#and i lack the willingness to slow down and learn

[nori-the-cat]

RIIZE as Romance Trope(s)

Remember, this tarot reading is for entertainment purposes only. Take this post with a grain of salt. ♥︎

★ Shotaro: Slow Burn

Tarot cards: eight of swords, two of swords reversed, and the empress

In love, Shotaro is surprisingly hesitant to make a move and can be unsure of his feelings. But when he is sure of his feelings, Shotaro takes a leap of faith and uses his confidence to express his feelings towards the person he likes. The reason why I think he's a slow-burn type of guy is that Shotaro knows his worth. He is caring, and protective, and seeks a fulfilling emotional bond. He takes time to feel assured of his own feelings.

Hence, I think Shotaro's trope is slow-burn but with a twist. He is someone who takes time to process his emotions but, when the time is right, he expresses himself wholeheartedly. He might be the type to write a love song, surprise the person he likes with a meaningful gift, or confess his feelings in a public, unforgettable way.

Channelled song for Shotaro:

★ Eunseok: Lovers in Denial

Tarot cards: ten of pentacles, two of cups reversed, and three of wands reversed

Eunseok might wait a bit longer for love, but when it hits, it'll be a super strong connection, deeper than most. He doesn't care about what others think is "normal" in a relationship. Instead, he's all about finding someone who truly clicks with him on an emotional level and shares his values.

Hence, I think Eunseok is "lovers in denial" kind of guy. The ten of pentacles suggest he craves a stable, secure relationship, but the reversed two of cups hint at trouble expressing his feelings or feeling misunderstood. This might cause some delays or bumps in the road to love. Basically, he might have hidden feelings he's afraid to face, which could slow things down.

This is not to say Eunseok is a bad person or potentially a red flag. He just needs time to process his emotions and confront those feelings. Once he confronts those emotions and accepts that he has romantic feelings for a person, he's in fact the sweetest person.

Channelled song for Eunseok:

★ Sungchan: Beauty and the Beast

Tarot cards: seven of wands, five of cups, and nine of swords

Sungchan has a lot of emotional baggage. By a lot, I mean many things he needs to learn and heal from. Once he learns to embrace his sensitive side and acknowledges they are his strengths and not weaknesses, he might be the most emotionally intelligent among the other members.

In love (seven of wands), it can represent someone who fights for what they wants and doesn't give up easily. This reminds me of when Beast and Gaston had a fight. Similarly, this also shows Sungchan can be competitive and fight for what he wants until he gets it.

Adding to this, Sungchan not only has emotional baggage, but he also has difficulty letting go of past relationships (five of cups). He also overthinks situations or struggles with trusting others (nine of swords). This side of him is again, something he needs to work on. It is also likely that he dwells a lot and ruminates the past. In a relationship or romantic aspect of his life, if he continues to dwell on the past, it will likely stop him from finding "true love" Similarly, Beast is also like this.

Another reason why I think Sungchan fits the Beauty and the Beast love trope is because Sungchan might crave a love worth fighting for, someone who can offer him the security and understanding he needs to heal and fully open his heart. This is very much like Beauty and the Beast. Belle has always been there to nurture the Beast. It is likely that Sungchan also craves or needs someone to nurture parts of him that lack care or tending. Once he feels secure and loved, his protective and resilient nature can translate into unwavering devotion and a willingness to fight for the relationship.

Channelled song for Sungchan:

★ Wonbin: It was right in front of you all along!

Tarot cards: temperance, the high priestess, ace of pentacles

Wonbin's romance trope is one where they both won't know they're fit for each other. But they've been in each other's life all along until one day they realise there is more than friendship to the relationship.

Wonbin also sounds like a romantic dreamer (thanks to the High Priestess card). He's probably looking for someone super interesting and smart, someone who shares his ideas about what love should be. But hold on, because Temperance is also in the mix. This means he won't jump into just any relationship. He'll take his time, think things through (like the High Priestess again!), and wait for a love that feels balanced and perfect, just like him.

He's also the type to observe, see, and wait. He calculates the risk of being with the person he likes until he realises "What's the wait for?" and confesses his feelings when he feels sure of the person. However, he still has tendencies to look for the "perfect person". Hence, the time he spent waiting, observing, and seeing could be a waste of time. Deep down what Wonbin truly wants is comfort, emotional connection, and a good banter.

Channelled song for Wonbin:

★ Seunghan: Fake Dating

Tarot cards: the magician, the high priestess, and four of pentacles reversed

Seunghan is a charmer and he knows how to entice a person. I bet you he knows how to sweep a person off their feet. He is that charming.

Seunghan is charming, confident, and knows how to win someone over (the magician). He is also someone who is selective and has high standards for a partner (the high priestess). Hence, I think the trope fake dating suits him well because he would not mind taking on a role to be someone's boyfriend for a night. This is because he is someone who desires freedom and experiences within the relationship (four of pentacles rx).

In many ways, fake dating will give him the freedom and experience to experience love and he doesn't have to commit yet. Plus, fake dating sounds like a one-in-a-lifetime fun experience. But, this trope is risky. Seunghan might be the one who suggested the fake dating idea and ends up falling in love first.

Seunghan might be naturally charming and resourceful (The Magician). He might know how to make someone feel special and use his creativity to impress them. However, The High Priestess' influence suggests there's more to him than meets the eye. He might crave a deeper emotional connection and be selective when choosing a partner.

Channelled song for Seunghan:

★ Sohee: Friends-to-lovers

Tarot cards: king of wands, ace of wands reversed, and ace of swords reversed

Sohee might exude confidence and leadership qualities (King of Wands) in most aspects of his life. He might be decisive and take charge in professional or group settings. However, the reversed Ace of Wands and Swords suggest a hidden side when it comes to love. Perhaps Sohee struggles to express his romantic feelings or initiate connections. He might have a strong desire for love (upright King of Wands) but be held back by self-doubt or a fear of rejection (reversed Aces).

Despite these challenges, the King of Wands' influence suggests a strong potential for passion within Sohee. He might just need someone who can help him ignite that spark and create a safe space for him to express his true feelings. Perhaps a patient and understanding partner can draw him out of his shell and encourage him to take a chance on love.

Sohee seems like the kind of person who takes love slowly. He might be shy about opening up and sharing his true feelings. That's why a friends-to-lovers situation might be perfect for him. He needs someone he can trust completely, someone who already knows him well. Feeling comfortable and safe is key for Sohee to open up his heart.

Channelled song for Sohee:

★ Anton: Strangers-to-lovers

Tarot cards: nine of swords reversed, five of wands, and four of pentacles

Anton might need a little extra time to get over past worries, but once he clicks with someone, he's a rock-solid partner. Honest communication seems important to him, and he might crave a relationship that's both secure and playfully competitive.

The cards tell us a few things about what Anton looks for in love. The Four of Pentacles hints at a desire for stability and security. He might be looking for someone to build a future with, someone who brings him peace and comfort (thanks to the reversed Nine of Swords). But wait, there's more! The Five of Wands suggests he also enjoys a little friendly competition. Maybe playful arguments or teasing become his way of connecting and bonding with his partner.

I go back and forth between Anton's romance trope as friends-to-lovers and strangers-to-lovers. Although the explanation above fits friends-to-lovers more, I think strangers-to-lovers would allow Anton to grow in the relationship and learn about his partner while he learns about himself. Anton is also someone who likes a good challenge, hence, being with someone new is not a bad idea for him. However, this someone new could be a friend of a friend. So, it's not really a complete stranger, but someone new that he can learn from and grow together.

Channelled song for Anton:

This was a requested reading from user @moomoobug

[gigghoul]

so on my alt i got the emet-selch minion before actually meeting him which i think is the funniest possible way for a character to be introduced to him

[a-d-nox]

tarot cards and their key phrases: wands

this is just a beginners guide to the wands suit - i won't go into imagery, color use, etc. these are key phrases that come to mind when i think of the cards - NOT how they should be directly applied. they needs to be thought about situationally and the cards / when they are in combos they can change or alter their meanings of any reading.

ace of wands (1)

astrological equivalent: sagittarius sun

upright: inspiration, new adventure, new projects, travel, start of a business venture, new relationships, drive, and/or motivation.

reversed: hesitation, fears about next steps / timing / failure / leaving, what prevents you from being bold/decisive, lack of confidence, and/or delays.

two of wands (2)

astrological equivalent: leo jupiter

upright: plans for the future, excitement, impatience, new opportunities, remaining where you are, listen to intuition, new partnership, supportive relationship, and/or growth.

reversed: impatience, acting hastily, overexcitement, moving forward too quickly, the unexpected, what doesn't fit the narrative in one's mind, giving up, slowing down, needing to do research, needing a plan of action, needing to try again, waiting for someone else to make the first move, doing what makes you uncomfortable, and/or needing to take initiative.

three of wands (3)

astrological equivalent: leo mercury

upright: energy used to work with others, delegation / sharing responsibilities, waiting, looking for a fitting opportunity, creative/productive energy, prosperity, and/or possibility for travel.

reversed: delays, disconnection from a relationship / group of friends, frustration, disappointment, learning journey, there is a better solution than the one you are thinking of, and/or needing to remain flexible/patient.

four of wands (4)

astrological equivalent: leo venus

upright: wedding, anniversary, graduation, achievements, celebrate your wins, enthusiasm for a connection, hard work, and/or relaxation.

reversed: resistance to indulge, resisting temptation, needing to be present in the moment, and/or needing to find joy.

five of wand (5)

astrological equivalent: aries mars

upright: conflict, disagreements, competition, people all vying for the same thing, strong opinions, and/or rebel energy.

reversed: conflict that is blown out of proportion, details in the argument, being exaggerated for dramatic effect, needing to stick to the facts, avoiding drama/conflict, and/or resolution/agreement reached after an argument.

six of wands (6)

astrological equivalent: leo sun

upright: victory, good news, post-period of struggle, focusing on feeling proud, acknowledging your successes, accepting praise, hard work, deserving recognition, and/or enthusiasm.

reversed: delay in success, disappointment, temporary setback, needing to stick to the plan, and/or needing diligence.

seven of wand (7)

astrological equivalent: aries mercury

upright: unforeseen challenges, obstacles that arise, needing to be assertive/strategic, defensiveness, facing adversity, and/pressure.

reversed: letting anger get the better of you, acting defensive, hyper vigilance, challenging beliefs, feeling defeated, questioning standing up for yourself, lashing out when provoked, and/or internalized anger/frustration.

eight of wands (8)

astrological equivalent: sagittarius mercury

upright: something that is exciting, something happening soon, travel, new person coming into your life, moving quickly, and/or everything falling into place.

reversed: delays, hang-ups, lack of enthusiasm, what you anticipate, divine timing, important realizations, and/or lack of movement.

nine of wands (9)

astrological equivalent: aries moon

upright: deals with a lot (the good, the bad, and the ugly), exhaustion, feeling like quitting / giving up, almost there, dig deep, and/or resilience.

reversed: giving up on something, being urged to not give up, acting stubborn, getting in your own way, you can only control yourself, and/or willingness to take responsibility for behavior.

ten of wand (10)

astrological equivalent: sagittarius saturn

upright: burden of responsibility, feeling overwhelmed, too much going on, physical exhaustion, and/or needing to delegate.

reversed: tremendous pressure, extreme exhaustion, burnout, what you can handle, comparing yourself to others, and/or needing to do what makes you happy.

page of wands

astrological equivalent: earth and fire

upright: grounded, playful, curiosity, good news is on the way, creative experience, and/or new opportunities.

reversed: hasty, impulsive, needing a plan, unreliable, taking on only what you can handle, acting childish, and/or complaining about responsibilities.

knight of wands

astrological equivalent: air and fire

upright: take action on ideas/projects, begin, start by starting, others are supporting you, passion, no hesitation, and/or moving towards goals.

reversed: self-doubt, lack of progression, delays, misunderstandings, don't give up, course of action is needed, and/or needing patience.

queen of wands

astrological equivalent: water and fire

upright: power, creativity, emotional intelligence, passion, ambition, leadership opportunities, claiming power, taking back power, confidence, and/or worthiness.

reversed: doubting you value/worth, feeling like no one sees you, cultivating beliefs, seeing a shift in your confidence, and/or needing to have trust/respect for yourself.

king of

astrological equivalent: fire

upright: leadership, authority, stability, integrity, calmness, relying on your instincts, maturity, confidence, decisive action, and/or enthusiasm.

reversed: abusiveness, misuse/abuse of power, holding grudges, bullying, needing to understand the responsibilities you have, being in a place of power, selfishness, and/or oppressiveness.

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[saiikavon]

So I think I’ve pinpointed the general vibes for the three bnha ships I keep rotating around and it kinda goes like this in my head

Kiribaku: The high school sweethearts. Ride or die almost from the moment they meet to the end of their days together. These two can ride the ups and downs long-term probably the best out of the three. Not to say they never argue, but there’s an easy understanding of each other that leads into a greater willingness to compromise. Kiri knows the how and why of Bakugou’s rough edges and learns quickly not to take things personally; Bakugou winds up wanting to answer this understanding in kind and finds it doesn’t actually hurt his pride all that much to bend on things for Kiri’s sake. They’re the kind to drop everything if one or the other says “I need you” because they wouldn’t say it unless it was really, really true. These two probably have the easiest time being vulnerable around each other of three, because there’s no judgment, and there’s never a need to explain why, because they already know.

Dekubaku: The rocky slow burn. Spend their younger years riling each other up without fully understanding why, before having a huge blowout that results in some distance, whether or not they attempt any sort of apologies afterwards. There’s an acknowledgment that they are both too alike and too different to stay close while they’re still each trying to find their own paths. But when they meet up again all grown up, changed and with new perspective on themselves and each other, they find themselves yearning to see what that means. These two will butt heads the most often out of the three and come out of each argument steaming and stewing. Apologies get them nowhere. Action, a drive to improve and not give up; those are the only things that matter. One thing that neither of them lacks is determination, and they will use every ounce of it that they can to keep this thing going, now that it’s theirs.

Todobaku: The “accidental” relationship. Really sort of an oddball couple, the kind of relationship that makes people wonder what they’re like off the field - when they’re working together it makes sense and neither they nor anyone else question it. It just is. They start to fall into each other’s space and it settles without them really having to think about it. They move in together because it feels fine to do so. They start kissing and sleeping in the same bed because it’s comfortable. They go out to dinner and to see friends together because it feels right. They don’t so much argue as they do give each other the cold shoulder for a day or two after a disagreement before continuing on as normal. There’s little need to define it initially, because it is what it is and they are who they are and they’re good with that. But Bakugou blows a gasket when someone inevitably asks, “so when are you two getting married?” and Todoroki answers, “I don’t know. We haven’t really thought about it.”

[cosmichighpriestess]

Shifting into your Higher Self:

First off, slow down. There's no rush for any reason. You are eternal and immortal you will shift into the fifth dimension at your own pace. Your ego is in a rush, your Higher Self isn't. There's no rush because you're meant to enjoy shifting and experiencing your physical reality because if you're not, you're living in the future or the past creating an illusionary temporary depression. It is not the truth, you are here on Earth to evolve but also to enjoy yourself after figuring out how this game of Earth works.

But even those who are asleep in the matrix can enjoy themselves and that has nothing to with your own spiritual journey so let them be who they are, because even they are offering the collective their own unique essence & vibration that is needed to help the world around them. Your world is your world, this is your kingdom and you decide what is. No one else decides which Earth you are experiencing.

One of the ways I shift into my higher self is I speak out loud around others about what I am thinking or what I am reading, or writing. Instead of masking, because of my autism I instead swallow my illusionary fear and I speak my mind even if that person may be triggered, even if they may be surprised or too stunned to speak they are co creating a version of me in their reality. If I do not prefer that version of me they created, I surprise them with the version of me I believe I am in that moment. You are a brand new being every single moment because you are shifting parallel realities every single second. So every morning I wake up, I say to myself I am a brand new person today meeting a new version of myself.

Every single day is an entire lifetime to experience the way in which I want to live. Our existence is eternal and we are limitless experiencing a very seemingly limiting virtual reality in this hologram. To become limitless you must first be okay with experiencing limitations that are illusions. To get what you want you must first be okay with not getting what you want and become fulfilled completely within. To create a safe feeling in your body and create peace within you must first be okay with the chaos around you and be okay what everything in your reality.

I did not have a safe reality my entire life, as I mentioned in previous messages about my life, I was abused since childhood, almost killed by all of my partners, stalked, hunted, cursed by covens of dark witches and I almost died a handful of times in my life. It sounds unreal but I received this message a large number of times by God and my spirit guides. They wanted to siphon my energy for themselves. I had no choice but to go within and create a safe space within me out of nothing, out of fear, doubt, suffering, and endless pain.

I created this safety by realizing that I am an indestructible human being knowing that we all are because death is an illusion and we never truly die because our consciousness never dies, we just become non physical beings of light. I came to this place of peace within me by using breathing techniques I learned from ascended masters and realizing every abuser outside of me was abusing me unconsciously because they felt lack and they treated themselves horribly because they felt shame about themselves.

You're doing everything right. You're doing the best with what you've been given. There's really no right or wrong way, just meaningless neutral choices you learn from and grow from no matter how negative they are. Be in a state of gratitude for the negative and the positive experiences you have because when you do that you shift into your God or Goddess self your higher self and ascend quite rapidly. You also ascend and operate at a faster, higher state when you stay in the upper vibrations of , love, joy, neutrality, acceptance, gratitude, peace, willingness ect. You only stop your divine flow of pure consciousness when you believe in the illusions of fear, guilt, shame, sadness, and you believe that those things control you and hurt you.

My compassion, forgiveness and love was used against me because they saw it as a weakness but it was actually my inner power they were envious of because they didn't understand how it could be real and not faked for manipulative tactics. Everything I do is because I genuinely want to, and I genuinely want to help others not because I want to impress anyone or manipulate anyone. I do not care if you take what I learned for myself for your own life because I am already complete and whole without having to step on anyone to get what I want. I don't need anything. I am completely fulfilled and when you come from that fulfilled state of being you receive everything you want because you are a frequency match for your desires.

You already contain it all so there's nothing you really need outside of you. You don't have to wait for anything or anyone outside of you to give you permission to feel how you want to feel right now and be your higher self. Let your ego know it's safe for you to trust your heart and it's safe for you to just exist and be without doing anything. You don't have to go anywhere or do anything. If you feel inspired to take action on your highest excitement, please do but don't beat yourself up for existing and literally doing your job, being exactly where you're supposed to be. You are exactly where you're meant to be right now.

They can only hurt you temporarily because all negativity is not the truth of who you are, and all negativity is an illusion. Even holding into your desires for dear life, needing to constantly hold onto them and perfect them constantly is lowering your vibration. So just let them go. And trust that your higher self knows what you desire already and is doing everything it can to bring them to you without overwhelming you.

You can never create a reality you can't handle, You can only create the illusion of not being able to handle it, but that is just another fear based limiting belief to let go of. So just let go, let go, let go of the old, the outdated the fear based limiting beliefs, the old things in your closet your new version doesn't need, the old versions of yourself other people created for you and remember that you are pure unconditional love, that is the truth and everything else that says otherwise is an illusion.

[goldiers1]

Walmart Vriddhi Program: Unlocking Indian Entrepreneurial Potential!

  Walmart’s Vriddhi program is focused on helping Indian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) expand their domestic capabilities. That’s not quite as easy to do as it is to write. One entrepreneur who understands that truth intimately is Chanda Sharma. She’s the owner of the Delhi Gift House in Delhi, where she sells gifts for special holidays and occasions. Her story, and her success, are triumphs. But not without tragedy. Chanda started her business alongside her husband in 2018 just after the pair welcomed their first child. They were a team. Chanda handled the marketing, photography and product listings. Her husband interfaced with vendors and ensured the supply chain stayed well-oiled. In 2021, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chanda lost her husband to the virus. She admits to fearing for her future: She was alone in the midst of a global pandemic, facing the demands of motherhood, a crippled economy and vendors who lacked confidence in the capacity of a woman to operate a business. Then she got a call.  

Shop in India. Walmart Vriddhi program.  

Develop

“I got a call from the Walmart Vriddhi program in June of 2021, and they asked me a simple question: ‘How is your business doing?’” Chanda remembers. “And I responded, ‘My business is inactive… and it’s been that way for three months now.” Undaunted by the inactivity, the team at Vriddhi offered Chanda something she wasn’t expecting: support. Then things started to change. “The team first suggested that I should consider clearing dead inventory and get some cash in hand,” Chanda said. “I reviewed my situation and decided to list combo packs of the items in my inventory on the marketplaces. After that, I really started to see some traction.”  

Increased revenue from training. Photo by Walmart.  

Connect

By connecting entrepreneurs to the community, learning and the Flipkart marketplace, Vriddhi opens doors to opportunity. With each learning module she completed through Vriddhi’s business course offerings, Chanda’s confidence grew. “I felt motivated after every training session I attended,” Chanda said. “After Diwali, I cleared all my loans and backed trust from my vendors. Now, I’m in the third year of singlehandedly managing my business — and my little one.”  

Grow

For Chanda, growth has meant progress. Her hard work, dedication to the process, and willingness to learn have all paid off. She’s thriving. And she’s not slowing down. “Since joining the Walmart Vriddhi team, my business has grown 10 times over,” Chanda said. “When I look back and think about how I reached this level, I have Walmart Vriddhi to thank.” Looking to the future, Chanda wants to invest in a small factory so she can own the means of production. Her goal is to create her own product line – and to employ more women in India. With Vriddhi’s backing, she thinks it’s possible. “In my family, women weren’t allowed to work, and I didn’t come from a family with a business background,” Chanda said. “If I start my own unit, I can employ more women and generate employment in my community. I can offer opportunities for artisans and weavers.” At its core, Chanda’s greatest goal is to inspire – to build a better future for her child and her community. And she’s well on her way. “No matter what you’re doing, give it your best. Only then can you grow,” Chanda said, “It can take time to understand, but once you do, there’s no going back.”  

Indian Small Business woman at her checkout till. Photo by Walmart.  

About the Walmart Vriddhi program

Walmart is a multinational retail company operating in 27 countries across the world. Founded in 1950, Walmart has grown to become one of the largest retailers in the world with over 10,500 stores. In October 2020, they launched the Vriddhi program to increase access to development opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses. The Walmart Vriddhi program provides support and access to resources such as technology, credit and capacity building. This helps small business owners develop their enterprises more effectively and efficiently. The program also serves as a platform for entrepreneurs to network with other business owners and learn from each other's experiences. Additionally, it provides support through mentorship programs where experienced mentors guide small business owners in setting up their businesses, managing operations and expanding sales channels.  

Program Review and Instructions

  Sources: THX News, YouTube & Walmart. Read the full article

[deputyapogee]

#EmotionalMaturity Is Important In Horsemanship

Fancy 05/28/2022: Building Communication Foundations

Yesterday, while I was spending time with the horses and working with them, it was a test to see what the horses had to say about the progress of my work on myself.

When I was working with the horses when I made these videos, I was performing with the concept of #leadership that was taught through generational conditioning.

It was the feeling of frustration and irritation when the horses were not doing what I was demanding them to do. It was 'stick and carrot,' training in binary narratives, and the horses were performing so they wouldn't be punished.

Meanwhile, I noticed that their #communication was sending a message that they didn't trust me. This was more with my horse than with Fancy. Fancy was different because my approach to #training her was different. It had to be.

While doing that, I began to recognize where I went wrong with my horse and that meant I had more #work to do on myself to create a #CultureOfCuriosity for their #learning.

When curiosity is shut down, when it is inhibited, what we have is a performance by rote and a lack of willingness to learn new things and explore because there's a culture of anxiety and trauma.

Horses are very emotional beings and they are teaching me a lot about myself. Sharon Ernst is correct about slowing things down. Sometimes we have to take several steps back and start over from the beginning to fill in the gaps.

Yesterday, the message I received from the horses was that they all wanted to follow me as I walked across the arena. They were willing. They were curious. This didn't require a halter and lead rope. They chose to follow me with curiosity and that was what I needed to know to measure whether I'm on the right path as their #leader and #educator.

[holisticsoulhealer]

Flashback Friday - Patience - A Spiritual Story

From OCTOBER 26, 2021

When I look up the word “patience” it is described as the capacity to accept/tolerate without becoming angry or upset.

Patience hasn’t exactly been a great virtue of mine in the past.

However, I’ve made great strides to the patient present, leading to a way more patient future.

It’s funny how the very thing you seem to lack is the very thing you find yourself needing the most, and often being more tested on to prove you’re going to master the darned quality.

Patience has tended to be this truth for me.

During a course of a spiritually unfolding life, there are often many times of “voids.”

These are times when nothing you wish for is actively occurring and you feel a great emptiness in the place of fruitful accomplishments.

The voids are mentioned in lots of spiritual texts and seem like a walk in the park, until you’re standing in them, and nothing is moving. All is still and you can't make anything happen no matter how hard you try.

This is when we are supposed to let go, stop trying, don’t sweat the things we are trying to create. This is when we learn the most patience of all.

I’ve had quite a few of these.

One of my biggest times is now one of my favorite memories of all.

I had just left a large, growing healing center that I was running with my mum beside me. The partner I had attracted wasn’t as good at sharing and I couldn’t stay in a business with nothing to do any longer. The partner I just left, told any and all future clients that I was no longer doing healing work, and so everyone went away or went to see her.

My mum and I walked an hour every day, discussing what I could do next, while I was wringing out my options or lack of them.

A new opportunity eventually arose out of the ashes of nothing. Before it could I first had to let go of where I’d been.

I first had to release any conditions that held me to a past that was not supposed to be mine any longer.

It took a state of Grace, Faith and trust to reach that point.

Patience would have needed to be there in a state of frustration, yet it didn’t in the face of trusting that if I was gifted enough to call in space between realities, I was also gifted enough to have something valuable show up to use my gifts on.

I knew there were lives to touch, hearts to reach and minds to help open, even while I walked every day in the void.

Then instead of working on one client at a time, I was offered the chance to teach spiritual massage and healing with a class filled with 30 students several days a week.

Patience more than paid off as it usually does.

It’s a great word and it covers so many eventualities in daily life.

Patience can be a tripping word if we aren’t careful, because we can fall over our truth regarding it.

I haven’t been at my best with this word, because I tend to be a bit of a doer and that means I’ve not been so great at practicing the waiting game.

I’ve worked on it a lot and I’m way better at it than I used to be.

I also had a tendency to assume people weren’t being mindful instead of the fact that they often had a completely different mindset than whatever I was holding them to.

I have realized that the assumptions create all kinds of odd realities, including impatience.

I definitely wish to do better and keep improving this area.

Being patient also creates being kind.

Kindness matters.

So, what does being patient mean?

It’s a form of self- restraint, self-control and being closer to compassion, slower to anger and more understanding toward each other.

Patience can have an ignorant view, were we aren’t seeing someone else’s perspective. Instead we can practice a willingness to be without restlessness and be at peace with any delays that may occur.

We move away from frustration and intolerance, into slowing down our processing of all things, and enjoying the journey without rushing to our destination.

Patience releases the struggle, instead settling into the joy of life, experiencing the beauty of each moment, with a confidence of inviting wisdom and decision.

Patience allows us to pause for thought, grants space for the heart to consider, and allows us to notice where we are in the now.

Patience can act as our best friend, giving us time to fully experience our life path.

As always, please share this post with anyone that you feel can benefit from it! Please like us on your social media channels and subscribe to our mailing list if you haven't already done so! We are mailing out a monthly newsletter and a recap each week of our blog posts and interesting tidbits! This is how you can stay informed with what is new in the world of The Holistic Soul Healer!!

Love & Blessings,

Ruth

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[thetinypsychologist]

MOTIVATION VS SELF-DISCIPLINE

When studying, most people try to find motivation thinking that this will get them through their study session, or they will see their failure as a result of a lack of motivation. But motivation isn’t always what we need - what do you do on the days you have no motivation? This is why we need self-discipline.

MOTIVATION VS SELF DISCIPLINE

Motivation - a willingness to do something. It is the set of psychological forces that compel you to take action. A goal or reward that you look forward to that will encourage you to study - while this is useful, what happens on a day when you just don’t feel like studying?

Self-Discipline - making yourself do things you know you should do when you don’t want to. Being trained to routinely study regardless of how unmotivated you are - this is what will get you out of bed on a day you don’t feel like studying.

So if motivation is ‘why we should do something’ - self-discipline is more ‘what to do next’.

HOW TO BE SELF-DISCIPLINED

Make a commitment with yourself that you will make studying as your habit. This is super important. Commit yourself to make this as your new habit. Don’t half-ass any of these suggestions or any other suggestions that other people give. Don’t give yourself silly, illegitimate excuses in the process. For this, you can do it by remind yourself on what your long-term goals in life are. Or if they don’t sound rewarding enough, remind yourself what failure feels like/ could feel like.

Set yourself a routine and stick to it

Never have a zero day - 10 minutes is better than nothing!! Do flashcards from your bed or watch youtube ted talks if you can’t physically study. This will help help develop a routine and make it easier for you to cope. Also, by studying everyday your brain will know that the content you are learning should be stored as long-term information so this will benefit you in the long run! However I do want to stress not to force yourself if you don’t have the capacity / energy for it. Take care of yourself too.

Avoid long breaks. Unless you know that taking an hour long break means only an hour, then you can ignore this. But fo the majority of us, once we’ve taken a while out of studying it can be hard to get back into it again. One minute you’re taking a 20 minute break for a snack and some phone time and the next thing you know you’re on Youtube and four hours have passed! To avoid this, try stick to shorter breaks - five or ten minutes for a snack break, toilet break and to check any phone messages. A good method to try for this is the Pomodoro Method!

Build on your productivity, not your failures.

If you come from a past of procrastinating and now feel motivated to change and discipline yourself, do NOT try to do everything at once. Start things slow and in steps.

Set yourself smaller deadlines for your goals like monthly and weekly deadlines - e.g. if you are doing a project, due 27th June, set personal deadlines, like have the introduction written by the 8th, have your literature review written by the 15th, have project complete by the 25th. 

Break down the things that you must do into smaller, concrete activities and put those smaller activities in that to-do list; allocate specific time periods to do each smaller activities and put it the to-do list as well; set an alarm reminder for each smaller activities. Say you have to study for English on Tuesday, because for whatever reasons you just decided to dedicate your time this Tuesday to study English. However, I’d suggest that you break down that specific activity (or “daily goal”) before putting it in your to-do list. So, instead of just putting “study for Physics”, try putting “read and highlight Chapter 9″, because putting very general/broad activity like “study English” can actually make you too confused on where and how to start doing it, and make you very prone to distractions in the process. 

Know your limits. Self-discipline isn’t doing as much as you can until you break - it’s about having control, knowing what you can realistically manage and getting that done.

Give yourself rewards! I love to have something to look forward to as I get work done! This means mixing motivation and self-discipline. I tell myself after this lecture I can have an animal crossing break or check some messages etc. 

Track your progress – don’t forget to put a checklist on your to-do list after accomplishing a task. It would relieve your stress a bit and motivate you to continue doing the remaining activities on your to-do list. 

Remove distractions from your study space! Personally, if my phone is out and I notice a notification…I’m gonna check it. It’s human nature! So to combat this, I use apps like Forest that force me to stay within the app while I study. If I know I might get hungry during a study session I’ll keep a little snack by my desk so I don’t have to get up and somehow find something else to distract me.

Just do it isn’t that easy. I find to get myself in a ‘work boss’ mood I need to feel good about myself so I put on a nice outfit and maybe some eyeliner and hype myself up so I know I can do my tasks and get stuff done! It feels so much better than lazing in my pyjamas trying to study.

Be patient. It’s going to be a rough journey, it’s going to be hard but you’ve got this! Take it one step at a time. Start off by completing one task a day, then move to two, then three, and the next thing you know, you’ll have a regular routine where you will constantly be ticking off your to-do list everyday! But remember to be kind to yourself, know when your body is not in the right state of health to study and don’t force it. Only force yourself to a limit, you’ll know when to stop and that’s okay. Just try again when you feel better! Your health is much more important!

[makeste]

some meta about Izuku, Katsuki, and trust

and choosing to trust is the real bridge that goes to accepting that person as a part of your live again and what the offender has to earn. I think the interesting aspect of Deku and Bakugou's relationship is that Deku has always trusted Bakugou, and I would say more than he had forgiven him at the start of the story (where he does show more frustration and resentment towards Bakugou's behaviour and see him as a jerk) but despite that he can always trust Bakugou to him himself, attested to

the fact that Deku feels very confident about how Bakugou will act or what Bakugou's true motives are and probably the reason why he always sees Bakugou as a hero despite his hurtful behaviour is because Deku 100% trusts Bakugou even if he's doing something disagreeable or that will hurt him. Knowing someone and trusting is not exactly the same and I see it as trust because of Deku willingness to be co-operative. On Bakugou's side he is mistrustful of Deku and thats where the communication

breaks down and there has been plenty of meta exploring why Bakugou has deep rooted problems around Deku and his journey is him taking accountability of that and changing to be a better person. While understanding and miscommunication get their fair due I think trust and mistrust are the true bedrocks of the bkdk river bed because that allows for how they can still be so connected despite the miscommunication (with Bakugou mistrust is mixed with some trust) because of knowing.

anon I really enjoyed this, thank you for sharing your thoughts! I concur with just about all of this, and this ask got me thinking a lot about the nature of trust, and how it applies to Izuku and Katsuki’s relationship.

I think a lot of people’s reactions to reading the sentence “Bakugou and Deku have always trusted each other” would pretty much be, “???” and “lol what.” like, yeah, sure. they trusted each other so much that Bakugou decided that throwing a tantrum for ten years would be an appropriate reaction to Deku trying to hold his hand. classic Trust, right there!!

lol but I honestly think this is true, though. it’s just that there are different... levels?? types?? of trust. let’s go with types. there are different types of trust, and what makes Izuku and Katsuki’s relationship so interesting to me is that it’s kind of the opposite of what these fictional rival-type relationships usually are. it’s basically the difference between knowing, and understanding.

okay so first of all let’s back up here to make sure we’re all on the same page. we’re defining trust as “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone”, which is the Oxford Language definition and which works pretty well for me. you’ll note, btw, that the current relationship between Katsuki and Izuku more or less meets all four of these criteria.

reliability - both boys regard each other as dependable and are willing to rely on each other in a pinch (although Izuku is currently having some difficulty with that, but that’s another topic for another day).

truth - both are honest with each other, though not completely honest (this is the aspect that Katsuki still needs to work on, as he’s currently hiding his desire to atone).

ability - neither of them have any difficulty with this. Izuku admires Katsuki’s ability so much that he’s made it his own gold standard since childhood, and Katsuki respects Izuku’s ability enough that he made him his main rival, and never doubted that Izuku was qualified to receive OFA and become All Might’s heir.

strength - as with ability, this is another aspect of trust that neither of them has ever struggled with. in fact, a lot of their relationship struggles happened specifically because Katsuki never doubted Izuku’s strength, but feared it because he didn’t understand it.

so yeah. there’s a lot more trust between them than most people realize, I think. but the thing is that the type of trust they have is based more on knowing than understanding, and that’s where so much of their conflict stems from.

when I say knowing, I’m talking about the kind of awareness that comes from familiarity and experience. this is the type of trust that’s difficult to take shortcuts with, because it mostly just has to be accumulated over time. this is all about learning what someone is like through observing them and being around them. and it’s just as much about being known as well, because at the same time that you’re learning who the other person is, they’re learning about who you are. and that’s where trust starts to work its way in. it’s the slow unveiling of who you are, and laying it on the table piece by piece over time. and every time another little piece of you is revealed and accepted, and every time you accept one more piece of who the other person is in turn, that trust increases a little bit more. this type of trust takes a long, long time to build up, but in exchange the foundation it creates is pretty much rock-solid and nigh-indestructible.

understanding, on the other hand, to me is more instinctual. it’s about empathy and insight. and the interesting thing is that it’s possible to know someone for years upon years, and yet never truly understand them. and on the flip side, it’s also possible to understand someone within minutes of meeting them, even if you know almost nothing about them. if “knowing” is about learning who someone is, I would say that “understanding” is about learning why they are who they are. this type of trust isn’t necessarily always mutual, but it does necessitate forming a connection with someone. because empathy is such a critical component of it, it’s basically impossible to understand someone and not form an emotional connection to them in some way. this type of trust can be far more powerful and intense than the “knowing” type of trust, but the flip side is that it can sometimes be less stable and easier to break.

I think that the majority of fictional relationships, especially the ones that become really popular ships, are based more around the latter type of trust because of its intensity and unpredictability and potential for story development. the thing is, both of these types of trust are necessary for a good ship (and when I say “ship”, I’m talking about both romantic and platonic relationships just fyi). if neither type of trust is present on at least some level, then there’s really no foundation to start building up the relationship. so most of the time a ship will start out with one or the other, and then over the course of the story they'll work on building up whichever one was lacking.

and because of how stories work, the majority of the time we’re going to be dealing with characters who at first don’t know each other all that well. and so the relationships we get are ones where the characters first form some kind of emotional connection that builds understanding, and then over time they start to learn more about each other and build up that kind of trust as well. I feel like 90% of ships have this kind of dynamic. it’s the basis for things like enemies-to-lovers, fake dating AUs, and basically any kind of trope in which the characters get stuck somewhere and are forced to spend a lot of time together. it’s good, and it works.

but the fascinating thing about the relationship between Izuku and Katsuki, though, is that it’s actually the exact opposite of this. the premise of Izuku and Katsuki's story is that these are two people who’ve known each other their entire lives, but have almost no understanding of each other whatsoever. they know almost every little detail about each other, so much that they hardly even think about it. but all of their conflict is based on the fact that understanding between them is basically nonexistent.

and to me this is such an intriguing dynamic. the two of them know each other like the back of their hand. they’re familiar with the smallest habits. they can predict each other’s actions. they know how the other person thinks. and they have the kind of trust that comes with having seen the other at both their best and their worst. Katsuki is capable of letting his guard down around Izuku in a way he doesn’t do around anyone else. he cries in front of him on multiple occasions. he lets Izuku call him “Kacchan” long after their other childhood friends have stopped doing so. and even though he fears and resents Izuku’s strength early on, he also subconsciously acknowledges it in ways that even he doesn’t realize (e.g. “don’t you dare get into U.A.,” rather than “you can’t get in” or “you won’t get in”). he knows Izuku.

but he doesn’t understand Izuku. he knows who he is, but he doesn’t understand why. he knows that Izuku is strong, but he can't wrap his head around the nature of that strength. and because he lacks that understanding, this vital aspect of the trust between them is lacking, and is all too easily broken when Katsuki falls into the creek and Izuku tries to offer his help. Katsuki knows that Izuku is a good person, but he doesn’t understand that goodness, that selflessness, and so he’s mistrustful of it.

on the flip side of the coin, however, Izuku has the utmost faith in Katsuki. to him, Katsuki is the strongest, smartest, most capable and most amazing person in the world (aside from All Might). and Izuku, unlike Katsuki, actually does understand his childhood friend at least a little bit. he understands Katsuki’s reasons for wanting to be a hero. he understands that Katsuki is not just mindlessly pursuing strength. he understands that Katsuki’s motivation is about overcoming obstacles and beating challenges. and most importantly, he understands that Katsuki, in spite of everything he’s said and done to Izuku over the years, is fundamentally a good person.

and this is crucial. because, along with the bond of familiarity they’ve built up together over the years, it’s this other, one-sided bond of understanding that is responsible for their relationship enduring for as long as it did despite everything. as you put it, anon, Izuku’s trust is ultimately what becomes the bridge between them. on some level, he trusts in Katsuki’s innate goodness. he believes in it in spite of all of Katsuki’s attempts to persuade him otherwise. e.g. when Katsuki suggests that he go jump off the roof, Izuku is hurt by the words, but he never once takes them to heart, because he knows on some instinctive level that Katsuki doesn’t mean them. and so he grumbles to himself about Katsuki needing to think before he speaks, but aside from that he never gives the words another thought.

Katsuki would no doubt consider this yet another example of Izuku not caring enough about himself or taking himself into account. but it really is more than that. the reason the words don’t cut deep in spite of them being vicious and well-targeted is simply because Izuku knows that Katsuki isn't truly that cruel. and he knows that on a level so deep that Katsuki is never able to break it despite his best efforts. he can’t break it, because there’s nothing to break, because it’s true. the reason the relationship endures in spite of everything is because deep down Katsuki is fundamentally a good person, and so Izuku’s trust, in the end, is based on truth. and so it never fully breaks, and eventually, it becomes reciprocated.

and that’s what their story is all about. it’s two people that have known each other their entire lives, but have to work in order to build their understanding of each other. unlike many ships, they start off already having that foundation of knowing and being known, and so their story instead is about forging that connection of empathy and insight. and it doesn’t come easily to them at all. but they keep at it.

anyway, so thank you again for sharing your thoughts on this, anon. I didn’t even get into the topic of forgiveness, but I agree with you about it being a process of letting go of negative feelings and resentment. I also agree that forgiveness is a separate thing from trust, but I do think trust plays a big part in one’s decision to forgive or not forgive. it's a lot easier to forgive if you have an understanding of the other person’s actions. and it’s also far, far easier to forgive if the offender’s actions are long in the past. and because the latter is now true in Katsuki’s case, that shows a pattern of him learning from his mistakes and not repeating them. which further builds trust, especially in the “reliability” department. and so even though forgiveness and trust are two separate things, they’re still connected. and in many ways, by working to rebuild the understanding between him and Izuku, Katsuki is also working towards earning Izuku’s forgiveness, even though that’s ultimately something that can never truly be earned, but can only be granted.

I’m not sure if I’m really making my point very clear here lol, but basically what I’m trying to say is that while the relationship may have once been one-sided in this aspect, it’s not anymore. it’s mutual, and they’re both putting the work in. and Katsuki is also doing his part without any guarantee or expectation of forgiveness on Izuku’s end. it’s unconditional. he’s doing it because he wants to atone. and he’ll continue to do it whether he’s forgiven or not. and that’s important. it’s important because it shows that the relationship has value to both of them. and it’s important because neither of them wants to lose it. they want to fix it; they want to make it stronger.

and ultimately what that means is that the relationship will continue to endure, despite their ups and downs. because even though it may have started out as something incidental -- two boys who just happened to become friends because they spent a lot of time together as children -- it’s not, anymore. it’s no longer just something that happened, something that just accidentally came together. it’s something that they’re both working to build. they want to trust each other. they want to understand one another. their relationship is no longer something that simply withstood and persisted -- it’s something that is now being nurtured. and you love to see it.

so let's see, how do I even begin to tl;dr this post lol. something something blah blah blah trust, understanding, childhood friends, knowing someone, having faith in someone, being the recipient of that faith, and working to become worthy of it. they're very confused, but they care about each other a lot, and they are good boys.

[ask-a-vetblr]

Hi everyone! I’m a 3rd year vet student heading into my clinical rotations in February 2022. Wondering if any of you might have some advice on how to… I dunno, survive? 😅

Hi, Sueanoi here.

My first and foremost advice for stressed vet students all around the world... is DO NOT SACRIFICE SLEEP. I learned that the hard way.

You need sleep. Those extra few hours that you might try to spend reading last minute wont get you more ready. Not sleeping will make your brain feel like swimming in molasses. It slows your thinking, and you won't be able to recall info as efficiently.

I'm sure students at year 3 should already know their body's limit. I promise, your limit is still there. I won't tell you how many hours you need, you know your body better. Get those hours.

Second, don't skip meals. Try to at least get some snack if you can't get out to get a real meal. Being hungry will lower your performance and make you more nervous.

Third, you should check your course syllabus, and prepare in advance. Those early years of vet school had given you the raw data, this year you will learn how to pull those data to good use. You will learn how to systematically follow clues and solve problems according to those info that you now have.

I suggest getting a handbook with differential diagnosis techniques. It's very useful for me when I was starting out. It's like a hint book on what to do if you're stuck.

next is, you should pay good attention on how the supervisor vets talk to their clients. This is an important soft skill that often are not included in any other lessons. Learn how to handle different kinds of clients and different emotions. Clinical rotation is the perfect opportunity for you to learn by example, and also learn by doing.

Lastly, don't be afraid to ask for consultants. You are here to learn. If you're not sure, be honest and ask for help.

And, good luck! It's not as scary as you think! In fact, I think it's pretty fun, looking back. You get to exercise that brain of yours without the risk of actually facing the consequence of messing something up. You have someone who has your back. So go out there and learn!

GV here.

I went to vet school in the midwest and have now worked for 2 practices that take students on external rotations for other schools (specifically, Virginia Tech and Lincoln Memorial). It seems as though my experiences in 4th year are veeeeery different from theirs - Lincoln Memorial does not, strictly speaking, have a teaching hospital, so most of their rotations must be done at external clinics, and Virginia Tech is struggling with staffing issues and many students opt to take many rotations externally to have a higher case load. At any rate, that’s just for perspective on where my thoughts will come from!

At my vet school, the expectation is that you would show up having prepared for your day’s cases, if you knew them ahead of time. Usually we would sign up for or be assigned cases the day before, but we may not have any history on the patient or even much detail on the presenting complaint (“referral from rDVM for urinary tract issues” or something similar might be all that we got until the client brought the history from their referring vet the next morning). The main thing is that if there *is* a thorough history (i.e. you’re on anesthesia and internal medicine has already done a thorough workup on your patient) then you had better KNOW YOUR PATIENT’S HISTORY and be able to discuss the pathogenesis, how it will affect their procedure, etc. But, sometimes you are going to be looking things up on the fly - you’ve gone in, gotten your history, read through the rDVM notes and diagnostic results, and now you have to go present to the clinician. A few things will come in handy here. First, a student subscription to VIN is free. VIN is mostly all I have used while being a solo doc in my first practice and where I learned my treatments and diagnostics for most ailments. You can type in symptoms, differentials, etc and normally get some kind of idea of how to proceed from either their specifically written articles or from the forums. Another great resource which you will have to pay for but is inexpensive for students, is Plumb’s, especially the app. The clinicians are probably going to make you look up doses for any drugs anyway, so it’s useful in that regard, but when you’re looking for ideas for treatment, you can actually type in symptoms to the search bar and drugs related to the symptom (i.e. PU/PD) will pop up so that can actually give you some good ideas for differentials as well.

The main thing I am looking for in a vet student when they’re on rotation with me is curiosity and a willingness to come each day prepared if possible, and look things up if you don’t know the answer. I’m not going to look down on you if you’ve never given a vaccine before, but I’m definitely going to have issues if we give you lots of opportunities to vaccinate and you start dodging them because “you’ve had enough experience now.” I’m not going to be upset if you don’t know doses for drugs off the top of your head or even which specific drug to use, but if I ask you again later I expect you to have looked it up. If I offer you the chance to do a surgery with me, I expect you to have studied the procedure the night before. Don’t ask me to fill out a form stating that you performed a task if I didn’t see you do it, and don’t ask me to sign off on a discussion item that we never discussed. The only time I’ll be disappointed in your knowledge (or lack thereof) is if you literally can’t offer any suggestions at all, or if I’ve asked you to look something up and get back to me and you never do. The only time I’ll be disappointed in your skills is if I’ve told you something (don’t stand on the leg side of a down cow) and you do it again anyway. Also, definitely don’t cuss out your doctor when I ask you to follow up with a patient. (true story!)

[askyourwritergrandma]

Hi grandma! I have a question about pacing. I've been noticing that in my longer projects most of my subplots resolve fairly quickly. So, while I'm happy with the first half (or so) of my fics, I hate my endings. They always feel like I'm rushing straight from main plot point to main plot point, and I never want to post them.

Anything I try to add in the second half to slow down the pacing feels forced or unnecessary. I've tried rearranging things so some of the existing subplots start later, but then I'm not happy with how it fits into the overall timeline. I'm not sure what to try next.

Hello helicoptercatparent!

A certain amount of this feeling that you're having is something that will get better with time. Managing a story is a skill that you can only really learn through repeated trials. I remember feeling this way when I thought every story had to be novel length (100k my brain decided) because it felt like I was either completely and utterly bored (pacing) or I was sprinting to the finish line (plot points).

There is no miracle cure for it, but as you're developing these skills a few things to concentrate on or look for in your writing are:

World Building - while your reader might not need to know every detail of how your characters fit into their world, thinking up and utilizing information about the world/society/what have you enriches your plot and gives you both meat and pacing. Knowing the history of your world/how society works in it/certain prejudices and biases/expectations and etc will give your subplots, your main plot and your characterization more space to operate in.

Characterization - I will stand on a soap box forever about the importance of characterization, but when it comes to pacing purposes, a well-developed character with flaws, ambitions, and etc will give you a lot more material. If your character starts out naturally selfish, they are fighting against their own growth at every turn. Suddenly a subplot where MC needs to complete a project gets dragged out because they aren't willing to pay a fee to get a vital tool, and they waste their time going about trying to figure out how to get it for free. This wastes their time, damages friendships and ultimately sets everything back. Rather than accept the blame they continue to believe it's the other person's fault.

A willingness to let your character be ugly, unlikeable and fail - this is part of characterization, but its important enough to merit its own bullet point. You have to be willing to let your character be flawed, truly, completely flawed. Character growth is both overcoming that behavior and exploring why it exists. Your character won't want to confront it, they'll fight against confronting it and when they are finally forced to really look at it they won't like it. They've spent a lifetime not confronting this about themselves, they aren't going to change overnight. Be willing to complicate your own story by letting your characters resist change.

Expand your cast/focus. Sometimes pacing becomes an issue when your story or the players in it are too limited. If you have a narrow cast, ala man vs nature, lone man on a mountain trying to survive - you have to expand what the story is about. It cannot literally just be about a man on a mountain. It has to be about how he got there, his mortality, his lack of preparedness, a long, in-depth inspection of modern conveniences rendering people incapable of survival. He's overcoming a lot in this story and he will emerge completely different. But the story isn't just about surviving a mountain, it's about man's determination to survive at all odds.

Unsatisfactory climax - the moment when your reader is most interested in your story and/or the moment of greatest tension. This is the moment when your plot and your character's growth coincide and they finally have to choose if they're going to become better or worse. They can't emerge the same as they went in or your story will fall flat. If Todd begged, borrowed and stole to finish his project and now they're in a meeting where his secretary is about to be fired and prosecuted for his crimes and he just lets it happen? He's an asshole but that's who he always was. He needs to either stand up and admit it was his fault, or he needs to stand up and offer evidence she's guilty. He participates in her imprisonment and he becomes even more foul or he takes responsibility and redeems himself. The climax ties into the main plot (we have to get the project done or we're all out of jobs!) and the character's growth (his despicable selfishness). Along the way we've probably learned all about why he's selfish and why this project matters. We know about his secretary and his boss and etc. We have to know, otherwise this moment doesn't matter.

Your story is too long - unfortunately, not all stories have enough story in them to sustain length. Some stories are short story material and the solution is not to try to add more but to subtract the things that don't fit. If you have a story about a man going grocery shopping, and you're writing odes about the soup aisle that's just filler. Unless your story is about this man's opinion on soup. Sometimes you need to cut out the parts where you tried to expand and take another look at it. Is this a story better told briefly? Long stories don't automatically have more worth than short.

Without knowing more about your specific stories, these are the sort of things I'd take a look at. If there's anything else I can do to help, feel free to send me a message.

I hope this helps!

[voidendron]

also 🗡🗡🗡🗡 for your Exarchs-turned-OCs 😈

Send 🗡️ and I will rate my muse’s danger level in several category in a number of stars out of 5. (Max: ★★★★★)

I got the BIGGEST grin at seeing this one ty November ajklsd;jdskl. YES let me ramble about my children >:D Draya up top, the rest below the cut!

Zar Draya

Raw Power: ★★★★★

She's carefully honed both her Force-sensitivity and brute strength to be able to comfortably--and to deadly efficiency--be able to tear through her enemies regardless of whichever she's using. Her physical enhancements from Project: Exarch only increased her brute strength further.

Formal Training: ★★★

She was trained to be a Knight from the time she was old enough. However, as she's still quite young, she has much yet to learn, and would have continued some form of informal training on her Fortress had she not been killed, to further round out her skills.

Combat Experience: ★★

Hasn't seen many battles. Most of her combat experience stems from protecting the Spire as a Knight, and facing Nox and the Barsen'thor were her first true opponents outside the training ring.

Willingness to Kill: ★★★★

She'll take prisoners if ordered, but prefers to end it there. She has no qualms against taking the life of anyone who opposes Zakuul.

Previous Victims: ★★★

Most victims consist of criminals on the Spire, and the occasional Alderaan nobles who were ruining Zakuul's "entertainment." Has an average body count for someone in a war and formerly one of the policing bodies on her home planet.

Jom Vanten

Raw Power: ★★★

His Exarch enhancements came more in the form of inhuman calculations and speed/agility. He's not meant for brute-forcing anything, and instead relies more so on wearing his opponent down and calculating what their next move will be long before they make it so he can react accordingly.

Formal Training: ★★★★★

Graduated from the Academy to become a Knight. While not top of his class, he passed with flying colors.

Combat Experience: ★★★

Most combat experience is from dealing with criminals on Zakuul, though has gone planetside on Hoth a few times to gather things that may be of interest to Zakuul, where he got into skirmishes with White Maw.

Willingness to Kill: ★★★★★

Due to the Project essentially erasing his mind and making it programmable, he'll do literally whatever his higher-ups tell him to without question. He feels not an ounce of guilt or remorse, and unless strictly ordered otherwise, he'll go straight for the kill.

Previous Victims: ★★★★

Aside from the Bothawui Fortress Exarch (yet undesigned/unamed), Jom has the highest kill count of his peers. He doesn't hesitate to have his Fortress fire upon Hoth's surface, and has decimated White Maw forces there, as well as caught various others in the blasts. He's also killed a number of his own Knights, both directly and indirectly, because he calculated it was "worth the loss" or that they'd make the same mistake again and weren't worth the risk of having around.

Lesin Tyn

Raw Power: ★★★

He just waits for his opponents to exhaust themselves as they deal blow-after-blow to him that heal in record time, then he goes in for his own attacks when they start slowing down. Rather than overpower, he out-endures, allowing his self-healing and-repair systems to do all the work. If it wasn't for his mostly-cybernetic body and the abilities built into it, he'd lose in hand-to-hand combat, as his physical strength is lacking in his old age.

Formal Training: ★★★★★

Graduated from the Academy. Also, being the oldest of his peers, he's had plenty of time to keep learning and bettering himself.

Combat Experience: ★★★★

He's straight-up just been around a lot longer than the other Exarchs, so has the experience to match. When battles need a little extra help, he'd put one of his trusted Knights in charge of his Fortress so he could leave and aid the battle (usually in form of tactical know-how, and actually fighting only when necessary), and before the Project he'd dealt with a lot of criminals on Zakuul.

Willingness to Kill: ★★★★★

Only Arcann or Vaylin themselves can keep Lesin from killing an enemy to Zakuul once they're at his feet.

Previous Victims: ★★★

Doesn't really have that big of a kill count. Mostly criminals, and a handful of enemy forces in battles to expand Zakuul's reach. Enough to give him experience, but that's about it.

Forta Gair

Raw Power: ★★

If anything, her Exarch enhancements decreased Forta's physical strength. She can move in ways and at speeds no normal human ever should, and bend in ways that make her limbs appear artificial, but when it comes down to brute force, she's...lacking. She's built to move quickly to reach her opponent's weak points, not to take or deal a blow. Her Force-sensitivity is a bit weaker than her peers', too. She's instead learned to outsmart and outmaneuver her opponents.

Formal Training: ★★★

Didn't attend the Academy, and instead trained alongside Zotar from retired Knights. Only underwent any sort of formal training after the Project.

Combat Experience: ★★★

Similar to the majority of her peers: Most of it's from facing Zakuulan criminals before the Project.

Willingness to Kill: ★★★★★

She's the most likely of the group to disobey a direct order. If she wins, she wins, and the fate of her opponent should be up to her as far as she's concerned. If they opposed Zakuul, they deserve only death, and only Arcann himself could stay her hand (or Vaylin, because she's scary, too).

Previous Victims: ★★★

She's in charge of the Belsavis Star Fortress - the way she sees it, the criminals of that planet are all pests. She has prisoners killed and/or experimented on on the regular, and her body count got considerably higher than a lot of the other Exarchs' as a result, though still nowhere near if she'd actually had her Fortress fire upon the prison-planet.

Tarso Gren

Raw Power: ★★★

Like Forta, Tarso wasn't enhanced to be able to brute force anything. He's light on his feet and can't deal or take much of a hit. His Force-sensitivity, however, is considerably stronger than Forta's, and allows him to strong-arm certain situations that his physical strength probably couldn't on its own.

Formal Training: ★★★★★

Was trained as an engineer before attending the Academy to graduate as a Knight. Better with machines than combat, but can still wield a shield and saber pike with the same ease as his peers.

Combat Experience: ★★

Solely with criminals on Zakuul before the Project.

Willingness to Kill: ★★★★

More practical than a lot of the others, but still has no qualms against ending a life if it's the better option.

Previous Victims: ★★

A few criminals on Zakuul who made him resort to killing them, but that's it.

Andur Melor

Raw Power: ★★★★

Pretty strong in both body and Force abilities. He's probably second-strongest of the Exarchs, right behind Draya. If he wanted to, Andur could easily brute force a situation, either by strong-armijg his opponent, or using the Force to subdue them.

Formal Training: ★★★★★

Not only did Andur graduate the Academy to become a Knight at the top of his class, he also took extra lessons on the side from both current and retired Knights to further hone his skills.

Combat Experience: ★★

Solely with criminals on Zakuul before the Project.

Willingness to Kill: ★★

The other Exarchs tend to find Andur "too soft." He's willing to talk peacefully and doesn't go into a situation wanting a fight. He'll kill if his hand is forced, but he'd much rather subdue his opponent than end their life.

Previous Victims: ★

His kill count is exactly one person: A criminal from Breaktown, who tried to bomb a shuttle port. Andur didn't even kill her himself - she got herself cornered and fell off the damn Spire because she didn't watch her step when she backed away from him.

Ren Zotar

Raw Power: ★★★

While he can hold his own in a fight, he relies a lot on his Exarch enhancements to win his duels. Able to slice and reprgram machines with ease just by being in their immediate vicinity, he can call on an army of machines to do his fighting for him. He relies on his machines - specifically, stolen Republic walker After Shock who's his favorite of the bunch - to wear down his opponents to the point he can leap in with his pike ready.

Formal Training: ★★★

Never actually attended the Academy. He received informal Knight training directly from other, retired, Knights, and from personal trial-and-error. He was made a Knight after showing he had the same skills as Academy-trained ones. He was accepted when he volunteered for the Project because of his natural skills and loyalty to Zakuul, and it was only then that he underwent any formal training.

Combat Experience: ★★★★★

He was made the Exarch of the Old World. While certainly not the intention when he was put in place there, he took to the Eternal Championship like a moth to flame. He's fought and won countless battles in the arena, and uses his fame to keep control of the Old World and even Brraktown to some extent, with far more ease than any Knight before him.

Willingness to Kill: ★★★★★

Very few of his opponents in the arena walk away alive. He doesn't hold back, and won't hesitate to strike them down himself, or order one of his machines to do the dirty work for him.

Previous Victims: ★★★

Consist mostly of former arena opponents, and the occasional Zakuulan criminals. He's not as worried about criminals, however - he knows there's a lot where he's in charge, and is instead more worried about keeping things in check so Arcann can focus on more important things.

[morganas-pendragons]

Stain | Commander Wolffe

I cannot believe I wrote this. Have the second soft smut piece I’ve ever done... I hope you all love it, cause it’s a bit smuttier then the last and I wrote it on an 8 hour car ride home. Fox is next!

He has stained you. Heart, body, mind.

You’re not sure you ever want to wash it out.

It was a night of longing stares, touches that lingered just a little too long and a little too low, tongue peeking out to wet cracked lips and eyes that seem to be mesmerized by the sight of your mouth.

Oh.. he wants you.

Badly.

Wolffe doesn’t often get the things he wants. He’s a soldier. A tool, a weapon. He’s meant to carry out the orders of the Grand Republic without question. He’s meant to die, if necessary. To bleed for a cause he’s not sure he entirely believes in now.

He’s never considered entertaining the thought of anything he wants. Desire. Lust. Adoration. As the two of you stumble out of Seventy Nines and follow the path to the cab that’ll lead you back to Coruscant, Wolffe realizes that he is entirely out of his depth. He wants you to kiss him. He wants you to undress him, to teach him about all the things that he’s so desperate to learn.

When he touches your hip while standing at the precipice of your apartment, his fingertips stain your skin.

His print bleeds into your soul.

He’s there to stay.

  “What do you want, Wolffe?” He ponders that question for a good thirty seconds as his brain short circuits - he’s a confident person, that’s why he’s a Commander and that’s why he’s getting deployed with General Koon for the first time next week - and he’s desperately trying to find an answer and coming up short.

His lips form one word.

  “You.”

Your gaze softens because you know how young he actually is. He’s barely seen war yet, he’s barely known tenderness, he’s only ever known the cold and sterile part of Kamino. You intend to show him the opposite, to show him that life seeking the very things your heart desires is warm. Invigorating. Alive.

Weakened by his desire, Wolffe nearly trembles as you slowly remove scarlet colored armor piece by piece until he’s in nothing but his blacks, backing into the mattress until he falls upon it and is left to do nothing but stare at you.

  “You can look. It’s alright.” His angle permits him the perfect view of the moon outside. Wolffe watches in awe as you shed your clothes piece by piece until he is looking at the very being of ethereal beauty - bathed in white from the light of the moon outside - and as you throw your hair over your shoulder to move over to him, he realizes he wants one thing. To learn. To understand why he feels this way. “And touch. Go ahead.”

You take Wolffes hand in your own and lead it to rest against your breast. He’s heard his brothers talk about girls, about being with girls, but he’s never believed any of them. About the things they’ve said.

He does now.

Seated in his lap, Wolffe slowly sits up at the waist and keeps his hand placed on your breast. He can feel the rungs of your ribs beneath his fingers and the rise and fall of each breath. Taking a deep breath, Wolffe tilts his head and lowers his gaze to your chest.

  “Can I.. also put my mouth here?” Your gasp is all he needs as confirmation as he lightly twists a peaked nipple between gentle fingers, keenly interested in every reaction he’s able to elicit before he turns his attention to the other and bends his head to press the ghost of a kiss to the swell.

  “Wolffe-“ You rasp. “You’re.. you’re doing so good.. do you want to keep going?”

He pulls himself away from focusing on your chest to nod and allow you to remove his shirt. You’re intent on being a good teacher, but you’re also focusing on ensuring he feels as good as you do.

You quirk a brow and bend down to take his mouth with your own. His lips are pliant and open beneath yours, slowly succumbing to your gentle prodding as you tease the seam of his lips with your tongue to deepen the kiss.

All the meanwhile, his other hand that isn’t on your hip is sliding downward to the apex of your thighs. He’s gentle but hesitant and there is nothing you want more then to feel him everywhere.

You pull away as if you’ve been struck when his thumb very slowly traces a circle against your clit. A bolt of warmth explodes across your spine and travels clear down to curl your toes.

  “You like this.” He murmurs, enthralled by the way you nod as you grind down into his hand. Curious brown eyes flicker up to your flushed chest and wide gaze as you meet his own. “Tell me.. can I touch you there?”

  “You can do anything you want, Wolffe.” And it’s true. “You can ruin me.”

Your soul is already stained by him. What else can he possibly do?

The way you moan as he enters one finger, then two, and crooks them as his rhythm grows steady is carnal. You’ve never heard anything come out of your mouth like that in your entire life.

He is not going to make you come first.

  “Ah, ah.” Grimacing at the lack of contact as he takes his fingers away and finds himself coated in your slick, you beam at him and push his hips downward to lay him on the bed. “While I appreciate the effort and willingness, this night is not about me. It’s about you.”

The lower half of his black disappear. You and Wolffe are bared to one another in body.

He grits his teeth as you take the length of him in your hand and gently run your thumb across the tip. “I-I don’t know if I can-“ Wolffe rasps, swallowing the nerves bubbling in his throat as he fights his urge to flee. This is too vulnerable. He doesn’t show himself like this.

You lay a gentle palm to his chest before taking his other hand and wrapping his fingers around the undulating swell of hip that is just begging to be held.

  “You spend all your time doing. It’s my turn.” You whisper. “Let go.”

He lays his head back down on the pillow, inhales deeply, and groans as you take him back into your hand before sinking onto him completely.

Wolffe is a mess. Moaning and trembling and desperately trying to keep his composure as you begin a slow and steady rhythm, refusing to tear your gaze away from his own as he swipes your hands to link them together on either side of his head.

  “You’re beautiful.” Wolffe is a magnificent wreck, teetering on the precipice of oblivion as he fights to maintain the well composed control the Kamini have engrained into his DNA. He has never taken. He only gives. “Wolffe, look at me.”

Wolffe meets your eyes only for you to swipe a searing kiss that takes the air from his lungs, and that’s when you take the opportunity to quicken your pace.

“Haar’chak!”

He thrusts upward. It’s all over for you.

Wolffe meets your pace wickedly fast and hard despite his inexperience and before you can catch him off guard, he brings his hands to the apex of your thighs and presses down.

You come earth-shatteringly hard just as he flips the two of you over and does the same, still sheathed inside of you, before collapsing on top of your body.

Nuzzling your hair, Wolffe groans a hoarse “Thank you.” against your temple before settling his head in the crook of your neck.

When you wake the next morning, two hands are linked where they remain settled over your heart.

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

NSFW (whole alphabet) for Maul?

A/N: PLEASE REMEMBER TO COMMENT AND REBLOG IF YOU LIKE THIS! HEADCANONS NEED LOVE TOO YOU KNOW! (Also the tags are not working because they hate me)

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

He’s gentle, shockingly so. No matter how rough or intense, his entire demeanor shifts.  He treats you like glass; caressing your skin, cleaning your mess, and reveling in the lingering warmth. He becomes one clingy bitch is what I’m getting at here. 

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He loves your throat.  He loves how you leave it so open to him, to kiss or bite or squeeze as he wishes.  It’s a sign of trust, not to mention it leads down to your chests and all the other soft parts attached. (He’s a boob man, that’s all I’m saying)

As for himself, he likes his hands. They still hold his true strength. They can still wield the force to his will; to destroy his enemies or to place a gentle touch to your cheek.  He’s amazed that you can allow him to touch you after how much his hands have done. 

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

He makes a mess whenever you fuck.  He likes to cum on you; on your tits, stomach, back, face, anywhere.  But he really loves cumming inside you and watching it drip from your sex.  Even if he can’t give you children, the idea of burying his seed in you is an instinct he can’t shake.  Would love nothing more than to keep his cock inside you and fill you again and again with him cum until it spills out on the bed.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

There are times he purposefully makes you angry because he knows how you’ll punish him later.  He’s not sure if you’ve caught on or not, but either way you play into his scheme perfectly.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Not very before you.  He was taken by Sidious at a very young age; as a Sith he was trained to forgo attachments and obey his master at every turn.  Sidious would not allow his apprentice any chance to form a connection with another aside from taking him back to Dathomir to fulfill a coming of age ritual where he was taken by a Night Sister.  After that, nothing. 

But, for what he lacks in experience, he makes up for in his willingness to learn.  He asks what you want, what you like.  He feels your reactions through the force and demonstrates a control you hadn’t found in previous lovers.  He can be patient when it counts.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

He loves it when you’re both kneeling, with you straddling his waist a he thrusts up into you.  He’s able to reach deep inside you while allowing either of you to gain control as you wish it.  Not to mention easy access to your throat and breasts as he clings to you. 

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Maul is 99.9% of the time completely serious during sex.  Either his focus is entire on your pleasure or you’ve given him permission to work out his frustrations using your body.  The only time he’d crack a joke is if he’s feels particularly smug about the way he’s making you feels and wants to tease you.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

No hair down below, because, well...he doesn’t really have a natural below.  I doubt Mother Talzin added hair just for the fun of it.

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

As I said before Maul has two modes; I need to fuck away my feelings OR you are the most important thing in the galaxy let me show you why.  When he’s in mode two, he’s the most intimate and romantic partner you can ask for, almost desperate in his attempt to show you how you make him feel.  If it’s option one, you’ll have to wait until after the sex to get the same treatment.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Pre-Naboo, he kept it on the down low.  He could only allow himself a moment’s release when his master wasn’t around.  And even then, it was only when he was particularly stressed or angry.  It was done quickly with no real thought of pleasure, just some kind of release if he couldn’t do it through violence.

After Naboo, it’s not really something he does because well...there’s not much down there for a good long while and after he gets some of his...parts back, he meets you.  With you, he doesn’t feel as compelled to use his hands.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Breeding kink.  He can’t give you children, obviously, but there’s an almost instinct there.  Just another thing Kenobi took away form him.

Also, not sure if it’s a kink, but he’s an absolute switch.  One minute he’s squeezing your neck while using you as his personal cum bucket.  The next, he’s tied to the bed begging and promising you the galaxy if you just let him cum.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

He’s a bit of an exhibitionist. As much as he wants to be the only one to see you naked and writhing underneath him, there’s something about fucking you on the throne of Mandalor that sends a thrill up his spine.  Anyone can walk in and know that he’s the one making you feel this way.  He has the power to fuck you in front of the whole of Death Watch if he wanted to and none of them could touch you.  They would know you were his and as their leader they would not dare oppose him.

So, in terms of most common place, your bedroom.  In terms of most thrilling place, the throne room, followed by the war room, and then the training room.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

You getting angry is the hottest thing in the galaxy to him.  If you direct that anger into destroying your enemies in combat, even better.  He’ll take you the second you’re alone in the ship.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Roleplaying.  It’s you and him, that’s it.  He doesn’t want or need to “spice things up”.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He prefers giving.  He loves your taste and how easily he can get you to cum with just his tongue.  He can feel your pleasure through the force which only drives his further.  Granted he needs to be mindful of where his horns are when you clamp him head between your thighs but that’s neither here nor there.

He’ll certainly accept you going down on him, but he knows it’s not as pleasurable for you to have a metal cock in your mouth no matter how good it feels for him.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

He can be slow an sensual, but it almost always devolves into rough desperation.  He’s a man of wild passions and it shows in the marks on your thighs the next morning.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

You’re almost always the one to initiate them.  He says he can wait until the evening, but he’s often left working well into the night and forgets.  You take it upon yourself to strive into his office and tell him you need a good fuck.  That will get him away from the paper work long enough to leave your legs shaking and his mind a little more clear.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

He’s willing to try something you propose so long as you discuss it properly before hand.  He wants to make sure you’re safe before trying anything.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

It’s absolutely insane how high his stamina is.  For one, he’s got a mechanical cock that doesn’t actually get soft even after he cums.  Second, his reliance on the force allows him to recoup faster than normal.  He can go for an many rounds as you can stand for as long as you want.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

That will be a negative.  He doesn’t have any toys and the idea of you having a toy when all you have to do is ask he finds more than a little insulting.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He always does it when he’s trying to win an argument or make a point, and it’s infuriating.  He likes hearing you beg or admit he was right all while he teases you clit with the promise of more.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Maul gets loud.  It’s almost a defiance.  His master would not allow him anything like this singular happiness with another being and now he’s taking it at his own pleasure.  He screams and growls and moans and begs and every other noise in the book.  He wants people to hear.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Maul wants to have kids with you, and that fact that he can’t really aches at him.  He wants something that is truly his own; a legacy outside of the Sith, a final defiance to the master who abandoned him.  They would be the best of both of you and unparalleled in their power.  Nothing would stand in their way.  He can see it in his minds eye every time you fall asleep in his arms.  But, it can never be.  If Mother Talzin had figured out a way to make life without the need of Zabrak men, he wouldn’t have been a Night Brother in the first place.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Like I’ve said, Maul’s entire lower half is mechanical, including his cock.  Mother Talzin made him one which retracts back in when he’s not aroused.  It’s shaped like a Zabrak male: three ridges, each wider than the last giving him good length and girth (look up Nova: Bad Dragon). It also gives him pleasure, which is better than a dilo and excretes a synthetic cum when he climaxes.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

It’s not so much a sex drive as a yearning for you.  There are times he just wants you, to hold you close, to bury himself inside you and forget anything exists outside of you.  It’s in flux, but it’s certainly higher than most men you’ve known.  You’re having sex at least every other night if not more.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

He doesn’t dare fall asleep until you do.  He likes the feeling of your body relaxing beside his as you drift off. He likes knowing you trust him to keep you safe, even in sleep.  Only when he knows there’s nothing lurking in the dark to take you away does he finally fall asleep.

[ginkgomoon]

Victor’s Aura- A Character Aura Study

This post is my take on Victor’s aura, taken from my knowledge and intuition to depict what kind of aura he has! I did one on Gavin, as well as Gavin’s astrological birth chart so if you haven’t seen them, you can read them after this post!

What is an Aura? “Aura” by the dictionary is “the distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person, thing, or place”. 

It’s essentially the electromagnetic energy field that surrounds all living things. It’s the magnetic field of vibration like how a lighted candle is lit and how a scent or perfume surrounds a flower. In fact, it’s correctly described as an extension of the body. It’s a part of every cell. Your aura can be affected by anything, including traumas, memories and emotions. It can tell us a lot about a person’s mental, physical, emotional state, vitality and path of life. Habitual thoughts, emotions and even illnesses can be clearly revealed. If a person changes their long standing thoughts and emotions, the aura will too reflect that. 

Victor’s Aura There are many layers to the aura but let’s start off with the “ground” colour. This is the main colour that dominates the aura both in size and intensity. It’s arguably the most important colour as it shows what the person should be doing in their life. 

Victor’s main ground colour is dark yellow (keep in mind this is not defined as “murky”- when someone is lost and muddled in their life). People with dark yellow as their ground are confident, well adjusted and analytical. As a result, they take life one step at a time, one goal at a time, ensuring every project is seen through properly to completion to avoid problems and setbacks later. They are patient people, setting their worthwhile goals in no hurry to reach them, as they know without a doubt that they will obtain their deserved reward in the end. They prefer to do things rationally and in a logical manner, especially at work where they are required to make use of their good memory and love for detail. As they are ambitious and persistent, they often take up roles of leadership, responsibility and of importance. From his corrections on MC’s reports to the food he makes at Souvenir (that is insisted to be cooked according to certain temperatures), Victor is no doubt a detail-oriented leader even whether if the goal he wants to achieve is related to work or not. 

MC: It’s a sort of mark that can be left in literature or in a photograph… and I can feel it. Victor’s eyes are lowered. In his clear and tranquil eyes, there are ripples of light and shadows. Victor: Such as? The smile tugging at the corner of his mouth is clear, and I ponder this seriously. MC: For example, the way I write proposals has changed. The format of my proposals has changed. The indent of the first line, font size 15, 1.5 spacing between lines… it’s the format you find most pleasing to the eye! Victor’s eyebrow quirks. Victor: That’s all? MC: There’s more! I’ve become so much more picky with food. I never used to complain that food tastes bad, but eating at Souvenir has cultivated my palate. Now, when I eat even Michelin meals, I feel as if something’s lacking… -CN Exhibition Date 

“What happened with SE is just an example. We’re from different businesses and different fields. There’s no need to compare yourself with me. Also, I’m older than you. When you’ve reached my age, you might attain the achievements I have today.” -CN Night Meeting Date

“Slow and steady wins the race” is the moral that they live by, but sometimes adhering to this credo may frustrate others as they can be so analytical and detail oriented at times- usually at great lengths. A cute little add from the Tender Regards Date around the concept of snail mail, time (Victor’s evol!) and the goal of always reaching your destination in the end demonstrate this this motif in Victor’s relationship with MC.

“Looks like you should have received this Future Mail. Apart from supporting your event, I’m only going to do this once. This will not be repeated. The things I want to say to you are all in this videotape. It only belongs to you.” -CN Tender Regards Date 

“When will you finally understand? It’s all right. I’m patient. I’ll wait for you to see the light slowly.” -Rooftop Date

Although they have feelings, they only ever reveal it to people close to them. They enjoy the detail and technicality of conversations and find it hard to talk about their emotions. Victor’s Exhibition and Tender Regards Date are very useful sources of information in relation to these topics, as it displays Victor’s deep emotions of affection to MC and highlights the importance of expressing emotions to those you love. Dark yellow aura peoples’ greatest lesson in life is to be more emotionally open, and when do they do, it usually occurs later in life. 

“The writer wrote it down herself - “The time I spent loving someone, not a single second of it was wasted.” I rarely hear such words leave Victor’s mouth, and it makes me feel a little surreal. In my memory, we very rarely talk about the topic of ‘love’. Maybe it’s because he rarely says what’s in his heart. Maybe it’s because I’m used to being thick-skinned. We never have the opportunity to seriously understand the meaning in these words. -CN Exhibition Date 

“Do you still remember the special episode on “Feelings” from before? Actually, this theme was inspired by that episode. Giving gifts is a common way to express how one feels. But it’s not that easy to send a gift to the future. With Future Mail, the sender can convey their feelings and surprises in this gift to the other party across time.” -CN Tender Regards date 

People with dark yellow as their ground enjoy system and order such as routines at work and in their home life. This is applied to Victor’s strict schedules in his day to day life, such as taking on what time he sleeps and when he gets up to go on his morning jogs. They need to consider new ideas before grudgingly accepting them. This is especially applied to when Victor always says “just this once” to MC when he’s being “childish” with her (but we really know that isn’t the case, he knows this all too well, too). 

“Because a certain greedy cat always says she wants to eat something sweet after dinner, I made pudding before leaving the house. Do you think this is a mark of how I’ve been changed?” -CN Exhibition Date 

Next is Victor’s “radiating” colour. This represents his interests and motivations. It adds strength to the ground colour. They can work well in harmony, some can conflict. 

I would take Victor’s radiating as violet. Violet is a very highly spiritual colour, as people with this colour as their radiating will have a very spiritual take on life, as they are deep thinkers who like to analyse everything and think matters though logically. They are also naturally intuitive. Violet radiatings have the ability to come up with unique and unusual solutions to problems. As they enjoy learning, they have the potential to become experts in their field of endeavour- which is no surprise for Victor as he’s basically an “on top of the world tyrant” in the industry of finances. In addition, they feel things deeply, but rather operate things on an emotionally free level- again with the ground aura traits to enhance this! However, Victor too, has a high EQ despite this.

“I’m no different from you. There are many things I cannot do or force to make happen. It’s okay to not be strong, it’s okay to not do well. You don’t have to bottle up your emotions.” … “I won’t tell you to keep holding on no matter what difficulties you face. That isn’t realistic. There will come a time when you will become an even better version of yourself who will have enough courage and experience to deal with all of this.” -CN Colours of Rain Date 

Overall, Victor’s aura of darker yellow and violet depict him as more of a straightforward kind of person, hardworking and articulate, however soon we realise there’s more to what we see of Victor, like how MC thinks that Victor comes off as a “heartless CEO” throughout the main story chapters but he slowly warms up to her whilst determining to prove her wrong. Victor is wise, and doesn’t bother to put in his personal efforts to where it’s not needed, but when it’s up to him- he strives to go all the way for perfection and with the best of his ability. He spends a lot of time in deep contemplation to determine his plans of attack which allows him to execute them well. His values and worth ethics will always in the end allow him to make time for MC, no matter how busy he is :) 

And lastly…

Victor leans against the window, his face still written with distaste, but he does not attempt to remove that childish-looking blanket. He brings the red cup to his lips and gently blows on it. The warm light encases him, softening the aura surrounding him. His outline also appears gentler. He doesn’t look as impossible to get close to. My eyes land on Victor, but he doesn’t seem to notice. He puts down the cup in his hands, lowering his eyes, as though deep in thought. This is a Victor I have never seen before… In this moment, he seems to have put down his stubbornness and distant aura - becoming someone within reach. Only now does Victor finally feel my gaze. He raises his head to look at me. -CN Warm Date 

All of a sudden, he lifts his other hand gently. A water droplet pelts onto his palm, as though pulling him into the pattering rain. Seeing this, I find myself subconsciously frozen in place. Because of the enshrouding misty rain, the Victor before me appears warmer and more tender than usual. -CN Tender Regards Date 

It always has and always will be MC to see this side of him- the tenderness and the willingness of how he opens up to her- his aura willingly to embrace hers too. Fun fact- auras can deflect off one another if you’re with someone you dislike. But when it’s with two people in love, their auras connect, combine and produce an even brighter and bigger accommodating aura for the both of them. He’s certainly living working towards to achieve his greatest life goals- both in his businesses and being with MC, striving together to make great changes and milestones in their respective industries. Without a doubt, she has helped Victor’s aura grow, expand and shine the many rays through his doubts, allowing a light from within to burn brighter and evolve him into more of the brilliant, hardworking and tender man we know today.