becoming more and more crowded. You moved your way past a lot of people, reaching the bathroom just as someone was going to go in. You felt bad for taking up the entire area but nobody outside of Wakandan heritage was to see your beads capabilities as they would ask too many questions.

Tapping the communication bead on your wrist, Okoye showed up in front of you, the holograph showing that her face was very unhappy.

"Was that so hard?" She asked as your face eased seeing her.

"My love. I'm sorry for the long wait, but I'm busy."

"I know, but Shuri alerted me that there was still no active threat on the premises so answering me for a few minutes wasn't going to hinder your mission in any way."

"Fair enough." You let out a sigh. "Sthandwa, how is your mission going? Did everything go according to plan?" You asked, deciding that bickering was not something you had time for.

"Yes, my love. We're just heading onto the quinjet now. If your mission brings nothing in the next few hours, I'll see you at our hotel."

"I'll see you soon, they're really isn't much going on here. Maybe the warning was a pra-" just as you spoke, you heard 5 loud bangs, sudden screams and dangerously heavy footsteps swarming the floor you were on.

"What was that?" Your wife asked.

"I don't know, but my love I have to go."

" Y/n! Don't be reckl-'' You hung up before she could finish, knowing what she was going to tell you.

You rushed out, looking for Nailah and Aneka.

The moment that you entered the room you were previously in, you saw the absolute chaos that had erupted.

Clouds of smoke were covering the air of the place, people were trampling all over each other trying to get out, screaming and shouting while others were collapsing in the middle of the floor. There was shattered glass on the floor, and flames burning from lines of candles being dropped when tables fell.

You could barely see, so there was no way you'd be able to move quickly without hurting someone on the floor.

"What's going on?! What happened?" You asked the people connected to your earpiece.

Nailah's voice came first, sounding quite winded.

"They put some type of explosives on the corners of the place. People are collapsing from the chemical smell. I think they did something to alter the regular military mini bombs."

You listened to her as you looked at everyone fleeing. You were feeling just fine so far, so you hoped that the sensory tactic couldn't work on you.

You moved down to get a better view without the intense smoke that came with standing up. There were a lot of people on the floor, but most of them had fallen down close enough to the door for other people to help them outside.

"We need to get these people out of here."

You lifted up two bodies at once, taking them to have the exit before going back in to get another two.

While doing this, you were also looking for the threats that were looking for the artefact. After the first wave of dust and smoke subsided slightly, you saw 6 masked figures headed for the area where it was being held.

You dragged the last of the people out in your view. Looking for the other Dora's. It didn't take long for you to see, Aneka collapsed on the ground while Nailah clutched onto her shoulder, trying to help her. Most people were in similar condition, either severely injured or having a hard time not convulsing.

Just then, another round of explosions hit the same area, probably to warn off any people from coming in.

"I have to get back in there." You said, looking at Aneka and Nailah.

"Y/n you can't! Those chemicals are going to kill you. You also don't have a mask to protect yourself." Nailah protested, pointing to what the gas fumes had done to everybody else. You gave her direct eye contact, giving her your most sincere reassurance that you could.

"Just get back up here! I'll be fine!" You said knowing that even if the smoke and chemicals were killing you, you wouldn't be able to sense it until your body gave out. That meant that you'd be at full fighting capacity for at least 10 minutes.

Before allowing her to give you her final verdict, you ran back in, retrieving your spear from a pocket, expanding it as you approached the 6 figures.

The smoke was the only thing affecting you because you could barely see, but you strained your eyes to allow you to focus more, and you were able to navigate your way to them.

They were still trying to take the artefact out of the compartment it was in. One of them attempted to smash the glass but the specific glass used wasn't one that could shatter.

"You really thought a big museum like this wasn't going to have at least a slightly efficient security?" You said, getting all six of them to look your way.

Instantly, 3 of them came for you, while the others tried other methods to break the glass.

You swung your spear, using it to push the first person to the ground while you actively fought the other two. One of them tried to use more chemicals, you slipped behind them to flip them to the ground, electrocuting them with your spear.

The last person tried to yield seeing what you had done to the other 2, but you took advantage of their fear, knocking them unconscious from the front.

The 3 standing were now attempting to use a laser to cut through the glass, and it was working.

You didn't have much time, not feeling drained in any way but your beads beeping to indicate that your heart rate was dropping as well as your oxygen levels.

To the distant left, you also heard a whimper coming from under a table nearby, probably someone who was trampled.

'Shit', you thought to yourself, seeing that you'd need to make a decision between saving whoever that was and getting the weapon.

You somehow concluded that you could do both, running to attack the other three as quickly as possible so that you could help the person.

You fought hard, taking 2 more people out leaving just the ringleader. Just as you were going to attack, they looked forward at you, taking off their mask to show their evil grin, before they pressed a button attached to wires that were attached to their body.

As soon as it was pressed, you felt the impact of multiple explosions going off.

Outside, Nailah heard the explosions, much louder than any previous ones. She had used her Kimoyo Beads to summon backup. But it was taking forever and she wasn't sure you'd still be conscious now.

She could barely move, her shoulder busted from falling at the first explosion, right into a very sharp flag post, that pierced through the ends.

Aneka was slowly regaining consciousness, but time was running out for how long you could last.

Ambulances and police cars were beginning to arrive, people being assisted as best as they could with limited resources.

"Nailah! What happened!" The prince and other Dora approached, T'Challa asking the only conscious warrior.

Nailah explained the events, Okoye nearly collapsing after hearing that you ran back in.

"You let her go back?!" She questioned the woman, losing her composure.

"No, General. She disobeyed my direct orders to stay."

Just then, another explosion, followed by a figure approaching. It was you, holding a person.

Your head was bleeding from multiple places, and the rest of your body could barely stay up.

Okoye rushed to you as you put the person down, collapsing right next to them.

"Sthandwa sam, are you ever going to stop worrying me?" Okoye's voice was the first thing you heard when you regained consciousness.

"Y/N!" Okoye was the last person's voice that you heard.

You shifted, grunting and smiling at yourself, opening your eyes to see the woman sitting next to you, her head bowed down.

"Maybe, maybe not. I wouldn't be able to tell you that now." You croaked.

Okoye looked up, seeing you awake. She smiled now, laughing at your words now.

"Loving you is a mission sometimes, Y/n." She joked, you joined in on her laughter. Suddenly, her face then became more serious.

"I told you not to be reckless."

"I wasn't trying to be. I was just using the gift that Bast gave me. My useless nose saved me, you know." She shoved you, not appreciating the joke.

You nudged her, smiling at her, prompting her to ease, laughing once again.

"I guess it did. Now people think that you have super powers. I heard Nailah talking to the others on our trip back."

Only now did you realise that you were in the royal infirmary, back in Wakanda.

"I didn't have the heart to correct her." You chuckled through a yawn, realising that this had somehow become your thing.

Besides your family, Okoye was still the only person who knew about your non-existent sense of smell. You have grown more and more grateful for this.

It was fun having her be the only person knowing. It brought adventures much like this one to your relationship, and more importantly; it brought a lot of jokes.

Author's Note: Day One, Number 2. I hope you enjoyed.

[costumesexpalined]

Important concepts for ALL garment(clothing) creation:

Wrong side/ Right side:

Also called “inside” and “outside”, this is how your seams are arranged. You want ALL SEAMS on the WRONG side, which means you need to watch how you line up your pieces and make sure you don’t have things flipped. If you are doing a lining, then the WRONG side of the lining is the “outer” layer and the RIGHT side of the lining is the “inner” part that is seen or against your skin.

This is VERY important with things that are knit or crocheted, or that have a pattern that’s only on one side or embroidery/bead work. The RIGHT side is what displays what you want seen, like how if you look at the inside of a sweater with designs on it you will see “floats” across the part that’s hidden from veiw.

Floats:

These are bits of thread, yarn, etc. that are “floating” on the inside of a garment. Usually just an embroidery or yarn work thing, but also applicable to smocking (explanation as to what this is to come with the big pleating/smocking post I have in the works) in some cases.

Seam allowance:

An extra bit of fabric added to the base pattern dimensions to allow for room for seams to be made and not easily rip. Depending on fabric, skill level and method of sewing you may need more or less. This means that you can have a 1/6 of an inch average seam allowance for hand sewing but still need 3/4 of an inch for machine work.

Stitch gauge:

I’ve head this called a few things, but it’s the distance between stitches. More important with yarn work, but tight/short stitches with sewing with fabric also alters how things come out.

Tension:

How tight you keep the thread you are working with and how much you pull the fabric with each stitch. VERY IMPORTANT for embroidery and yarn work, hand sewing being a bit more lenient. Tension is controlled for you by a machine, you just need to figure out what setting works best and stick to that. This varies a lot based on materials being used.

Puckering:

This is what happens when your tension is too tight or (with crochet and knit) you accidentally add some stitches and go right back to the number you had before or do the inverse. It leaves “puckers” or points of tension or unnecessary gathering at that point, which can cause issues ranging from bad aesthetics to straight up tears from the added strain on the fabric. This is easier to control with a good tension and stitch gauge combo, and is again mostly a hand sewing/hand embroidery problem.

Interfacing:

Not a VITAL thing, but frequently used by intermediate beginner and up cosplayers and fashion designers. It’s a material similar to a very thin felt or fuzzy paper in texture that adds structure to a garment. You stick a piece of it between an outer and inner layer, sew all into one piece, and if it’s the fusible type iron it so it sticks together better. Usually this is used for collars, sleeve cuffs, and other small things that need to be stiffer due to button holes and button plackets (will be explained in the fastenings post) or needing to “stand”.

Bonus material explained!

Boning:

If you’ve seen a corset or something with really stiff lines that curve around a body, you know generally what this is. I’ll go into more detail in a post about just this and its many uses, but it’s a (at least in modern day stuff) plastic or super stiff braided material that is shoved into channels to add structure and support. They are somewhat flexible, but can cause issues with movement if not done right and need to be “capped” to prevent poking. The underwire of a bra is technically a piece of boning, for a really common example of this.

Corseted is fairly advanced, especially since it involves at LEAST 3 or 4 layers of fabric plus the material itself to be a decent base plus fastenings which are a whole different beast, so I DO NOT recommend trying this right out the gate.

[ask-the-clergy-bc]

Idk if anyones done this yet, but how would the papas II, III,&IV help out their s/o that is incredibly stressed from college and work? With college it’s because their up all night working on homework or studying for exams;cramming too probably and then work doesn’t always help because when they aren’t doing school, they’re working so there’s only a few free days.

(There was one time I was up until 3 or 4AM working on some stuff cause I was working a night shift and got home late. I think I about cried and went “F it, I’m going to bed” cause I was exhausted)

Oh man, study cramming is rough! The Papas DEFINITELY know the feeling!

The Papa's Helping Their S/O With Balancing Work and College

Prefacing this with a fun fact about all of our Satanic Popes. In order to be Papa you are trained in many ways, one of which being higher education! All the Papas have a PhD's (mostly in Theology)! So they all know what it's like to be constantly studying on top of their duties!

Papa Nihil: The overwhelming work load of Papacy is exactly one of the reasons he ran off to do the Ghost Project in 96'! He knows what you are going through and wants to comfort you through it. It might not be helpful, but this is one of those times he encourages you to quit your job so he can take care of you while you finish school. If you aren't willing to give up your job, Nihil will still support you. But he WILL nag you that something has to give before you get too burnt out! Encourages you to try to find a way to cut back either commitment to some degree. His reasoning that is if you can make them both less soul sucking you'll have more energy and your performance will increase for both! He tends to forget that's not always possible... even for someone like himself. But if that doesn't work he's the first one there with a pizza and a shoulder to cry on! Nihil might spirit you away for breaks as you need them.

Papa I: Luckily for you, you are hooked up with the man who is an academic hard working machine! Papa's spare time is dedicated to his sheer love for his position AND his hobby as a scholar. He was the seminary student who went over board for all of his papers, and has written several dozens of books. Knowledge is his hobby and Papacy is his passion. Burn out can happen for Papa too, but he knows how to prevent it. For you, he definitely steps in to help you manage your time and energy. Papa knows that the average person can only study so much in a day and retain it. That, and he knows how important work is for you. So Papa helps sit down and make a schedule with you. He gives you all the effective study methods that has helped all the students he's mentored. You end up getting one of those big calendars where every week you stick your work schedule on it, your assignments due, and breaks. He then gives you a second planner where you figure out what classes to focus on per day based on assignment need. Soon you are still busy but MUCH more organized to the point where you can BREATHE again.

Papa II: Many would accuse him of being heartless and just expect him to tell you to suck it up. He's known for being unsympathetic to his staff or occasional proteges who complain. But the truth is, he would never expect you to run yourself ragged. For his staff, he doesn't expect completely restless nights. Papa just believes that if you are going to work for something, you better do it right and actually put in effort. But Papa knows you also need the chance to relax and unwind... he's a party animal after all! In your case, he will only interfere if it gets to the point where you aren't properly rested and overly stressed. Night shifts and finals are one thing, but you sobbing from sheer stress is another. Papa is the one to take you by the shoulders and tell you that you are over doing it. You need to rest where you can. He will help you where you need him. Papa's knee jerk reaction is to find you a better job or just let you quit. Like Nihil, he'd be happy to take care of you while you just focused on school. But with class, he'd help you manage the stress. By offering to find you tutors or an advisor that can guide you to a more balanced class schedule. Papa is also not above intimidating any professor or manager that gives you shit for being late or needing a day off to recuperate.

Papa III: Papa hates that he can relate to you so well over this. Funnily enough, there are tons of people who think he just floated through life and was handed Papacy on a silver platter. But Papa worked his ass off to get where he is! He did well in seminary and in his degree programs! And that's on TOP of the difficulties he faced during! He only got to reap the benefits once he became Papa and had more freedom to party. Now, that's too say he's not above cutting class or skipping a day of work when the occasion calls. Everyone needs a mental day off. So when you're at the point where you just cry in his arms because you're tired from working late AND staying up to catch up with classes... he takes action. Papa will call your managers and professors and somehow get you an entire day or two off. No questions asked. He insists that your mental well being is way more important than any test or shift. You can't be successful if you can barely keep your eyes open or your thoughts straight! Papa will promise to help you study AFTER your days off. For now, he makes sure you have the proper rest your mind needs.

Papa IV/Cardinal Copia: Actually, he is the worst person you can ask because he's a workaholic! He used to be worse in his Cardinal days, as he would take on everyone's work loads just to make sure everything was done correctly. On top of that he, like Papa I, is a tireless scholar. It's not until Papacy that he actually slowed down and basked in much more free time. For you, he tries to get you to slow down as much as you can. When he has free time between work, he'll study with you. Copia knows the more effective methods and will work with you to implement them. Copia also LOVES to help with your class work so you can take a break. He'll make you take naps or eat while he proof reads your papers and checks your citations. He will make flash cards for you and quiz you. And on days you go to work he makes the effort of packing you lunches or having your uniform ready to go. Anything to make your day less stressful! Most importantly, he'll stop to give you a kiss and tell you how proud he is of you. That, or let you know that you need to rest. Copia knows that encouragement and helping you through burn out is the most effective thing he can do!

[wizard-irl]

Don't Cleanse Your Crystals In the Sun (+ What to Do Instead)

I'm here to bitch about crystals again.

A lot of people use the sun to cleanse their crystals. Regardless of your belief, this is not the best practice to do if you care about preserving the quality of your crystals.

Archived.

Why is Sunlight Bad?

Ultraviolet (UV) rays.

UV rays are waves that are smaller in wavelength (100-400nm) than the colour violet (~380nm). To put this in perspective, a single gold atom is a third of a nanometer wide.

UV rays are also why you need sunscreen, and is also a major cause of skin cancer. And they are responsible for fading crystals.

The mechanism for how sunlight fades crystals seems to depend on what the crystal is. Amethyst's colour is caused by trace amounts of iron within the crystal's structure that affect how light interacts in the crystal. When UV light hits the amethyst, it causes the iron and oxygen atoms within it to swap electrons, which causes the fade. While I was unable to find examples with other crystals, it may work the same, as many crystals are coloured by trace elements.

What Happens When You Leave Crystals in the Sun

source

The top left is the natural colour of this specimen, the top right is the result of being left under two 18W UV lamps for three months. The bottom two are both due to different amounts of heating. If the bottom right quadrant reminds you of citrine, that's because heating amethyst is how artificial citrine is made.

I realise that most people only put their crystals out in sunlight for a few hours at most, but that builds up over time. You won't get the top right result in a week, but you will notice fading over time.

But surely, this is the only one with a severe reaction right?

Well... (pg. 34 on PDF, 106 on page), quite a few, actually.

source. Top left down: red zircon (no effect), yellow barite, blue fluorite, grey fluorite, amethyst, amber, white barite, celestine (no change), chalcedony, calcite. Each specimen was exposed to 36W of UV for forty minutes.

Alternate Sources of Light

If you think that a window will prevent damage, they will not. Windows only prevent shorter wavelengths of UV. While there are windows that can block all UV, unless you are absolutely certain that you have a window like that, you can't rely on a window to protect your crystals.

If you want use a natural source of light, use moonlight. Moonlight is about 400,000 times fainter than sunlight. It does not reflect enough UV to cause sunburns, and what little UV is reflected at the Earth is overwhelmingly likely to be absorbed into the atmosphere before it reaches you. Hence, your crystals will be safe, and this is the method I wholeheartedly recommend for any crystal.

Fire can also work, but many crystals tolerate heat poorly, so you'll want to keep your crystals away from the fire, and never put them directly on it. You never know if you have water-filled inclusions that you're evaporating that then put pressure on the crystal, making it more liable to break. Do your research on your crystal before trying this, but this can be a great method if you want the fiery aspect of sunlight in your crystals.

You could also use artificial light. Why not bless a lamp and place a crystal under that? Make sure the lamp you use doesn't emit a lot of heat, and don't use an UV lamp! This can be a great option if you don't have ready access to fire, but still want something more fiery than moonlight.

There are other methods of cleansing out there that I won't get into, but there are many ways to use light as a cleanser without damaging your crystals. Please research to see if your crystal can be put in sunlight without being damaged, and if you don't know, just use moonlight.

[analexthatexists]

Frick it, Roblox OC Lore Time.

So because my friend decided to post about their OC from a little RP series we've dubbed Isle of Incarnates, I decided to treat you guys with my Incarnate.

So without further ado, meet ORDER!

The clown nose isn't canon, the face UGC just comes with it.

So, what's the story? Well...

A long, long time ago, the Justice Incarnate had formed an organization to protect and serve The Isles and to prevent any over-board chaos. Chaos is not an uncommon thing, rather it's very common in The Isles, but there are limits as to what people can get away with, so that's why this organization exists. Order is, well, more like was a strict member of this organization, and was tasked to assassinate the Chaos Incarnate, one known for not only their own, but rather their entire bloodline's history of bloodlust and terror to The Isles. As such a well known threat to The Isles, this needed to be dealt with.

...Would it surprise you to say these two end up dating?

Jest thought Order was hot as Hell while Order herself was caught off-guard by Jest's surprising cartoonish methods of cheating death, which did not make her assassination plans go over well. It really should have been easy to kill such a goofy, unaware Incarnate, and yet, they were just so...chaotic and unpredictable. It was like trying to kill a cartoon character; things just kept magically happening that prevented her from getting the mission over with. Order basically failed due to Jest's crazy luck and inability to sit still. Order still has no clue how they managed any of this, but nonetheless, they eventually went on many life-risking adventures, fought some nasty Incarnates, buried a few bodies, all while falling in love along the way.

She eventually left the organization she once swore herself to to live a more peaceful life with Jest, but is still very insistent on maintaining order. And yes, she will beat you to a pulp if you mess with her or Jest.

Jest belongs to my friend @rowanthesillyyy, who's the same friend that led me to post this. Go check them out!

[youcantdateosmosisjones]

The morality system in fable 2 fascinates me in terms of the implications it has on Sparrow as a person.

-This is heavily based on my last post, so go check that out for more for more context. Yes this is very self-indulgent.

Right, so Sparrow. One of the many great Hero's of Albion. Motivated by grief, and hellbent of avenging the death of their sister at the hands of Lucien. Theresa is the one who raises them to carry out the mission (which also, conveniently, is the easiest way for her to achieve her own life's purpose). Depending on Sparrow's morality, I can see them having 3 distinct personalities in the events leading up to Fable 3:

GoodPure!Sparrow: Who is so influenced by Theresa, that they dedicate to serving the people of Albion for as long as they live. Their grief struck them particularly hard, and Theresa giving them a purpose to strive for at 2 very crucial moments in their life definitely... impacted them. No, they were not happy or satisfied with how their life turned out near the end (mainly because they denied themselves to indulge in pleasure or temptation like, ever), but they did manage to fall for the illusion of "hey, I did a good thing for these people. I don't exactly understand what any of this means or why any of this happened because I never asked questions, but I really hope my kid doesn't feel this way when their day of reckoning comes". They still subconsciously feel the terror and pain from what they went through, and feels so guilty for being apart of the the reason why someone is doomed to repeat it all over again. They never were able to move on from their past, so their attempt to repay it just kinda... consumed them. And because of that, they were never able to be truly known or involved with the lives of their children- or even close allies. Yeah, they knew and respected them for everything they did, but never got to know them beyond that legacy.

Neutral!Sparrow: Who manages to pursue a somewhat balanced life as an opportunist. Throughout their eventful life, they had many ups and downs that shaped the very course of their actions. Yeah, they always intended on avenging Rose, but sometimes the course of action they thought would bring them there got muddled. They tended to let their emotions get the better of them; and despite the good they did, there were always weights on their shoulders that prevented them from ever truly believing themselves to be "pure", or a "well-loved" hero. Sometimes the consequences of your actions can be a bitch. But, because of this lack of a sense of duty, that allowed them to be able to lay back and try and build a life for themselves outside of serving others. Purely just because they wanted to. After all was said and done, they did whatever they wanted. Eventually, that led them to having a home and a life for themselves away from Theresa, destiny, and the greater scheme of the world- Maybe they even dedicated enough time and energy into them self so that they could properly heal and move on from the unhealthy drive of their past actions. Then, Theresa comes in to ruin everything (again), and Sparrow just kind of think about it. As much as they dread the idea of burdening another person with the same fate as them... maybe they could raise them to be different? Maybe, just maybe, this is a chance to truly better the world so that no person had to experience what they had to, long after they them self is gone. Besides- Theresa's like their mom, and when has she ever been wrong? If she says it's destiny, why fight it? Instead, they try to make the most of this opportunity, and raise their children to prepare for an unjust world.

EvilCorrupt!Sparrow: Who's grief and obsession with revenge drives them to become hungry for the life that was ripped away from them at such a young age. Given the powers and abilities to pursue anything they put their mind to, they fill their life with increasingly bolder methods of lashing out and reveling in the ways of just how cruel- and exhilarating- life can be. Yes, they dedicate most of their life to defeating Lucien once and for all- but take it a step further by striving to make him seem insignificant. After all he's done, it's only fair that he will never be remembered compared to the child he failed to kill. But-then Theresa tells them to "get the fuck out of my tower", and Sparrow is pissed. They fuck around for awhile to let out some tension and have some fun, and then Theresa shows up again and tells them that they're gonna be a ruler and responsible for another hero. Now, this is very surprising news- but also kind of intriguing. On one hand, they literally take Lucien's empire and make it their own (while finally coming full-circle with their childhood wish of living in the castle and having access to such luxury's), and they also get to cement their empire in the history of Albion even after they are long gone. Their heir will continue their legacy, and never again will Sparrow, or their family, ever have to know the cold unforgiving slums. No, not after Sparrow builds them a bright future full of conquest and innovation.