#as a creative who world builds knowing what I value and like in world building allows me to grow as one

[exhausted-archivist]

In regards to my last reblog on the scale of Thedas, latitude and stuff. I’ve been thinking about how much thought I give all this. Especially because this topic is one I’ve been talking with a lot of people about lately. It crops up a lot with people who, like me enjoy natural world building or are fanfic writers. Or really anyone who sits down and reads the lore at length. More times then not the question of Thedas’s scale comes up.

So, I want to establish I am very well aware that I’m likely giving it more thought than the devs. I have that luxury as a fan and consumer of the series. It is extremely relevant for me because I like making maps for the series, plotting out travel paths, and scaling things for da ttrpg campaigns I write.

So because I think about it a lot, I notice all the many different scales of Thedas in terms of travel time. How the scale they gave the ttrpg doesn’t match up with any scale they established in the main games or books. I think if the devs sat down and thought about establishing a standard scale and also considering just basic stuff we also wouldn’t have the Deep Roads be 2-4 miles / 3.21-6.43 km below sea level and display a lack of geothermal qualities. I think they’d consider how they built a world with at least 9.1 million people and tons of mega fauna such as giants and dragons and 14’/4.26 m tall bears that hunt dragons, all squished into roughly 1/4 of Europe and how much that isn’t really sustainable. How there would be much more impact if nature encroachment in civilization and how common things like that would be in places. Which they do consider it to a degree, I’m not saying they don’t. But I think if they thought about it just to make the world something that holds up a little better to idle musings, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. That the world would feel more real and alive and also narratively give them more to work with.

The contradictions and lack of consideration for the natural world has always been one of my critiques of Dragon Age, among other things. The reason why that is, is mostly because of a noticeable trend the lack of natural world building in fantasy. It’s a topic that has been discussed elsewhere and at length by other people, but to summarize nature is slowly having less and less impact in fantasy even in an ambient quality. Obviously this isn’t a universal statement, nor a universally required thing for a story to explore and have. That there are things that do focus on and explore it, but speaking in general terms, it is a trend in the majority of media.

Which for me is a bummer as it is an aspect of writing and world building I enjoy. I really like themes of man vs nature and to have that you need to have a basic level of natural world building. Which BioWare doesn’t really explore in Dragon Age despite having elements of it - such as how regular raw lyrium is explosive, mages get sick around all lyrium unless it is diluted to a safe amount for mages, and raw lyrium straight up kills them if they’re in the same room.

So then you have questions of how do mages go/handle being underground with such a risk? Dwarves have stone sense but would mages be able to tell when they’re getting close to large lyrium deposits because they’re getting sick? Does this impact grey warden mages? Darkspawn mages?

Things that don’t get fully acknowledged or explored despite being mentioned casually in codices most people don’t read. And they don’t for a couple of reasons such as potential coding issues but also all the questions you’d have to ask:

How would you implement that as a mechanic? Would you lock mage players out of entire areas featuring raw lyrium? Would they take environmental damage if you wanted the players to explore it regardless? Would it be a mechanic only applied by in harder difficulty modes? Do you acknowledge it in banter but not in any other way? Create a way to explain why the pc mage and their mage companions aren’t dropping dead?

BioWare’s answer seems to seemingly just ignore it because it would make gameplay too challenging/punishing and likely might not be fun for a player to deal with. But they compromise by keeping the lore active in the canon through codices and low impact additions. Which is a completely okay solutions, not my preferred but I get why they do it.

When I approach this lore, I do so without expecting them to fully flesh out each nation or know which city has the most resources and the geologically rich lands in said country. Dragon Age, and BioWare in general, relies on semi-soft world building. The world was after all designed for a game. They only need to build out what they need and what hopefully won’t paint them into a corner with future installments.

Additionally, the writing style for Dragon Age doesn’t suit the hard world building that I prefer, I’m quite aware of that but also know that when it comes to talk about world building in any media, there is always the issue of people (like me) who world build for fun and consider all these small aspects but ultimately they aren’t always needed and necessary for the story a game like Dragon Age is telling.

Dragon Age is told with the intention of things being given from an unreliable narrator. Built on the concept of: there’s three sides to the truth, what x thinks happens, what y thinks happens, and then what actually happened. Which works and I love the premise.

That said, I think that it also impacts lore that shouldn’t be subjected to the unreliable narrator. Foundation or anchor lore points to be specific. Which, as we know, BioWare has always struggled with consistency in their lore, particularly with Dragon Age.

Distance is one of those foundational points that shouldn’t change, and it’s also one of those points that you don’t have to give exact travel times. You can leave it vague and stick to the official statements like the ones we have of Ferelden being the size of England (or Ireland depending on the source you use). If you’re going to be giving specifics, then I think being consistent with how long it travels to get to point a to b and not changing it multiple times in one game should be a basic expectation that is met.

Other ones the series has and is pretty consistent with is how we know Thedas has 24 hours a day, they have seasons like we expect, and are in the southern hemisphere.

Do they sometimes slip up because editing doesn’t catch they’ve made a reference that applies only to the northern hemisphere? Yeah, and that’s not bad. There are a lot of people working on the project and things slip through.

I know I have the luxury to think about Thedas in a capacity that allows for the hard world building that I like. I also know I focus on and enjoy aspects of lore that are not exactly popular for their main audience and are pretty niche.

I don’t expect BioWare to world build how I do because I’m not world building for a massive and varied audience. Not even when I do world building for my tabletop games, because I’m catering to a smaller and more specific audience.

Still I think it’s valid and worth pondering these little elements of the world building. For fun, appreciation, and to nurture one’s own creativity and understanding of media, the world, and what they think makes a believable world.

Devs might not have time to consider it but we sure do and that’s half the fun of enjoying media I think.

[plutosunshine]

The way to welcome the best opportunities in your life

The ruler of the MC can show us the way we get recognition, respect, and success. MC has a lot of interpretations but one of them is the most commonly used - your life purpose, goal, and direction to your highest potential. We are going to look through all the house rulers to know what can help you to achieve your life goals.

The ruler of MC is in the 1st house

The only way you can get success and fulfill all your ambitions is your self-awareness and strong self-esteem. You need to go from “Am I worthy?” To “I will get it done no matter what”. Progress with your self-confidence will invite the best opportunities into your life. You need to understand your worth and build an identity. Knowing who you are and what you stand for is the best way to achieve your goals. You have to trust your gut and follow your ambitions, passionately bringing them to life. You need to learn how to rely on yourself on this journey. Relieve all the passion you have and navigate it to your goals. Your highest potential is YOU, your identity, ambitions, and confidence. You need to be the leader of your life, so to say the main character of your own movie. Don’t be afraid of being too assertive and even intense - these qualities are going to lead you to your greatest success.

The ruler of MC is in the 2nd house

Understanding your worth and building your system of values is the best way to your success. You need to adjust your ambitions to your values and no other way around. Your stubbornness and fixation on goals will lead you on this journey. You have to trust your principles and follow them with all persistence you have and this will welcome the best opportunities in your life. Sometimes it may feel that everything is stuck and nothing is changing but by continuing to follow your life rules and values you will win the life. You need to discover all the talents you have on this journey because it is so important to use all the gifts the universe has given you with this placement. Don’t be afraid of showing who you are because it is the only way you can achieve the greatest goals in your life.

The ruler of MC is in the 3rd house

A flexible attitude to the world will welcome the best opportunities into your life. You need to be open and curious about everything in your life because for you nothing is set in stone. You have to understand that there is no one truth for everyone and every situation requires an individual approach. This attitude will help you to meet life situations with flexible thinking. You will be able to adjust your decisions to the changes. It is the best way to succeed for this placement. Also, you have to understand that the lack of information and knowledge will lead you nowhere. You need to be on the go, changing together with the world. It’s important to know what the agenda is. Let your fixated ideas go and trust the universe with its constant changes.

The ruler of MC is in the 4th house

Balancing your emotions and feelings out will welcome the best opportunities in your life. You need to define your traumas, name them, and heal them. This will help you to dig deep into your emotional side and sort out everything that is going on there. It is important to find a connection between your body and soul. Meditation and other practices may help with that. In order to succeed you need to have a clear head that is not full of fears, worries, and anxiety. Once you get in touch with your emotional side and deal with it, all the best opportunities will come to your life effortlessly.

The ruler of MC is in the 5th house

Expressing and showing your creative side to the world will bring you great success. When you suppress your creative and unique side, you feel like life is meaningless and not full. You need to get in touch with your nature and dig deep into your authentic self. It is the first step and the second is the harder one. You need to express your true self. Don’t close it in a closet because it may become an uncontrollable wild animal and you won't control that. You have to slowly but steadily open the door of the closet and show this little you the world. It may be scary at first but once you trust the universe, the best opportunities will come to your life effortlessly. Don’t hide your authentic self!

The ruler of MC is in the 6th house

Getting new knowledge and becoming the best version of yourself will welcome the best opportunities in your life. It is very important not to be stagnant with this placement. You need to follow your principles and it would be great if you have a healthy lifestyle. Getting new knowledge always helps the 6th house to reach the highest potential. Without learning or reading the 6th house doesn’t get enough stimulation. It is good when you have a goal and persistently reach it. Also, helping others out with small things stimulate your 6th house and you get inspiration. But the most important key to this placement is surely self-improvement.

The ruler of MC is in the 7th house

Finding balance within all your life areas will welcome the best opportunities in your life. You need to set peace and harmony within yourself in order to move forward in life. Also, some sort of partnership may help you very much in life. It doesn’t necessarily have to be love but any one-to-one relationship. Being in a connection you see the sides of yourself that is impossible to see being alone. The partner helps you to open your potential and use it in the outside world. Support and encouragement from your close one is very important for you. It helps you to move forward without any hesitation. Of course, be aware of co-dependency tendencies! And don’t rely on the opinion of you from others.

The ruler of MC is in the 8th house

Digging deep into your fears, worries, and traumas will welcome the best opportunities in your life. The 8th house is all about going deep and almost always it is not easy. You may have been through a lot on your way to finding your life purpose. The 8th house tells that you are insightful and intuitive and that may help you to get the best opportunities in life. Also, you are good at helping other people to find and heal their traumas. With this placement, you could be a good spiritual teacher. Working on your traumas and healing them is the best way to get the best opportunities in life for you.

The ruler of MC is in the 9th house

Exploring the world and expanding your horizons will welcome the best opportunities in your life. You need to learn how to live independently, following your own rules. You are meant to break the boundaries and find your own special way. You are capable of guiding and teaching people and that may help you a lot. You have a great talent for motivating others. Getting new experiences and being brave to try something new will always welcome the best in your life. A positive and even playful attitude to life is the best choice for you.

The ruler of MC is in the 10th house

Finding and reaching the purpose will welcome the best opportunities in your life. This placement is very strong and you can achieve whatever you set in mind but you have to find the goal. The worst scenario for this placement is to live without any purpose or plans. You have so much potential to grow and achieve the greatest things that you must direct all your forces to reach your goals. It may be anything, you just have to have the direction in life and build the whole life around it. Otherwise, you may feel that you don’t use your high potential.

The ruler of MC is in the 11th house

Being open-minded, independent, and your authentic self will welcome the best opportunities in your life. You have to understand your true self and don’t be afraid of showing it to others. You are unique and special and you may feel not happy if you don’t open this side of yourself. Let yourself be free, creative, and open to everything! Dream big because this placement is all about bringing dreams to life. Also, participating in some sort of organizations, groups, or even just groups of friends will inspire you and give you energy.

The ruler of MC is in the 12th house

Listening to your intuition and trusting your gut will welcome the best opportunities in your life. Also, don’t hide your creativity and direct it into some field. Whether it be art or something else, your creativity is healing. Healing is another important part of your success. You are meant to heal your deep wounds and help others with that. You just know unconsciously how to help. Helping is also another important part! You will welcome the best opportunities by helping others, even if it is just a small thing.

[astercontrol]

If KOSA passes

Or if any other form of censorship (there are many in the works!) ever succeeds at stepping in to impede our ability to communicate online:

We have to make plans.

Now, I dunno who'll even see this post. The few followers I have are TRON fans (who despite the fantasy we live in, tend to have realistically dismal views IRL about Disney and the various corporate uses of software).

And this fandom, on average, is pretty tech-savvy. It's where I've encountered the most people under 20 years old who actually know how to use a desktop or laptop computer.

So, if there's any hope for what I'm thinking about, this is prolly a good place to start with it.

(As with all my posts, I encourage reblogging and containment-breaching.)

(Gifs are clips from TRON 1982, mainly the "deleted love scene," from the DVD extras.)

Anyway.

Current society has moved online communication much too far onto major social media sites for my comfort. Whoever you communicate with over the internet, chances are you do it through a service owned by a big company: Tumblr, Twitter, Discord, Telegram, Facebook, whatever. Even TikTok (shudder).

These sites, despite their many flaws, can provide experiences that are valuable and hard to get otherwise. And once all your friends are on one site, you can't just leave and stay in touch with them all, not unless they all go the same place. It's easy to see why it's hard to abandon any social media platform.

But a backup plan is important. Because, as we've seen over and over, social media sites can't be relied on. They change their policies suddenly, without good reason-- and are inconsistent, even discriminatory, about enforcing those policies.

If they're funded by ads, the advertisers are their main customers, and your posts are the product. Their goal is that the posts most valuable to the advertisers get seen by people the advertisers consider desirable customers.

Helping you communicate-- making your posts get seen by the people you want to communicate with-- is optional to them.

Not to mention that the whole business model of an ad-funded website is generally unsustainable. Many of these sites are operating at a loss, relying on shareholders in a fragile bubble, doomed to fail soon just from lack of real profit.

And the more restrictions --like KOSA-- that the law puts on freedom of online speech, the likelier they are to go down or just become unusable. Every rule a site is required to follow is another strain on its resources, and most of them are already failing badly at even enforcing their own self-imposed rules.

If we want any control over our continued ability to stay in touch with our online friends-- we need to have a backup plan. Maybe it'll be simple at first, a bare-bones system we cobble together-- but it's gotta be something that will work. For a while at least.

There are lots of really good posts about ways to build your own website, using a service like Neocities. I VERY MUCH recommend learning this skill-- learning to make websites of the very simplest, most stable, glitch-resistant type, made of html pages-- which you can upload to a host while you store backups on your home computer. If you value the writing and art that you put online, this is probably the safest you can keep it.

But that's for making your own creative work public.

As for communicating with others-- for example, receiving and answering other people's comments on your work-- that gets more complex. I personally haven't found it worthwhile to troubleshoot the problems that come with having a system that allows visitors to comment publicly on my website.

But what we do still have-- and likely will for a long time-- is email.

Those of us who came of age before social media's current hold... well, we might take this for granted. Email was the first form of online contact we ever encountered… and thus it can seem to us like the most ordinary, the most boring.

But in the current world, it is a rare and precious thing to find a method of communicating that doesn't require everyone in the chat to be signed on with the same corporation.

Email is, as of now, still perfectly legal-- as much as social media companies have been trying to herd the populace away from it. I'm sure there are other ways to share thoughts online that are not bound by laws. But I am not going to go into that here.

Email service is provided by law-abiding companies, which will comply with subpoenas if law enforcement thinks you are emailing about doing illegal things. So, email is not a surefire way to be safe, if laws become dystopian enough to threaten your freedom to talk about your own life and identity.

But it's safer than posting on a public social media page.

For now.

Email is beautifully decentralized. You can get an email address many different ways-- some reliant on a company like Gmail, others hosted on your own domain. And different people, with all different types of email addresses, hosted in all different ways-- can all communicate together by the same method.

Of course any of these people, individually, can lose their email address for some reason or other, and have to get a new one. But as long as they still know the email addresses of their contacts, they can reconnect and recover from that loss. The structure of a group linked by email is reliant not on a single company-- but on the group itself, the friends you can actually count on.

This is why I am trying to promote the idea of forming email lists, as a backup plan to give people a way to stay in touch as mainstream social media sites prove to be unsustainable.

I'm envisioning a simple system of sending emails to several addresses at once, and making each reply visible to everyone in the chat by using "reply all" (or, if desired, editing the To field to reply to only some).

If enough people get used to using email in this way, it could fill most of the needs met by any other group chat or forum …without depending on a centralized social media company that's taking dystopian measures to try and make the business profitable.

So here are some thoughts about how I personally imagine it could work.

(Feel free to comment and bring up any thoughts I haven't addressed, or suggestions to customize how specific groups could set it up. This is meant as more of a starting point for brainstorming than a catch-all solution.)

As I see it, here are the basics of what you and your friends would each need to start out:

An email address. Any kind, hosted anywhere. You should use a dedicated email account just for this group, one that you do NOT use for other communication. Being in this group will result in things you don't want happening to your main email address-- like getting a TON of email, one for every post and reply. Or someone could get your email address that you really don't want any contact with. Use a burner email account (one that you can easily replace) and change it if needed.

The knowledge of how to "REPLY ALL" in your email. This will be necessary in order to add a comment that everyone in the group can see.

The knowledge of how to EDIT THE "TO" FIELD in your email, and remove addresses from the list of all recipients. This will be necessary if you want to CHANGE WHICH PEOPLE in the group can see your comment.

The knowledge of how to FILTER WORDS in your email. This will be necessary if a topic comes up that you don't want to see any mentions of.

The knowledge of how to BLOCK PEOPLE in your email. This will be very important. If someone joins this email group who you do not want to interact with, it will be up to you to BLOCK them so that you do NOT see their messages. (If they are bad enough to evade the block with multiple burner accounts, that's what you have a burner account for. Change it, and share the new one only with those you trust not to give it to them.)

Every person in the group will be effectively a "moderator" of the group, able to remove people from it by cutting their email addresses out of the "To" field. Members will all have equal "moderator" privileges, each able to tailor the group to their own needs.

This means the group may naturally split, over time, into other groups, each one removing some people and adding others. Some will overlap, some won't. This is good! This is, in my opinion, what online interaction SHOULD be like! There should be MANY groups like this!

In this way, we can keep online discussion alive, no matter WHAT happens to any of the social media websites.

If the dystopia got bad enough to shut down email, we could even continue with postal mail and photocopies, like they did in the days of print-zine fanfiction.

If it looks like the dystopia is gonna come for postal mail too, we'll use the connection we have to preserve whatever contacts we can with people who live near us.

Not saying it's GONNA get that bad. But these steps of preparation are good no matter exactly what kind of bad stuff happens.

As long as some organized form of communication still exists, we'll have a place where it's at least a little safer to be your true self…

to plan events and meetups…

and maybe even activities a little too risque to make the final cut of a 1982 Disney movie.

They're trying to censor us. We want a Free System. So we're gonna fight back.

For the Users. Not the corporations.

Peace out, programs. <3

[lilithienne]

PICK A LIPSTICK

Inquiry: "How can I become more self-confident?"

Welcome to my PICK A LIPSTICK reading.

💄⎯reading info;

Three piles (lipsticks) to choose from, pick which one you are most drawn to.

Each pile will give advice and help to those who are looking to become more self-confident.

lipstick one

cards: the tower, 6 of wands, ace of swords, 7 of wands

Embrace change and transformation as opportunities for growth and renewal (The Tower). Sometimes, what feels like a disruption or upheaval in your life can lead to positive outcomes and a stronger sense of self-confidence. Use these moments to reassess your beliefs, let go of limiting beliefs or habits, and embrace the potential for new beginnings.

Celebrate your successes and achievements, no matter how small they may seem, as they contribute to building your self-esteem and confidence (6 of Wands). Recognize and acknowledge your strengths, talents, and past accomplishments. This acknowledgment can boost your confidence and provide a foundation for facing challenges with courage and determination.

Use clear communication and mental clarity to assert yourself in challenging situations (Ace of Swords). Express your thoughts, needs, and boundaries confidently and assertively. Trust in your ability to navigate through obstacles and conflicts while maintaining integrity and honesty.

Stand your ground and defend your boundaries with confidence (7 of Wands). Don't be afraid to speak up for yourself and assert your needs. Remember that self-confidence also comes from knowing and valuing your worth, so prioritize self-respect and self-care as you navigate through life's challenges.

💄⎯self care: Meditation, journaling, exercise, any creative expression, spending time in nature.

lipstick two

cards: death, judgement, the world, 8 of cups

Embrace the transformative power of change and release any fears or doubts holding you back (Death). Allow yourself to let go of old patterns, beliefs, or situations that no longer serve your growth and well-being. Celebrate phases of transition as an opportunity for personal and spiritual growth.

Reflect on past experiences and lessons to gain insights and make informed decisions (Judgement). Use your wisdom and knowledge to evaluate your life path and make choices that align with your values and aspirations.

Welcome new opportunities and step into your full potential (The World). You are capable of achieving great things, and this card encourages you to expand your horizons, pursue your dreams, and embrace the journey ahead with confidence and optimism.

Take a journey of self-discovery and emotional healing by letting go of attachments that no longer serve your highest good (8 of Cups). This may involve releasing emotional baggage, relationships, or situations that drain your energy and hinder your self-confidence. Trust in the process of transformation and renewal, knowing that each step forward brings you closer to greater self-assurance and fulfillment.

💄⎯self care: Yoga, reading, painting, volunteering, writing or blogging.

lipstick three

cards: the high priestess, the star, page of swords, the hanged man

Tap into your inner wisdom and trust your instincts (The High Priestess). You possess deep intuition and insights that can guide you towards greater self-confidence and clarity. Take time to connect with your inner voice through meditation, introspection, or journaling.

Embrace hope, inspiration, and positivity to guide you forward (The Star). Cultivate a mindset of optimism and possibility, focusing on the bright side of life even in challenging times.

Use clear communication and intellect to address challenges and gather information (Page of Swords). Be curious, ask questions, and seek understanding in your interactions and endeavors.

Be open to new perspectives and surrender to the present moment to gain insights and clarity (The Hanged Man). Sometimes, letting go of control and embracing a different viewpoint can lead to breakthroughs and a deeper understanding of yourself and your path.

💄⎯self care: Mindfulness practices, listening to music, gardening, cooking, bubble baths.

[kandireadstarots]

Pick a pile reading

୨୧‿‿‿୨The Lover You Need୧‿‿‿୨୧

we all need a little romance in our lives... and sometimes what we want, isn't necessarily what we really need. here's a reading aiming to provide you with insight on what lover will really bring the best in you.

୨୧‿‿‿୨ﾠ ୧‿‿‿୨୧ pick a pile ୨୧‿‿‿୨ ﾠ୧‿‿‿୨୧

pile 1. pile 2. pile 3.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

pile 1:

For you, the cards are showing me the need for a lover who is already settled when it comes to their goals, someone who is working towards abundance and success, and finally has the time to put effort into developing a serious relationship and a deep emotional connection.

This is a person who is creative and passionate, yet finds value in stability, routine, and good habits. They are determined to get what they want, and they want a more traditional approach to a relationship, the type of person who doesn't play around and wants to put a ring on your finger.

The key word for this one, is balance.

The lover you need is someone who knows how to keep things peaceful without making them boring, and always aiming to work hard to find abundance for both.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

pile 2:

For you, it seems like there's as much a need for lust as a need for intellectual connection, I'm keeping it pg-13 on this post, but... you need your sexual life to be as exciting as your intellectual side, great sex and an amazing conversation afterwards.

The key word here, is communication.

Intimacy in this case is based mostly on sharing thoughts, feelings, ideas and secrets, but you need someone who really appreciates your knowledge as much as they desire you, someone who wants a new beginning with you. I'm seeing the need for someone who has faced similar difficulties and wants to start over too.

The lover you need is someone who loves to listen, and loves to learn and is eager to push you to grow and heal. Someone who you can embrace the caos and build on from there with.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

Pile 3:

For you, I see the need for someone to completely flip the world upside down for you, someone who is wise and patient and will guide you thru new ways of contemplating and understanding life, helping you look for new answers to old questions.

This person wants to walk beside you while you figure what your path in life is, helping you when they can, and when they can't they will still provide emotional support in a very romantic way. They will show you their love by protecting you while also letting you do your thing freely.

The key word here, is change.

The lover you need is someone who will guide you without being patronizing and condescending, always supporting you and making sure you are exactly where you want to be in life.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

okay so that's the end. got more questions? want to book a personal reading? hit me up, im doing some sweet discounts and enjoying reading for the tumblr people, you guys are cool af.

Heres my Masterpost for more PAC's and Paid Readings

[leebrontide]

Ok so I said I would do a post on “reasons you’re not writing” from the POV of a writer/therapist who works with anxious, depressed, and neurodivergent clients. If you dig that, read on.

But firstly, a disclaimer. This list is far from comprehensive. Don’t yell at me if your experience isn’t represented. This is a tumblr post. Have realistic expectations.

Also, sometimes the reason you’re not writing is that your other obligations are just taking all of your energy and focus. Fixing that is well beyond the scope of this.

That said, here’s a bunch of barriers I see people run into all the time.

1) You’re afraid of failing, and subconsciously feel like it’s safer not to try.

This is a tricky one, because it's probably messing up many areas of your life, which in turn means you're going to frequently feel stressed out in general, which speaks to the point above.

This is around about where the general internet will tend to offer you an array of affirmations to use to sooth yourself. And that's fine. If those work for you, then use them! BUT, if the affirmations aren't working, then friend you have a bigger project on your hands.

You need to get comfortable with failing, particularly at creative projects. I know that can feel scary and vulnerable, but you won't take risks if you can't fail, which is going to hem in your creativity so hard that your motivation will starve. This is why people talk about writing a garbage draft. Not because they want to make garbage, but because they need the option of making garbage in order to take risks. That may or may not work for you, but either way, you really might wanna look at how to lower your stakes.

2) You’re not sure what you’re trying to communicate.

You can make things happen in the story, but you feel like you’re wandering around aimlessly. You don't find you're making decisions with conviction. It might be hard to really fall in love with any of your writing decisions.

For this one, I suggest stepping back and figuring out what the core of your enthusiasm for a story consists of. That CAN be a message or philosophy. It can also be a feeling or a vibe or a dynamic. That gives you a structure that you can build your decisions around, that you can be enthusiastic about.

3) You switched hyperfocus. And maybe your new hyperfocus is a lot of fun, but you feel sadness thinking about the WIP you left behind.

This one has a similar need to the one before, with an added layer of nuance, because you're probably already struggling with identifying what does interest you. This can make people feel really hopeless and helpless.

I have three totally different suggestions for this one. The first is to just be patient with yourself. Sometimes it's good for your brain to just indulge, and let your brain mine for dopamine where it can. Like, lean in. Spa day for your brain, as long as it's feeling good.

Secondly, see if you can find creative ways to weave your hyperfocus into your writing. Is there a dynamic in your favorite show that can inspire your writing, even if it's an original work? Do you want to take a moment to think about how transportation works in the history of your world? Can you consider your MCs relationship to old movies?

It doesn't always work, but sometimes instead of trying to switch things over, you can build a bridge, that gives depth and texture to your work.

Finally- consider embracing short fiction! Do some writing inspired directly by the hyperfocus du joir while it's around.

4) You feel like nothing you say will be interesting to anyone else.

We understand this is a self-esteem issue, right? You're gonna have to develop the trust that your experiences are not so utterly unrelatable to everyone else that your perspective has no value.

Friend, you are a human, with human experiences, writing for other humans. Trust me, you can do this.

It can help to think about your actual convictions. What do you know? What have you experienced? What matters to you? Funnily enough, the cure for feeling like nothing in you is worth expressing is to pour more of yourself into your writing.

5) You’re collapsed. It’s hard to feel enthusiasm and energy for things.

You're not gonna like this, but for this one I encourage you to put your keyboard or notebook down and stop trying to write right now. I know that when you're feeling better the writing feels good, and you're trying to feel better because everyone is telling you to feel better.

But it's not working, is it? If it was, you wouldn't be reading this.

For many people, writing requires them to be able to feel investment and excitement, because those feelings help steer them towards what's going to work and be exciting for the reader.

Your best bet is to focus your energy on finding gentle little activities that aren't so hard to focus on. Ideally, ones that get you moving just a little bit. You'll have a better time writing when you're less collapsed.

Shaming yourself and getting hopeless and anxious because you can't do this really difficult task right now will make you more collapsed, not less, which will be the opposite of helpful.

And yes, these are depression symptoms. Consider reaching out for supports and assessment around that if you can.

6) You can’t figure out the next step.

Thank God for the internet, this one is a lot more actionable than it used to be.

The first thing to do here is step back and ask yourself "where am I getting lost?" If you have someone to talk this through with, even better.

Then you hop on to your favorite search engine and type in "Stuck on my outline 2nd act" or "can't get started editing" or whatever. People LOVE giving writing advice. There's plenty around. Read some advice! Try things out!

Now here is the critical point- when and if that advice fails, stop and figure out why it failed. For example, I have a short term memory disorder. Most writing process advice is for people who do not have short term memory impairments. So a lot of the advice just plain didn't work for me.

By figuring out that my subpar memory was in the way of my writing process, I was able to put together processes that work for my specific brain and my specific process. You can read about that in more depth here and here.

Frankenstien yourself a process out of stolen bits of other people's processes, with an understanding of your own personalized needs as the lightning that brings it all to life. If you have even traits of ADHD or autism or other forms of neurodiversity (no diagnosis needed) you might also google "ADHD editing hacks".

Finally, and maybe most importantly, chuck anything that you can't adapt right into the trash. I don't care how great the writer who gave the advice is. That's what works for their life and their brain. You have neither. Writing advice is only as useful as it is adaptable.

7) You think of yourself as someone who doesn’t finish things, possibly with history to back that up.

Oh, I feel this one. This was me so hard. For so long.

Make room for the idea that you can and will change over time. Getting shit done is largely a matter of developing a bunch of skills. You've already developed so many different skills in your life that you might not even recognize some of them as skills. But I promise you that you have.

But you see #6? Go read that one again. If you're not finishing things, it's because there's something missing in your routine and process that you haven't developed skills around yet.

I'm not gonna tell you it's easy, but you can find and isolate the barriers and figure out ways around them.

8) You have too many projects and feel frozen when you try to pick one to work on.

Ask yourself if this is a real problem. It may be! Maybe you dream of making a living off of your writing! That requires a level of consistency.

But it also might just be that you've had it drilling into your head that not finishing things is some kind of personal failing.

Write out all your WIPs and story seeds.

See if some of them can be mushed into one. Some AMAZING stories come from people combining story ideas that seem separate into a single story. That's fun.

See if some of them are not for finishing. What's that post going around? Some stories are for finishing, and some are just for "getting the wiggles out"? That's solid advice.

Maybe some stories are just for daydreaming on the bus. Maybe some stories are actually only 1/3rd of a story, and you want to leave it to grow in the ground before you try to do anything with it. That's incredibly valid and common!

If you actually look at the stories that you have that are for finishing, right now, you may find a much more manageable number. And if you only have like 2 or 3 things you're working on, you can just let them take turns as the passion for each project takes you.

Keep a file somewhere of these undeveloped ideas. I have a scrivner file that has each idea it's own little sub-document so I can add thoughts to them for years as they percolate.

9) You get lost in preparation and don’t make it to the page.

A couple different things can be happening here. One thing that may be happening is that you're just a writer who needs a lot of research and prep time before you write. I'm like that. I will prewrite intensively for a year before I write a single sentence. That sounds ridiculous to a lot of people but it works with how my brain works and then when I do start writing I can easily and happily churn out a consistent 2-4k words per hour. If it works it works! Don't let anyone shame you!

The other option is that you feel like you're going to get something wrong/fail/get in trouble if you get anything "wrong". You feel safer doing research, so that's where you stay.

Only you can figure out which it is. Introspect. Then you know whether to focus on managing anxiety or just keep preppin.

10) You want to write, but when you sit down to write suddenly it’s two hours later and you’ve written like 5 words but curated 3 new playlists, read some fanfiction, and argued with some strangers on the internet.

Brains are rough, aren't they.

There are two schools of thought here. Both work, but not for all the same people.

Option 1 is to clear distractions. Download one of those apps that keeps you off the internet. Put your phone someplace that you need a ladder to reach, so you have to very actively decide to go get it. Noise cancelling headphones. Comfy clothes. Protein rich snacks and a beverage within easy reach. Pee ahead of time. Make a routine out of it to train your brain into associating this with focus.

Option 2 is to figure out the optimal level of distraction. When I write nonfiction I almost always have mindless home renovation shows on at the same time. Because nonficiton writing isn't quite stimulating enough to hold my attention. So my attention wanders and I end up doing something that WILL hold my attention. When I write fiction, I need music OR to be outdoors where I can look at trees or clouds or people on the sidewalk. I can't watch any kind of TV.

Think of your attention like a pie chart. Different writing tasks may take up different percentages of that pie. If you're awesome at focus maybe you can just put 90% of your focus on writing, and the other 10% is just making sure you don't forget to eat or something. But if you can't reliably conjure up more than 70% for one thing, then fill the rest of the pie with things you can easily pick up and put down. I only look up at the home decorating shows when my passive audio scanning suggests it's something I want to look up at.

These are both good approaches. Ignore anyone who demonizes either. That only means they've found the version that works for them.

You have your brain. Build a process for your brain.

I hope this helps. I have a free monthly newsletter if you like hearing my rants. It is...not consistently about writing advice or mental health. One time I wrote about how genetically modified goats are related to French colonized Madagascar in the 1800s as well as the modern US military. One time I broke down modern challenges to medical privacy practice policies. This is all to do with what I write but in an idiosyncratic way.

Cause I gotta write about what I care about.

[11queensupreme11]

I started writing the Loki is Sally Jackson AU and would like some thought because I feel like I am having trouble pinning Loki down as a PJO fan first and a ROR one second.

"Loki Pov (6 months post-banishment):

He would be the first to admit that he perhaps did not take it as seriously as he should have. How could he when this world seemed to operate on farcical principles? Gods relied on humans who were not even permitted to know of them. Others who weren’t even truly immortal had to rely on fruit, some of whom even bore his own kin’s names. What a jest!

So, perhaps, he had been a little lacking in his preparations. And, as the mortal “nurse” attempted to coach him through “the options available to a young woman in your situation”, he could feel the cold tendrils of unease starting to wrap around his ribs as he considered what it would mean to bear the child of such a being. Not that he regretted this dalliance by any means. He did not consider himself someone who should know the meaning of the word regret, after all, was he not a trickster god? And Poseidon, the Poseidon of this world that is, was hilarious. An absolutely delightful distraction from the boredom that set in after he invented Sally and overcame his initial disgust with this world. The god had produced more bastards than Zeus while wearing Birkenstocks. Truly a god lacking self-awareness and shame. Exactly what Loki needed (and honestly falling for him was well within Sally's established character …He was just so charming while she was a young and “inexperienced” woman, who could blame her. and Loki? Loki needed an in to start gathering information on the gods of this world and their convoluted system). At least he was going to get a good laugh the next time he looked at Poseidon standing in Valhalla’s halls from these memories.

But…buuuut (now he was getting annoyed, how long could this go for, was she going to start praying for his chastity? Oh what he would give for the ability to kill these filthy mortals without consequences, alas the American healthcare system had managed to come up with tortures that would surpass Beelzebub at his most creative) there were politics. Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon had a deal going from what he could grasp, children too powerful, needing to protect mortal lives, Zeus murdering his brothers' spawn and lovers for sport, and a lot of other drivel he had ignored (they also seemed to be pretending the other Pantheons did not exist, he should poke at that some more, not using Sally though, too risky). See! He did understand actions and consequences, uncle’s stupid punishment was completely unnecessary, and nothing he was learning here was of value (wait what was an epidural? He gave birth to a horse; how bad could a human pregnancy possibly be? Stupid oath. Stupid Styx )

His biggest concern was the baby, the little alien-looking shrimp thing keeping him locked into Sally’s form. Poseidon had apparently sired gods before (He married a daughter of Nereus! A woman no better than a slave as his queen if he remembered correctly. Had the old fish managed to cling to power somehow? How funny, Poseidon the Emperor would sooner castrate himself than let a rival live like that) but most of his children were half-bloods, children seemingly cursed with more drawbacks and difficulties in exchange for their divine blood. Loki was starting to suspect he was missing quite a bit more important information than what this useless woman was babbling about… (What was Medicaid and SNAP? Now this insect was just making up words).

Ah, he was getting out of character. Sally was, of course, delighted to have her child and would love them regardless of the difficulties they would face. She, of course, wanted to know more about the assistance programs the city was offering to single mothers. Please go on. (And Loki, Loki was mortal and lacking most of the powers. Loki was starting to feel unease.)"

Thought? I like world building so I was planning to use Loki to explore the differences between RORs world and PJOs. I feel like he is very critical but I also wanted to capture how silver tongued and tricky he can be. I also feel like he is a caring parent which is another layer of complication to his character. So I have been really struggling with his voice (Odin's internal monologue is even worst the man has so little dialogue and I'm pretty sure Thor's head plays Wii music when he's not fighting, at least the Greeks have personality)

THIS IS THE BEST THING I'VE EVER READ DUDE

NO SERIOUSLY UR WRITING IS MASTERCLASS

I LOVE THE AMOUNT OF HUMOR YOU WERE ABLE TO PUT IN THIS TOO

"The god had produced more bastards than Zeus while wearing Birkenstocks. Truly a god lacking self-awareness and shame"

"alas the American healthcare system had managed to come up with tortures that would surpass Beelzebub at his most creative"

"What was Medicaid and SNAP? Now this insect was just making up words"

this is so fucking perfect dude, YOU ARE SO GOOD LMAO I LOVE THIS

also, i 1000% agree that he is a caring parent! he's a silly little guy but he loves his babies (he's just super embarrassing about it). he's definitely the type to grant his kids a lot of freedom too. but i feel like, sine percy is half-human, he'd be more paranoid and worried about her especially since her universe is pretty harsh towards demigods. so i think he'd be struggling a lot about the fact that:

he's supposed to entrust his baby to a camp full of psycho kids (thats how he sees them lmao) that could kill her???

she's gonna be sent on QUESTS

a bunch of gods and monsters want her dead???

THEY'RE SENDING HER TO WAR????

and "where's my child support????"

the rules and restrictions the pjo gods face are also very baffling to him too

rip loki, good luck raising percy 😔

ALSO, i got a recent ask from an anon that i haven't replied to yet, but they wanted to know what ur ao3 account is!! i wanna know too cuz i really really REALLY wanna read your works once you're finished (you're the one who asked to make an ao3 fandom tag for arsenic blues right?? if not, pls ignore this oops)

[burst-of-iridescent]

Hi! I love all your posts regarding atla and deep diving into Zuko and Katara's relationship-those analysis's are *chief's kiss* perfect

Anywho, I hope you don't mind me asking, but I'm guessing you heard about Bryke wanting to expand the atla universe, and will be creating a new movies, one of which, with the Gaang as adults, but as far as I know won't have any of the returning head writers like Aaron Ehasz..

so my question is: do you think there is any hope for these movies? Because to me I feel like it might just be a fully animated comic (we all know how those turned out) & just be 2 hrs of Katara and Aang saying "Sweetie" back an forth. Yes I'm still saltly

frankly? no.

and that's not even me saying it as a salty zutara shipper who doesn't want to see kat.aang as an established relationship. i doubt how good these movies are going to be because bry.ke have little-to-no understanding of their characters, especially katara and zuko, and at least since atla, haven't shown the self-awareness to hire a writer's team that can compensate for their shortcomings. i've said it before and i'll say it again: they have great, creative ideas and an excellent eye for stunning visuals and an immersive world. but when it comes to the nuances of characterization and story-building, they cannot do it on their own. lok proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

but more than bry.ke, these movies are also emblematic of a larger problem that i see in multiple franchises: the subordination of creative, meaningful storytelling in service to shameless nostalgia cash-grabbing. ask yourself, do we really need a story about the adult gaang? most of the main plot threads that they could've expanded on from atla have already been (mostly badly) answered in the comics: what happened to ursa, azula's potential redemption, decolonisation, industrialisation vs tradition, the founding of a new air nomad legacy, zuko's struggles as fire lord. any new story would either have to retcon previously established "canon" or put a new spin on old themes. the latter of which i severely doubt bry.ke's capability to pull off, particularly if any level of nuance is required.

atla is slowly but surely heading in the direction of star wars/harry potter/the mcu in producing new material just for the sake of making money instead of truly adding something impactful to the canon. the fact that absolutely no new atla material since the show itself has ever managed to live up to the original is proof that the franchise has no idea what it's doing.

and before someone comes at me to say that it's impossible to ever live up to the original - just take a look at the hunger games revival happening right now. the ballad of songbirds and snakes has been received so well because it isn't just a shameless cash-grab. it's a valuable contribution to the series that expands on the universe and themes of the original trilogy, giving more depth and nuance to the original books instead of detracting from them. because collins adds to the canon only when she has something meaningful to say, and for a franchise that she could have milked to absolute filth, that restraint reflects not only her integrity as a creator, but the value she places on the stories that she tells - which in turn makes her readers value and respect them as well.

and that's a lesson that i think every single storyteller should take to heart. if you want to be respected as a writer, you have to respect your characters and your stories first. because if you, the creator, don't... why should anyone else?

[khaire-traveler]

This is not an invitation for discourse. I am just stating my personal opinions.

I've been seeing some posts going around lately about myth retellings and wanted to give my opinion on something: I think the helpol community (maybe other polytheistic and pagan communities, too) is honestly too critical and intense about modern retellings (and even some historical ones as well somehow).

I know what it's like coming from that critical point of view. I used to be highly critical of certain retellings and stories that used Greek mythology. They used to deeply bother me, actually, but overtime, I realized that staying mad and fuming about these things I can't change - that will always be created - is really exhausting and even causes me to miss out on some truly interesting stories.

Also, seeing how intense some people can be about retellings has actively discouraged people in the community from writing them. How do I know this? I am one of those people, and I happen to know several others in the same predicament. Some people in the community will rip and tear and claw at retellings as if the retelling murdered everyone they loved. People talk about these retellings as if they're literally destroying the earth itself sometimes - like, seriously, y'all, it's wild.

Once, I saw someone post a short story they wrote - a retelling of a myth that I won't name, as I don't want to give the identity of this person away. This person posted this story with good intentions and was a worshipper of the figures depicted within the story, but still, they got absolutely dragged by larger Tumblr blogs and were torn into and literally chased off of Tumblr. This kind of behavior is not ok for multiple reasons, but the main point I'm trying to make is that we are actively making it harder for people within the community to write retellings. You want retellings from people who actually worship the gods? Then maybe make the community a much less judgmental place because sharing creative works takes a lot of courage as it is. Imagine building up the courage to create and share a retelling just to be ripped into by the very community you are a part of. I'm not saying you can't mention to someone when they've gotten something wrong or have written something potentially problematic, but I am saying that you shouldn't ruthlessly dissect someone's work and rip them a part if they seem to be well-meaning but misinformed (assume the best; not everyone is out to get us; easier said than done, I know). You can give criticism while still being respectful to the original author.

For many of these other authors, however, they likely don't even know that worship of these gods exists in the modern day, and even if they do know, acknowledging it may not be relevant to their story, or even their point. Sure, in a perfect world, these authors would acknowledge our little community and pay homage to actual ancient traditions/culture/etc, but we don't live in a perfect world, and that's ok. It is ok, y'all. Not every author writing a retelling is going to be a literal classics major or historian. Not every author writing a retelling is going to be educated on the actual ancient -or modern - worship of these gods. Not every author writing a retelling is going to pay homage to original source material. Do those things suck sometimes? Yes, absolutely. Do we need to lose our heads over it? No, not really. We can choose to focus on other things - on material and media that we actually enjoy and that do depict things how we'd like them to be depicted.

Now, none of this is to say that there are no problematic retellings or that speaking out on problematic retellings is wrong because hoo, boy, there are quite a lot of those. Some retellings claim to be historically accurate and are, in fact, not; some retellings are written by authors with less than ideal values and ideologies; some retellings are even based entirely on misinformation which can be frustrating to hear about. All of these things are true, but it's also true that not every retelling is out to get us. Not every retelling is trying to attack our small community and the gods we worship. As alarming and offensive as it can feel sometimes, it's important that we take a minute and realize that honestly, authors write stories, and sometimes a story is truly just meant to be a story. It's nothing personal. It feels like we, or our gods, are being attacked, but at the end of the day, we still have our own practices, and we are still allowed to engage with those practices. We are still allowed to worship our gods respectfully, even if others do not. And it is important to acknowledge here that others do not worship our gods. These authors are most likely not worshippers of the Theoi. They most likely do not have relationships with these gods as we do, and unfortunately, they may not have respect for these gods either. It would be ideal if they did, but they just might not, and there's no controlling that.

Honestly, most authors are trying their best. They're trying their best to write an interesting, authentic story that will capture the attention of their intended audience. They want to tell a story based on a mythology that inspired them so deeply, so carnally, that they felt the need to write a whole ass book or create a whole ass game about it. They see stories of tragic heroes, powerful gods, and all those caught in-between, and they think, "This is fucking epic; I'm gonna do something with this." Greek mythology is fucking cool. There's absolutely no denying that, and the fact that so many creators of all kinds continue to create retellings based on the love and passion of a mythology from over 2,000 years ago is pretty damn awesome, actually.

[femmefatalevibe]

Hi hon, could you talk more about finding my own ‘dream girl archetype’ & creating ‘my personal manifesto’ as you mentioned in this post? 💌🌹

Gladly! Some notes on creating your own dream girl archetype and personal manifesto are below. Lmk if you need anything else x

How To Build Your Own Dream Girl Archetype: 

Reflect on your role models: These can be TV characters, celebrities, public figures, or, even better, those you look up to in real life. What qualities and characteristics about them do you admire and want to emulate? Is it their poise, work ethic, their personal strength, confidence, style, general aesthetic, lifestyle, cultural affiliations, career, and hobbies? Make a list of these people or characters with bullet points under each one. If you find a lot of commonalities and find certain qualities on multiple lists, place them on a separate list – this list will become the framework for your dream girl archetype.

Get introspective: After gaining some inspiration from those you admire, it’s essential to look inside yourself to acknowledge the characteristics and personality traits you like about yourself, your natural talents, skillset, and your motivation for wanting to become your dream girl – this desire for self-growth and perseverance should make it onto the list if you’re still reading this! Think about the compliments you receive, especially those that you regularly get from different people who don’t know each other. I find that these types of comments help us learn the most about how we’re perceived in the world. Add all of these characteristics, personality traits, talents, skillsets, etc. to your list. 

Acknowledge your dark side: Get comfortable with your shadow self. If you have certain traits or habits holding you back from being your ideal self (i.e. people pleasing, self-sabotage, procrastinating, etc.), become curious and reflect on why you engage in these behaviors or uphold this mindset. Strategize ways to unlearn these characteristics and ways you move through the world that no longer serves you. Create a plan to dig yourself out of these self-destructive thought patterns and actions. Read books, speak with a therapist (if you can), and start journaling to come up with creative solutions to make changes in your daily life to prioritize yourself. Set up your environment in ways to help you win. Own your indulgent side - it makes you human. The sooner you align with your guilty pleasures, the better you get at indulging in them strategically. Have a small sweet treat every day if needed. Keep emotional distance from toxic loved ones. Make your feelings about your current hot hookup self-referential. Block out time to watch your favorite show.

Assert an active role in your life: Create healthy habits to make you feel good. Stop craving others’ approval – no one can be as happy for you as you are for yourself when you succeed. It’s okay to remind yourself we’re all a bit narcissistic – it’s human nature. 

Construct your higher self: Once you’ve acknowledged the qualities you need to internalize to become your ideal self, discover the external qualities and habits you need to cultivate to build your dream girl. What does she wear, what’s her career, how does she speak, work through issues, engage in conversation? What are her habits like? Her morning and night routine? What does she read, watch, and listen to? What’s her social life like? How does she spend her leisure time? What does her space look like, her beauty, diet, and self-care routine? What quotes does she live by? Does she know other languages or about certain topics? How do others speak about her? Create as many inspiration boards and lists, journal entries, etc. as you need until you unlock all of these answers. You will know when some new characteristic, routine, or aesthetic resonates. 

How To Write Your Personal Manifesto: 

Essentially, this document (can be a journal entry, notes app entry, Google doc, etc.) is an amalgamation of your values, principles, habits, and boundaries. It’s a written reminder to yourself of who you truly are, decide to be, and promise to yourself to stick by your values no matter who tries to tear you down. 

Create a mission statement of your ideal self and the qualities that validate this narrative. Essentially, practice the law of assumption by creating a series of personally-tailored affirmations that describe your self-concept and the woman you choose to be. 

Write out all of the qualities listed above that you admire about yourself and emulate in your daily life. Affirm this self-concept. Feel free to use specific personal affirmations and attach related behaviors to your self-affirming characteristics (i.e. I make it my mission to show up with class and confidence in every area of my life. I’m mindful of how I speak to others, choose my words carefully – in person or in writing – and consider the feelings of the other person when engaging in conversation. I take my appearance seriously and aim to embody a seductive and alluring presence. I maintain a healthy diet, make almost all of my meals from fresh ingredients, go on long walks daily to take care of my body, tailor my closet with streamlined clothes made of high-quality fabrics that fit my body well, indulge in my makeup and beauty routines daily alongside wearing my signature scent. I’m an intellectual whose dedicated to learning more about the world every day – I read at least 10 pages of psychology, personal development, or a business-related book daily, etc.). 

List out your boundaries and non-negotiables with yourself. Feel free to get specific with your boundaries to include all aspects of your life – with your work, family, friends, intimate relationships, dating, food, style, self-care habits, etc. Validate your needs. Add your ‘why’ to each of these boundaries and priorities to help you internalize them and to motivate yourself to uphold these standards despite any self-doubt or external criticisms. 

[mrcleanheichou]

Wolves Are (Not) Scary Chapter 13

Pairing: Werewolf!BTS X Female human reader

Genre: Fluff, smut, angst

Warnings: There’s smut in this chapter :) some brief pussy eating and doggy style (wolfie style?) also Jimin is a bit of a jerk.

Word count: 3,028

Summary: All Y/N wants to do is find her creativity and motivation but she finds 7 werewolves instead.

Author note: Everyone please get your tomatoes ready to throw and boo at me because I’m a liar and I deserve it. Remember when I said this chapter was gonna be 5k? Welp that didn’t happen. BUT this is my longest chapter. The dang smut scene tripped me up so if it seems rushed please know I threw in the towel for my own sanity and said fuck it Joonie is a 2 pump chump today.

Taglist: @dustyinkpages @thickemadame @moonlitehunter @thedarkwinterrose @momoriki @iistrangers @openup-yourmind @sinceritythatcouldntbedelivered @lovelyseokjinnie @scuzmunkie @bjoriis @maddypool31 @tfkp0p @blubearxy @stealth-liberal @potaetopic @zae007live @totallynoalien @dvoz-writes @purplelady85 @uniquelyabnormallyoriginal @blushyrawrz @skyys-universe @harmonie-writes @gamer-mask @savagemickey03

Chapter 12 //  Chapter 13 // Chapter 14

1 year ago

If you had to pick a favorite room in the spacious house your pack resides in it would be the library. Before you came along it was mainly Namjoon’s refuge away from the rest of the members. After many years together the younger wolves have learned that if Namjoon is reading to only bother him when its an emergency. Reading and gaining knowledge on many different subjects is one of life’s many pleasures for Namjoon. Getting lost in a good book lets him escape his many responsibilities even if it’s for a short while.

That all changed when you showed up. Namjoon saw you fall in love with his sacred dwelling and he let you carve your own little space within it. He reluctantly let some of his philosophy books be replaced with your beloved romance novels. With you spending a large portion of your time within the space eventually led to the three younger wolves coming in too. That lasted a week until the alpha’s patience wore thin and once again banished them from the room. It may or may not have been partly due to Jimin’s constant pestering to read the smut scenes in your novels with you. You offered to lend him your Kindle so he could read the ‘Ice planet Barbarians’ series on his own but he said it wasn’t the same without you.

In the relative darkness the only light emanating in the room is from a tall floor lamp next to the comfortable red suede sofa you’re sharing with Hoseok. Who was currently softly snoring, splayed out on his back in wolf form, paws in the air and head your lap. You ran a hand through the thick tan fur on his chest and held a thick vampire romance book in the other. You were finally getting to the ‘spicy’ scene after 500 pages of slow burn enemies to lovers when a hand on your shoulder made you jump slightly.

“Hey, it’s late lets get you to bed.”

“What time is it?” You ask stretching your arms and groaning. Time always seems to fly when you read.

“Midnight” He answered while helping you carefully maneuver out from under Hoseok. Learning from experience that the older wolf does not like being woken up and will curse out anyone indiscriminately for doing it.

Once your other mate was situated you followed Namjoon up towards your room.

The house you lived in was huge so every original member had their own bedroom. The royal pack allocates housing funds based on amount of pack members. The bigger the pack the bigger the housing fund was. They often build houses for packs before they’re even finished being formed. For as inclusive the moon goddess is, it seemed the court hasn’t upheld that value when it comes to making space for potential children. Adoption is definitely a thing in the werewolf world, and many packs that are all the same sex do still have parental desires. Unfortunately room isn’t often accounted for them. The sale of original pack houses is permitted it’s just a long process but many packs seeking extra space will jump through hoops to buy and trade housing to get what they desire. Often child free packs are willing to move or packs that decide to relocate to other cities or countries all together. It’s like the human world with more (annoying) rules.

All of that meant there was no room for you in the beginning. Instead of packing up and buying a new place that no one including you wanted to do, Jimin ended up giving up his room and voluntarily moving in with Taehyung. The pair sleep together the majority of the time anyway.

Although often the members preferred to sleep with a varying number of other members together rather than alone, but having a personal space to themselves where they can be alone is also important. Since you were human and not used to pack living they all definitely wanted you to be able to have your space as to not overwhelm you.

You always wondered how the higher ups got a hold of so much money. Yoongi said that they do lots of dealings with Governments around the world and some officials were actually werewolves. They operate behind the scenes and take steps to make sure human and werewolf relations remain civil.

The public may not know of their existence but the international elites and the chaebols of Korea know of their existence. Back in the age of royal dynasties many kings used werewolves as close body guards. Even when not shifted a werewolf is more powerful than a normal human. Enhanced hearing and sense of smell were huge advantages which made their existence beneficial and solidified the safety of the werewolf species as a whole.

Opening your covers and helping you into bed Namjoon gave you a quick kiss before turning to head out.

“Can you sleep here tonight?” you ask grabbing his wrist before he could leave, giving your best attempt at ‘puppy dog eyes’ you could muster.

He let out a fake exasperated sigh and an exaggerated eye roll before flashing a dimpled smile, “I guess.”

You let out a noise of triumph before scooting over to make room for the large man. He got comfortable wrapping himself around you from behind and relaxed his seemingly always tense muscles. After thirty minutes you could tell by his breathing that he wasn’t asleep. Knowing he was awake was keeping you awake so you deciding to do what you know could have any man sleeping afterwards.

Starting to slowly push your hips back into his you smirked when his hold on you tightened.  A few well practiced circles had resulted in his unmistakable hardness poking into your butt.

“What are you doing?” Namjoon asked in a voice that implied he knew exactly what you were doing.

“I’m helping you sleep.”

“You’re doing the exact opposite,” He teased while moving to give you room to lay on your back. He snorts as he sees you rush to pull down your pajama shorts and underwear. “Someone’s eager.”

“It’s not everyday I get to have my alpha like this.” You say as you open your legs for him to slot between them. This causes Namjoon to frown and lean down to look in your eyes and gently stroke your cheek.

“Do you feel like I neglect you?”

“No, no it’s not like that,” You stammered trying unsuccessfully to get Namjoon to back up so you could sit up. Giving up when he wouldn’t budge you sighed, “It’s just that… I know I've already been here for a while so I should be used to it by now but I’m still trying to get used to the whole pack thing.   Living with seven men with different personalities it sometimes feels like someone gets lost in the fray. I feel guilty for spending so much time with the maknaes and not enough with everyone else. When you came home and I went upstairs with Hobi I did feel bad for going with him.”

Namjoon frowns a little before moving back and grabbing a pillow to place under your hips to elevate them to his liking.

“Let me see you.” He says rubbing your outer thighs as you rush to pull down your shorts and panties. The articles of clothing were unceremoniously tossed behind him landing near your dresser. He uses his fingers to spread open your lower lips and stares at your warm inviting hole as if he wanted to eat you whole like the big bad wolf he is. “Pretty girl.”

You sigh happily as he scoots down the bed to lay on his stomach and then licks a slow swipe up your pussy ending at your clit. The feeling had your spine arching up off the bed as Namjoon’s lips create a delicious toe curling suction. “Oh shit!”

As an alpha Namjoon liked to be in control at all times, that included during sex. You found that out the first time you tried to straddle him. It’s in his nature to take that as a dominance challenge. That action resulted in one of the roughest fucking in your life. You finally found out what Ariana Grande was talking about in the ‘Side to Side’ song. You also learned that Jimin loved doing that to him because he was a little glutton for punishment.

Unfortunately alphas can be exhausting to deal with as a whole and practice a bit of toxic masculinity pushed by their inner wolves. So keeping that in mind you were actively trying to not tangle your hand in his hair and grind onto his face. You were gonna get what he gave you, the way he wanted to give it and you were going to like it.

That was the complete opposite of Yoongi who loves for you to use use him to get off. If asked you’d say the best orgasm you’d ever had was the time he had you sit on his face while Jin sucked him off. All of his needy whines and groans against your pussy while he forced your hips down in a vice like grip. In the beginning you hesitated when asked to ‘suffocate’ him with your thighs. That wasn’t something you had ever done with your human exes but you grew to love it and crave it. He was the best out of your mates at eating you out and according to Taehyung he was the best cock sucker too. Yoongi called it his ‘Tongue technology’.

Namjoon working two fingers into you and immediately finding your G spot, brought you out of your thoughts. “Focus on me. Or I’ll leave you here.” He growls lowly.

A shiver runs through you in not a wholly unpleasant way. His attempts at using his alpha voice always got on your nerves except when in bed. This is the only time you willingly submit to the werewolf.

“No, please fuck me alpha.” You whine as he removes his fingers only to add a third in an attempt to prepare you for what was to come. It’s always futile, no matter how many times you have sex with any of the pack members you always have to psych yourself up in preparation of taking their knots. Over the past few years it’s definitely gotten easier but when it comes to you they all know to try to ease it in slow unlike the animalistic way they shove their knots into each other. The human body just wasn’t built to take a toll like that, much to your annoyance.  

Namjoon gets off the foot of the bed to remove his pajama pants revealing the fact he was going commando. Giving his large leaking erection a few strokes as he waited for you to turn over onto your hands and knees. Another alpha quirk you’ve learned is his favoritism of this submissive position.

“Back up,” he commanded gesturing to the edge of the foot of the bed. “Good girl.”

Aligning himself with your entrance Namjoon pushes in his girth all the way in with a groan. Rubbing circles on the sides of your waist where he was holding onto you he stayed still giving you time to adjust. You turned your head back after a minute and nodded to him to give the okay to start moving but he didn’t.

“Move, please!” you whined desperately.

“No, I’m tired.” Namjoon says with a smirk. “If you want it you do the work.”

He lets go of you and proceeds to fold his arms at his chest waiting for your compliance. With a pout you start moving your hips starting off slow before picking up rhythm. You give one good slam back which causes the headboard of your bed to smack the wall loudly.

“It’s late, don’t wake anyone up.” Namjoon chastises with a light smack to your ass.

You roll your eyes but decide not to argue. Your obedience was rewarded as you felt your alpha lean over you with one hand on the bed and the other slipping between your thighs.

“Oh fuck!” you gasp and lose the strength to hold yourself as he expertly plays with your clit. Namjoon enjoys the way your velvety walls clamp down on him as you orgasm. He takes this opportunity to ease his knot in and spill his hot cum with a loud drawn out groan of your name.

You were both flying high on an endorphin rush, it was over quickly but you didn’t care. Namjoon stayed holding himself up trying not to crush under his weight.  He very much didn’t want to move because every movement pulled on his sensitive knot. Knowing you would be stuck like this for twenty minutes he wanted to be comfortable. Wincing, he pulls you up to awkwardly carry you back to the top of the bed.

You settled in under the blankets with him spooning you from behind. Even though you were tired you still couldn’t sleep. The feeling of his knot throbbing was distracting so you decided to ask a question you’ve been thinking for a long time.

“Hey Joonie? Can I ask you a question?”

The man just hummed a noise that you took to mean yes.

“How did you become the alpha?”

“Every last full moon of the year there’s a large festival where all of the packs in the country that have young wolves who have turned eighteen converge. It lasts the full three days of mandatory shifting. Pack members are added to each forming pack every time the festival comes around and the minute the future alpha is found for each pack they are immediately put in charge. I wasn’t the original alpha it was actually Hoseok hyung who was chosen. Since he’s older than me he was added to the pack before me.”

Your eyebrows went up, It takes a special type of werewolf to run a pack and you couldn’t envision Hobi doing that. Although the older wolf definitely kept the younger three wolves in check he was really sweet the majority of the time.

“When my pack was chosen for me after five other wolves I met Jin hyung and Yoongi hyung and him. We were making plans with our respective families when all of a sudden the moon witches made an announcement that there was to be an alpha switch. It was actually a bit of a controversy at the time. It’s rare for the moon goddess to change her mind. The witches thought it might be because of my lineage. I come from a family line with three alphas. My great grandfather, grandfather and father were all alphas of their packs.”

“Was Hobi mad about it?”

“He was definitely resentful, he rarely spoke to me the first couple months I lived in the pack house but he eventually got over it. He has since told me multiple times he is so relieved it’s not him because he feels like he wouldn’t be as patient and might have strangled the maknaes by now.”

You laugh at that, Namjoon’s breath hitched as your core squeezed him rhythmically.  Satisfied with his answer you tried again and succeeded in falling asleep. You didn’t feel when Namjoon’s knot released or when he got up and cleaned you up with his discarded shirt before settling back behind you and drifting off as well.

Present Day

“None of you can look me in the eyes and tell me you’re okay with this! You know what’s gonna happen to them!” Taehyung yells exasperatedly at the rest of the wolves who were sitting in silence in the spacious hotel room. The tension so thick all it took was this outburst to make it boil over.

“It’s what Namjoon wants so drop it.” Hoseok says lowly as he lays on one of the two king sized beds, stroking Yoongi’s fur. The older wolf was still transformed and unconscious after Yoona fixed his arm. The witch gave him a potion to stay in that state to aide in healing.

“Drop it? You expect me to drop it?! How can you be so fucking heartless?” Taehyung’s voice shakes as he’s fighting to stop from breaking into a sobbing mess. “You’re the one who could talk the most sense into him.”

Hoseok drops his gaze and turns his head away.

“Please just try!” Taehyung grabs onto the older wolf’s shoulders shaking him and finally letting the tears escape.

“Taehyung,” Jimin grabs the back of his shirt and pulls him away. “You’re thinking with your heart and not your brain. Jungkook is dangerous, it may have been an ‘accident’” he emphasizes with air quotes, “ but this has been a running theme with him. He is not a pup anymore, he’s had years to start acting like an adult and he can’t manage to do that so now we’re all suffering for it. It was only a matter of time before he fucked up enough to get unmated.”

Taehyung looked at him incredulously not believing his ears that Jimin could just say those things about their other mate. Jimin pushes him back into the wall and looking into his eyes with their foreheads almost touching.

“Get. Out. Of. My. Face.” Taehyung snarls.

“I’m right and you know it. You just can’t handle the truth. Both Jungkook and Y/N are detrimental to the health of this pack. She continuously babies him and feeds into his behavior. Our alpha knows what’s best for us, it’s about time you realize that, fall in line or get out.”

“Jimin! Knock it off.” Jin growls walking out of the bathroom. “You’re not helping.”

“You know what?” Taehyung snaps, “I’m leaving.”

Pushing away from Jimin and bumping into the smaller wolf’s shoulder he practically runs out of the room completely ignoring Jin calling out for him to wait. He knew the minute the door slammed behind him he might have made a mistake but he just couldn’t live with Namjoon’s decision. Even if it means going through the unmating process too.

[cipheramnesia]

In settings where characters can have powers that set them apart from mundane humans, I think the best thing aside from an idiot with stupid powers is a clever character with a normally under-used ability. I'd like to see a canny use of empathy or emotional control, because most times it's just used as like the "fall in love with me / fight your friends" power, granting it potential for more creative use.

My emotional manipulator would be about skipping empathy across multiple people to an end target, about the curvature of an emotional path traveled from point A to goal X. As long as she knows what she wants to hit, she could for example fire off a sense of relaxation at a car driver, leading to them letting another driver cross a busy lane, carrying it to a sense of generosity in the second driver, who later gives a man his coffee on the house at the coffee shop he owns transferring a sense of well being to him which he carries into his office and smiles at his secretary and compliments her, making her feel valued and recognized, carrying a sense of happiness and light distraction that results in the empath herself strolling through the building security without being noticed or stopped.

Any empathic emotion control could start a fight, but this one can skip emotions across people like a stone on a river and turn one random person's grumpiness into getting her target in maximum security prison shanked to death.

Anyone with emotion control can make someone get instantly angry or calm, but for her it's about the smallest and finest controls rather than brute force. It's the little things in a dozen different people's lives that changes their days in ways they don't notice and don't see affecting anyone else, just a small little push or nudge here and there and every normal average day for dozens of people follows and lackadaisical rube goldberg pathway to a result in her favor, an outcome of her design.

It's not even mind control, just a little stone skipping along, thrown with expert accuracy.

Anyway thinking about this horrible person with a kinda dumb power she's learned to use in terrifying ways to control the world around her.

[emprexxluxaic]

ᰋ ׅ࣪ ꒰ who is your future spouse pt.2 ♡︎ pick a card reading ꒱

⠀ׅ ♡⠀࣪ emprexxluxaic ⸺ your angel ׅ ࣪ 𝅄

──⠀۪ ఌ︎ ۫ 𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 ୨୧ ( 𝚊𝚟𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 )

ᴾᴵᴸᴱ ᴼᴺᴱ ᪶ ᴾᴵᴸᴱ ᵀᵂᴼ ᪶ ᴾᴵᴸᴱ ᵀᴴᴿᴱᴱ

⏝ִ︶⏝ִ︶⏝ִ︶⏝ִ︶⏝ִ︶⏝

GIRL NEAR IN LAKE AND YELLOW FLOWERS

⏜ ︵⊹︵ ⏜ ︵ ୨୧︵ ⏜ ︵⊹︵ ⏜

❝𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓶𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓾𝓽𝓲𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓵𝓭 – 𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓾𝓬𝓴𝓲𝓮𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓲𝓷 𝓶𝔂 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮. 𝓘 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝓪𝔂 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓷𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 ❞

HOW WILL U RECOGNIZE UR FUTURE HUSBAND

RIGHT OF THE BAT,there’s no immediate recognition but you will feel warm glow & feel happy inside, you will know it immediately that he is just around u.For some reason I'm getting sport events/festival maybe he play sport that time or he is watching sport,where nice music playing at the background.

WHEN WILL U MEET UR FUTURE HUSBAND

I see 5-12 months/years, u may meet them when u lose or leave ur job because of some jelously collegue or even when ur heart broken. U are a hard worker so u will find a new job/work,when ur fully committed to ur work and u focus driven to it.

HOW UR FUTURE HUSBAND SEE U

He see u as someone whose like leader type that can make other feel drawn to by ur charisma.He see u as someone who has a clear vision for future & willing to work hard to make their dreams come true,he see u too as competetive & courageous to accomplish their goal. He might see as someone who owns their own world & has a great potential & passion for anything u do. He see u as someone who's friendly & have a lot of friend(group of friends) who likes to go party? ,he see u as someone affectionate & fun.He see as someone who can turn heads whenever u go because of ur style,beauty & charisma.He see u as someone who can make others feels happy by ur positive vibes/energy.(Some people may envy u because of ur exciting lifestyle).Someone who likes to make friends whenever their go(maybe ur talkative too?).Someone who loves life & lives it to the fullest & may attain success because of positive personality,someone who get what do their desire.

HOW U SEE UR FUTURE HUSBAND

You see him as warm,loving & sweet,someone who is devoted to relationship & the nurturer of the relationship,also a healer-good at listening to other people & give them a great advices.You see him as calm, stoic, and assertive person,someone who likes go in gym?(maybe have well build body).Someone who has a patient, balanced approach to life and understands the value of compromise.Someone who combine different ideas & to create something new & fresh,an excellent communicator & mediators who bring the best of a person.You see him as someone strong-willed & power to influence others.someone who is stubborn,focused & determine to what they desire.

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⏝ִ︶⏝ִ︶⏝ִ︶⏝ִ︶⏝ִ︶⏝

GIRL SITTING IN BIG BRANCH OF A TREE

⏜ ︵⊹︵ ⏜ ︵ ୨୧︵ ⏜ ︵⊹︵ ⏜

❝𝓣𝓸 𝓶𝔂 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓷𝓮𝓻 𝓲𝓷 𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮 – 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮'𝓼 𝓷𝓸 𝓸𝓷𝓮 𝓘'𝓭 𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓼𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱. 𝓘 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾 ❞

HOW WILL U RECOGNIZE UR FUTURE SPOUSE

Maybe ur future husband is someone u know but the one who's not close with.Yeah,definitely when u see him this is already ur person.

WHEN WILL U MEET UR FUTURE HUSBAND

There's no specific year/s here but u may meet him during november-february or during winter time.When u decided to change job,have freedom,end of a toxic relationship or even when u cut off the people(person) that no longer serving u & makes ur life miserable.You may also meet him when u get bullied?(whether in work or school)expect them u will see them.

HOW UR FUTURE HUSBAND SEE U

He see as someone who is patient & someone who balance there life.Someone who's creative enough to create new ideas through old.Someone who have natural gift of diplomancy tends to be a good communicator(someone who works in management?).Someone who have physhic abilities,he may noticed something different & special to u(idk what it is).Ur person see u as someone mysterious & unpredictable.

HOW U SEE UR FUTURE HUSBAND

You see him as someone highly artistic & sensitive.Someone who value arts(he may work as a artist).someone who is likable & charismatic when they want or need to,someone who have strong romantic streak to them.(U may meet this person while travelling too).someone who have high sexual libidos/appeal . Someone calm & assertive & doesn't make decisions pronto & wants to weight the pros & cons of whatever desicions it is.Someone who have logic.Someone who strictly follows/organized their schedule.someone who dislike being inactive & feels best doing a productive activity.You see him as someone diciplined & may have a well build body/likes to go to gym.someone who is a natural leader to influence/inspire others.someone who is confident & goal-oriented,isn't afraid to take risks when it needed to be.someone positive & optimistic that loves to be in spotlight.

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⏝ִ︶⏝ִ︶⏝ִ︶⏝ִ︶⏝ִ︶⏝

GIRL UNDER THE TREE NEAR LAKE

⏜ ︵⊹︵ ⏜ ︵ ୨୧︵ ⏜ ︵⊹︵ ⏜

❝ 𝓘 𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓴𝓮𝓭 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪 𝔀𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓘 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱, 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓘 𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓭 𝓾𝓹 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷 𝓘 𝓬𝓪𝓷'𝓽 𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓽. 𝓘 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓱 𝔂𝓸𝓾, 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼❞

HOW WILL U RECOGNIZE UR FUTURE HUSBAND

You will recognize them by their beautiful eyes.Maybe u just bump to each other or u/him drop something(clumsiness here>-<) then look to each other eyes & this is a sudden encounter.

WHEN WILL U MEET UR FUTURE HUSBAND

I see 8 months/years.When u want change(career) or walk away from dissapointing moments/situation that may occur in ur life.Yeah,a difficult situation that hard to let go such as end of friendship/relationship,pass away of loved one,career blockade or even cutting betrayal.

HOW UR FUTURE HUSBAND SEE U

He see u as someone who has calm but glum expression,u might experience depression .someone who doesn't confident & lack od self esteem.he ses u as someone shy to(maybe an introvert?) & someone who tends to be rude when got hurt.

HOW U SEE UR FUTURE SPOUSE

You see him as pessimistic, focusing on the negative in every situation.someone who is hard to please(maybe ur person experience dissapointment that's why he act like this?) . U see him too as someone highly spiritual & good natured person(when they tend to avoid negative thoughts/aspects)u see him,he has great potential to be successful or can be rich(i see he is a hardworking person).U see him as loving person who can be great husband & father,someone honest,patient & reliable,who likes to share things he have,someone who loves nature & animals.

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[alexrosekey]

Hermione-centric and HP World Building Expansion edition

A late entry from me. Beware that this list is based on my personal preference. If you don't like the ships, remember the rule - don't like don't read. Ship and let ship!

That being said, it has been a while since the last time I've come up with a rec list. But reccing great fanfics has remained one of my greatest passion. Having decided to fully integrated myself into the Harry Potter fandom again, I'm amazed at how creative and talented the authors of this fandom are. There are a plethora of interesting ideas and premises, with various themes and genres along with inquisitive, thoughtful observation regarding the characters and the world building of Harry Potter.

Without further ado, let's dive in to my submission for today's @hprecfest prompt: fics with over 100k+ words. All the fics below are Hermione-centric (one less than the other two but still), with amazing social commentaries on the HP world and impeccable observation on the magical world, which to me are the best aspect of HP fic.

unsphere the stars by @cocoartistwrites (M, 222,827, Hermione Granger/Tom Riddle)

When you can't change time, but you can't go forward, what is left? Hermione learns how to be the protagonist of her own story.

To quote one of the bookmarks: Hermione is more than she ever was. This story is a journey of Hermione to grow, to love and to explore magic and its beauty more than she could ever be. Don't let the pairing deter you, this is no doubt one of the most memorable fanfic reading experience I have in my years of being in fandoms. Hermione and Tom are both portrayed spectacularly and thoughtfully, and the prose are some of the most poetic I've ever seen.

To sum up the whole of my reading experience, I laid on my bed and stared at the ceiling for 30 mins after reading the last chapter, completely shell-shocked.

All I could say is, if you want an astounding character arc for Hermione, with in-depth magical system and immersive world building, plus interesting OCs and breathtaking writing, then this fic is definitely for you!

*This fic could also be placed under the prompt of Day 7: A Canon-Compliant Fic.

2. What's Past is Prologue by ABitofWit (E, 244,611, Hermione Granger/Lucius Malfoy)

It's eight years after the war and Hermione Granger has taken a break from her career at the Ministry of Magic to compile an oral history of the conflict. She's interviewed just about everyone she can get her hands on but she wants to be thorough. And that means getting in contact with a very unwilling Lucius Malfoy.

Listen, I know the pairing is weird as fuck. I know, I had my doubt too before reading it. But the raving bookmarks convinced me to give this a chance. And boy, it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

This fic is more than just a ship fic, it's about love and what we would do for it, the greyness of life and choices, of redemption and finding one's self worth outside of pre-existing, archaic ideas and values. It's about change and how we're never too old to learn. WPIP is everything I've ever wanted in a fic, emotional, sincere, humorous, gorgeous, sexy, steamy and sweet. Full of heart and soul.

Most of all, the development of and between Hermione and Lucius is so natural and makes a lot of sense, without them being OOC. This fic reminds me that Hermione is not at all flawless (the opposite of the usual Mary-Sue, little-miss-perfect trope that Hermione tends to be portrayed in fics), while successfully humanizes and makes Lucius Malfoy one of the most interesting HP characters in my eyes. (Who would have thought that I've spent years not giving a jot about this guy, only to fall in love with such a mess of a man like him??)

Combine with sharp commentaries and observations on the British Wizarding World, Wizarding politics and a not-canon folder supporting cast, this is no doubt one of the best HP fic, and one of the best fanfic I've ever had the pleasure to read.

*This fic could also be placed under the prompt of Day 2: A Comfort Fic and Day 9: A Rare Pair Fic.

3. Six Pomegranate Seeds by Seselt (E, 185,965, no pairing but implied Theodore Nott/Hermione Granger)

At the end, something happened. Hermione clutches at one fraying thread, uncertain whether she is Arachne or Persephone. What she does know is that she will keep fighting to protect her friends even if she must walk a dark path.

Sooo, this is one very weird fic. One of the oddest fics I've ever encoutered, in fact. I've read it twice, one before I read the book series in full, one after I've finished the books. And let me tell you, SPS is a stunning work.

The odd, floating third-person POV, the dry and sharp, straightforward tone of Hermione. Her competency, her compassion despite all the pain and the emotional repression. This is definitely not your usual time travel fix-it fic.

Most of Hermione's work happened in tandem with the 7 books' main storyline. Hermione's soul is put into the body of a young orphan Pureblood heiress. This gives the fic one of the most interesting spin on the Hermione-is-a-pureblood trope.

Through Hermione, we have a closer look into the background and the context of the main events of the books, plus a deeper understanding of the Pureblood society and a much more sympathetic view into the students Slytherin house. All without whitewashing and offsetting the corruption and the effects of the Purebloods and the Slytherins' stuffy, archaic views on not only the young generation of students but also the British Wizarding world.

I lost count of the amount of time I slapped my knees while reading this work the second time whenever I encountered a particularly sharp line of thought/commentary from Hermione in this fic. I'm also amazed at how much work and research the author has put into SPS, particularly in terms of making up tons of new magical theories and the use of exotic and lesser known vocabulary (seriously, if you decide to read this one, prepare a dictionary next to you, or get ready to regularly stop mid reading in order to look up certain words 😆)

*This fic could also be placed under the prompt of Day 7: A Canon-Compliant Fic.

That being said, thank you for checking out my list! Thank the admins of @hprecfest for holding such a fun activity. Feel free to join in yourself. Happy reading 💋

Day 16: A fic that made you laughed

Day 19: Fic with the hottest smut

Day 22: An unfinished fic (hasn't updated in 10 years or the author stated it has been abandoned)

Day 26: A fic with an ending you can't stop thinking about

[animanga-bonanza]

i have so many feelings and thoughts about this latest episode of x men 97 -- spoilers under the cut

first, my favorite highlights/takeaways:

As usual, the dialogue is S-tier and this show is really good about putting the characters through dilemmas that have real stakes, and having the characters navigate those dilemmas in ways that both make sense for them and require them to move forward

Xavier is a confirmed bottom 😂 my man was ready to be a PET for this glamorous space lady

Loved that moment where Xavier literally takes the Shi’ar to class and starts SCHOOLING them 😂 he said “hold up I’m a teacher. lemme teach y’all something right now” 👨‍🏫

When talking about what he wanted to remember from Earth, he only mentioned Magneto, his “old friend” (YOU MEAN YOUR EX. YOUR SOULMATE. THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE. C’MON CHARLES)

Speaking of Xavier x Magneto, when he finds out what happened to Magnus…😭 it was already heartbreaking seeing his reaction to Gambit's death

I’m certain the Shi’ar stuff is going to be the main conflict in Season Two or Three; Season One is gonna be focused on X-Men vs Sinister. Having this warmongering galactic empire on the brink of a coup that believes Earth is a “ghetto”, it’s not gonna turn out well for Earth.

I’m glad this episode confirmed that Sinister is behind the Genosha attack (though idk he might be working for someone else); writers sometimes keep their cards too close to their chest because they’re afraid that if they reveal their hand too soon, the audience will lose interest. But in my experience, it’s often more fun when the writers show you their hand and then use their cards to build a magnificent tower. Knowing who all the players are, their goals and motivations, and watching them duke it out is the stuff that drama is made of. It’s kind of like the Hitchcock principle of showing your audience the bomb under the table in order to raise suspense.

I’m REALLY happy that Storm is back, I missed her so much these past couple episodes! Aaah I’m a sucker for characters with weather powers, and hearing about the stuff Storm can do in the comics, I’m looking forward to seeing her use her abilities in a range of creative ways

Now for some analysis/ramblings!!

Storm and Xavier’s struggles mirror each other. Both characters are having to choose between comfort/happiness and duty/hardship.

Storm believes she’d be happier as a normal human. She could leave all her past troubles behind, build a new life with Forge. But that would be a betrayal of herself, her values, and her community. The Adversary’s line about Storm being afraid of living more than dying cuts deep. Storm was never afraid to put her life on the line to protect others. She literally took a bullet for Magneto. Her biggest fear is living her full truth, perhaps because her power is so great that it might alienate her from other people, even from her fellow mutants. As Magneto said (and I paraphrase), she is the closest thing to a goddess their world has ever seen.

And IIRC, part of Storm’s backstory involved her being worshiped/revered as a goddess or holy priestess. I think this past experience made Storm wary of embracing her full power because that kind of existence is lonely.

Honestly, as a black woman, Storm’s journey resonates so much. In real life, black women are often expected to be superhuman, the “strong black woman” who can shoulder her own burdens and everyone else’s. Storm suppressing her own powers for fear of being put on a pedestal as this flawless “queen” or “goddess” who can reliably solve everyone else’s problems? Yeah. That’s some real stuff. Storm, like everyone else, deserves to be vulnerable. To be protected and cared for instead of having to always protect and care for others.

But the expectation to be "strong" is something that Storm seems to have internalized; she didn't have to leave the X-Men when she lost her powers, but she left in part because she felt like she had to deal with her grief alone. And I hope that, even though she’s coming back to the X-Men with her powers fully realized, she’s able to rely on her friends for comfort. I also love that this series emphasizes her friendship with Jean, and I hope to see more of their dynamic going forward.

As for Xavier, he’s having to choose between life on his home planet, where he’s surrounded by family but having to deal with their “drama” plus the persecution of his community, and life among the stars, away from the troubles of Earth but still not accepted as a full person. Either way, he has to play the role of the teacher, the wise mentor who must guide others to the path of enlightened coexistence. It’s a tough burden to bear.

I’m not disabled, but it seems to me that the way Xavier is burdened with the responsibility of having to be a “role model” for others mirrors the way that society treats disabled people in real life. Again, I’m definitely out of my depth here and would love to hear disabled people’s thoughts on the matter, but it’s my understanding that society tends to dehumanize disabled people as either pitiable/contemptible burdens or admirable/brave warriors who can “rise above” their condition. Some of that seems to be baked into certain aspects of how Xavier was conceived as a character and the way he’s often framed by the narrative, but it looks like X Men 97 is aware of this and attempting to interrogate it a little.

Anyway, this episode was really great, a nice breather after the devastation of last week’s episode while still thematically rich and moving the story forward.

[centrally-unplanned]

Okay so since we did Chinggis, how about the other Big Conqueror Generals? Alexander of Macedon, Attila, Timur, Napoleon?

(Several asked for some of these in other asks)

Alexander the Pretty Good: So at this point I think everyone knows that his father Phillip was the "state builder", who created the new systems of Macedonian drill and mobilization infrastructure, handing Alexander a strong army he did not build. And Greece really was hitting a nadir of power, the post-Spartan era fragmenting alliances and exhausting the stronger city states. So it is fair to say that Alexander is overvalued, any Macedon king probably could have taken over Greece at that time. Additionally, when you study his "vast" conquests, its actually really just Greece & then Persia like five times, its him beating one opponent and then mopping up, and having the material advantage most of the time once you get rid of the hagiography.

But starting from Alexander the Great's height gives you an extremely long way to fall; he is overvalued, but still incredibly high VOR. He has the irreplaceable synergistic value of ambition & charisma; he decided to conquer the world, and got a huge list of allies, often ones he had himself fought in battle, to help him do it. Most people never conceive of that as actually being possible - in particular Alexander was not provoked or forced into his confrontations with Persia (establishing hegemony over Greece was more of a coincidence, but I think he would have found an excuse). And while his military achievements are exaggerated he obviously was talented, particularly at logistics - projecting power that wide is a nearly unparalleled feat in his time, and not something Macedonia was built to do before him. So I will go with A+

Atilla is discussed here, weak, C-/D+

Timur - never studied him actually! Its my issue being a Europe & East Asia guy, I know Gengis/Temujin because he is tied up with the Jin, but Timur never quite got around to the Ming conquest

Napoleon: Very complicated, provisional opinions. The Napoleonic wars scope is in fact quite contingent; its a constant back and forth of revolutionary ambition from France to spread itself, reactionary forces in the monarchies to fight back, rebellions and opportunities. Napoleon was not someone who engineered the whole thing by any means, he was given a chance to shine and he took it. Revolutionary France, constantly at war, was pretty much always going to arrive at something like a military leadership.

Additionally, he often gets too much credit for civil reforms of things like the Napoleonic Code; the process for formulating the Code started in the first National Assemblies in 1791, and multiple drafts of a new, universal code had been made when Napoleon was in power. He ordered it to stop dillydallying and make it happen, don't get me wrong, that is points. But its also the kind of thing dictators can do, right? So its a bit of a question of how likely a military ruler centralizing authority at all in France was. I think kind of high? I don't view Napoleon as an Augustus figure. So I think his VOR would have had kind of similar power. Napoleon did not have grand insights into what the legal code should, from what I know. On things like these I think he is getting credit for the fact that his name in in the title that maybe he shouldn't.

But there is a reason he became Emperor of France - he is a grade A military genius. His rep here is deserved - of course he was taking advantage of smart officers, existing innovations, etc, dude ain't forging cannons himself. But he put it all together, truly did push the use of artillery forward, and he was tirelessly creative on the battlefield. He was a famous workaholic, memorizing every map and coordinating every part of the battle himself, in ways that just put him ahead of the curve of his opponents. He is a classic OODA loop guy - he is getting information, putting a plan forward, getting new information, and pivoting the plan faster than everyone else, and he keeps winning on the back of it.

And then the rep you get from that string of wins inspired morale, commitment, diligence, and more from his men and officers that compounds. That last part is important - making an army takes time, its about relationships. You couldn't just slot the Duke of Wellington in as commander of the French and expect it to work the same. Due to that, the VOR for having Napoleon leading your armies in 1805 is literally irreplaceable. There is not single other person in existence who can deliver greater value, and I think that is very clear - and at margins that are very rare.

But of course he has his share of mistakes, particularly in naval affairs, over time his enemies internalize his innovations, and his reach exceeds his grasp. In particular he had multiple opportunities to "settle" for gains where France is first amoung equals, and he doesn't take it, and it all comes undone. He could have been S tier if he learned that. But alas, I think it puts him at A.