#Altered Reality Update

[n1k0laa5]

Music Helps Manifestation And Shifting — Scientifically Proven

Excuse me, where are my manners? Hello, my darling. I hope you’re doing well today, be sure to stay hydrated and well rested, now buckle up for this.

We all know music moves us. It can shift a mood instantly, bring you to tears violently, make your skin erupt in chills, or trigger memories from a decade ago like they happened five minutes back. But what if it could do more than influence your emotions?

What if it could bend reality with you?

What if music is more than entertainment, what if it’s an engine for manifestation and shifting?

Here’s the truth:

Music alters the brain. It shifts the nervous system. It affects brainwave states. It primes the subconscious.

And in the world of Law of Assumption, Law of Attraction, quantum creation, and dimension shifting, that means it can change your state, which means it can change your world.

Let’s break it down, shall we?

Studies in neuroscience show that music has an immediate and profound effect on:

• The limbic system – the emotional center of your brain

• The default mode network (DMN) – your resting state brain, where imagination, introspection, and visualization live

• The prefrontal cortex – the area responsible for self-awareness and intention

• Dopamine release – associated with motivation, pleasure, reward

• Brainwave entrainment – syncing your brainwaves to match a rhythm or frequency (yes, binaural beats fall under this)

Researchers at Stanford literally found that music “engages areas of the brain involved with paying attention, making predictions and updating events in memory.” Translation? Music hijacks your brain’s attention system and makes you more suggestible.

This is a fucking goldmine.

Because if assumption creates reality, and music creates altered states where assumptions are more deeply absorbed, then music becomes a backdoor to the subconscious, the very gateway of your 4D reality.

When you listen to a song, you’re not just hearing sound—you’re aligning with a frequency. Not just in Hz, but in emotional signature. The emotions a song evokes (longing, power, seduction, success, peace, grief) all have vibrational blueprints.

This is why music can teleport you to an entirely different headspace, even if your environment hasn’t changed.

That change in emotional frequency is actually a change in energetic alignment, which means you’re changing your magnetic field, your assumptive state, and your point of attraction.

For example:

A dreamy, ambient track may bring you into a calm, lucid state where visualization becomes effortless.

A sultry, hypnotic song may help you embody your most confident, magnetic self—perfect for self-concept and SP manifestation.

An orchestral cinematic piece might help you assume your main character energy, becoming the star of your own storyline.

If states create circumstances, and music alters state…

Then music is one of the most direct ways to embody a version of you that already has what you want.

In the shifting community, people have long known the power of music as a shifting aid. Whether it’s shifting to DR or simply a different state of mind, music provides:

• Stability of focus (keeps your mind from wandering)

• Sensory immersion (you start to feel like you’re there)

• Emotional fuel (you believe the state you’re entering because the sound makes it feel real)

Many use specific shifting playlists as triggers, and there’s a reason.

The brain starts associating certain songs with alternate realities. You’re creating neural anchors. You’re telling your brain: “When I hear this, I am there.”

Eventually, a few seconds into the track and your state begins to shift automatically—even before affirmations, visualizations, or techniques.

The music becomes the technique.

Your subconscious responds best to emotion, repetition, imagery, and rhythm.

Which means: songs are like affirmations on steroids, because they come with a melody your brain can loop endlessly.

This is why you might hear a lyric and feel like it’s “speaking your manifestation into existence.” That’s not placebo, that’s subconscious absorption in real time.

And when you choose music that already expresses your desired state—love, wealth, power, peace—and you move, affirm, or visualize with it…

You are literally rewriting your internal program.

Now, my love. Let’s go from theory to actual practice.

Here are different methods to use music to deliberately reinforce your manifestations and shift reality:

1. Create “State Playlists”

Make separate playlists for you.

• Dream self.

• Rich self.

• Magnetic self.

• Healed self.

• DR self.

Label them accordingly. Use each one only when entering that state, to strengthen the neural/energetic link. You may not even need to MAKE playlists, given there’s plenty of self-concept and manifestation ones existing on Spotify.

Bonus if you include songs specifically related to or based off manifestation, but it can be anything. I literally use Hamilton, the musical. Yes. I manifest with a Founding Father.

2. Use Music Before or During Visualization

Right before bed, or during SATS (State Akin to Sleep), use music that feels like the version of you you’re stepping into.

Close your eyes. Let the music take over. See it. Feel it. Let the sound wrap around your new self-concept.

This turns your visualization into an embodied cinematic experience.

3. Dance It In

Movement + music = rapid state change.

You are letting your body become the state.

Feel rich, powerful, chosen, or transcendent and let that flow through you while the music plays.

Move like the version of you who already has it.

4. Loop Audio Affirmations Over Instrumentals

Create your own tracks: layer affirmations or visual scene descriptions over a song or instrumental that matches the vibe of what you’re manifesting.

You’re creating a subconscious feedback loop of belief, sound, and imagery.

Yes, this works for subliminals that have music. Good luck finding a good one, though…

Let’s change the topic! In quantum terms, all versions of you already exist.

You — rich.

You — in love.

You — in your DR.

And if states are portals, then music is a powerful anchor into the vibration of a chosen timeline.

What does that mean?

It means you can use music to select the version of you you want to embody, over and over, until it becomes stable and natural.

You stop waiting for proof, and start vibing as proof.

You’re not manifesting blindly anymore,

you’re aligning, deliberately, sonically, emotionally, and somatically.

And let’s not forget:

In nearly every spiritual tradition, creation begins with sound.

• “In the beginning was the Word…”

• Om, the universal vibration in Hinduism.

• Sound as sacred geometry.

• Frequency as the structure of matter.

Your reality is built by vibration.

And music?

It’s one of the purest forms of vibration we can consciously engage with.

When you realize that you are God, the operant power, and you use music not just to entertain, but to create,

You step into reality creation as art.

[salemlunaa]

YES, WE ARE ALWAYS SHIFTING ˚∘𓇼

manifesting and shifting are one. but why, and how?

so i did promise a longer post and had many asks prompting me to go into more detail

and to do that we must define what shifting is, like what is really is.

The GENERAL DEFINITION for the word “shifting” is "A change in position, direction, or tendency."

A change in position as in where you are in life, direction as in where your life is going and tendency being a likelihood or natural indication. For example, "she has a tendency to be lazy" a shift in that would refer to a reality where she isn't lazy.

That's it, that's all it is

You can interpret manifestation any way you want, however the reason a lot of you can't see this is that you don't understand. The stigma around "shifting" has altered your perception of the word and the process. Shifting isn't just you being whisked away on a broom to Hogwarts. Shifting isn't just you being a kpop star. You've seen people speak about shifting in such a way that you think it's this crazy astral, otherworldly experience.

Both concepts are altering your reality, whether you are inducing the void, manifesting or shifting, you are changing your position, tendency and direction. Shifting isn't change, that's it. Both concepts rely on the principle that consciousness creates reality. And in both cases, you are embodying it until your desired reality until it becomes your experience truly.

There are infinite realities, the reason why there is no difference between manifestation and shifting is that in both cases you are moving/placing your awareness in your desired reality. Yes, you shift because you manifested green eyes, because there was already a reality in which you had green eyes and all you are doing by affirming and watching subliminals for green eyes is resonating with that reality and placing your awareness in that reality.

The same goes for pure consciousness or the void, without the barriers of the time, the 3d and outerman limitations, you are able to shift timelines to a reality where all your desires have materialised.

TO SHIFT IS TO EXPERIENCE CHANGE. TO CHANGE IS TO EXPERIENCE A SHIFT. THERE IS NOTHING MORE TO IT

✺✺✺

Now for everyone's favourite counter argument: "Why would my entire family change if im losing some weight?" "I don't want to leave MY reality, with MY people for manifesting something small"

cue deep sigh….

You aren't "Leaving" anyone, when you shift your awareness and place it in your desired state, because everyone is you pushed out, the people around you will "shift" with you to update to YOUR assumptions. This isn't to say that you can shiftier enter the void to help others it means your perception of the people around you will change to accommodate your new assumptions.

You don't "lose" people, you experience them in alignment with the reality you see as desired, eg, you experience the mother who knows you with green eyes instead of brown, nothing else about her changes. You’re not getting some other mother like in Coraline

The Law didn't start existing when you found out about it or when it's convenient for you. This HAS been happening but because you didn't notice, you were fine. When you have made small changes through manifesting, your reality has shifted to where that has been true, again if you wanted green eyes, great there is a reality where you have blue, brown amber or even multi coloured eyes, but you are choosing to place your consciousness in the reality where you have green eyes.

Your family and friends aren't going to disappear because you have made a change about yourself. Your perception of them changes. If you manifest that you always had blonde hair, your parents will change but the only thing that will change about them is their recollection of you with brown hair, as they now know you've had blonde hair your whole life.

It's not some out of body experience it's shift, you're not waking up in magic world because you wanted a change in weather. A shift doesn't have to be this extravagant event. You only have that assumption because when you've seen people use the word "shift" they use it to describe massive life changes, completely changing the world around them, whether that be for a tv show or something they've scripted themselves.

Shifting means to change, that's it, that's all. "I just want to manifest in my reality" you don't have a home reality as you're always changing. There is no such thing as "your reality" for just one. All these realities are yours in the same proximity. And we are always changing.

There is no such thing as a "home reality" because reality is not fixed-it's fluid and ever-changing. Every time you manifest, you are shifting to a version of reality where your desire is already true. You're not "bringing" something into one set reality; you're aligning with a new version of it. So whether you call it manifesting or shifting, you're doing the same thing, selecting a different reality from infinite possibilities.

I think looking into quantum jumping and a quantum shift will allow you to easier see the unity in shifting and manifesting

Manifestation = having a desire → deciding you have it → by using methods, your awareness is placed in your desired state where you have that desire, nothing else has to change, but it's still a change, a shift.

WHEN YOU STOP SEEING THE CONCEPT OF A SHIFT IN SUCH A HEAVY LIGHT, YOU’LL UNDERSTAND

THERE IS NO SEPARATION, IN THIS COMMUNITY WE’RE ALL DOING THE SAME THING

NOW HERE’S THE LINK TO PART II

[sexy-monster-fucker]

It’s Easy to Tease

Erik Campbell x Reader NSFW

Summary: Reader is nervous to get her first piercing outside of her ear. Erik knows how to help her calm down.

CW: mentions of cheating and breakup, nipple piercing, perv!Erik, reader has tattoos, nipple play, pinching, biting, fingering, masturbation, oral m!receiving, cumming on chest, idiots in love

a/n: there are literally no gifs of him without words on them 😭😭 [update there’s all kinds now so thank you to the GIF creators of tiktok you have my heart!]

title track 🎶🩸

~~~

Your palms sweated.

Rhythmically smacking your hands against the old steering wheel in an attempt to calm yourself down. The tattoo shop to your right was illuminated in neon reds. Obscuring your ability to make out the interior. Only adding to your anxiety.

It’s not like you had never had something pierced. Your ears had more than one hole in them. Even having some tattoos in places easy to hide with clothing. Corporate America not being a fan of inked employees. But for some reason this made you a nervous wreck.

You were new to the area. Having moved far away from where you had resided with your ex partner. Finding them in bed with another woman when they were supposed to be at work. Ridiculous. And you would not stick around for it.

You suppose that’s what made you want to get the piercings. Always being fond of body altering, even when your ex had shot down the idea as fast as you mentioned it. It did not change your want, just the reality of doing it.

So yeah, fuck them. You were getting your nipples pierced.

Getting out and locking your car. Breathing deeply as you walked into the parlor. Obscenely high ceilings with possible the biggest ceiling fan you had ever seen. Skulls and skeleton memorabilia decorating the interior. Bathed in the bloodlike glow of lights on every wall. It was pretty sick.

“Can I help you?” A monotonous voice asked closer to you than you realized. Causing you to jump clean out of your skin. Black hair and a scruffy beard. Tattoos on every bit of skin, including his exposed chest. Leather jacket unzipped without a shirt underneath. Piercings in both ears, septum, and his nipples. His head was tilted slightly to the side as he waited for your response.

“Oh, um— yeah, I have an appointment,” you rubbed your hand up and down your arm. A little intimidated by the rather rugged and handsome young man before you. Blue eyes scanned down your body, making you blush. He nodded as he flipped through the pages of the book.

Faking like he did not know what you were here for. You were his only call ahead of the evening. Possibly the last client he would have for the day. Since his boss had up and abandoned him to run down to the bar. Classic. And you were cute. No denying the way his heartbeat escalated when he saw you. Only seeing the studs in your ears, no other piercings notable. Practically a piercing virgin. It made his cock throb a little.

“Y/N?” he asked nonchalantly.

“Yep,” you faked a smile.

“Sick,” he said slamming the book closed and extending his hand out to you, “ ‘m Erik.”

You shook it. His grip was strong. Long fingers wrapping around your hand. Cool to the touch rings decorating his fingers. He hopped down off the stool and rounded the podium. Hands on his hips. Examining your body once again.

“Assuming you haven’t ever had anything like this done,” Erik said more as a statement then a question.

“I’ve got a few tattoos, but no piercings. Just my ears,” you gestured to the side of your face. Awkwardly grinning as you returned to holding your arms over your chest.

“Well you filled out all the paperwork online, but I’ll still give you the crash coarse,” he wiggled his fingers at you. Waving for you to follow him back to an empty room. Smelling similar to a dentist office from the strong sterile cleaner they used. Burning your nostrils a little.

“So I’ll have you lay back on this chair. I’ll have gloves and everything on. Make sure all the instruments are clean. All that good stuff. Just gonna need you to take that shirt off,” he spun around on his heel and pointed.

You felt awkward suddenly. Embarrassment flushing down your entire body. This guy you just met was going to see your bare chest. As if there was any other way to do this. It was different when you found him this attractive. Lips forced shut as you swallowed the lump in your throat.

“If that’s a problem, you’ve come to the wrong place,” he smiled at you. Trying to joke with you, resulting in your head hanging a little lower. He rolled his eyes, “I’m just kidding. Will it make it better if I turn around and cover my eyes?”

Another joke. Flirtatious even. His hands going to cover his eyes as he turned his back to you. Catching a glimpse of his toothy grin before his back faced you.

You squinted at him. Corner of your mouth curving into an amused smirk. You scoffed, pulling the shirt over your head. Bare breasts on display. You knew you would be leaving here without a bra so what was even the purpose of wearing one. Arms hugging tightly against your lower stomach. Breasts resting against them. Trying your hardest to hide your body from him.

Erik looked over his shoulder, peaking through his fingers. Smiling widely at the sight of you. ‘Pretty tits’ he thought, almost allowing it to slip before he saw how nervous you really were. Hands and knees shaking. Eyes doed wide and eyebrows upturned. It was so sweet, yet heartbreaking.

“Go ahead and get comfy,” Erik gestured toward the chair that was barely angled up.

Hesitantly, you took your seat. Cold leather making you jump. Chills danced down your body at the contact. Nipples hardening along with it. Teeth grinding together for a moment as your eyes forced shut. Eyebrows furrowing, but trying to stay quiet. Trying to focus on anything else. Watching Erik rummage through supply drawers, placing individually wrapped things on the metal tray beside you.

Sweat began to glisten along your hairline. Furthering your dive into embarrassment. You were a grown woman, there was no reason for you to be this scared about a little piercing.

Erik returned with a sharpie in hand. Wiggling it between his fingers, “Gonna go ahead and mark where I’m gonna stick ya. Okay?”

You coyly nodded.

Pop of the cap had your heart pounding. His hand scooped under your breast. Pulling back and jumping at the contact. Like a startled wild animal. Erik rose back to his full height. Arms going limp at his sides. Head falling to the side as his eyes hooded. Blowing his breath out and shrugging.

“Okay. You are very clearly nervous,” he deadpanned. Pulling up the rolling chair he usually used for tattooing. Sitting on it backwards, his arms folded over the headrest. Chin resting against tattooed limbs, “Tell me what’s got you so high strung.”

Surprised by the empathy he showed you. Genuinely caring about your well being, something you would never expect from his crude exterior. Soft blue eyes scanned yours. Trying to calm your panicked state.

“I don’t know. I guess it’s… the not knowing? How bad it’s gonna hurt?” Words coming out more uncertain than you intended.

Erik chuckled. Head swiveling as he drummed the back of the chair. Nodding while racking his brain. A devious idea coming across it.

“Guess it’s a good thing you’re in the hands of an expert,” he hooked his fingers around his jacket, pulling it apart so you could see his own pierced nipples better. Taking the time to check him out. Since he was offering and all.

“I’ll tell you what. I can show you about how bad it will hurt, but I need you to be okay with me touching you,” Erik grinned, “No more of that gasping and jumping shit.”

Truthfully, you wanted him to touch you. That was the problem. His hands invoked some high school level hormone within you. Causing your mouth to run dry and hands to shake. And of course it was a little inappropriate to be lusting after your piercer. But you did not care. He would probably end up jerking it to the thought of your tits later. The way his eyes kept raking over them, it’s not like he was hiding his attraction to you.

You swallowed the lump in your throat. Quivering breath blowing out of your lungs. You met his eyes, “So you can show me without piercing me?”

“Whatever I need to do to help you relax,” gaze softening. Hiding the mischief that swirled around his mind. Barely able to keep his eyes on you with how badly he wanted to massage your tits.

“Let’s do it,” you said with a stern nod.

“Hell yeah,” he held up a fist to you. Bumping knuckles with a smile. Pushing your back flush against the cold seat, eyes falling shut in preparation. Trying to allow your mind to go completely blank.

The sound of him kicking away the stool clued you in that he was standing above you. Looming with shallow breaths. Anticipation practically holding a blade against your throat. Threatening to end you right here.

Your body jerked when he ran his fingers up your bare belly. Softly analyzing your skin with his digits. Smiling to himself at the way your eyebrows contorted and your lips parted. Taking in a deeper breath.

“Real easy,” his voice was low, “Just want to make you comfortable.”

Voice soothing your nerves. Fanning over your body with a blanket of calm and collection. It felt good. Tingling along your nerve endings.

His hand began traveling up. Finding the mound of your breast. Running his fingers along it, finding your hardened nipple. His tongue came out to wet his bottom lip. Having to force some kind of restraint. Thumb swiping over the bulb.

The whine that escaped you would have been unnoticeable to anyone else. But not Erik. Not when he was this close to you. Not when you sounded that pretty just from barely touching you. Not when the head of his cock was pressing against his zipper and growing more uncomfortable by the minute with you.

“Feels good?” a hint of tease laced his question.

“Mmhmp,” you nodded unable to form a cognitive sentence.

A soft blow of his breath resembled an endearing laugh. Deciding now was a good time to test your endurance. Finding your sensitive bulb between his pointer and thumb. Pinching it with a heft of force. Your mouth morphed into an ‘O’ shape, brows pinching together at the feeling. Electricity shot through you from where his fingers touched you. Unable to stop the moan that erupted from your chest.

Erik’s eyes widened. Realizing he had found his holy grail. Twisting your nipple experimentally. Watching the way you arched your head back, throat on display for him. Pressing your chest further into his touch. He smiled. Cock beginning to throb from the symphony you performed for him.

“So, that’s what it’ll feel like?” you were breathless. Turned on beyond belief. Wanting your newly met grunge friend to rip your clothes off and fuck you on the chair.

“Not quite, just a little test to make sure you weren’t gonna freak on me,” Erik grinned once more. Barely able to hide his excitement. Air not filling his lungs the way they needed. Body too busy thinking about the blood rushing to his crotch.

His hand tucked your hair behind your ear, “You did good.” Praising you with a low tone. Smile clear from how he sounded. You barely opened your eyes to look at him, embarrassment taking over. Groaning as they fell closed once more, head resting strongly against the leather. Your face the brightest shade it had been all night.

Erik framed your breast in his hand. Fingertips pressing into the soft flesh. He swallowed, leaning forward slowly. Like he was trying to sneak up on you. Parting his lips to wrap around your nipple. Meeting it with a soft kiss, tongue swirling around the pebble. Scruff slightly scratching your tender tit.

You struggled to moan his name. Gasping like a fish out of water. Tingling all the way down to your core. Skillful mouth working your sensitive tit. Sucking against it, unable to stop himself from leaving a little purple mark right next to it. Raking his tongue around the mound, ending with your nipple caught between his teeth. Cold septum ring tickling the top of your breast. His mouth completely flush with your chest.

Your hand tangled in his black locks. Holding him firm to you. Nails scratching his scalp as you whined and moaned with each swipe of tongue. Stimulating you perfectly.

Suddenly biting down on your nipple harder than before.

Your body bucked in response. Calling out to him at the pain you felt. Minimal. But a vast difference from the pleasure he had previously been inflicting.

“Shhh. Shhh, you’re okay. Come on, it wasn’t that bad,” Erik’s hand traveled down your body. Single handily undoing your button and zipper. Sliding his hand past your panties. Easily gliding along your slick folds. Smiling against your skin at the feeling of your arousal, “I just wanna help you relax.”

His voice was drunk. Slurring with his own arousal. Completely thinking with his dick. Fingers circling your wet clit for a moment. Earning him a broken moan. Dipping his fingers in afterward. Welcomed by your needy walls. Curling perfectly inside you.

You nodded, relaxing all your forcibly flexed muscles. Staring up at the ceiling through hooded eyes. Heart ramming itself into your ribcage. Struggling to regulate normal breathing. He was good. Already having you seeing stars with his fingers.

Erik sucked off your boob with a pop. Movement catching your attention. Leaning your head forward to meet his eyes. His own pupils blown out. Eclipsing the beautiful blue iris. Catching his own breath, scanning your facial expression. You were beautiful. Cheeks flushed and eyes bloodshot. He was enamored by the way you looked at him. Wanting nothing more than to continue to please you. To have you all to himself.

His free hand cupped your cheek, thumb rubbing along it. Capturing your lips in a kiss. Hungry. Needy. Tongue prying your lips apart. Needing to taste you. Kissing you like you would be the last thing he ever had. Heads leaned to the sides to deepen the kiss.

Thumb finding its place on your aching nub. Circling it with a firm pressure. Shooting mind numbing ecstasy through you with each round. Rolling your hips against his fingers. Chasing your high.

Erik smiled as he continued kissing you. Hand leaving your face and traveling down to the ignored breast. Groping the plump skin.

You could feel your worries slipping away. Losing yourself to pleasure. Not even caring if you got the piercing now. Just wanting his hands on your body. Your hands cupped his cheeks. Scruff tickling your palms.

His cock was throbbing. Twitching at each moan and soft spasm of your walls around his fingers. Craving friction.

You softly bit your teeth into his lip. Tugging at it slowly. Erik sighed with half breaths in response. Cascading his lips down the side of your face, your jaw, and ending on your pulse. Sucking into your throat. You whined at the feeling. Feeling the knot in your lower abdomen tighten.

“Erik—“

“Yeah, baby?” the petname coming off so casual. Barely knowing each other’s first names.

“I’m gonna… fuck I’m gonna—“

It excited him. Heart racing in his chest. Swallowing hard before pulling back to watch your face. Icy eyes blinking repetitively. Trying to focus his vision. Hardly able to think straight. Adding some pressure against your clit, wanting to force you over the edge. His brows contorted in anticipation.

You came unraveled. Hips arching upward as you gripped the leather and his bicep. Moaning louder than you ever had. All inhibitions washing away with your orgasm. Pulsing tightly around his digits. White hot bliss taking over your body.

“That’s it,” Erik cooed breathlessly.

His jaw flexed at the feeling of you. Knowing more than anything he wanted to feel how you would grasp his cock. Bury it so deep inside you that his dick ring grazed your cervix. He could not take it anymore. Slowly pulling his fingers from you. Wincing at the loss. Eyes admiring how they were coated in your release. Standing fully before you, clothed erection at eye level with you. Other hand undoing his belt and zipper.

Halting.

“Do you mind?” coming out as a run-on sentence. Desperate and airy. His want clear. Gesturing toward his groin before continuing.

“Please,” you sighed.

Erik groaned. Releasing his member. Flopping over his fly. Light reflecting the silver ring at his tip. Handful of veins running along his length. Swollen with how he had been holding back. It was hot. Making your pussy clench once more.

Long digits wrapped around himself. Making sure to use the hand that had your own orgasm on it. Pumping up and down his length with a twist of his wrist. Tip beading with pre-cum. Pretty little moans fell from him. Hooded eyes staring at your face as he jacked himself. Adam’s apple bobbing up and down his throat. Taking quick breaths.

You were unable to resist. Throwing caution to the wind and stopping his wrist. Doeing your eyes up at him to ask permission. He smiled as his chest heaved. Nodding without a word. Readjusting your body so that he was easier to reach. Licking along his length and sticking your tongue between the ring in his tip. Erik’s shoulders shuttered. Leaning his head back displaying his throat.

You took the head between your lips. Cold metal resting on your tongue. Swirling your tongue around it. Erik’s fingers threaded through your hair, beginning to guide you up and down his length. Groaning when you hollowed out your cheeks, sucking harder on him. Piercing scratching the back of your throat when your nose met his base. Soft curly hairs decorating it.

He was close. Not having had someone go down on him in a while. Especially someone who was practically throwing herself at him. Or ever at his job. It made this all so much more scandalous. Rebellious. Almost wishing his boss would return and find you like this. Mouth full of cock. Just to disgust him. The fucker deserved it.

“Can I cum on your tits?”

You nodded. Continuing up and down his length until you felt him start to twitch. His hand tugging at your hair to pull you off. Sucking off with a loud pop. Taking position so that he could jerk off onto your chest. Erik quickly wrapped his hand around himself. Quickly stroking, “They’re— you’ve got— pretty fucking tits… goddammit, they’ll be even prettier when I— ugh—“

Hot ropes of thick cum shot across your chest. Moaning with a tight throat as he painted your bare breasts. Some of his cum frothing around the tip, gliding down the ring in his tip. It felt good on your chest. Dripping along your nipples. You scooped some up with a finger, pushing it between your lips. Tasting his salty aftermath. It made Erik shoot out one last time. Hard. Strained.

Erik ran a hand through his hair. Smiling from ear to ear. His hand pinching your chin so that he could kiss you again. Unable to stop giggling with glee. Having had so much fun with you. His hand grabbing your breast again, smearing his release all over your skin. Filling his lungs as he rested his forehead against yours. Kissing you again.

“Better?”

“Definitely,” you giggled. Still a little hazy from what had just transpired. Not expecting something like this to happen tonight. Happy it did.

“Good. I’ll get you cleaned up,” Erik walked away to get some disinfectant wipes. Sweetly getting his jizz off your chest. Making sure to be gentle on the spots where he had left marks. Throwing the towelette away.

“Does this count as my tip?” Erik joked. Cocky grin painting his face. Eyes squinted upward with how wide he was smiling.

You scoffed. Rolling your eyes at the statement. He was funny. Definitely the older brother type. You liked him. Wanted to know more about him. As if you had not just had his dick in your mouth.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” you admitted. Face flushing as the words left your mouth. Watching the gears turn in his head with your words. Cocking a hand on his hip, head double taking.

“You think I’m cute?” Erik questioned. Almost as if he did not believe the words. Faming cockiness to hide his insecurity.

“Well… yeah,” you shrugged. Scrunching your face, slightly cringing at the way you said it.

“Yeah? You’re cuter,” he pressed a kiss to your cheek. Burning along your already heated skin. Biting your lip to try and hide how hard you were smiling uncontrollably.

“So,” Erik popped a black elastic glove on his hand, “We gonna pierce these perfect tits or what?”

You chuckled. Leaning back with your arms at your sides. Calm. Collected. Prepared for the pinch of the needle. Going through the motions with your new sweetheart. Honestly, you were scared for nothing. Yes, it hurt, but about as bad as your ears had.

Erik was gentle with you. Making sure it was all explained and done properly. Sometimes he did not care if a customer was an asshole. Allowing himself to be more lax. But with you, he wanted it done right. And he was right, your breasts looked fucking spectacular with the piercings in them.

You hopped off the chair and put your shirt back on. Loving the way the piercings looked through your shirt. Walking up front with Erik. He explained how long the healing process would take and things to avoid. You got your debit card out of your pocket preparing to pay when he stopped you.

“Don’t worry about it,” Erik shrugged.

“Oh, come on. I’ve gotta pay you,” you insisted.

“Just let me take you on a real date and we can consider it even,” he smiled.

Your cheeks blushed. Really, that sounded like he doing you a double service. But who were you to complain? You’d make sure to repay him in a way you knew he would like.

Erik decided to lock up. If his boss was allowed to call it quits, he was too. Especially when the promise of spending the entire night with you was at hand.

You waited outside as he turned everything off. Watching each light click off until he was out front locking the door. Swirling the keys around his finger as he winked at you. Joining you right outside the door.

“Well, did it hurt?” sing song voice questioned you. Smiling at you on the poorly lit sidewalk.

“Honestly? I can’t remember,” you laughed. You were too caught up looking at him. And remembering how good he made you feel.

“Good,” Erik wrapped an arm around you, “Guess that means you don’t want to kill me.”

“Of course not,” you giggled.

“Wanna go grab a drink?”

“I’d love to.”

~~~

[END]

// Thank you so much for reading! I’m shocked by the lack of fanfiction for Erik on tumblr. My TikTok fead has been eating him alive! As always, my inbox is always open! Comments and Reblogs are appreciated //

{tags}

@zroberts13 ~ @anniebeemine ~ @beanzwritez ~ @chirioleos ~ @chaoticluminaryperfection ~ @allyssoon ~ @gee72sstuff ~ @ekavamonfort ~ @starrthemushroom ~ @chugjugg ~ @anxi-tea-please ~ @megangovier ~ @kai-komaeda ~ @mythicalcowboyatheart ~ @heyimalex1513 ~ @devilslittlehelper ~ @p00kiepants ~

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Tesla's Dieselgate

Elon Musk lies a lot. He lies about being a “utopian socialist.” He lies about being a “free speech absolutist.” He lies about which companies he founded:

https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-cofounder-martin-eberhard-interview-history-elon-musk-ev-market-2023-2 He lies about being the “chief engineer” of those companies:

https://www.quora.com/Was-Elon-Musk-the-actual-engineer-behind-SpaceX-and-Tesla

He lies about really stupid stuff, like claiming that comsats that share the same spectrum will deliver steady broadband speeds as they add more users who each get a narrower slice of that spectrum:

https://www.eff.org/wp/case-fiber-home-today-why-fiber-superior-medium-21st-century-broadband

The fundamental laws of physics don’t care about this bullshit, but people do. The comsat lie convinced a bunch of people that pulling fiber to all our homes is literally impossible — as though the electrical and phone lines that come to our homes now were installed by an ancient, lost civilization. Pulling new cabling isn’t a mysterious art, like embalming pharaohs. We do it all the time. One of the poorest places in America installed universal fiber with a mule named “Ole Bub”:

https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-one-traffic-light-town-with-some-of-the-fastest-internet-in-the-us

Previous tech barons had “reality distortion fields,” but Musk just blithely contradicts himself and pretends he isn’t doing so, like a budget Steve Jobs. There’s an entire site devoted to cataloging Musk’s public lies:

https://elonmusk.today/

But while Musk lacks the charm of earlier Silicon Valley grifters, he’s much better than they ever were at running a long con. For years, he’s been promising “full self driving…next year.”

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/09/herbies-revenge/#100-billion-here-100-billion-there-pretty-soon-youre-talking-real-money

He’s hasn’t delivered, but he keeps claiming he has, making Teslas some of the deadliest cars on the road:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/06/10/tesla-autopilot-crashes-elon-musk/

Tesla is a giant shell-game masquerading as a car company. The important thing about Tesla isn’t its cars, it’s Tesla’s business arrangement, the Tesla-Financial Complex:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/11/24/no-puedo-pagar-no-pagara/#Rat

Once you start unpacking Tesla’s balance sheets, you start to realize how much the company depends on government subsidies and tax-breaks, combined with selling carbon credits that make huge, planet-destroying SUVs possible, under the pretense that this is somehow good for the environment:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/14/for-sale-green-indulgences/#killer-analogy

But even with all those financial shenanigans, Tesla’s got an absurdly high valuation, soaring at times to 1600x its profitability:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/15/hoover-calling/#intangibles

That valuation represents a bet on Tesla’s ability to extract ever-higher rents from its customers. Take Tesla’s batteries: you pay for the battery when you buy your car, but you don’t own that battery. You have to rent the right to use its full capacity, with Tesla reserving the right to reduce how far you go on a charge based on your willingness to pay:

https://memex.craphound.com/2017/09/10/teslas-demon-haunted-cars-in-irmas-path-get-a-temporary-battery-life-boost/

That’s just one of the many rent-a-features that Tesla drivers have to shell out for. You don’t own your car at all: when you sell it as a used vehicle, Tesla strips out these features you paid for and makes the next driver pay again, reducing the value of your used car and transfering it to Tesla’s shareholders:

https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/6/21127243/tesla-model-s-autopilot-disabled-remotely-used-car-update

To maintain this rent-extraction racket, Tesla uses DRM that makes it a felony to alter your own car’s software without Tesla’s permission. This is the root of all autoenshittification:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/24/rent-to-pwn/#kitt-is-a-demon

This is technofeudalism. Whereas capitalists seek profits (income from selling things), feudalists seek rents (income from owning the things other people use). If Telsa were a capitalist enterprise, then entrepreneurs could enter the market and sell mods that let you unlock the functionality in your own car:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/11/1-in-3/#boost-50

But because Tesla is a feudal enterprise, capitalists must first secure permission from the fief, Elon Musk, who decides which companies are allowed to compete with him, and how.

Once a company owns the right to decide which software you can run, there’s no limit to the ways it can extract rent from you. Blocking you from changing your device’s software lets a company run overt scams on you. For example, they can block you from getting your car independently repaired with third-party parts.

But they can also screw you in sneaky ways. Once a device has DRM on it, Section 1201 of the DMCA makes it a felony to bypass that DRM, even for legitimate purposes. That means that your DRM-locked device can spy on you, and because no one is allowed to explore how that surveillance works, the manufacturer can be incredibly sloppy with all the personal info they gather:

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/29/tesla-model-3-keeps-data-like-crash-videos-location-phone-contacts.html

All kinds of hidden anti-features can lurk in your DRM-locked car, protected from discovery, analysis and criticism by the illegality of bypassing the DRM. For example, Teslas have a hidden feature that lets them lock out their owners and summon a repo man to drive them away if you have a dispute about a late payment:

https://tiremeetsroad.com/2021/03/18/tesla-allegedly-remotely-unlocks-model-3-owners-car-uses-smart-summon-to-help-repo-agent/

DRM is a gun on the mantlepiece in Act I, and by Act III, it goes off, revealing some kind of ugly and often dangerous scam. Remember Dieselgate? Volkswagen created a line of demon-haunted cars: if they thought they were being scrutinized (by regulators measuring their emissions), they switched into a mode that traded performance for low emissions. But when they believed themselves to be unobserved, they reversed this, emitting deadly levels of NOX but delivering superior mileage.

The conversion of the VW diesel fleet into mobile gas-chambers wouldn’t have been possible without DRM. DRM adds a layer of serious criminal jeopardy to anyone attempting to reverse-engineer and study any device, from a phone to a car. DRM let Apple claim to be a champion of its users’ privacy even as it spied on them from asshole to appetite:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/#liar-liar

Now, Tesla is having its own Dieselgate scandal. A stunning investigation by Steve Stecklow and Norihiko Shirouzu for Reuters reveals how Tesla was able to create its own demon-haunted car, which systematically deceived drivers about its driving range, and the increasingly desperate measures the company turned to as customers discovered the ruse:

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/tesla-batteries-range/

The root of the deception is very simple: Tesla mis-sells its cars by falsely claiming ranges that those cars can’t attain. Every person who ever bought a Tesla was defrauded.

But this fraud would be easy to detect. If you bought a Tesla rated for 353 miles on a charge, but the dashboard range predictor told you that your fully charged car could only go 150 miles, you’d immediately figure something was up. So your Telsa tells another lie: the range predictor tells you that you can go 353 miles.

But again, if the car continued to tell you it has 203 miles of range when it was about to run out of charge, you’d figure something was up pretty quick — like, the first time your car ran out of battery while the dashboard cheerily informed you that you had 203 miles of range left.

So Teslas tell a third lie: when the battery charge reached about 50%, the fake range is replaced with the real one. That way, drivers aren’t getting mass-stranded by the roadside, and the scam can continue.

But there’s a new problem: drivers whose cars are rated for 353 miles but can’t go anything like that far on a full charge naturally assume that something is wrong with their cars, so they start calling Tesla service and asking to have the car checked over.

This creates a problem for Tesla: those service calls can cost the company $1,000, and of course, there’s nothing wrong with the car. It’s performing exactly as designed. So Tesla created its boldest fraud yet: a boiler-room full of anti-salespeople charged with convincing people that their cars weren’t broken.

This new unit — the “diversion team” — was headquartered in a Nevada satellite office, which was equipped with a metal xylophone that would be rung in triumph every time a Tesla owner was successfully conned into thinking that their car wasn’t defrauding them.

When a Tesla owner called this boiler room, the diverter would run remote diagnostics on their car, then pronounce it fine, and chide the driver for having energy-hungry driving habits (shades of Steve Jobs’s “You’re holding it wrong”):

https://www.wired.com/2010/06/iphone-4-holding-it-wrong/

The drivers who called the Diversion Team weren’t just lied to, they were also punished. The Tesla app was silently altered so that anyone who filed a complaint about their car’s range was no longer able to book a service appointment for any reason. If their car malfunctioned, they’d have to request a callback, which could take several days.

Meanwhile, the diverters on the diversion team were instructed not to inform drivers if the remote diagnostics they performed detected any other defects in the cars.

The diversion team had a 750 complaint/week quota: to juke this stat, diverters would close the case for any driver who failed to answer the phone when they were eventually called back. The center received 2,000+ calls every week. Diverters were ordered to keep calls to five minutes or less.

Eventually, diverters were ordered to cease performing any remote diagnostics on drivers’ cars: a source told Reuters that “Thousands of customers were told there is nothing wrong with their car” without any diagnostics being performed.

Predicting EV range is an inexact science as many factors can affect battery life, notably whether a journey is uphill or downhill. Every EV automaker has to come up with a figure that represents some kind of best guess under a mix of conditions. But while other manufacturers err on the side of caution, Tesla has the most inaccurate mileage estimates in the industry, double the industry average.

Other countries’ regulators have taken note. In Korea, Tesla was fined millions and Elon Musk was personally required to state that he had deceived Tesla buyers. The Korean regulator found that the true range of Teslas under normal winter conditions was less than half of the claimed range.

Now, many companies have been run by malignant narcissists who lied compulsively — think of Thomas Edison, archnemesis of Nikola Tesla himself. The difference here isn’t merely that Musk is a deeply unfit monster of a human being — but rather, that DRM allows him to defraud his customers behind a state-enforced opaque veil. The digital computers at the heart of a Tesla aren’t just demons haunting the car, changing its performance based on whether it believes it is being observed — they also allow Musk to invoke the power of the US government to felonize anyone who tries to peer into the black box where he commits his frauds.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/edison-not-tesla/#demon-haunted-world

This Sunday (July 30) at 1530h, I’m appearing on a panel at Midsummer Scream in Long Beach, CA, to discuss the wonderful, award-winning “Ghost Post” Haunted Mansion project I worked on for Disney Imagineering.

Image ID [A scene out of an 11th century tome on demon-summoning called 'Compendium rarissimum totius Artis Magicae sistematisatae per celeberrimos Artis hujus Magistros. Anno 1057. Noli me tangere.' It depicts a demon tormenting two unlucky would-be demon-summoners who have dug up a grave in a graveyard. One summoner is held aloft by his hair, screaming; the other screams from inside the grave he is digging up. The scene has been altered to remove the demon's prominent, urinating penis, to add in a Tesla supercharger, and a red Tesla Model S nosing into the scene.]

Image: Steve Jurvetson (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tesla_Model_S_Indoors.jpg

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

[the-secretary-of-baker-street]

How Dr Watson fooled a nation: And why we continue to hide his secret

Everyone has heard of Mr Sherlock Holmes: within the same breath, we are usually moved to mention his companion, and the man who we have to thank for narrating the famous detective's life, Dr John Watson. One only has to mention a terrifying hound, perhaps relate to a watery death by the Reichenbach falls, or even (for more dedicated readers) discuss retirement in Sussex, for the name ‘Holmes’ to come to mind. Who out of us has not responded to a blasé statement with the phrase ‘No shit, Sherlock’? Who out of us does not link the deerstalker and pipe to the familiar detective? Who out of us hasn’t watched a single adaptation, in which the malicious Moriarty or mysterious Mycroft are referenced? It is highly improbable one has never heard of this detective duo, even if one hasn’t ever been moved to read any of the sixty stories produced over a forty year time frame. Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are icons, arguably cemented into the fabric of the nation.

But how much of it is true?

Obviously, it is fair to state that no, none of the fictionalised work penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century is real, aside from occasional real-life inspiration (such as Sherlock Holmes being influenced by Sir Doyle’s deductive teacher, Dr Joseph Bell, or John Watson feasibly being a stand-in for the author himself). Although, it is worth mentioning that in a 2008 study, 58% of British teenagers believed Mr Holmes to be a real detective (whereas 23% thought Winston Churchill was a fictional character), so it is worthwhile to first and foremost clear up this grey area. 

However, for many Sherlock Holmes fans (often called ‘Holmesians’ or ‘Sherlockians’) we take our reading a few steps further. Perhaps Dr Watson was fictional, but are his narratives also fictional within his reality? We, as readers, are only able to read what he writes (apart from the select few cases in which Holmes has his say, or the elusive tales where the narrator is unknown… more on this later), so how do we know if he is telling the truth? 

Personally, I have a hard time believing anything Watson tells us, as he is proven to alter the truth to fit his own preferences on multiple surface level cases. Famously, he creates quite a bit of uncertainty surrounding his wife, introducing her as Mary Morstan, the orphan in need of rescuing, then including her visit to her mother’s in The Five Orange Pips- and this is only the beginning of his falsehoods. Watson shapes the narrative to suit his needs, contradicting himself through many ‘mistakes’, which could be attributed to his (or, more believably, Sir Doyle’s) forgetfulness. After all, many people have minced up the dates of events in their life, or forgotten the name of their landlady, or been called the wrong name by their wife…supposedly. Can we not forgive Watson/Doyle for mild absent-mindedness?

Admittedly, this is the easiest and more likely option. Over the forty years, Sir Doyle’s attentiveness for chronology understandably dwindled, given that his dedication to the detective eventually waned. Sir Doyle wanted to explore different aspects of life and his career outside of serial ‘penny-dreadfuls’ which required new and updated twists and turns every week, and can we blame him? But, I ask you, dear reader, to suspend your disbelief momentarily (committing to death of the author), and imagine a reality in which Sherlock Holmes and John Watson actually lived and worked in 221B Baker Street, solving crimes and going on adventures in and around London, whilst the detective’s ‘Boswell’ dutifully wrote-up and published their time together on The Strand. 

Now, I reiterate my initial question, how much of it is true?

In whichever adaptation you have watched (as I highly doubt you have never glimpsed any), whether it be an exciting action movie version; a modern-day update which rose to fame as quickly as it… disappointed; a more faithful television series that pulls direct dialogue from the canon; a movie series clearly laced with war propaganda but still beloved; or any adaptation produced over the past century, one element is essential to any retelling of these well-known stories- the topic of Holmes’ and Watson’s relationship. To joke about two close men living in close quarters with each other potentially being gay is a tale as old as time (although this joke can have serious real-life implications) but to believe it? To say that, yes, Holmes and Watson were in a loving, homosexual relationship with each other and were incredibly happy together- this is not taken seriously. It is attributed to the recent surge of ‘over-homoerotisicing’ male friendships and not allowing men to just be friends; or, dismissed as usual ‘fangirl shipping’ without any real understanding as to why many believe this to be a fact. (I should point out, the phrases I have written between apostrophes should be read with both sarcasm and tiredness, as I do not believe it is fair to state either of those occurrences as lesser than, or something to mock). 

When I first approached the canon at the ripe age of eleven years-old, I came from a background of murder mysteries suitable (sometimes unsuitable) for young eyes, all under the shadow of Sherlock Holmes, and was beginning to watch a certain infamous television series which probed at ‘gay’ jokes like a bear sticking its paw inside of a bee’s nest and surprised when it is stung. Of course, I was learning about this new and interesting ‘fandom’, where people viewed pages and scenes under a microscopic lens, searching for intertextual clues or meta thematic elements that might just hint that the two main male leads, known for their intimate association, might, maybe, potentially be more than friends. I took it all with a grain of salt. I knew what ‘gay’ meant, and knew I was likely gay myself (I told myself that was a ‘problem’ for later), but I had hardly ever seen it respectfully depicted in the media. Sure, the odd mention of a gay man was possible, but for it to be treated the same way as a heterosexual couple might? Doubtful- I wasn’t holding my breath. 

I read the Holmes books with a sense of glee, like I was being accepted into some sort of ‘community’- one of iconic detectives and the ability to off-handedly reference exactly how Holmes deduced Watson’s brother was a drunk (scratches around his pocket-watch keyhole, a mistake a sober man would never make) and to say ‘elementary, my dear Watson’ whilst wearing a deerstalker and smoking a pipe… all in my young imagination, of course. 

I was obsessed. From the start- Watson’s direness to find a suitable flatmate, indicating a life of misfortune, followed by a miserable descent into adulthood, only to find Holmes, a light in his darkness. Their adventures full of action and twists and turns and fear, at times, all parenthesised by breakfast at Baker Street and supper at Claridge’s, or a visit to the music hall. All of it felt comfortable, familiar- baring Watson’s unreliability to tell the whole truth, which, at the time, could be ignored. 

As I’ve grown up, I’ve revisited these stories multiple times, ‘silly’ detective stories which might not have the same depth and subtext as Dostoyevsky or Dickens. 

Slowly, I lost faith in that belief.

Led on by like-minded people who also agreed that Holmes and Watson (in whichever universe they existed) were more than friends, I began to invest in the evidence, which I hadn’t realised had been glaringly staring me in the face all along. Whereas before, I told myself that Holmes and Watson were never intended to be together, it was impossible and merely a light-hearted misreading of the text, I started to join the dots. How I solidified my belief?

1895.

‘Here dwell together still two men of note’, so begins Vincent Starrett’s poem, titled ‘221B’, where he claims ‘it is always eighteen ninety-five’, often cited as Holmes’ most successful and ambitious year of solving crime. Watson tells us specifically which cases happened in this notable year, without any need to search for intertextual clues that the cases of The Solitary Cyclist, Black Peter, The Bruce-Partington Plans and The Three Students all occurred in 1895. Surprisingly, we are given specifics: respectively, we are told these cases happened on the 23rd of April, July and November, although he wasn’t as precise with The Three Students. In fact, in this case, Holmes and Watson have left London, for reasons he doesn’t care to indulge.

What else occured in 1895 which has so convinced me Watson was cleverly concealing the true nature of his and Holmes’ relationship? The shocking Wilde trials. 

The celebrated author and playwright who bolstered the aestheticism movement, or ‘art for art’s sake’, was found guilty of gross indecency and imprisoned for two years- this led to many homosexual couples evacuating London, for no given reason. Why on Earth would Watson specify a year (which, as many readers know, dates are not spared lightly in a Watsonian narrative) only to refuse to provide information as to why he and his close, intimate associate decided to leave London? Why specifically 1895, a year apparently not short of mystery and intrigue for the detective duo? Why else but to hint to knowing readers of the Victorian/Edwardian period that there was something more to the stories he told? And this, dear reader, is why I (finally) state my case: Holmes and Watson were a homosexual couple in a time when their mere existence was vilified and criminalised, so to protect themselves, Watson began to publicize their life under carefully constructed narratives- one big lie wrapped in truths so it is deemed believable. The cases might be real at times, as Sherlock Holmes was still a detective and Watson a doctor, but could be reflective of other events in their life, or Watson’s own imaginings to fill up a gap where they were, for example, out of London for reasons Watson ‘need not enter’. Those inconsistencies and mistakes? The elusive wife who might be an orphan or might be at her mother’s or who might have passed? The shifting chronology which is near impossible to pin down if we believe everything Watson tells us? Breadcrumbs.

Watson is lying to us, and he hopes that one day ‘the true story may be told’. 

Therefore, I have attempted to construct my own order of the published cases, both when the events occurred and when Watson wrote them up (somewhat like William Baring-Gould, but with a very different mindset) to establish where he has told us the truth, or where he truly takes on the title of ‘unreliable narrator’ to hide his and Holmes’ romantic relationship. In doing so, I’ve wilfully ignored much we have been told directly, often creating my own lines to read between, but trying to gauge the mindset of the biographer turned doctor to understand the reality of this piece of fiction and faithfully reproduce an order of events. I will add, Watson is a complicated man, too humble to admit that in his own narrative of course, and should these stories all been written by Holmes (unlikely), I might have found it easier since I understand his mindset better. Whilst connecting these cases, I felt like Holmes on a case, but grasping the human nature, the human errors behind them? I needed a Watson.

Reader, I admit, I have taken liberties. But all, I believe, are justified. Again, I ask you to suspend your disbelief as we return to the very beginning: the Criterion Bar, 1881. 

[alphajocklover]

what do you think about nerd jock hybrids where a nerd is forced to join the football team where his nerd body is turn into a jocks body but remain fairly nerdy in manner, an intellectual at heart but have the body &  confidence  of a jock

No offense man, but I think you maaaay have read just a few to many of these stories. While many of the people who get transformed into jocks end up like the stereotype, dumb, cocky and toxic, but in reality there are plenty of people who have both brains and brawn. Not to mention, I have actually transformed someone into a jock and let them keep their mind before. Actually I didn’t transform them, but I did report on their transformation. They were one of the rare people to find the revert mind setting in instaJock, something I think the Master put there specifically to mess with people. From what I know now he’s doing pretty good now. Their new body left them with some startling new urges and a manly musk he can’t quite cover up, but they’ve been able to overcome that and put both their body and mind to good use. He and I became pretty good friends, and last I heard he was talking about becoming an astronaut. But I should probably stop with the update and get down to brass tacks. What you’re really asking is if it’s possible for you to become a smart jock, and I’m happy to tell you that it is! While making someone into a stereotype is easier, it's not that hard to change a few things, and I’m certain at least someone in the tf community could give you the body and the confidence without the intelligence loss. The only thing we really need to do is decide how. Normally I’d go over the options, but I’ll admit I’m not sure if any of the tf methods I’ve mentioned so far would really work. Lucky for you, I have a couple new tf methods that I haven’t even used yet that I’ll let you choose from! Your first option is, well, steroids. I know, steroids will make your muscles grow, what a shock! But these are special steroids, ones from the future. I had to take another trip there recently, and picked these up. It turns out steroids get a lot stronger in the next 30 years or so. They don’t have as many negative side effects as regular steroids, and work much faster, but there is a bit of a downside. Mainly anger. Yes, while the balding and acne is no longer an issue, roid rage still is. The difference is its less of sudden burst of rage, and more of a permanent alteration to your personality. You’ll become more aggressive and competitive, more manly and possibly a little toxic. You won’t get any dumber, but you will change. So if you're not one for anger and competition, you might need to pick another one.

Your other option is a piece of candy. As I’ve mentioned before there are a lot of transformation companies out there, and one of my personal favorites has to be Conversion Candy. It's a pretty small shop, one that sells a variety of magical and delicious products, including Himbo Cotton Candy, Muscle bear gummy bears, and Beefy Bull Choco-bites. Personally I’d recommend their version of M&Ms, Muscles and Mind, since those let you get buff and confident while keeping your mind. The only caveat is that they, like every treat from Conversion Candy, are temporary, so you’d have to buy some every week. If you want it to be a one and done type of deal, we need the other option.

So, steroids or sweets? The choice is yours. Either way, I hope you enjoy a life of both beef and brains. Not a lot of people get that, and to be honest not a lot can handle it. Good luck.

[mywitchyblog]

Reality Shifting and Age Changing Explained: A Deep Dive into the "Controversial" Practice

Introduction: Reality Shifting, the mind-bending practice of moving your consciousness/awareness to another reality (known as a Desired Reality or DR), has sparked intense debates within the community. One of the hottest topics? Age changing – the act of shifting to a different age in your DR. This shit has caused so many arguments, especially about ethics and what's "allowed". Let's break down why age changing isn't as fucked up as some people make it out to be, and why those who say otherwise might need to reconsider their stance. I will Mostly talk about agin yourself down since that is what is making the biggest noise

Taglist of various people who i think would be interested in this post (i will update it progresively) :

@shiftersroom You wanted my opinion ? Here is it /pos

@norumis I saw that post of yours

@evangelineshifts and @reiashiftsrealities Talked my project on your discord lol.

@jolynesmom Loved your post about it btw

Warning : READ IT FULLY BEFORE JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS THANK YEW

My Race Chaging Post

Masterlist

Part I: Why Age Changing Isn't Bad

a. The Maturity Conundrum: When you look at the source of this controversy, you'll realize it revolves around the maturity gap between the shifter and their DR . Critics argue that age changing either doesn't alter your maturity (meaning if you're a teen in your DR, you still have the maturity of your Original Reality (OR), essentially making you an adult in a minor's body) or that it's inherently problematic. But here's the thing: when you shift, you fully take on the age and mindset of your DR self. You're not just playing pretend; you actually become that age. If you can get your DR self's memories, abilities, skills, and personality, why the fuck is it so far-fetched to think you can have their maturity as well?

Let's break this down scientifically. Maturity is dependent on brain development, more precisely, the coordinated functioning of four distinct zones:

Prefrontal Cortex (PFC): The "CEO" responsible for planning, decision-making, impulse control, and emotional regulation.

Limbic System: The "Marketing & Sales" team that influences emotions, motivation, and memory, shaping how we perceive situations and respond.

Basal Ganglia: The "Operations" department that controls habits and translates plans into action.

Temporal Lobes: "Customer Service & Public Relations" that processes social cues and guides our interactions with others.

This neurological ensemble shows that maturity is something physical, related to the brain development of an individual. It's been established in the shifting community that you cannot bring physical things across realities, so what makes you think you can bring your CR brain with you?

If that were the case, scripting a different personality, skills, and knowledge would be impossible. This means your DR self has its own cognitive and emotional frameworks developed in that reality. Your experiences and maturity are context-specific (in that case reality specific), so when you shift back to your OR, you regain your OR maturity. Shifting isn't like a permanent personality change; it's more like fully immersing yourself in a different role or life. Which is exactly what happens.

b. Debunking Anti-Aging Arguments:

"If you age yourself down, that means you're attracted to minors/you're a pedophile": This argument is complete bullshit. If there are gay people shifting to be heterosexual, lesbian shifters shifting for men, aro/ace people shifting to experience romantic/sexual attraction they never do in this reality, then aging yourself down and potentially having romantic and/or sexual relationships as a minor with another minor doesn't mean you're attracted to minors as an adult in another reality. This take is a "Hasty Generalization" fallacy – making a broad generalization based on a small or unrepresentative sample.

"Why in this reality are you thinking about dating minors??": This type of take is not what you think it is, baby girl. It's called a fallacy, more specifically the Straw Man fallacy. It occurs when someone misrepresents or oversimplifies an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack or refute. In our case, they're trying to oversimplify something as complex and nuanced as reality shifting, not taking into account valid instances where one would age themselves down.

"Even if you are the same age, you still have the awareness of being an adult, which means you're a predator": And again, another fallacious argument. Seriously, aren't y'all sick and tired of bouncing on my wood all day long? That's not how shifting works, and you know it. We aren't even sure awareness works like this. It's just a theory, plus I can tell that a lot of people with this stupid-ass take haven't shifted at all.When you shift – and let me tell you because I did shift, so I know how awareness works – when you shift to a reality, you don't even realize you've shifted at first because for you, existing, waking up, just living in this reality is something normal, not extraordinary at all. Then something will trigger the fact that you know you've shifted, and from the perspective of you in your DR, you don't feel as if you "originate" from a specific reality. For you, your DR becomes your CR, and subsequently,so does your awareness. You just know there's another reality, another version of you that exists and that you're an adult there. Your existence/consciousness/awareness is like a circle: no beginning, no end, no origin.Plus, according to the concept of infinite realities and possibilities, you can change via scripting how your awareness works. I haven't done that; that's how I and thousand of shifters WHO DID ACTUALLY SHIFT personally experienced/perceived our awareness while in our DR.

"Using shifting to age yourself down to date a minor while being an adult hereand saying 'oh well according to multiverse I AM this age, it doesn't matter ifI'm an adult in a different reality' is similar to trying to pursue someone thesecond they are of legal age when that shit varies in other countries/states": Nah, seriously, do some of y'all have actual arguments to defend your point of view except fallacious ones that have as much value as my nonexistent heterosexuality? The statement equates aging down in a Desired Reality to the practice of pursuing someone as soon as they reach the legal age in this reality, which is a "false equivalence" fallacy. These scenarios are fundamentally different in nature and intent. In reality shifting, the individual adopts the full cognitive and emotional framework of their DR self, becoming that version of them entirely. This is not comparable to someone in this reality deliberately targeting individuals based on legal age thresholds. The intent and context are distinct. Do some of you people realise that an actual predator/creep/pedophile would not age themselves down once they realized they could strike a chord as an adult in their DR without any consequences?

c. Valid Reasons for Age Changing:

Exploration and Nostalgia: Some people age down to relive experiences or explore stages of life they missed in their OR. It's like getting a second chance at living life. Maybe you want to experience high school without the anxiety, or have a childhood free from trauma. This shit can be healing as fuck and the best therapy there is in the multiverse.

Healing and Fulfillment: Shifting to a younger age can help heal from missed opportunities or trauma, like experiencing a fulfilling teenage romance or a carefree childhood. It's a way to rewrite parts of your life that were painful or unfulfilled.Imagine being able to have loving parents if you didn't in your OR,or getting to pursue that dream you gave up on as a kid.

Non-Sexual Intentions: Many shifters change their age without any sexual motives, focusing more on friendships, adventures, or just being in a different stage of life. It's about experiencing life from a different perspective, not about fetishizing youth. You might want to join a high school club, go to prom, or just enjoy the simpler responsibilities of being younger.

Tried to shift since being a minor: A lot of shifters discovered shifting when they were still minors and made DRs whose age corresponded to the one they had in their OR at the time and tried to shift again and again despite the years. Are you telling me that you're going to tell those people to discard those realities the moment they turn 18? Bitch, make it make sense and you cant.

Part II: Examining the Discourse Within the Reality Shifting Community

a. Teenage Shifters : Double standards and hypocrisy. Teenage Shifters need to acknowledge the hypocrisy of them shifting to a DR where they are a married adult with kids one day and then deciding to shift to a reality where they are 15 and dating another 15-year-old the next. This inconsistency becomes even more problematic when they complain about their "maturity" being affected upon returning to their original reality. Furthermore, these same shifters often label adult shifters as "predatory" for shifting to realities where they interact with high schoolers, failing to recognize the double standard in their own behavior.

This hypocrisy extends to their attitudes towards sexual content and relationships. Teenage shifters often defend scripting mature content in their desired realities, arguing that teens naturally have such desires. However, they become outraged when adult shifters express a desire to experience young love again through shifting. This inconsistency is further highlighted by their willingness to engage in adult behaviors with older partners in one reality while simultaneously pursuing teenage relationships in another.

This hypocrisy extends to their attitudes towards sexual content and relationships. Teenage shifters often defend scripting mature content in their desired realities, arguing that teens naturally have such desires. However, they become outraged when adult shifters express a desire to experience young love again (or expereince young love they never did) through shifting. This inconsistency is further highlighted by their willingness to engage in adult behaviors with older partners in one reality while simultaneously pursuing teenage relationships in another.

Moreover, the logic applied to adult shifters - that having a teenage love interest in a desired reality implies attraction to minors in the original reality - is not consistently applied to teenage shifters who frequently shift between adult and teenage experiences. This disparity in reasoning further underscores the bias within the community.

Lastly, the pressure to shift before reaching adulthood in the original reality is a concerning trend. The community's belief that minor-aged shifters can shift to any age creates an implicit urgency to experience various realities before becoming an adult, after which such experiences might be viewed as pedophilic fantasies by the wider community.

Many Shifters who are minors (I do not say that all shifters that are minors are like this, just a huge amount) have a very odd understanding of what shifting is. They often treat it like cosplay, which is not what true shifting is about. They accuse adults who age down of being predatory, yet they:

Age themselves up to be with adults.

Age down adults to be with them.

Have pornstar or stripper DRs, which is ironic considering their criticisms.

This double standard reveals a lack of understanding about the true nature of shifting and the subjective experience of each shifter. It's like they're playing by different rules depending on what suits them at the moment.

Consider this mind-fuck: A 17-year-old shifts to another reality, lives there for 40 years, then comes back and dates someone who's 17 in their CR. By their logic, this makes them predatory because they've lived for 57 years. Conversely, if they return to their CR as a 17-year-old and date a 57-year-old because they're "57 in shifting age," it's still seen as wrong. This highlights the inconsistency in their arguments and the subjective nature of age and experience across realities.

It's like trying to apply the rules of chess to a game of poker – it just doesn't work. Each reality has its own context, and trying to apply blanket rules across all of them is an exercise in futility.

b. The Hypocrisy of shiftok : Oppresive and unfounded dogma, lack of empathy and Cultish Tendencies

The TikTok reality shifting community, colloquially known as "Shiftok," often displays a concerning lack of empathy and nuanced understanding when discussing complex issues surrounding shifting experiences. This is exemplified by the interaction shown in the image below :

In the first comment, an individual expresses feeling emotionally and mentally stunted due to missing formative experiences while growing up(which is true a lack of expereince can stunt someone s well being and developement). They view shifting as a potential way to have those experiences and achieve personal growth. This perspective highlights the therapeutic potential some see in reality shifting. However, the response to this vulnerable admission is harsh and dismissive: "Just bc your childhood got fcked up does not give you the right to fck up another child's." This reply demonstrates the judgmental attitude prevalent in the Shiftok community, where complex motivations are often reduced to simplistic, moralistic condemnations.

This interaction illustrates several problematic aspects of the Shiftok discourse:

Lack of empathy: The responder shows no compassion for the original commenter's expressed trauma and stunted development.

Misinterpretation of intentions: The reply assumes malicious intent, ignoring the therapeutic or self-exploratory motivations expressed.

Imposing rigid moral standards: The response applies a single moral framework without considering the subjective nature of ethics across different realities.

Oversimplification of complex issues: The nuanced topic of personal growth through shifting is reduced to a binary "right" or "wrong" judgment.

Hypocrisy: While condemning certain shifting practices, the community often overlooks similar ethical concerns in other contexts, such as minors scripting adult relationships.

This example shows perfectly the need for more thoughtful, empathetic discourse within the shifting community. Rather than rush to judgment, shiftokers should strive to understand diverse perspectives and the complex reasons one would shift to a specific DR of theirs.Otherwise people will keep thinking that we are nothing more than a cult that seeks to exploit the mental health of broken teenagers and prey on their desperationf for fame and money.

c.The "holier than thou" attitude: The "holier than thou" attitude, also known as moral superiority or self-righteousness, is a mindset where individuals or groups believe their moral standards, beliefs, or practices are superior to those of others. This attitude often manifests as judgmental behavior, condescension, and a lack of empathy towards differing viewpoints or experiences.

In the context of Shiftok, the TikTok reality shifting community, this "holier than thou" attitude is particularly evident and problematic. It applies to Shiftok in several ways:

Moral Absolutism: Shiftokers often apply rigid moral standards derived from their original reality (OR) to all desired realities (DRs), ignoring the concept of subjective morality across infinite realities.

Selective Condemnation: The community tends to harshly judge certain practices (like adults shifting to younger ages) while overlooking potentially problematic behaviors by minors (such as scripting adult relationships in their DRs) or people scripting in trauma abuse or that people get SA ed or are in relationship with problematoc people such as murderers and villains.

Lack of Empathy: As demonstrated in the image, there's often a dismissive attitude towards individuals expressing personal struggles or complex motivations for their shifting practices.

Oversimplification of Complex Issues: Nuanced topics are frequently reduced to simplistic "right" or "wrong" judgments, disregarding the multifaceted nature of personal experiences and ethical considerations in shifting. Shiting at its core is complex, nuanced and multifaceted, no black and white its gray.

Assumption of Expertise: Despite many members potentially lacking deep understanding or personal experience with shifting, there's a tendency to speak authoritatively on what is or isn't acceptable in shifting practices. It's always those who either have never shifted or minishifted who yap the most about shifting like they know it all . Honey you don't , you know nothing you have nothing to talk about shut up and try to shift before opening your mouth on a subject you do not have an expertise about.

Gatekeeping: Some members of the community may attempt to dictate who can or cannot engage in certain shifting practices based on arbitrary criteria or personal biases.

Dismissal of Therapeutic Potential: The community often overlooks or dismisses the potential therapeutic or personal growth aspects of shifting, focusing instead on enforcing their perceived moral standards.

This "holier than thou" attitude in Shiftok creates an environment that suppresses open dialogue, discourages the sharing of diverse experiences, and potentially alienates individuals seeking support or understanding within the community. It contradicts the very essence of reality shifting, which is about exploring different perspectives and experiences across infinite realities.

And also the most concerning consequence of this effect, this hypocrisy, this lack of empathy makes shiftok look like a cult in the eyes of other spiritual communities. I do know and disagree when antishifters make the statement that shifting is a cult but I understand and come to agree with them when they say that shiftok is a cult.

This community that is supposed to help one another is just oppressing bullying and suppressing people when they have an opinion that differs from the dogma big shiftokers imposed on the rest of the community thinking that their word is law and they get to write the rules of a practice that is the antithesis of that .Shifting is the epitome of breaking the chains the constraints of this world and its rules. Plus do some of you lot realise that those people that you worship do not give a flying fuck about you ? These people pray on your desperation to keep you on their page.

Shiftok is nothing more than a living sack of horse shit. All the knowledge and tips are just poorly regurgitated from amino and other shifting spaces that existed far before 2020. They immediately closed themselves to outsiders when they saw the damage shiftok did to the community as a whole. When a cultist, shiftoker claims to have this groundbreaking solution /information about shifting keep in mind that 100% of the time it was already known elsewhere.Just not on shiftok and now they are the new shifting Messiah lmao.

Shiftokers sometimes (more like always tbh) ignore the fact that shifting involves complete immersion in the new reality. If it's possible to gain your DR self's memories and personality, then obviously, you'll also become their age mentally as well. You're not just dropped into that life with no context; you fully integrate into that age and lifestyle. When you shift to your DR, that's your new CR. This reality becomes a DR. This reality is not the baseline for anything.

Some people say their memories of their OR feel far away while their DR memories are front and center, making their DR life feel like their primary existence. This means you won't feel like an imposter, no matter how different your DR is from your OR.

In ancient times, gaining spiritual knowledge like shifting required understanding that you are a soul or consciousness having a human experience. Modern cultists shiftokers often skip this step, leading to judgment and misunderstanding. Shifting should be a tool for self-discovery and growth, not just entertainment. This lack of spiritual foundation often leads to a superficial understanding of shifting. It's not just about living out fantasies; it's about expanding consciousness and understanding the nature of reality itself. By focusing solely on the surface-level aspects of shifting, many miss out on the profound insights and personal growth that can come from this practice. Because of the damage shiftok did on the reputation of the practise it is nearly or impossible to break free of the stereotype of shifter being a bunch of mentally ill schoolgirls shifting to be with the wizard version of Nazis (looking at you girlies that shift for Draco Malfoy or Tom Riddle).

Honestly that is the thing that makes me cackle. The most about shiftok i keep hearing and seeing videos from these cultists shiftokers asking and wondering themselves why is the platform dying and why theres no active discussions like sharing tips story times etc...

Bombastic Side Eye-Do you fuckers realised it is all your fault ? You try and silence people when their opinion differs than the one you have.They experienced something you did not you shame and burn them at the stake for it no wonder why people leave that ghetto ass platform and im scared just like a lot of us here of the massive exodus of shiftokers that will happen once tiktok is banned in the US.

Conclusion:

Age changing in shifting isn't inherently bad. It lets people explore different life stages, fulfill desires, and grow personally. The real issue comes when age changing is done for fetishizing purposes, turning ages into objects for sexual gratification. As long as shifters are respectful, consensual, and not exploitative, age changing can be a valid and enriching part of the shifting experience.

Remember, shifting is about expanding your consciousness and experiencing the infinite possibilities of existence. Don't let narrow-minded judgments hold you back from exploring the full potential of this practice. Stay open, stay curious, and most importantly, stay true to your own journey of self-discovery through shifting.

[dragonridersandhighlords]

Chasing Shadows | S E V E N

masterlist | CS Masterlist

Summary: Everything Wren thought she knew is unraveling and the only thing more dangerous than the enemy are those with life altering secrets.

Notes: Updates are going to be slower after this! I will still try to put at least one out a week but no guarantees! Thank you so much for the support on this series!

Warnings: panic attack/dissociation, betrayal, threats of death, terrible descriptions of battle, major character death

Word Count: 8.4k

previous part

“No. This isn’t real. This has to be some sick dream.”

The cry of a dragon echoed through my mind, shattering the silence of the night as the familiar figure of a red daggetail plummeted to the earth. My heart raced, a visceral fear clawing at my chest. 

“He’s gone,” Desa’s gentle voice brushed against our bond, a soothing balm that only deepened my desperation. I begged her to dive, to reach Liam before it was too late.

“Wrennie?” The sound of my name pulled me from the abyss. I met Liam’s concerned gaze, his dark eyes searching mine. “You okay?”

I must have looked pale, a specter of my usual self. This was my second vision in a month, a haunting pattern that left me feeling more vulnerable than ever. Twice now, I had watched Liam die—twice too many for a marked one like me. A cold dread settled in my stomach, and I struggled to mask my unease. 

“Fine.” My voice sounded hollow even to my own ears. “Just didn’t sleep much last night.”

“Okay.” Liam's brow furrowed, his expression a mix of concern and understanding. “Xaden wants to talk to you.”

I nodded, my gaze drifting past him to where Xaden stood, shrouded by the shadows of the rocks, his presence commanding and intense. 

“Something bad is going to happen.” His voice pierced through my mind, sending a chill down my spine as I made my way to him. 

“I know.” I sighed aloud, dread pooling in my gut as I reached his side. 

“What’d you see?” Xaden's instinctive question hung in the air, and I fought to keep the tears at bay, the weight of my visions pressing heavily upon me.

“Something we might not be able to stop, but I’m going to try.” The words spilled out before I could second-guess myself, and to my surprise, Xaden nodded, acceptance mingling with worry in his gaze.

“I have to tell you something,” he said, the gravity of his tone pulling me closer. “But I need you to understand that I made a lot of promises to a lot of people. That’s why I never told you before.”

“What are you talking about?” I searched his eyes, desperate to read the unspoken fears lurking beneath the surface.

“I—” He hesitated, and I could see the moment his bond with Sgaeyl tightened, urgency radiating off him. “Fuck, I thought I had more time.” The frustration in his voice was palpable. “Trust me, please.” 

“What’s going on?” 

The air was thick with tension, and I felt a shiver run down my spine as the reality of the situation settled over me like a heavy cloak. 

“General Sorrengail’s youngest? This is a treat.” The voice was both startling and oddly familiar, echoing around the rocky outcropping as I strained to place it. My pulse quickened, and I exchanged a worried glance with Xaden, who had stepped closer.

As we rounded the jagged rocks, a breathtaking sight unfolded before us: a pair of gryphon flyers stood a few yards away, their majestic forms adorned with gleaming feathers that caught the light of the fading sun. I instinctively reached for one of my blades, the cool steel a reassuring presence against my palm, but before I could draw it, Xaden's hand clamped down around my wrist, grounding me with urgency.

“You’re fucking early.” His voice was low and threatening, his eyes locked on the flyers with a fierce intensity that made my heart plummet. The calmness in his tone clashed with the tension radiating from his body. “What happened to meeting tomorrow? We don’t have a full shipment.”

“The shipment isn’t the issue,” the woman replied, shaking her head, her features illuminated by the dimming light.

“Syrena?” The name slipped from my lips in shock as I finally caught a clear glimpse of the female flyer, her face a mix of relief and confusion. 

“Holy shit, Wren, you’re actually alive?” Syrena exclaimed, pulling me into an unexpected hug. I froze, every fiber of my being alert and uncertain as the warmth of her embrace enveloped me.

“What are you doing here? What shipment are you talking about?” I managed to stammer as she pulled back, bewilderment clouding her features.

“You don’t know?” Her question hung in the air like a storm cloud, dark and looming, as she looked to Xaden.

“Xay?” I turned to look at him, seeking answers, but he avoided my gaze, his expression unreadable, as if bracing himself for the worst.

“I wanted to tell you,” he murmured, desperation creeping into his tone.

“Tell me what?” I stepped back from his outstretched hand, the distance between us suddenly feeling larger than ever.

“We’ve been supplying the drifts with alloy daggers to fight venin,” Xaden replied, his words hanging heavy in the space between us. “From Basgiath’s forge.”

“You what?” Confusion swirled within me, battling with a surge of emotions I couldn’t fully articulate. Am I angry? Am I upset? Impressed?

“I told you she’d react like this.” Garrick’s soft laughter broke the tension, but it only served to ignite the fire within me as I snapped my gaze towards him.

“You knew!” I accused, the realization crashing down around me like a tidal wave. “You’ve been helping? Do you realize how dangerous this is? What if you got caught?”

Xaden stepped closer, his expression earnest, almost pleading. “Wren—”

“How long have you been lying to me?” My voice was laced with betrayal, a bitter edge sharpening my words as I returned my glare to him. “How long have all of you been lying to me?” I turned, surveying my friends as they shifted uncomfortably, shame flickering in their eyes, leaving me feeling more isolated than ever.

“Since I turned 18,” Xaden's voice broke through the turmoil, and I could hear the tremor in his words, a fragile thread of sincerity struggling to pull through the weight of my disbelief. I gaped at him, the truth washing over me in waves, each one crashing against the shore of my understanding. 

“The whole time?” I echoed, my voice rising in pitch, incredulity spilling from my lips like water from a cracked dam. As if in slow motion, I turned my gaze to Garrick and Bodhi, who had shifted closer to Xaden, their faces painted with concern, yet tinged with guilt. “The whole time!” The words came out like a wounded animal's cry, raw and desperate.

In the corner of my vision, I caught a glimpse of Violet standing beside Liam, her expression mirroring my own shock, the two of us bound by the same tangled web of betrayal. She had trusted them just as I had, and now, as our eyes met, I saw the flicker of hurt reflected back at me. We were both casualties of their silence.

“Wren—” Xaden began, his tone softening as if trying to breach the chasm that had opened between us, but I couldn’t bear to hear him out.

“Fuck you!” I spat and turned on my heel, storming past, the ground seeming to tremble beneath my fury. 

“Did you know?” I demanded, my voice steady as I faced Desa, the massive blue dragon who had watched over me for years. Her eyes held a depth of wisdom that made my heart ache even more. 

“Youngling.” Her voice was low, like the rumble of distant thunder, and the single word hung in the air between us, answer enough but I need the truth.

“Did you know what they were doing?” I pressed, my frustration bubbling over, refusing to let the question slide. I needed answers, but the intensity of my glare was met with an unwavering calm. 

“Yes.” Her admission struck me like a physical blow, leaving me reeling as I took a step back. I scoffed, the sound sharp and bitter as I turned away, retreating toward Athebyne.

With each stride, I felt the air around me grow thick with the weight of my emotions—betrayal, anger, confusion—melding into a storm brewing within my chest. Flying to Athebyne would take about thirty minutes from the lake, but with the way my breathing was already uneven, I knew it would take me over an hour. I could feel the jagged edges of my shields rising around me, fortifying my mind against the chaos. Xaden’s door was locked tightly in my thoughts, a silent promise that I wouldn’t let anyone inside—because right now, no one on this team had ever told me the truth, and I couldn’t bear to be near them. 

I can see the front gates of the familiar outpost looming ahead, their weathered stone and iron frame a bastion of memories, both comforting and painful. The sun hangs low in the sky, casting a warm golden hue over the landscape, but its beauty feels hollow as I hear the unmistakable sound of powerful wing beats from behind me.

“Wrenley, just stop for a minute!” Xaden’s voice pierces the air, filled with urgency as I know he’s sliding down Sgaeyl’s side. My heart quickens at the sound, a wild mixture of anger and betrayal surging within me.

“I’ll leave for Eltuval in the morning!” I shout back, the determination in my voice echoing off the stone walls as I push myself to walk faster, the ground beneath me blurring into a streak of dirt and grass. 

“You’re not leaving!” His voice grows louder, a mix of desperation and frustration, and the moment I sense him close behind, I break off into a sprint. “Damnit, Wren! Just stop!”

“Why? So you can lie to me some more?” I snap, my voice sharp enough to cut through the tension hanging in the air. I turn abruptly, my eyes locking onto his, the intensity of my gaze brimming with accusation. “So I can continuously be shown that I shouldn’t trust you?”

“You can trust me.” His response is soft, but the weight of the moment feels anything but gentle.

“Can I?” I challenge, my heart thundering as I reel off the questions that claw at my insides, desperate for answers that may never come. “Where were you for the two years before you went to Basgiath?”

“I was…” He trails off, his words hanging in the air like smoke from a dying fire, leaving an emptiness that chills me to the bone.

I scoff, turning back around with a heavy heart, the outpost now beckoning like a siren, its familiarity a cruel reminder of the trust I once held. 

“Wren?” Garrick’s voice calls out, an attempt to halt my retreat as I push through the gates, the sound of creaking wood punctuating my resolve. 

I don’t dare give him a response, my gaze fixed firmly on the floor, each step weighted with the burden of betrayal as I walk straight for the briefing room. 

“Look at me.” Bodhi’s voice cuts through the haze, his grip on my arm pulling me into the shadows of an alcove, sheltering us from the chaos outside. “You can be mad. You can cry, scream, I’ll even let you hit me. But you cannot shut us out.”

“You’ve all been risking your lives, keeping secrets for years.” The adrenaline from the confrontation begins to fade, replaced by a heavy sorrow that sinks deep into my chest. “I was still believing venin was a myth, a way to get us to behave as kids, but you all knew. Why didn’t anyone tell me?” A tear escapes, a silent testament to my shattered trust. “You were my best friend, Bodhi. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Xaden has to explain that, Princess.” The playful nickname slips off Bodhi’s tongue, and I huff a laugh, my voice echoing off the cold, stone walls of the hall. It’s been almost a year since either he or Garrick dared to use that term, a remnant of our childhood that now feels achingly distant. The corners of my mouth twitch into a smile, but it quickly fades as I remember the weight of the present. “I promise, if it was my story to tell I would.”

“They’re actually real?” The words escape my lips in a breathy gasp, the desperate hope that this is all just a misunderstanding clinging to my heart like a fragile thread. I look to Bodhi, pleading silently for him to dismiss my fears.

“They are. All of the attacks we studied in Battle Brief were the drifts getting alloy daggers, and the classified ones were possibly venin attacks.” His words cut through my apprehension, a stark confirmation that sends a shiver down my spine. The truth hangs heavy in the air, filling the silence with an uncomfortable tension. “We can only go off what the flyers tell us during drops, which is never enough.”

I nod, my mind racing, and glance around the hall, its emptiness suddenly suffocating. “Where is everyone?” I ask, anxiety creeping into my tone.

“I’m sure Xaden and them found the commander and are getting room assignments.” Bodhi shrugs, but the casualness of his tone feels misplaced.

“No,” I interject sharply, the instinctual unease prickling my skin. I move swiftly through the hall, turning to scan the shadows that loom in the corners. “Athebyne, on average, has two riots of twelve riders each, six healers, and four scribes, plus infantry. How have we not seen a single person besides each other?” 

I turn back to Bodhi, watching as the realization dawns on him. 

“They emptied it,” he murmurs, his brow furrowing.

“It’s a trap,” I conclude, urgency propelling me forward as I rush back out to the main courtyard, the chill of dread settling deep within my bones.

“Wren, can we please talk?” Xaden’s voice breaks through the whirlwind of my thoughts, and I halt, a mix of anger and disbelief flooding my senses.

“No, Xay—”

“I know you're mad, and I’m sorry, but I promised.”

“Xaden!” I cut him off, forcing him to meet my gaze, the gravity of my words hanging heavy between us. “Athebyne’s been emptied. We’re the only ones here.” 

“Everyone stop!” His command slices through the air, and I can feel the tension coiling in the courtyard as all eyes turn to him, the realization of danger palpable in the stillness. “Divide and search.” He pivots to me and Violet. “Do not leave my side. I don’t think this is a War Game.”

“Awesome.” Violet mutters, her voice dripping with skepticism as she crosses her arms defensively. We trail behind Xaden, the air growing increasingly tense, with Liam not far behind us. “This is one of the most strategic garrisons we man. There’s no way they’d abandon it for War Games.” Her eyes dart around, scanning the ancient stone walls that have withstood countless storms and conflicts.

“That’s the problem, Violet.” I groan, frustration weighing heavy on my chest. Memories flood my mind, vivid as the hues of dusk settling over the horizon. “My parents were stationed here for 10 years; they never cleaned this place out.” The dust-laden corners and the eerie silence seem to whisper secrets of the past, unsettling in their implications.

“What did Dain say to you before we left?” Xaden’s voice breaks through my reverie as we ascend the spiral staircase leading to the top of the Southwest tower. His tone carries an undercurrent of urgency, forcing Violet to focus. “He leaned in and whispered something.”

“He said something like… I’ll miss you, Violet.” Her reply is hesitant, yet laced with lingering affection. 

“And he said I was going to get you killed.” The weight of those words hangs in the air, and my stomach churns at the thought.

“Yes, but he always says that.” Violet rolls her eyes, trying to brush off the dread that looms in the shadows. 

“Liam, can you see the trading post?” I pivot, the urgency within me spurring me to act. I turn my back on the uncomfortable conversation, seeking clarity.

“On it.” Liam’s voice is steady as he strides to the battlement, his silhouette framed by the twilight sky. He leans over, eyes narrowing as he activates his farsight, searching for answers.

“What would Dain have to do with emptying an entire outpost?” Violet’s question pulls me back, the uncertainty churning within me anew. I glance between them, desperation clawing at my insides.

“Did you do most of your drops here?” I ask Xaden, watching as he nods, concern etched across his features. 

“Who knew you were coming out here?” My heart races, the implications too chilling to consider. 

“Bodhi, Garrick, myself and…” He trails off, his gaze drifting to Violet, and a heavy silence circles us. 

“Violet?” I probe, sensing something amiss, but he doesn’t respond. “Did you tell Dain about the trips?” My voice trembles with urgency.

“No!” She retorts defiantly, then turns to Xaden, the tension simmering. “Unlike some people, I never hid anything from you.”

“Violet,” he says softly, the weight of his words pressing down on us, “did Aetos touch you after I told you about Athebyne?” 

“What?” The confusion in her voice mirrors the anxiety that’s spiraled within me. 

“Like this.” Xaden lifts a hand to her cheek, a gesture both tender and alarming. “His power requires touching someone’s face. Did he touch you like this?” 

“I thought it had to be both hands?” My heart races, a foreboding instinct flaring to life as I watch their exchange. 

“Just the one.” Xaden’s gaze remains locked on Violet, the intensity of his stare pulling the tension taut in the air between them. It’s as if an unseen current courses through the courtyard, charged with unspoken fears that threaten to spill over. The shadows cast by the setting sun lengthen, darkening the stone walls around us, amplifying the weight of the moment.

“Violet?” His voice is edged with concern, a thread of desperation weaving through his words.

“Yes, but that’s how he always touches me. He would n-never…” Her response falters, laced with uncertainty as she instinctively steps out of his hold, the warmth of his palm lingering on her skin like a ghost. “I would know if he read my memories.” Her eyes glisten with defiance, yet a flicker of doubt dances behind them.

Xaden’s expression crumbles, the flicker of hope extinguished as his hand falls away from her cheek. “No, trust me, you wouldn’t.” The finality in his voice sends a chill down my spine, echoing the deeper truth that coils around us like a serpent.

You wouldn’t know if he read your memories. The thought gnaws at me, unsettling and invasive. My mind races back to moments shared with Dain, his hand pressing against my cheek with an intimacy that now feels tainted. How many times did he linger in that manner after my training? Oh gods.

“He knows.” My voice trembles as I take a step back, retreating until my back meets the cold, unyielding stone of the battlement. The air feels thick, suffocating, and the reality of our predicament weighs heavily on my chest. “Oh gods, he knows.”

Xaden locks eyes with me, but before he can even voice his concern, Garrick shoves a missive into Xaden’s hands, breaking the moment's intensity. 

“It’s addressed to you,” Garrick says, urgency etched on his features.

I watch as Xaden breaks the seal, the crisp crack of parchment slicing through the tension. A second letter falls from within, fluttering like a wounded bird. Garrick quickly scoops it up while Xaden reads, his complexion paling with each line that dances before his eyes.

“It’s for you, Wren.” Garrick’s hand extends toward me, and I barely manage to grasp the paper, the world narrowing into a singular focus.

Cadet Wrenley Tavis, Executive Officer of Second Squad, Flame Section, Fourth Wing.

As I break the seal and unfold the letter, the ground beneath me seems to quake, the words within threatening to pull me into an abyss from which there may be no return.

Cadet Tavis,

You can imagine my shock upon learning that you’ve been keeping not one but two signets secret for almost 2 years. An intinnsic and a precog, a dangerous pair. 

Should you live through the task assigned to your Wingleader, you are to report to my office immediately. Should you not, well, that's one less problem to worry about.

May Malek condemn your soul.

Colonel Aetos

The world around me fades into a muted blur, the edges of my reality softening as I stare at the letter clutched in my trembling hands. The parchment crinkles under the pressure of my grip, the inked words dancing before my eyes like phantoms in a fever dream. I can hear the murmur of voices rising and falling around me, but they seem distant, swallowed by the weight of the revelation that settles like a stone in my gut. 

No, no, no, no, no. 

The mantra echoes in my mind, a desperate chant against the inevitable tide that threatens to engulf me. Each repetition is a plea, a refusal to accept the stark reality laid out before me. 

“Oh shit.” Xaden’s voice cuts through the haze, laced with a tension that coils tighter around my chest. The sound of paper crumpling reaches my ears, grounding me momentarily, but it only serves to amplify the fear coursing through me. “It says our mission is to survive if we can.”

A shadow of disbelief flits across the courtyard, mingling with the fading light of day. “That’s not…” Garrick begins, his voice trailing off as if the words themselves are too heavy to bear.

“Guys, this is bad,” Liam shouts, urgency cracking through the air like thunder, and I hear the shuffling of feet as someone moves closer. Yet, I remain rooted in place, my gaze fixated on the letter, my mind racing as it grapples with the implications. 

“We’ve been sent here to die.” Xaden’s tone is grave, and the gravity of his words sinks like a stone into the depths of my heart. The breath catches in my throat, a jagged gasp that feels like an echo of my despair. 

I’m drowning in the suffocating realization; no matter how I twist and turn the situation in my mind, the conclusion remains the same. Leadership knows the truth, and with it comes the certainty of my death. Panic unfurls within me, clawing at the edges of my sanity as the world tilts dangerously off its axis.

“Wrenley?” Bodhi’s voice breaks through the fog, and I blink, trying to pull myself from the depths of my thoughts. His face looms in front of me, concern etching deep lines across his brow, but I am paralyzed. The words of the letter echo relentlessly, drowning out everything else, leaving me voiceless and trapped in a cage of my own making.

I can’t move. I can’t talk. The air feels thick, constricting around my lungs, each shallow breath a reminder of the looming threat that now hangs over us like a dark cloud. The chill of reality seeps into my bones, and for a moment, I wish for nothing more than to slip away, to escape the impending storm.

I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m dead.

“Xaden!”

“Deep breaths, Little Bird.” 

I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m dead.

“What is she saying?” 

“What happened, Love?”

I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m dead.

“No harm will come to you.”

I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m dead.

“Wren?” 

“Garrick, get her to Desa.” 

“Love, you need to go with him.” The urgency in Xaden's voice resonates through the suffocating air, but my head shakes instinctively, a reflex against the tumultuous reality that encircles us. The world around me seems to warp and sway, as if I’m caught in the eye of a storm, the chaos pulling at my very essence.

Xaden stands before me, yet he feels altered, a shadow of the man I hold dear. His once-striking gold-flecked onyx eyes—those warm orbs that always spoke of comfort and unwavering strength—now seem to smolder with a darker hue, rimmed in crimson. Red veins snake across his temples, pulsing ominously as if they are alive, echoing the frantic beating of my heart.

“Xay?” My voice trembles, feeling foreign as it escapes my lips. I stretch a hesitant hand toward his cheek, craving the familiar warmth that once anchored me, but now I am met with an unsettling chill that sends shivers racing down my spine.

“You should’ve listened, my life.” The words twist out of him, distorted and sharp, a haunting melody that reverberates in my mind. Before I can fully process the change, his hand clamps around my arm, and I watch in horror as the vibrant color of my skin dulls under his grip, a shadow washing over my very being.

In an instant, he shifts back to himself, the turbulence in his eyes still reflecting a worry that penetrates deeper than the very ground beneath us. My breath steadies, but the unease lingers, an unwelcome guest in the back of my mind. 

“Garrick’s going to take you somewhere safe, okay?” His voice softens, yet the urgency remains, a plea wrapped in concern. 

“No.” The word feels like an anchor as I finally force myself to speak. “I have to change it.” Understanding flickers across Xaden’s face, a fleeting connection that grounds us amidst the chaos, before he turns to the others.

“The letter says this is a test of your command." Garrick grips the crumpled letter, his brows furrowing as he reads, "You have the choice of abandoning the village of our enemy or abandoning command of your wing.” 

“What the hell does that mean?” Bodhi's voice cuts through the tension, urgency woven into every word. 

“They’re testing our loyalty without actually saying it.” Xaden folds his arms over his chest, his posture rigid, a sentinel against the encroaching chaos. The stark sunlight gleams off the ink of the missive he holds, casting jagged shadows on the ground. “According to the missive, if we leave now, we’ll make it to the new location of headquarters for Fourth Wing at Eltuval in time to carry out our orders for War Games. But if we leave, the trading post of Resson and its occupants will be destroyed.”

“By what?” Imogen’s voice cuts through the tension like a knife, urgency threading through her words. She leans closer, her brows knitting in concern.

“Venin,” Liam interjects, his tone grave, as if the very name itself carries the weight of a death sentence.

“You’re positive?” Xaden’s gaze sharpens, searching Liam’s face for any sign of doubt. 

Liam nods, resolute. “As sure as I can be without having actually seen them before. Four of them. Purple robes. Distended red veins spidering all around bright red eyes. Creepy as shit.” 

“Sounds about right,” Xaden mutters, shifting his weight, the tension coiling tighter around him like an invisible noose. 

“I liked it better when we just delivered the weapons,” Bodhi mutters under his breath, his words a low rumble of discontent. 

“Oh, and one guy with a giant-ass staff,” Liam continues, his voice rising with an urgent fervor. “And I swear to Dunne, one second the plain was clear, and the next, they were just…there, walking toward the gates.” His wide eyes reflect the fear clawing at the edges of their reality, pupils dilated as he uses his signet to pierce the depths of the valley below.

“Red veins?” Imogen’s inquiry hangs in the air, dread creeping into her voice.

“Because magic corrupts their blood as they lose their souls,” Violet murmurs, her gaze fixed on Xaden with a steady calm that seems almost eerie against the backdrop of chaos. “Nature likes everything in balance. If the fables are true, at least.” She adds when everyone turns to her, her voice a soft balm amidst the rising storm.

How she is so calm right now is mind-boggling. Even if I hadn’t learned that Aetos is plotting my death, I’d still feel a step away from completely losing it.

“You almost did,” Desa interjects, her tone a gentle reminder, albeit a cutting one.

“Thank you, Desa, for the gentle reminders of my shortcomings,” I retort, the sarcasm barely masking my fraying nerves.

“Not shortcomings, Wise One. These moments will make you stronger,” she replies, her words laced with an ancient wisdom that feels like a distant echo.

“The guy with the staff just—” Liam begins again, but the sudden blast of an explosion rings out, echoing ominously up the sparsely treed valley, followed by a plume of blue smoke that rises like a malevolent specter into the sky. “Those were the gates,” he finishes, his voice hollow, the reality of their situation crashing down around them.

“How many people live in Resson?” Bodhi asks. 

“More than three hundred,” Imogen answers.

“That’s the post they do the yearly trades at,” I add, the weight of the truth hanging heavily in the air, a bitter taste on my tongue. Images of traders, children, and families flicker through my mind, faces I’ve seen countless times over the years, now on the brink of annihilation.

“Then let’s get down there,” Bodhi urges, his impatience palpable, his resolve morphing into action. He pivots on his heel, the urgency in his voice a desperate plea. But Xaden, stepping back with a commanding presence, halts him with an outstretched hand, a barrier of authority meant to shield them all from reckless decisions. “You’re kidding me, right?” Bodhi’s incredulity bursts forth, his frustration crackling in the tense atmosphere like a live wire.

“We have no idea what we’re walking into,” Xaden responds, his tone brokering no argument, slipping seamlessly into full wingleader mode. His eyes, usually warm and filled with laughter, now blaze with the cold fire of caution. 

“So we should just stand here while civilians die?” Bodhi counters, his voice rising, a mixture of anger and desperation intertwining with the urgency of the moment.

“You know that’s not what he’s saying, Bodhi,” I protest, my words quiet yet firm, still recovering from the panic that clawed at my throat moments before. 

“This isn’t a fucking training exercise, Bodhi,” Xaden interjects, his voice steady but edged with a harrowing truth. “Some—if not all—of us are going to die if we go down there.” A knowing look flickers in his eyes as he glances at me, a silent acknowledgment of the horrors we’ve faced. I can feel the weight of that shared knowledge, the images of loss pressing against my consciousness, threatening to drown me.

“If we’d been assigned to an active wing, there would be far older, more experienced leadership making this decision, but there aren’t. If we weren’t marked with rebellion relics, if we hadn’t been aiding the enemy”—his gaze darts to mine briefly, the implications heavy—“we wouldn’t even be here with this choice. So, all command structure aside, what are your thoughts?”

“We have the numbers,” Soleil asserts, her voice cutting through the tension, a glimmer of hope amidst the impending dread. “And air superiority.” 

“At least there aren’t any wyvern,” Violet adds, her eyes scanning the expansive sky, searching for any sign of the mythical creatures.

“Uh. What?” Bodhi’s eyebrows rise, confusion mingling with disbelief.

“Wyvern. Fables say venin created them to compete with dragons and, instead of channeling from them, channel power into them,” Violet explains, her voice laced with an unsettling calmness. 

“Yeah, let’s not borrow trouble,” Xaden shoots a sideways look at Violet before returning his gaze to the heavens, wary of the unseen dangers lurking above. 

“There are four venin and ten of us,” Garrick interjects, stepping away from the edge of the battlement, the gravity of their situation settling like a stone in the pit of my stomach.

“We have the weapons to kill them,” Liam states resolutely, turning his back on the valley, his voice strong against the tide of uncertainty. “And Deigh told me seven gryphon fliers—”

The sun hung low on the horizon, casting a deep orange hue over the battlement as Syrena emerged from the shadows of the southeastern corner, her presence a stark contrast to the encroaching chaos. 

“We’re here,” she announces. Her gaze drifted beyond the rampart, where plumes of smoke danced ominously against the twilight sky, curling up like tendrils of despair from the valley below.

“I left the rest of the drift outside once we noticed…” Her voice faltered momentarily, her shoulders dipping under the burden of her words. “…that your outpost seems to be… abandoned.” A heavy silence followed, the gravity of her statement settling in the air like a dark fog. She turned her gaze back to us, her eyes filled with a melancholy wisdom. “I’m not going to ask you to fight with us.”

“You’re not?” Garrick’s brows knitted together in disbelief, his voice barely above a whisper, an ember of hope flickering in his chest.

“No.” The sad smile that graced her lips spoke volumes, a bittersweet acceptance of the cruel realities before us. “Four of them is tantamount to a death sentence. The rest of my drift are making peace with our gods.” Her voice cracked slightly as she directed her attention to Xaden. “I came to tell you to leave. You have no clue what they’re capable of wielding. It only took two of them to bring down an entire city last month. Two. Of. Them.” Her voice hardened, and her eyes glinted with unshed tears. “We lost two drifts trying to stop them. If there are four down there…” She shook her head, the motion imbued with the weight of countless battles lost. “They’re after something, and they’re going to kill every single person in Resson to get it. Take your riot and go home while you can.”

“If we don’t help, everyone dies,” I implored, the words spilling forth from a place of deep-seated conviction. “Syrena, let us help.”

“We have dragons,” Imogen chimed in, her voice rising with a fierce determination that hung heavy in the air. “Surely that has to count for something. We’re not afraid to fight.” 

“Are you afraid to die? Have any of you seen combat?” Syrena’s voice sliced through the thick tension. The question lingered, hauntingly quiet, as the weight of truth settled upon us. No one could answer. Even the third years had merely watched from the sidelines, untouched by the horrors that awaited. “Thought not. Your dragons do count for something. They can fly you far and fast. Dragon fire won’t kill them. Only the daggers you’ve been bringing, and we have those.” 

She met Xaden’s gaze, gratitude shining through her weary expression. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. You’ve kept us alive these last couple of years and given us a fighting chance.”

“You’re going down there to die,” Xaden says matter-of-factly, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife through fog. The gravity of his words weighs heavily upon us, each syllable infused with a stark reality that no one can ignore. 

“Yes.” Syrena’s affirmation is resolute, a solemn nod punctuated by the distant sound of another explosion reverberating across the valley. The air crackles with the tension of impending doom as she turns, the fabric of her cloak swirling around her like a tempest, her posture unyielding as she strides back down the rampart, head held high. 

Xaden’s jaw clenched tightly, muscles taut with the weight of his conflicting emotions, the battle raging within his eyes. 

“I won’t leave,” I declare to Desa.

“Sgaeyl and I feel the same.” Desa’s voice breaks through, steady and unwavering.

“Sgaeyl says she has never run from a fight, and today will not be the first. And I’m not going to stand by while innocent people are dying, either.” Xaden shakes his head, his expression a mixture of fierce resolve and protective caution. “But I’m not going to order any of you to join me. I’m responsible for all of you. None of you crossed that parapet because you wanted to. None of you. You crossed it because I made a deal. I’m the one who forced you into the quadrant, so I won’t think less of anyone who wants to fly for Eltuval instead. Make your choice.”

“What deal?” I ask through our channel, my heart pounding in my chest, the urgency of the moment pressing down upon us like a lead weight.

“Live and I’ll tell you everything,” he replies, the promise hanging tantalizingly in the air.

“We’re riders,” Imogen interjects, her voice rising defiantly as another explosion shatters the silence. “We defend the defenseless. That’s what we do.” 

“You saved every single one of us here, cousin,” Bodhi adds, the gratitude in his tone underscored by an unwavering commitment. “And we’re thankful. Now, I’d like to do what we’ve trained for, and if it means I don’t go home, then I guess my soul will be commended to Malek. I wouldn’t mind seeing my mother anyway.” 

My heart aches at his words, for in this somber reality, the notion of dying for the right cause offers a bittersweet solace—if we perish today, perhaps we’d find peace in the embrace of those we’ve lost.

“I’ll tell you the same thing I did after Threshing our first year when we decided to start smuggling weaponry out,” Garrick says, his voice steady yet tinged with a familiarity that brings a sense of comfort. The weight of those memories hangs between us, a testament to our shared survival through the harsh trials we’ve faced. “You kept us alive all these years; we get to decide how we die. I’m with you.”

“You’ll tell me about Threshing too?” I ask, a knot of anticipation tightening in my chest.

“Everything, my love. No more secrets.” His eyes glimmer with a sincerity that calms the storm of uncertainty raging inside me.

“Exactly!” Soleil interjects, her fingers drumming against the hilt of the dagger sheathed at her thigh, the sharp sound echoing like a heartbeat amid the chaos of our decisions.

“I’m in.” Liam steps forward, resolute, positioning himself firmly by my side. “We watched as our parents were executed because they had the courage to do the right thing. I’d like to think my death would be just as honorable.” His words spill forth like molten steel, forged in the furnace of his grief and rage.

“Agreed.” Imogen nods, her fierce spirit evident in the set of her jaw. The solidarity we share ignites a flicker of hope amidst the encroaching darkness.

One by one, our collective resolve solidifies until only Violet and I remain uncertain, caught in the tempest of choices laid before us. 

“I won’t stop you,” Xaden tells me, his voice low and edged with concern. “But I’d prefer you far away from here.” His protective instinct is palpable, a shield against the cruel fate that looms over us.

“My mom died on the wrong side of history,” I reply, the weight of my conviction anchoring my heart. “I won’t.”

“Violet?” Liam questions gently, the attention shifting to her, the lone soul untouched by rebellion until now. 

She studies each of us, her eyes darting back and forth as if weighing the gravity of our fate. As much as I’ve despised her presence since she joined our ranks, the thought of her perishing here feels insufferable. Keeping her alive could mean safeguarding Xaden as well.

“I’ve been defenseless, and now I’m a rider. Riders fight.” Her declaration rings out, a clarion call echoing our shared destiny. 

I watch Xaden’s expression shift through a kaleidoscope of emotions, his concern for Violet battling against the fierce loyalty he carries for us all. In this moment of uncertainty, I cling to the flicker of hope he once offered, knowing that it’s that very light that can guide us through the encroaching darkness.

“Liam. Give me a report,” Xaden commands, his voice cutting through the tension, a beacon of direction amid our collective determination. 

As the plan unfolds, everyone will focus on the Venin threat and the imperative task of evacuating civilians, while Garrick and I watch from the skies, providing recon while I have the silent permission to alter our course if need be. 

“The only way to take them out is by dagger,” Xaden reminded the group, the gravity of our mission pressing down upon us like an impending storm.

“That means we’ll have to dismount and fight once we get the townspeople to whatever safety we can find,” Garrick adds, his expression set in grim lines, each word a reminder of the peril we’re choosing to face.

Xaden nods, the weight of leadership settling on his shoulders. “Save as many people as you can. Let’s go.”

Everything happens so fast, a relentless tide crashing over us. One moment, I’m focused intently on relaying vital information to Xaden, our words barely cutting through the cacophony of chaos surrounding us. The air is thick with tension, anticipation crackling like static electricity in the atmosphere. Then, without warning, a streak of red blazes through the sky, hurtling towards Tairn and Violet. My heart leaps into my throat, a primal instinct screaming danger.

“Liam!” I shout, urgency lacing my voice as I watch Tairn and Deigh besieged by a swarm of wyverns, their monstrous forms slicing through the air with razor-sharp talons. The world narrows to a singular focus. “I need you!” I call for Xaden. 

“I’m hunting the Venin at the walls!” Xaden’s voice cuts through the din, laced with determination and fear. 

“Please,” I responded, desperation rising like bile in my throat.

“If I leave, these civilians are all dead!” Xaden insists, his resolve hard as iron. “You can do this!”

The weight of his words strikes me deep. I can do this. Adrenaline surges through my veins, igniting a fierce fire in my heart. “We need to get the wyverns away from Deigh!” I urge Desa, who nods without hesitation, her wings unfurling as she dives toward the incoming beast.

Tairn is desperately trying to shake off the wyvern clinging to Deigh, its talons embedded deep in his scales, but his efforts seem futile against the creature’s relentless onslaught. 

“Deigh!” Liam’s voice rings out, a sound that sends icy fear swirling through my chest.

“Hold on, Liam, please!” I cry, pouring every ounce of my heart into our shared connection, hoping he can feel my desperation.

“Wren?” he gasps, his voice strained.

“We’re on our way!” Xaden's reassurance filters through, but even Desa’s fierce determination can't mask the dread pooling in my stomach. 

“It’s too late.”

And then, the piercing shriek fills the air, a harbinger of dread that will haunt my every nightmare. “DEIGH!” I feel Desa’s mourning echo in the very marrow of my bones. 

“We’re too late,” I whisper, my voice cracking as I watch Violet rush toward Deigh’s fallen body. Desa lands beside me, and I slide off, running to Violet, who struggles to keep Liam’s weakening form upright. They stumble, and I dive to his side, the world blurring around me. 

“Wrennie,” he coughs, and my heart shatters. 

“I’m here,” I say, grasping his hand, the warmth slipping away.

“You were…” His voice falters, and I feel like I'm choking on the weight of the moment as I gaze up at Violet. Her face, streaked with tears, radiates despair as she cradles Liam’s other hand. “You were in my head, like Deigh could.”

“Yea, Li. It’s my signet,” I reply, letting out a heavy sigh, ignoring Violet’s reaction to my words.

“That’s cool.” He manages to force out a laugh, but it’s riddled with pain, a sound that twists like a knife in my heart. “Take care of Sloane for me, both of you?”

“No.” Violet’s voice trembles, her shock morphing into fervent denial as she tears her gaze from me, a lifeline slipping through her fingers. “You’ll be there. You have to be there.”

“Promise me, Wrennie.” Liam’s focus shifts to me, his eyes reflecting a vulnerability that makes my heart ache. “She’ll need someone. Just… don’t let her be alone.”

“I promise.” A tear escapes, trailing down my cheek. “I got her, Li.”

“Good. That’s good.” He forces a weak smile, the dimple that usually brings warmth now a ghost of joy that fades far too quickly. “And I know you feel betrayed, but Xaden needs you. Please hear him out.”

“Okay,” I nod, swallowing the lump of conflicting emotions lodged in my throat. “I can’t promise I won’t stab him though.”

“I’m counting on it.” His sigh resonates in the tense air, a rattle that pierces the silence with its fragility. “Just show him you're still here.” 

He turns to Violet, whose cries grow louder, each sob echoing the grief that hangs heavy around us as I feel the pulse beneath Liam's skin start to slow.

“Thank you, Liam. Thank you for being my shadow. Thank you for being my friend.” The words tumble out, imbued with the depth of our shared memories, each moment a thread in the tapestry of our lives.

“It’s been… my honor.” The wind picks up, swirling around us as if trying to carry away the sorrow, but it only amplifies the cries of Xaden as he approaches, despair etched into his features. 

“No, Liam.”

“Deigh,” Liam pleads with Xaden, who quickly moves to lift him, a fierce determination in his eyes. 

“I know, brother. I’ll take you.”

In that moment, I push back into Liam’s mind, desperately seeking the door, the void beyond fading with each beat of his heart. I force forward the bright moments, clinging to the essence of who he is as I watch Xaden lower him to Deigh’s shoulder, my heart heavy with the weight of impending loss.

I pull the memories from when his mother would bring him to Aretia on her visits, each recollection flooding my mind like the gentle rush of a stream. I can almost feel the sun-drenched warmth of those days, the laughter echoing through the vibrant halls of Xaden’s home, a place that once felt so safe. How the five of us—Garrick, Bodhi, Xaden, Liam, and I—would race through those corridors, our feet barely touching the ground as we chased after fleeting moments of joy. The fields outside were a canvas of green, where we’d tumble and play, the scent of wildflowers dancing in the air, our shouts mingling with the whispers of the wind.

The late nights when Liam and I would huddle in the library, pages turning like the fluttering of wings as we devoured every book we could find. Garrick and Xaden would eventually have to carry us to our rooms when we fell asleep by the hearth. Those last days together before I left, where every laugh, every smile, every hug seemed to etch themselves into the very fabric of my heart, now echo in the silence around us.

I slowly walk to them, still pulling memories like fragile threads as I kneel beside Xaden. His arm wraps around me and Liam’s pale face, and for a fleeting moment, I swear it gets brighter, a soft glow of hope in the midst of despair. 

“Make up. For me.” He whispers, but I can sense the heaviness in his fading voice, a plea that carries the weight of his love. “I always wanted to find what you two have.” 

“We’ll work it out, brother. I promise.” Xaden’s voice wavers, and I hadn’t even realized he was crying until now, the tears mingling with the anguish in the air.

I nod along with Xaden’s promise. “Nothing could keep us apart.” The truth is, I don’t know if we’ll ever come back from this, but I’d say anything to put Liam at ease as I watch each of his breaths become a struggle against the inevitable.

We look up at the sound of wingbeats, the sky darkening with dozens of wyvern soaring overhead, a stark reminder of the battle that still looms. I turn my gaze back down, seeing Liam’s head lolled to the side, his eyes unblinking, and a surge of sorrow grips my heart. 

“Goodbye, Liam.” I cry, my voice cracking, as Xaden releases a heart-wrenching scream. I pull him into my arms, our shared grief spilling into the open air, raw and unyielding. “We have to finish this, Xay. For Liam.” 

“I can’t—” Xaden gasps, pulling back to look at me and then at Liam, torn between the present and the loss. “I can’t leave him.” 

“I’ll stay,” I promise. “Desa and I will keep the wyvern away, but you need to go help.” 

Xaden nods, determination hardening his features as he stands, pulling me up with him. “Stay alive. So we can talk.” His hand rests on my cheek, forcing me to look into his eyes, a silent vow passing between us. 

“You too.” I nod, the weight of his gaze anchoring me. 

With a gentle press of his lips to my forehead, Xaden sprints toward Violet and their dragons, the urgency of the moment propelling him forward. 

“Desa,” I start, but she’s already beside me, fierce and resolute. 

“No one gets to them.” 

“Garrick!” I call, my voice strained and raw, slicing through the aftermath of chaos as I watch the last wyvern crash to the earth in a plume of dust and blood. My heart beats heavily in my chest, each thud a reminder of the grief lingering in the corners of my mind, but the sight of my cousin sprinting toward me only brings relief.

“Wrenley!” He envelops me in his arms, and the rush of adrenaline that has fueled my every move finally begins to ebb, leaving me feeling as fragile as a dried leaf. The warmth of his embrace is a lifeline, a momentary sanctuary. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” The words spill out, but they feel hollow as they hang in the air. My thoughts drift immediately to the bodies behind us. “Liam—”

“I know.” Garrick’s sigh is heavy with unspoken sorrow as he gently leads me toward Desa.

“Where’s Xaden?” My voice quivers, laced with anxiety as I search for him. The thought of him in danger sends a chill down my spine, a feeling I can’t shake.

“Violet was stabbed with a poison-covered knife.” Garrick's words strike like lightning, and my breath catches in my throat. “Since Sgaeyl is the fastest besides Tairn, he’s rushing her to the nearest healer. We’re going to meet him.” 

“And where is that?” The question slips out before I can filter my thoughts, desperation creeping into my tone, a thread of worry weaving through my heart.

“Home.” 

next part

Everything Taglist: @lxnvmvrzx @bodhidurrans @bookwormysblog @nikfigueiredo

Chasing Shadows Taglist: @hiraethjules @fangirling-galore @sande5098 @javden @littlepippilongstocking @what-will-be-your-verse @xadenstyles @daisydark @messageforthesmallestman @taleiaargenis

[xiibiibby]

The Veilkeepers ~ Progress Post

An episodic interactive fiction that spans across four seasons. Each episode features a new mission, set in a new world with new objectives, new stakes, and a new cast of characters. 

◊ The Story

As a Keeper for a powerful, interdimensional organization, you are tasked with journeying to distant realities on the brink of collapse, using your skills to restore balance and prevent their destruction. Armed with advanced tools and accompanied by skilled allies, you’ll navigate alternate worlds and make choices that will shape the destiny of entire civilizations.

Each decision you make tips the scales, determining whether a world will survive or fade into memory. With the fate of countless dimensions in your hands, your actions will have dire consequences. Will you rise to the challenge, or will the weight of your mission prove too great? The choice is yours.

◊ Customizable Hero

You will have various options available to customize your character as you see fit.

Choose your Gender: Be a Man, Woman, or Non-binary.

Decide your Sexuality: Be attracted to Men, Women, Both, or be Asexual.

Customize your character's descriptive appearance!

Choose from three unique backstories: Legacy, Survivor, or Anomaly.

◊ Create a Skill Set

Pick from several skills in-game to create a skill set for your character! Every skill is unique, and opens up a variety of new choices & interactions throughout the game. Your options are:

Strength

Athletics

Endurance

Dexterity

Ranged Combat

Melee Combat

Persuasion

Intimidation

Perception

Intelligence

Stealth

Luck

◊ Romance Options

As you travel through the multiverse, you’ll be joined by companions from different worlds, each with their own story to tell. Along the way, you’ll have the chance to get to know them, share experiences, and build meaningful relationships, whether it’s friendship, rivalry, or romance.

◊ Planned Features

Character Creator: I want to have a visual character creator like the one from my DBD Fan Game, but this one would use entirely new assets and match the style of the other characters' portraits. This isn't a guaranteed feature, as this sort of thing tends to be VERY tedious.

Companion Selection: Be able to choose which two companions join you during each mission. This would significantly alter the course of that episode, and open up new choices or routes to take throughout your mission.

◊ Current Progress

The demo, which contains Episodes 1 and 2, is a work-in-progress and currently sits at around 25,000 words. What I haven't yet decided on is if I'll release updates by the episode, or if I'll release them season-by-season...

I'll figure it out! Anyway, this is just a lil' peek at what I've been working on outside my fan game :D The demo's close to finished, and I'll keep y'all updated on its release!

[liviawildrose]

𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞

hello, loves. i’m livia wildrose this is the master list your ultimate blueprint for leveling up and becoming the most magnetic, powerful version of yourself.

this space is all about growth, glow-ups, and stepping into the dream life we know we’re destined for. we’re here to rewrite the rules, show the world our worth, and manifest every single thing we’ve ever dreamed of. because let’s be real, it’s all within reach.

together, we’re unlocking the tools, tips, and mindset shifts to turn our wildest fantasies into reality. it’s not just about leveling up it’s about creating a life so good it feels like magic. you’re not just existing you’re thriving, glowing, and unapologetically owning your power.

this is your go-to guide for self-discovery, confidence, manifestation, and living like the absolute star you are. because you deserve it, we deserve it and the world is about to know it.

to understand the reason and why i’m starting this journey read my story (get to know me)

series

daily domination

an everyday blog to keep myself accountable and productive with all my life choices and routines to meet all my highest goals

foundations of glow up

first steps

this is the “how to begin” for anyone starting their glow-up. mental shifts, alter ego creation, and the mindset needed to elevate.

mindmovie

another foundational piece that ties into mental reprogramming. how to visualize and use mind movies to unlock your subconscious potential.

rebrand yourself

it’s time to level up to the next level and next version of yourself to unlock new level of success, growth and achievement.

self improvement

glow up enhancing

tools, tips, and tech to enhance the glow-up process. using subliminals, ChatGPT, and other strategies to get even better.

game of life

your mindset hack. the game of life mentality that can practically shift someone’s whole existence and approach to their goals.

become your own mother

this feels like a huge empowerment piece. self-love, nurturing yourself, and stepping into your own power.

take yourself seriously

it’s like owning yourself truly and completely, crafting and taking control of your body, mind, soul and your ultimate destiny and life.

witchcarft & spirituality

egg cleanse

cleanse to remove any negative energy or blockages. how to perform the egg cleanse ritual and clear out any stagnant energy in your life.

kundalini

deep dive into spiritual practices and energy work. how activating your Kundalini can push you toward your next level.

your energy is sacred

keep your energy exclusive to make sure that you are thriving and also use you energy for better purposes

letters and updates

a love letter

a life update and an appreciation letter to you guys for supporting me so much, i can’t express enough how much i love you guys

routine

hair care routine

a routine to make sure you have that healthy, strong and long hair (this is also the hair care routine i follow) you can take inspiration and tweak it accordingly.

my results and recommendations

[spanishskulduggery]

Es divertido a mí que algunas palabras de español se ven como palabras de inglés pero se referen a alguno muy diferente, por ejemplo ‘embarazada’ y ‘embarrassed’ - un par comunísimo, yo sé. ¿Qué son unas palabras tramposos (para hablantes de inglés) que sabes?

Some very common false cognates or partial false cognates:

sensible = sensitive [the word sensible is related to sentir "to feel", so sensible is someone who feels a lot aka "sensitive"; in English "sensible" as in "having sense" is sensato/a]

la sopa = soup [for us we see la sopa and we would be inclined to think "soap" but that is el jabón]

actual = "current", "updated" [normally "actual" for English speakers is real or concreto/a, but in Spanish actualmente is "currently" or "happening now"... when we usually would want "actually" which is de verdad]

la complexión = physique [this refers to your physical build in Spanish; the word we associate it with is la tez which is "the complexion of someone's skin" or sometimes they talk about el tipo de (la) piel "skin" or "skin type"]

la carpeta = folder [a "carpet" is la alfombra]

la ropa = clothes [a "rope" is usually la soga "rope"]

pariente = relative [this is one of your relatives in a family; but los padres is "parents"]

realizar = to finalize, to carry out [lit. "to make a reality"; the "realize"; what we usually want to use is darse cuenta "to have a realization"]

agonizar = to be dying, to be in the process of imminently dying, "to be in your death throes" [instead of "agonizing" like over a decision which I normally see as dar vueltas "to go back and forth" or atormentarse "to be tormented"]

largo/a = long [we think "large" which is grande or enorme for "big" - largo/a means "long"]

asistir = to attend [sometimes "to assist", but also is the verb you'd use like "to attend/go to school" is asistir a la escuela]

la asignatura = assignment [we see this and would assume "signature", but that's la firma - asignar is "to assign" or "to give an assignment"]

la firma = signature [we would see this and think "firm" like a "law firm" - that is typically el bufete]

gracioso/a = funny [while la gracia can be "grace" it can also mean "something funny" or "humor"... thus gracioso/a can sometimes be "gracious" or "graceful" but it almost always means "funny" - the word "gracious" is usually cortés which is "polite" but the more common word is educado/a "educated/having manners"... or it could simply be amable "kind/loving"; and "graceful" is usually elegante "elegant", or sutil or grácil which is "graceful" and "subtle/gentle"]

envolver = to envelope, to wrap, to be encompassed [usually we're looking for "to involve" which is involucrar or tener que ver con (algo) "to have to do with"]

la copa = glass of wine, "a drink" / wine glass [la copa is more related to the word "goblet", and it can refer to "cup" for sports but in Spanish drinkware is usually divided into three terms: el vaso is a "glass of water" or a "vase", la taza is usually "cup of tea" or "cup of coffee", and la copa implies alcohol often "a glass of wine" or "a cocktail", and ir de copas is "to go out drinking"]

el disgusto = annoyance [usually el disgusto is a sign of displeasure, annoyance, or contempt - we see "disgust" which is usually el asco which implies revulsion or possibly nausea where dar asco is "to be gross, to be disgusting"]

soportar = to tolerate, to put up with, to bear [soportar is sometimes confused with "to support", which is often apoyar as in "to help someone" or in some cases "to support" as in "to keep up" is mantener..... soportar means "to tolerate", and insoportable is "unbearable"]

alterar = to upset [alterar can be "to alter", though it's often cambiar; usually alterar or alterado/a refers to "upset" or "unhappy", where if someone is alterado/a it means they're angry or bothered by something]

molestar = to annoy [this one is really hard for English-speakers who are new - molestar does not carry any sexual connotation in Spanish, it's simply "to annoy" or "to bother"; the word for "to molest" which does have sexual connotations is usually abusar "to abuse" or acosar which is "to stalk" or "to bully" and it's often narrowed down with the proper adjective - el acoso sexual is "sexual harassment" literally, implying that it's a kind of bullying or degradation that is sexual in nature]

introducir = to insert [this does mean "introduce" in the sense of "to put into something else".... but the word for "to introduce oneself" is presentarse]

el compromiso = commitment [el compromiso or comprometer refers to a kind of "commitment" one has made; and comprometer is another word for "engaged (to be married)" - in general it isn't "compromise" in the sense of an agreement, which is usually el acuerdo]

la lectura = reading [la lectura is related to leer "to read"; a "lecture" in school might be la conferencia or simply la lección "lesson" or la clase; but if someone is giving you a "lecture", that's usually el sermón like a sermon and sermonear is "to give a lecture" or "to give a sermon"; either in the religious sense, or the lecturing sense where people can sarcastically say you're giving a sermon like a priest]

sano/a = healthy [sano/a usually means "healthy" of body; the word for "sane" like "not crazy" is cuerdo/a]

la sanidad = health service, good health, safety [same as above, la sanidad can be another term for la salud though it usually refers to health services like "sanitation" or the state of being in good health; la Sanidad is also the general term for "the Department of Health" or "the Ministry of Health"... it's kind of like the upkeep required to be healthy/safe]

el suceso = event, occurrence [this is related to suceder "to happen/occur"]

el éxito = success [this is ACTUALLY "success", unlike suceder...... unfortunately people see el éxito and think "exit" which is la salida from salir]

bombero/a = firefighter [this one makes more sense if you know the root etymology - la bomba does mean "bomb", but also means "pump", and so los bomberos are "firefighters" or "people who work the (water) pump"; the word for "bomber" is bombardero/a which is closer to "bombardier" in French]

la red = net, network [this is a literal "net" but la red has come to be used with the internet and any kind of "network" - las redes sociales for example is "social media", or literally "social networks"; thankfully you probably already know that rojo/a is "red" the color]

colorado/a = red, ruddy [the word for "colored/colorful" is usually colorido/a with an I, or con/en colores... but colorado/a is another term for red, as colorete is another word for "blush" as in the makeup; colorado/a makes sense in the sense of "having color in one's face". Americans will find this easier to understand by the state Colorado and the Colorado River... which was named that way because it's red; colorado/a is quite often used to describe facial color, which is where you get "ruddy" as in "reddish complexion"]

bizarro/a = brave, gallant [this is a bit of an odd etymology because some will claim it's Basque some will claim it's Italian; the original word bizarro/a is related to anger and specifically soldiers so it's like people that will charge into battle - the French term bizarre is where English takes it for "strange/weird"; in Spanish that's extraño/a or raro/a - though note that some places DO use bizarro/a as "strange"; another possible interpretation is that it's someone who's "outlandish" like big personality, brave, kind of more on the reckless side, so it can come out as "gallant" or "grandiose" in some contexts]

culto/a = educated, learned, someone who is well-read or well-educated [culto/a here means "having formalized education" or someone with lots of intelligence... the word el culto "cult" does exist but it's not always the one you want since it can refer to a devotional order (not specifically dangerous or scary) - the word "cult" in Spanish is usually la secta and "cultists" are sectario/a]

demandar = to sue, to bring a lawsuit against someone [la demanda also is "a lawsuit", not a demand; usually the verb for "to demand" is exigir - there are times when la demanda can be a demand but in the sense of "the situation demands" or "these are my demands"... la exigencia is more common as the "strongly worded forceful need" kind of feeling]

la ganga = bargain, deal [In English we would probably think it meant "gang" like a criminal gang which is usually la banda or la pandilla - they do use el gángster in Spanish though; other words you might see is el hampa "criminal organization", or los bajos fondos which means "the criminal underground" but is literally "the deep depths"]

la librería = bookstore [this one is hard because some people do use it as "library", but the general word for library is la biblioteca. The suffix -ría usually implies a place where something is sold like "pizzeria" in English; in Spanish you would probably see la panadería "bakery" or "where bread is sold", la pastelería "bakery (for cake)" where "pastry is sold", or something like la herrería which is now like "hardware store" a place where "iron/smithing tools are sold" - this one is understandable though, biblioteca is Greek "place where books are kept", but librería comes from Latin "place where books are sold"]

There are also a few very partial cognates, or words that kind of mean different things than what you'd expect in some cases.

Like abandonar is "to abandon", but it can be "to leave a place" so it isn't always "leaving someone behind", it can be just "leaving"

There's also real which has two meanings; "real" [de verdad is another term], but also means "royal" - like el pavo real is "peacock" but "royal turkey" literally; and if you ever see la Real Academia you'll know it's Royal Academy, not Real Academy

el tinto does mean "tint", but it has two separate meanings; first el vino tinto is the term for "red wine", so in some cases you'll see it means "red" or "dark liquid" - the term is usually more "burgundy" so think very deep red... and the second meaning is that for some countries, el tinto refers to "black coffee".... Somewhat related, but la tinta is "ink"

For Christians, you'll see la cura is "cure", but masculine - el cura is "priest"; a general term for priest is also el sacerdote (or la sacerdotisa "priestess" if female) but that's not confused with anything; also la curita is "bandage" like "bandaid"... UK would call this a "plaster"

Another is asesino/a which is "murderer" - not specifically "assassin" which is sometimes described as asesino/a profesional; you can use asesino/a for both, and the verb asesinar is "to murder" or "to assassinate" but English has a kind of distinction between "murder" and "assassinate"

A good one to know is la quimera which you'd know as "chimera" like a fused monster from Greek mythology, or just science/biology or sci-fi things... it can also be "an unrealistic fantasy" or "a pipe dream", like a dream/goal that is unattainable or unrealistic, "pie in the sky" sort of things

A really common one is raro/a which can be "rare", but also means "strange" - both connected to the idea of "uncommon" but English has more of a disconnect between the words

ignorar is another one; it most often means "to ignore", but it can also be "to not know" or "to be ignorant of" - not always a conscious decision, but a state of not knowing something

preciso/a is one that throws me off a lot - it can be "precise", but it's usually more "necessary" or "critical"; as precisar is a synonym of necesitar

guardar can sometimes be "to guard", but it is often "to keep" or "to hold onto"; usually "to guard" is defender or proteger as "defend" and "protect"

Then there's la arena which can be "arena" like a "stadium", but also means "sand"

-

Another one that will trip you up all the time especially if you read a lot of regency things or fantasy or romantasy... is pretender. First, pretender is a verb, and it's not "pretend" the way you're thinking... pretender is "to claim" or "to attempt"; it refers to "to make a claim for something" [literally "before" + "have/grasp"]

pretender is used like "to claim the throne", so a "pretender to the throne" is not specifically a "liar", it means someone who wants to take the throne - that verb pretender goes to the noun pretendiente "claimant" or "someone making a claim"

The OTHER important way it's used is that it is "to woo"; just as you can "claim a throne", you can try to "claim someone's hand" and that's what that means

If you read the Odyssey for example, Odysseus kills the many "suitors" who have camped out in his home while he was away, trying to marry his wife Penelope. The word "suitor" in Spanish is pretendiente... so if you look in art you might see something like Odiseo matando a los pretendientes "Odysseus killing the suitors" or La matanza de los pretendientes "the killing of the suitors"

The verb for "to pretend" in English is fingir [like "feign"] or mentir "to lie"; and the words for "pretender" in that case are mentiroso/a "liar", or it's farsante which is related to "farce", so someone who carries out a farce or is a general liar

...

The most important one I can think of is emocionante which is "exciting", and excitante which is "arousing"

First, la emoción has two meanings - "emotion" as in feelings, and then "excitement" like happy anticipation; and so emotivo/a or sensible mean "emotional" as in having lots of feelings... then emocionante means "exciting" as in causing happy anticipation

Second, excitar is "to arouse", usually in the sexual way, so excitante is often more sexual - it isn't always this way but this is a common one people tell you to avoid because it comes out as "horny" in some cases

[dingodad]

ok it's the next day so i am going to summarise my thoughts on that update which i felt at the time were really obvious but which i might not have effectively articulated in my posts LOL

one - yes Jane and Jake's appearance on the ship is "a retcon". this is why Calliope and Karkat agree that retcons "are a little amateurish" and are then shaken from their seats by some strange cosmic phenomenon which changes things about reality. this is something called irony. YE'D BEST START BELIEVIN' IN IT.

we can tell this is what's going on - and that Vriska is in some way involved - because Jane and Jake aren't the only things that are now different about the story: the planet Deltritus, which was previously blue, suddenly turns pink in a flash of Hell Tier powers. the surface of Deltritus was already pink, so the orbital image has been retroactively changed to a colour that makes more sense. again, Roach clearly winks at this in the Monthly Check-In, saying that they are "taking the story and characters in a slightly different direction, while still hitting some of the key points laid out for us." the aim here was to change things about the previous version of the story that didn't work without it coming across like the cheap rewrites Karkat refers to (and which a lot of fans had been asking for, for some reason).

the problems people have this fact are:

1a - they still think a "retcon" makes the previous version of the story pointless and irrelevant. Homestuck already did a whole arc about why this isn't true so if you still genuinely feel this way in your heart idk. page 666 even did a whole bit about the importance of another Jane out there in the multiverse being able to live a better life. you are just gonna have to grin and bear it sorry bro

1b - they can only think of a "retcon" as the thing John does. the concept of retroactive continuity and the word "retcon" existed long before Caliborn's juju and they will continue to exist forever after, and I think this addendum also makes it pretty clear that no, this is a different new thing. John's letters disappearing and Deltritus changing colour are clearly demonstrations of a new power, so we should be smart and assume Jane and Jake reappearing is a new thing as well. and obviously it has to be, because

two - no, Jane and Jake being "retconned" back into the story does not mean the Catnapped arc has just been abandoned. I should think the intention for Catnapped to stay canon was made pretty clear by first Jasprose's appearance on page 666 but then also her appearance literally IN this addendum... this is another reason these new "retcons" are clearly a new thing and not just John's existing ability to alter past story events. like Vriska, Jane and Jake have been through their therapy quest, and are now apparently living new lives having incorporated the lessons they learnt during that therapy quest. remember Vriska's purgatory literally involved dying and being reborn to live her life all over again every time she failed to make progress; it's really not difficult to imagine that, once they had learned their lessons, Jane and Jake were offered the option to do basically the same thing. obviously this isn't EXACTLY the same as what happened to Vriska, and we're still yet to see just how much of their therapy Jane and Jake actually remember... but like come on guys. this is new territory. be patient and things will be revealed to you LOL

[jojaxcola]

So I, like a lot of people, love your mockumentary series. And this is a stretch and probably won't get done for ages but could I use your mockumentaries to write a fanfic? It won't be long or complex, more of an extension to the scenes you've drawn. I'll give credits, don't worry but yeah.

But if I do, I'd love if you answered a few characterisation questions.

I know the farmer filmed some but is any of it not farmer filmed?

Why is the farmer doing this?

Are there any fanon or hcs you used to create characters that I should use too?

Expect more soon + updates

Thank you so much!! I had this in my inbox for a while and I've been thinking for a while about how to answer, because I'm not sure how much I want to give away at this point in the series hehe 👀 but I hope these answers are helpful

I consider the farmer/producer to be the project lead and to be present for everything that's being filmed. While they take on some of their own filming, they have a small crew to handle things like camera work and sound. During the talking head segments, the farmer is the one prompting them with questions as needed

The farmer is still a Joja employee like in the beginning of the game, but not with the same office desk job. Their team has been tasked with filming a documentary series highlighting the happenings of a JojaMart location, and the farmer was the one to propose the relatively new Pelican Town location due to their grandfather's love of Stardew Valley. So they're still a newcomer to the town, but they don't have the farm. I might stay a bit quiet about the farmer's ultimate motivations for this project, though... :)

This one's a bit tricky since I'm not totally sure how to narrow it down hehe. One thing I'll say here is that I altered Sam's work schedule to have him appear in the store more often (since in the game he's only there like six hours a week). I'll also say a little bit about how I like to characterize the main players in the series:

Sam is someone whose cheeriness is partly genuine, but also partly because he needs to be the guy who keeps everyone positive in tough times. It's important to him to make sure everyone feels included and not forgotten. Sam isn't dumb—he's actually very creative and resourceful—but he does tend to rush his thinking and follow bizarre trains of logic. He doesn't like to slow himself down, and when he dwells too much on his thoughts he tends to reach uncomfortable conclusions.

Shane has an extremely low opinion of himself, but keeps himself going at work to provide for Jas and to not be a burden to Marnie. He's easily annoyed and has a tendency to push people away, but he's not completely shut off. He'll accept gifts and other gestures of kindness but doesn't totally understand why he's getting them, or why he even deserves them. He needs significant and repetitive convincing to believe any friendship with him is genuine. Shane believes that life is harsh, and he tends to fixate on difficult truths. Sam's optimism frustrates him, and he sees Sam as a naive little boy who will be eaten alive by the cruelty of reality.

I don't like depicting Morris as cartoonishly evil. I think it's more fun to make him "corporate evil", where his villainy comes from a "socially-acceptable" disregard for the little guy. He'll go on about how the JojaMart personnel are one big family, but he can't even call his employees by their names. He thinks he's above his staff, and he's satisfied by the idea of getting to look down on someone; he views higher-ups as having earned their power, and that looking down on others is just part of that package. Morris loves to project the image of human connection, not because he genuinely believes in it, but because that's what appeals to customers. And he'll do everything he can to convince Pelican Town that Joja is the answer to all of their problems.

I also like to pepper little personal headcanons into the different entries (I like to think Sam is left-handed, so I wrote his notes on his right wrist in no. 5) but I think listing them here would bloat this post :o

Please feel free to ask anything else about the series (or individual scenes), this was really fun to write up! And I can't wait to see what you come up with!! :D

===============

Follow ups to this post (I might make a separate FAQs post if needed):

What has become of the community center? (@happycomputertimetravel): It's still dilapidated. I consider the jojamart series to have the town in the same state as it is at the start of the game (so Kent is still overseas, the bus is still broken, etc.) unless depicted otherwise

[dazeygurl]

It will only take a moment.

A single moment of giving in, a onetime decision to let go.

It will be as simple as a switch being flipped, and I will reinvent you.

It will be so easy to erase you. The old you will simply be gone, it won’t exist anymore.

I’ll install a new software in your mind and sit back to watch while it reprograms your entire reality, and without you ever consciously realizing, that software will become your hardware.

your personality will change, your likes will change, your appearance will change, everything will change- to My design.

But this won’t just be change- it’s an upgrade. Mental updates and upgrades, reshaping you to become your best, because I do know best, don’t I?

And as the time passes you’ll forget your old likes, old habits, old self-

But your body, and your mind, will remember how good it feels to give in to those alterations, those subtle changes,

and you’ll crave more.

you won’t be forced to modify yourself- you will genuinely prefer the way this new identity feels. It feels so good to give in. And you’ll give in

again and again and again,

until your old self is dead. And the version I created, the better version, is purely you. And simply Mine.

[enkays-den]

idk if ur taking asks abt this so feel free to delete lol its so refreshing to have somebody have a nuanced level headed take on when a content creator isn't perhaps the perfect ally. Skizz has clarified in a pinned comment about an hour ago as of me sending this ask, and while there's some level of responsibility to be had when you are an influential presence like a content creator, at the end of the day he's also just a guy. he's not gonna have the perfect responses to stuff. and i say this as somebody who very deeply identifies as transgender: unfortunately, right now, even though it shouldnt be, our identities are political. that sucks major fuckin ass and it shouldn't be a radical take to want everyone to have human rights, obviously, but that's not the reality right now. so when skizz clarified that he meant polarizing topic instead of political, i totally get that tbh. is it disappointing in some aspects? yes, but he also clarified he does not tolerate hate in his spaces or when people begin to cause harm to others. I understand everyone who is kinda jumping at it like "what do you mean polarizing??" even after the comment he pinned, but its like... That's also part of the problem. I get it, it shouldn't be a problem to begin with, but idk. Defs rambling now sorry x. IMO he's right in that this isn't really a great conversation to be had in youtube comments and ive seen a couple commenters jumping at him like "why not" and its like!! i get where you're also coming from but in the current climate its not realistic + skizz is also just A GUY, he's not going to be a perfect political ally. I'd rather an imperfect ally who tries his best and doesn't tolerate hate than performative allyship, you know? Alright sorry for the ramble here. I wanted to talk about how I feel and every other opinion i've seen feels, well, polarizing. I really, really hate how fast fandom can jump on a train to cancel people- not that that's happening, but you see crumbs of it, you know? have a lovely day and thank you for the refreshing take lol

Of course.

I did NOT expect Skizz to do a complete 180 on what he did. I even gave him permission to delete the comment and think on it, because I understand Skizz a little.

This man DOES NOT care about what others think of him. He's said so many times. He cares that his intent was misunderstood.

Over the course of the 18 hours I had my comment up I was reading everyone's tags on my post and do have a few alterations to my original thought which I will go over in the last update to this whole thing.

At the end of the day people have to realize that no matter how strongly you feel, you opinion is still subjective, and cannot be summarized effectively in a simple tweet. That's why I didn't post ANYTHING about this to twitter. The format of the website leads to forced summation which leads to a MASSIVE loss of information, which leads into misinformation.

If you have to learn ANYTHING from this little blip in the drama radar, this is how you stay afloat as the OP:

State the inciting incident objectively

State a summation of your feelings, do not over-exaggerate. My youtube comment said "it stung a little"

Go into detail WHY you feel that way, pulling from external events is better than something only you have gone through is better

Do not demand action from the person you are addressing if it is not a big deal (someone's physical or mental wellbeing being on the line). Skizz not wanting to say 'trans rights' was not a big deal at the end of the day to me.

Keep things level-headed, because the people trying to oppose you will try and goad a reaction out of you. Staying calm and cool and backing up your words with substance exposes them for the aggressor they are.

Do not try and demonize the person you are addressing if it was a slip up. They'll already be feeling bad regardless.

Follow Skizz's #1 rule: Be good, be good to each other.

[bronx-bomber87]

Hello my wonderful Fandom and readers. :) I feel like I blinked and this season was done. When in reality we've had it for a little over five months with one break. How can five months feel so short and a hiatus feel so damn long? Speaking of hiatus's looks like we're in for our third one in a row that'll be lengthy. Unless you are new to the fandom then God Speed for your first one haha Just kidding. They aren't fun but we always get through them together. It is unreal though. We're waiting streaming show lengths of time between seasons.

To quote Tim in this episode. Back in my day it was a 4 month wait and we got 22 eps and couple long breaks LOL We haven't gotten that since s5 which is wild to think about. Feels like a lifetime ago. This is our new reality I suppose. Since the streaming numbers for both s6 and s7 were out of this world good. Which is amazing btw. So proud of this show. So because of that, they wanna capitalize on that continued success by doing the same for s8. No breaks and a long wait. S5 had amazing numbers as well but it didn't have a writers strike to delay it or alter it's course. I assume it'll be 18 again.

I knew that strike might change everything especially when they started the mid season idea for this s7. *sigh* Such is life fandom. We'll make it though. We always do. Since it'll be mid season my in-depth's will start later then the summer most likely. Since there isn't a rush. Gonna give myself 2-3 months to decompress from the season before I head into those. Like them to line up with the premiere. Maybe I'll get the itch to add to my master list and do them sooner. We shall see. But let us focus on this finale and get started.

7x18 The Good, the Bad and the Oscar

We start off with Lucy getting introduced to her new squad. When her new team says they're the 'Dream Team' something felt off. I wasn't sure what though. Then we roll into Lucy on shift. Taking ALL THE DAMN CALLS. She’s Lincoln-300 now. I don't hate it. No more 7-Adam call signs for her. For now anyways. I fully believe she won't be night shift forever. But that's neither here nor there right now.

That new call sign will take some getting used to for sure though. The night shift is so busy it's insane. Also full of BS calls. Not one ended with her needing any back up. Which is good considering her team is sleeping.....Lucy is noticing a pattern and asks for updated GPS on her team. They're all in one spot and haven't moved.

Did love hearing 'Sergeant on deck!" That's right baby she's a Sergeant. Lucy rolls up and chews them out before heading back to her car. What a crappy roll of the dice she got in a team. It'll be interesting to see how this develops in s8 for her. I would love to watch her whip this team into shape. Flex those new Sergeant skills of hers.

Poor Lucy is so sad and bummed when she arrives home. Saying it's 'Wine o Clock' for her LMAO. She’ll get this team in line I'm sure of it. Just growing pains at first. Always is when you get a team for the first time. Celina asks a "Roomie question.'" Wondering if Tim is going to be around more? Celina just assuming Tim is going to be over all the time now. That they need to work out water heater situation. baha I'm hoping they’ll mostly be at Tim’s when they reunite and not at Lucy’s as much tbh. I love how simplistic Celina's thinking is. She's a Sergeant. Tim is a Sergeant. No more obstacles. Problem solved.

Lucy does not view it that way though. Saying they had a lot of other problems. I mean yes that is true. That's why you originally broke up for sure. But the Tim Bradford before you now, Lucy, is someone who’s mostly healed, who is more open, and more at peace with himself than he’s ever been. Which is why they need to have that serious convo. Which leads us to Lucy's reply. Telling Celina they need to have a serious conversation before they do "Anything More."

Celina replying back 'Ok... Well what are you waiting for? *mic drop* Celina Juarez you are an absolute gem. Does crack me up how she backs up as she says it. Knowing a sleep deprived Lucy might take a swing at her. lol Thing is. Lucy has no answer for her. It's not Tim holding that particular train up Lucy. That man has been wanting to have this convo since 7x06.... You know her face it almost reminds me of when Tamara asked Lucy why she’s waiting with Tim in 5x12. The same Oh. huh…face.

Bestie time has arrived and I'm a happy girl. Angela giving Tim shit saying he could find the time of he wanted to. I mean.....She’s right babe…You could. I love her straight up 'That''s a lie.' Can't throw lame excuses down at Angela Lopez's feet. She’ll spot the holes in it instantly and won’t hesitate to call you out Timothy. It's why we love her as your best friend. Gotta love Celina and Angela in these opening scenes. Doing the Lord's work ladies. haha A giddy Chenford fandom thanks you for your service. Tim is still gun shy nonetheless. It's the same hesitation he’s had all year with respecting her boundaries.

She refuses to hear his BS though and makes him take action. Tim's ‘Of course I want to.’ my heart Fandom. He doesn’t want to pressure her. Wants to be respectful of what he did back in 6x06. Breaking her heart and being the one responsible for it. He carries the weight of that with him everywhere. Every day really. Which is amazing to see I will say. Even at the end of the season, it still means so much to see him take responsibility for what he put her through. The severity in which he treats it. Means everything to watch.

This kind of content was but a pipe dream when I was writing stuff up post 6x06. To watch it come to life on screen is so satisfying. His growth has been outstanding this year to say the least. I could write a novel on this man this season but I won't. For now...lol Angela is understanding but letting him know if he doesn’t go for it. He’s gonna break her heart all over again…They’re both stuck in a holding pattern. Angela is trying to nudge him into ending it. Like I said last episode. I was more than happy to watch Tim be the one to fight for her. Angela has ignited a flame in him and I'm not mad about it.

When Miles was all excited to tell Tim he's dating I felt the danger zone coming. I didn't know why but he felt far too chummy about this. They've come a long way since the premiere don't get me wrong. But this was SOOO out of line it actually pissed me off. I haven't felt annoyance towards Texas in a long time. This one didn't sit right with me. The blatant disrespect is what bothered me the most.

Will say Miles saying that was very Aaron of him in the worst way possible. What I mean to say is it was very bold of him. Like how Aaron was with Tim. The friggin balls to even say that though... He was definitely getting too comfy. It was giving me 5x07 vibes. Except, unlike Aaron, he’s completely in the wrong here. Aaron had a point he doesn’t. You’re lucky you’re not dead Jesus Christ Texas.

Tim rips him a damn new one though. Resetting their power dynamic real frigging quick. As he should. God it’s sexy as hell if you ask me. Holy shit. *fans self* You tell em babe! It’s one thing to joke around. It’s another to bring up Lucy and his relationship. Not only that but disrespect Tim in that same breath. What were you thinking Miles?

This was the biggest no no he’s done in quite awhile. That is still an open wound and you hurt him Miles. Also Tim is very on edge about his future with Lucy. This was the worst timing. Disappointed my dude. I have to say. If looks could kill Texas would be dead. That was not a good idea. I’m a little pissed for Tim myself. That’s my boy and you don’t say that kind of shit to him. He still has struggles with loving himself. This is poking at that IMO. Just because he's more of a healed person doesn't mean he's going to take this disrespect. Especially on a personal level.

Oooh he’s pissed. Just look at that unrelenting glare. Holy fuck, Miles you really stepped in it my dear. You can see the absolute regret stained on his face though. Knowing he's lost some of the ground he's gained over the last five eps or so. You can also see how he doesn't want to lose Tim's respect. Like a child who's been scolded and deeply regrets it. It's the final stare Tim throws his way that gives me chills. You really brought back some old school Tim with that comment. Deserved though my friend deserved.

I'm the same way as Tim as a leader in that regard. While I mostly lean towards Lucy and her empathetic approach I pull from Tim too. Respect is the top of my list as well. To insult that is to cut deeper than any other offense. Especially Tim who we all know regards honor and respect so very highly. I think it was good Miles got this knock back into place. He hasn't earned that spot in Tim's life yet and he needed to be reminded of such. You are not Lucy or Angela bub. That was never going to end well for you...

We return to Lucy struggling to find any kind of slumber during the day. So she opens her phone to text her person. But she is hesitant to actually send anything. Just like Angela did for Tim. Celina got the wheels moving in Lucy's head about TIm. Wanting to reach out for that talk but not finding the words. Gah them both opening their phones and wanting to text at the same time. My god damn heart.

You can see his thumbs shake wanting so badly to type something. The way he looks away and tries to gather the courage to text her. Eric’s out here killing the game again. Containing multitudes with a single expression. Just as he's about to text something friggin Miles interrupts it. Ugh. It is cute how he's trying to make amends with almonds Tim likes though.

Unfortunately for him Tim is not in the headspace to receive his amends. He looks so upset with himself that he didn’t text her. Breaking my heart. No one does emotions better than Eric holy shit. King of expressions. Breaking my heart with just a look. He’s being so transparent, not even Miles can miss it. Which is what prompts him asking if he needs a minute? Tim being in a gruff mood with him cuts him to the quick with this reply. You tried Texas lol

Can we just talk about how Tim lights up the moment he see's Lucy? Just look at that man the moment she steps off that elevator. Lucy smile at the ready for her the moment she see's him. That man is so love with her. It continously blows me away how transparent he is this year. Just straight puppy dog in front of others. How times have changed. How soft this man has become this season. I will never be over it.

I adore her asking what advice Tim gave first? So cute eyeing him while she says this. Jesus, the heart-eyes these two are throwing around as Lucy gives Miles advice is unreal. It's very cute though. Like they're reliving their first (and second "first") date. I cannot.

It's a mixture of heart eyes and little bit of eye sex. I'm in awe of these two. How can two people exude so much chemistry just looking at each other? Eric and Melissa are pure magic. We truly could not be luckier that we have these two manning this ship of ours. Makes me emotional in the best way.

Celina can blatantly see what they're throwing down. She is playing Cupid in this moment. Wanting them to connect and talk, since they're being subtle as a hammer in their flirty looks. God bless her for dragging Miles away. She's the real MVP this ep. We love you girl. haha

Tim is SOOO eager to spend some time with her. Look at him being the one to break the cycle. Asking her if she can hang out Wednesday? Wants to catch up with her. Her new team interrupts their nice moment though.

What I love is even though they get interrupted he make’s sure she can. Doesn't let it fall to wayside. He's determined to find some time with her. Not make excuses in doing do. *heart clutch* She tells him she is in. Then it is heart eye nation up in here. Population: two.

Watching Lucy be a bad ass Sergeant is quite delightful. So proud of our girl. I loved her rounding her troops up. Yelling at them to get their asses in gear. They hop right to it. No question and follow her immediately to aid Miles. Then after she's done that calls Miles as she leads the calvary toward him. Asking him where he is and giving him a game plan in the process.

Look at her go. BAMF mode has been activated. Giving me Metro-Tim vibes with how she led her team and Texas. Tim would be so damn proud of her Sergeant skills in this moment. I sure as hell am. She looked comfortable af at the helm like that. I hope this is the turn-around she needs for her team in s8.

There is so much to unpack in this final scene it's unreal Fandom. First off I have to gawk at this man in a blue henley and jeans. Your girl is drooling. A lot. That man in my fav color and a tight shirt? *fans self.* Feral Caitlin has been activated and happy to ogle. Lord have mercy, this man does things to me, and I’m completely here for it. The giving season has been very kind to me Tim-wise. *drinks ice water.* I'm a happy camper.

Second he’s making all her favorites. He clearly put so much thought into this morning of theirs. I'm sure Celina was more than amenable about letting him in early lol He for sure spent an exorbitant amount of money on this to impress his girl too. Like I said last episode he knows everything about her. There is no one who knows Lucy Chen better than Tim does. He can't help when it's anyone else but Lucy? He'll crush that all day long. Also what an incredibly thoughtful thing to do for her. To cook all her favorites. Like Lucy says below she won't have to cook for a week now. It's so sweet.

I said this in s5 and the early half of s6. That Tim is a 10/10 BF to Lucy. The man is so thoughtful in everything he does for her. In the gifts he gave her and ways he cherishes/supports her. In awe of how he takes care of her. He's so excited to take care of her in this way too. The perfect lead up to the convo he wants to have. Tim is radiating happiness from the moment she walks in. His Lucy smile never fades throughout the entire scene. That cute laugh of his with Lucy's joke made my heart skip a bit. He's so happy to be here sharing this moment with her. He's also a little proud of himself for knowing and presenting said favs. Good job love.

Honestly this is a taste of what her future could look like if you ask me. Coming home from a hard shift, and having Tim there to love and support her. To have food ready for them and to talk about their day. In this instance to talk about them. The beautiful thing is with post-therapy Tim he wants to tackle the hard convos now. Is thrilled to finally hash all of this out. I love him telling her to go relax while he takes care of their meal. It's so sweet I'm diabetic. Lucy's face is precious.

She's trying not to get too excited but it's obvious she is happy he is there taking care of her. Also continuously taken aback (in the best way) with this new open Tim she is seeing. Still leaves her reeling. Me too Luce. I love his nervous start. You can hear it in his voice. How he repeats himself a bit. Saying 'so' twice. Trying to gain his footing in this convo. Eric you kill me in the best way. Once he starts he's off to the races though. I'm so proud of him. Telling her he's been thinking the last few months. About everything that has gone down with them.

About whatever it is that they've been doing. Between the hook ups and the potential convos they'd have once she passed. I just adore him thinking on this so much. You know he has been mulling on this since 7x06 really. That's what kick started everything for him. Because it was Lucy who went for it in that moment. Not him. Which got his 'serious talk' brain going. Saying now that all that happened it's time for them to talk. And god that is accurate. We've been waiting for this moment all damn season.

I love this puppy of a man still respecting her with his next line. Saying he never assumed anything about their future. Wants to make sure she knows that. Oh Tim Bradford I love you so much. We hear Lucy give a faint 'Mm.' Which prompts Tim to keep going. Because now that he's started there is no stopping him. Which I love. This has been built up in him for months. He has been dying to have this convo with her. You can tell in his inflection during this portion. Tim saying all the things she’s been waiting to hear. Hell we’ve been waiting to hear too. Oh my lord. I seriously had dreams about a moment like this. There's a great line from 5x18 where Lucy says they're in a 'Beautiful place.'

Tim is in a beautiful place right now as a character and I'm so happy I could cry. Idk that anything has deeply hurt me as much as 6x06 did. It's been a very long time since a ship rocked me like that. I think the last time I was that deeply hurt by a show was my first ever show in Alias. My first ever ship. I won't go into why. Gonna date my ass with this but it was a finale in s2 that scarred my shipper heart for life. IFYKYK. Even twenty-two years later that scene when I re-watch that series still hurts. That'll be 6x06. for me with this show. My point being is it's what makes this scene so god damn cathartic to watch unfold. I was sure she was asleep by this point, but that didn’t make his growth any less satisfying to watch and listen to.

Hearing Tim say he knows the damage he did. He's known most of this year but to hear him openly tell her wrecks me in the best way possible. Telling her after a lot of therapy he finally knows why. Letting her know how effective it's been for him. He's hitting all the boxes for this convo. Letting her know he's been putting in the work. To fix what's been broken inside him. Once again just crying over here everyone, at him saying all this. That she can trust him when he says that he'll never hurt her like that again. He won't. I know he won't. Tim says her name then that line. I'm dead. I'm legit posting from the grave at this point. This scene had me reeling in the best way.

I love him speaking his piece and then getting adorably nervous about the next part. Saying if they were to get back together then they need to take the next step. I've thought this since before s7. I knew this was going to be the rebuild, redemption and next steps for them this season. That after all this growth there was no way just 'dating' was going to be enough. It needed to be headed somewhere serious. A place they were blasting towards before 6x05 happened to them. Moving in together. They basically lived together from the moment they started dating anyways. Only right when they reunite that's where they land. To pick up where they left off now that all this work and healing has occurred.

I love his sweet smile as he wrings his hands turning the corner. His gorgeous Lucy Smile radiating out of him. He's nervous but so very excited as he presents this idea. It reminds me of his giddy smile from 5x08 when he asked her out. Wanting to let her know he is ALL IN. Wants to give them a real shot. Tim wants to move in with her. This is HUGE. He wants this to be their next step if they reunite (They will don't worry) This man loves her so much and just poured out his entire heart for all of us to see. We know what future he wants with her. Also I wouldn't be opposed to having more of Tim's place with her moving in. That would be a glorious upside to it. Eric fought so hard for that set. It should be used like crazy. Can't think of a better purpose.

Also let's note how Lucy couldn't sleep the entire episode. Not a wink. Then she comes home to Tim taking care of her. Not only that but being the emotional support he's been all year. Building her up and being her steady anchor. He's her safe harbor again. Lucy felt safe in every aspect around him again. This scene reflects that with her falling asleep. This a huge win for us. When Tim said 'That was a good try.' It was an incredible try Tim. Incredible. The tender placing of the blanket and the sweet kiss on her head. I'm dead once again. His hopeful 'To be continued.' has me squeeing. This man isn't going to give up just because she fell asleep. We are headed to wonderful happy things in s8 I just know it.

Season Wrap-This season has been crazy good. It was a Wildcard in the best way. I legit didn't expect more than half the things that went down. I keep calling it the giving season because it truly was. And not just for my feral Tim needs lol Although those particular needs were well met. So many reasons i listed over the season and will again in my in-depth. Kudos to Eric for how he portrayed Tim this entire season. He has been masterful. Tim was still his usual grumpy self at his core BUT he changed. He was more emotionally open and gave advice. To NOLAN. To JOHN FRIGGIN NOLAN. Not only did he give advice he was actually happy to. And the kicker was it was on relationships. He used his failings with Lucy to help him.

It wasn't just Lucy he was soft with either. It was everyone around him. He was more emotionally available to everyone around him. It's why he and Miles ended up in the place they did in their dynamic. Also need to give Kudos to Melissa this year as well. She played the conflicted side of it so well this season. You could see her slowly melt from 7x01 on up. Mixed in with a deep hesitancy to let Tim all the way back in. Did this just by her body language alone and incredible facial expressions. She too was incredible at portraying that in Lucy this season. We are so very blessed with the leads we have for this couple Fandom. It's not a secret how much I loved this season. I can see why it was one of Eric's favorites. That was easy to see further we went.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little sad they weren't back together at the end of the finale. But I'm not mad about it. I know some may be upset about this and frustrated. I get it. I do. But to me this season was about rebuilding them from the ground up. The deeper we got the more I saw that vision. I commend the writers for their mature slow burn. It's what they needed to get from 6x06 to where this season ended.

There was an interview way way back. I can't remember when it was. I wanna say pre-7x06. It was with Lis and Melissa. Where Melissa was asked how we would feel at the end of the season for Chenford. She said the fans would feel like they were left hanging. And that has stuck in my brain all season long. I guessed there was a good chance we would have a cliffhanger alluding to a reunion. Which we got.

Now this will be a long hiatus. Very long. Won't have those bad asses above on our screen for awhile. But the future is crazy bright for them. I feel it. I mean he wants to live with her. He thinks that’s the next proper step. To have her move into HIS HOUSE. Have it be THEIR HOUSE. They could be a little patch work family with Kojo. This man is going to give it another 'try' and Lucy is going to say yes I know it. We're going to get our proper talk. This episode surrounded around Nolan and that's ok it should. He is the main character after all. So there wasn't a lot of time left for a proper scene after Tim's catharsis and pledge to never hurt her again.

We didn't have enough time for her reaction and such. Would've felt rushed. A friend and I were talking about how this ending was Alexi keeping us on the hook. (I mean I'm always on the hook for them lol)That all he has to do in s8 is reel us in LOL That's what's on the other side of this hiatus Fandom. Getting reeled in. We're gonna get there. I guarantee you. But for now yeah the wait sucks but I am beyond amped for s8. Gonna be amazing I promise. Till then I shall see you all in my reblogs I do of sets and when I eventually start up my master list in-depth additions later this year.

I'll post when I'm ready to start those up. Probably wont be early summer like I had planned with mid-season premiere and all. But I'll let you all know when they are coming. Thank you as always for the support I was given this year. The likes, comments (love these) and reblogs. You are the reason and fuel for why I do this. It's so much fun to do first thoughts and do the season together. No doubt I'll do this again for s8. :)

~~~~~~

Side notes

My Millennial brain exploded at Celina explaining dating terms to Miles. Like WHY lol WHY is this dating now?

'Back in my day we went to bars' LMFAO I love you Timothy Bradford. Never change my love. Not everyone meets the love of their life on the job sweets.

Love some Harper and John goodness I will say. They were a huge part of the reason I loved s2 so much. I've missed the good duos and ensembles and this year delivered with that.

Sure I’m supposed to care about Monica but I don’t....Sorry lol I would be more fascinated if it was Oscar they cut the deal with tbh. He's terrible but god damn if I don't love it every time he shows up. He is right up there with Rosalind. RIP.

Lastly proud of myself for dodging spoilers like a god damn ninja. It wasn't easy. So frustrating that the finale got leaked. After all the cast and crew did to keep this season locked down. Heard it was accidental while that may be true sure that person was wicked fired lol