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zukofenty · 5 years

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day 25: mona lisa

➜ Summary: The one where Zuko and Katara make a pact to (fake) rush Asian Greek life because they were giving out free tacos.

“Whoever becomes an official sorority sister or frat brother wins!”

“Can the prize be health insurance?” Zuko doesn’t have the energy to muster his patented glare.

➜ Genre: Modern!AU, humor, FratBrother!Zuko, SororityGirl!Katara, scamming, dildo stealing

➜ Words: 6.6k

➜ Warnings: they stay in an airbnb instead of a hotel bc who has the schmoney for a hotel room😩

AO3, @zutaramonth hi!!!

Zuko’s grabbing at Katara’s arm while she’s carefully sipping water (only water, she swears) out of a red solo cup. She’s in her “whore fit” (her words) with larger than life fake eyelashes that could propel her into the sky a la Icarus if she blinked a little too quickly. She was in the middle of readjusting her crop top for the umpteenth time that night, because of course she forgets her strapless bra chicken cutlet contraption at home, so of course she does the most reasonable thing and takes a regular bra and just tucks the straps in. Because as much as she is a proponent of #freethenipple, her nipples could probably slice open a radiator with how fucking cold Ba Sing Se was.

“Please take this shot for me,” Zuko reasons with her, trying to make it seem as though he was handing off a shot to a clueless lightweight sorority rushee he was hoping to nail later in the night. For reputation’s sake, Zuko could not afford to fuck up tonight. He was in too deep. “Please, my Pepsin hasn’t kicked in yet. Asian glow is not the look we’re going for tonight.”

“I hate you.” Katara munches on her (free) taco, and effortlessly throws back the shot: no chase. Zuko looks back and sees active members of Pi Alpha Psi giving him a thumbs up, hooting, hollering, being dumb. One salaciously thrusts his hips to the beat of “Big Bank,” pathetically hoping he could emulate YG in support of Zuko supposedly getting some Deltas pussy.

Asian Greek life was fucking stupid.

Tonight was the night of the Deltas Sorority and Pi Alpha Psi Fraternity rush party, the most important party so far during rush week. Because Greek life was entirely stupid , of course they had to hold the fucking party on a Tuesday night, when Zuko had an econ pratice set to get done by midnight, and Katara needed to get to Ochem at 8am the next morning. It was their fault, really. A punishment from God herself (Rihanna) for trying to scam the Greek system.

It all started because Zuko and Katara had no fucking friends.

Besides each other, but that was also up for debate most days. Especially the days when Zuko would remind Katara whenever her foundation didn’t blend down her neck. He always thought he was being helpful. Katara’s long given up the urge to slit his throat.

After high school, when you still believed you were going to do something with your life and be important and make a difference and didn’t know about income tax, they had kept the dream of Ba Sing Se University alive while they attended community college. Uncle Iroh and Hakoda weren’t exactly rolling in tuition money, and financial aid was a stingy bitch. While Zuko had considered reaching out to his estranged father, the owner of a multi billion dollar pyramid scheme, he suddenly remembers the time his dad tried to burn his face off after a particularly heated episode of Maury , and then books another therapy appointment.

It was the top university in the nation, promising a gateway to accounting jobs and selling your soul to work for immoral tech companies to pay off your student loans in a timely manner. They had prayed for the day they could call the school home. The day they could leave their small town and finally make it in life. Katara and Zuko were inseparable growing up, even if at the surface they bumped heads. They were at each other’s throats whenever the going got tough, slinging petty insults at each other.

“I told you this was a bad idea. They don’t have fucking non-dairy options. Wait until my anus starts beatboxing in the bathroom in 20 minutes. Then you will see,” Zuko grumbled. Katara was always doing this, dragging their group of friends to “fun” places whenever Yelp sends her a notification a new restaurant opened up in their shithole of a town. It’s always some boba shop that was secretly a front for a Scientology cult’s money laundering scheme.

But Katara’s the only one who is able to scare Zuko (dairy induced) shitless. She’s always able to send him a glare that screams don’t you dare fuck with me, I know you masturbate to Hatsune Miku moan compilations. And he instantly starts sweating .

At the same time, she was the only one to truly get him. Even if their friends were perfectly content to stay in their town, doing the same things, being the same people, Katara and Zuko always knew there was so much more out there. So much more to the world than what they had grown up in. So they kept the dream alive. Even if their friends had rightfully doubted them. No one made it out of their town. You find a partner from the same people you grew up with, have kids you grow to hate, hide your husband’s infidelity, and either choose from two options. Grow old with him and resent him and then have a kid to try to save the marriage. Or, go Gone Girl on his ass.

“Women really need to go back to poisoning their men. Like the good old days,” Katara’s eyes were narrowed into slits as she focused on taking clandestine photos of Mrs. Kim’s cheating, rat-faced husband. For a few months, she was under the tutelage of the town’s private investigator, June. It paid well, and she felt she was contributing to the feminist movement at the same time.

“Uh-huh, right,” Zuko eyed her warily. Dubbed lovingly “Katara’s Uber Driver,” he also got paid by June to drive the Nyla Mobile around during their late night ops.

He couldn’t wait to leave this shit fuck of a town.

While their friends and family were tearfully embracing them on their final days at home, a patented group hug forced upon them, they shared a secret smile. Their dream was coming true. They were going to a school in the city with minimized debt. Plus, though neither of them would ever admit it, they also had each other to rely on.

“What the fuck do you need? I swear to Rihanna, you only text me when I’m trying to masturbate. Please, make other friends,” Katara nearly screams into the phone. Her roommate, Suki, groans at the volume coming from Katara’s side of the room, but doesn’t get up. Her stomach is still sensitive from the Blue Razz Four Loko she downed at some frat house Katara had to drag her back from.

Zuko had the decency to sound sheepish. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

“I hope you understand, I am too tense right now to pretend I like you. Go. Make. Friends.”

Because Zuko is a fucking child , he starts groaning and Katara could hear him petulantly slamming his Amazon memory foam mattress with his fist. He’ll get angry that the mattress is preventing any real satisfaction from hitting it, and then hit it a few (approximately 3) more times. She hears the pounds, and smirks. She doesn’t know whether or not to feel disturbed that she knows him so well.

“I miss you,” he whines.

“I don’t.”

Zuko gasps dramatically. “How could you say that? Sandbox love never dies!” He wants to yell into the darkness of his room when she hangs up on him. It was valid, of course. But that doesn’t mean his feelings can’t hurt. He’s always sensitive during the Mercury Retrograde.

Being a transfer student is hard, as much as he hates to admit it. There’s only two years to pad your resume and make lifelong friends and learn how much cocaine is too much cocaine for your body. College was hard. While Katara’s roommate was able to introduce her to people and Katara made a group of friends almost instantly, Zuko wasn’t nearly as pleasant to be around. It wasn’t his fault he was nervous . When he’s nervous he looks more mean than usual, and his roommate, Jet, was wary around him since the day he moved in. He couldn’t even be mad when he spotted Jet hiding his box cutter’s accessibility.

“Katara!” Zuko rolls his eyes at her lack of response. “Katara!” He repeats. “I know you’re just listening to “Like a G6” on a 10 hour loop. Don’t pretend to look so concentrated.”

She glares at him. “Let me have this one thing to myself.” She still begrudgingly takes out her airpods.

“No.”

Katara wants to throttle his long ass neck. “Zuko, be honest with me.”

“Ok, yes! When you put your hair in a ponytail you look like a cage free egg.” Zuko stares at her in confusion when she starts playing with her hair. “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to hand over my wig. You fucking scalped me, and I had nothing to say back. Just take it. You deserve it.” He smacks her hands from messing with her hair. Other patrons in the cafe near campus glanced over in amusement, as Katara pokes him in the neck and he yelps.

While he rubs at his neck to lessen the sting from Katara’s acrylics, she worries at her lip. “Be honest. Do you think Suki hates me?”

“Yes.”

Katara slams a hand on the table, causing his croissant to quake in fear. “You’re supposed to be comforting and trying to console me! Do it over, say no.”

“No.”

“Zuko, do you know how close I am to biting your nipple right off?”

He rolls his eyes. Katara specialized in empty threats (most of the time). “Don’t get mad at me just because Suki refuses to talk to you.” He relishes in her frustration. “Again, whose fault is it that Suki has to go to court for reckless driving?”

“She was the one at the wheel!” Katara throws her hands to the air, before petulantly slapping them into her thighs, for emphasis of her point.

Zuko pinches his nose bridge. “Well, you were the one who convinced her that she shit herself!”

Katara takes a neat, clean sip from her iced coffee before calmly responding. “She was the one doing 88 in a 65 trying to get to the bathroom. How was I supposed to know she did anal the day before and it was just cum!”

Zuko smacks his forehead in frustration after seeing identical blushes on the sea of patrons, now very much intune with the turn of the conversation. “You really don’t know how to act in public, do you? Like you think all the shit coming out of your mouth is important enough for it to just be said. You couldn’t have let that be a passing thought? Or learn how to fucking whisper?”

Katara sighs, closing her eyes and folding her hands over each other, because she’s dramatic. “All I had today for lunch was lip gloss. Let me be.”

“Again, if you, I don’t know, learned how to apologize to someone and admit you’re wrong then maybe Suki wouldn’t have hidden all your stress snacks. And, I don’t know. Maybe if you knew how to say ‘sorry’ she wouldn’t hate your fucking guts.” Katara simply turns her head into the air at Zuko’s words, refusing to acknowledge them. He’s itching to take a hit of his Phix with how on edge he was, and then remembers Katara had sold it on the school Facebook sell and exchange page as revenge. Apparently, Katara snaps if you send her one too many Tom Holland and Nicki Minaj fanfiction stories. Not that he’s speaking from personal experience. “You know what, you’re almost as stubborn as Wendy Williams when she refuses to pronounce Dua Lipa’s name correctly.”

She petulantly swivels her gaze to Zuko, nose still pointed to the sky. “Dula Peep is iconic for that reason.” She breathes out, letting her body go lax. “Please, shut the fuck up. I’m sad. Why would she leave me alone in the middle of the Mercury Retrograde like this? I didn’t think she hated me that much.” She drops her defensive stance, and rolls her shoulders, eyes focused only on the table. “I thought, what we had. It was real friendship you know? I made a joint for her using the orientation leader recruitment flyers because we were out of rolling papers. That’s true love. That’s sisterhood.”

“Please, I can’t poop right now! I can’t poop when I’m scared. I’m poop shy!”

Zuko audibly groaned. “Then why the fuck would you take a shit at my apartment? Yours is literally a 4 minute walk away, according to motherfucking Google Maps. 5 minutes if you use Apple Maps.”

“I don’t know, ok! I saw the baby wipes and I just kinda went with the flow, sue me!” Damnit, she knew she tasted real milk in her strawberry banana smoothie. God, the price of being ethnic in this dairy filled world.

“I called you over here to explain the plan! So I don’t bother you mid masturbation! And you just had to take a dump, didn’t you? On the plan, and my fucking toilet, too!”

She was weary after her back to back classes from 9-5 when Zuko excitedly called her up to come to his place. As much of a bitch baby Zuko could be, Katara tries to visit his place as much as she can. His apartment was just upgraded, meaning he had a state of the art microwave. One that doesn’t third degree burn her ham and cheese Hot Pockets, but rather cooks them perfectly to the tune of the package instructions, and makes them all fluffy and culinary excellence. Plus, he lives further from the heroin infested park she lived right next to, meaning his building smelt like a Clinique cosmetics counter (or: old lady) rather than pure urine like hers. And he didn’t have to run home in fear of being chased.

Besides, he’s all she’s got right now. He explained his plan as the roof of her mouth is assaulted by the gooey cheese of the Hot Pocket. Zuko eagerly handed over the flyers that were shoved into his hands as he was walking to campus.

“Do you see the funds these bitches got? We have to go! We need to become part of Asian Greek life!”

Although Katara did enjoy seeing the copious amount of free food potential, she was skeptical. “This is all free?”

“Yes, oh my god! Read the damn flyer! They’re living it up while we try to fit spinach in our budget to buy White Claw. Free alc, and free tacos! C’mon, we don’t even have to get into the sorority or frat. Just go through the rush process, and try to get as much free food as possible.” Zuko sits on his bed beside her, and even shakes her by the shoulders for emphasis. She swats his hands away while he chuckles.

Katara side eyes him. “Aren’t you already behind on your lectures? I don’t know, do we really want to waste time doing this?”

Zuko sends her a sheepish smile, but grabs her hand. For reassurance purposes, of course. “It’s just one week. Let’s just let loose. Maybe we could walk away from this with a few friends. So I don’t bother you mid beating your meat.” Katara can’t help but laugh.

On the first night, she was nervous. Zuko was clearly his indifferent self, but deep down she knew he was scared, too. Katara and Zuko weren’t exactly Greek life material .

“They thought you were hot, that’s why they flyered you!” Katara yelps while digging through his closet. Zuko ignores the blush growing on his face. “Let’s find a fit that emphasizes that bad boy aesthetic.”

Katara never did anything half assed. That’s why if they were going to play hot, ignorant Asian Greek lifers, they were going to be the goddamn best. Academy Award nominated and then played by Scarlett Johansson in a biopic type of acting.

“What’s wrong with what I usually wear? Is the leather jacket not, quote unquote, bad boy enough?” Zuko runs his hands through his shaggy hair, which Katara had encouraged him to not style. She’d never admit it, but maybe her sexual awakening coincided with Zuko growing his hair out. Maybe.

“Yeah, yeah. Maybe to Tumblr , but not for fuckboys.” She groans because of course Zuko has good fashion taste. Maybe him being hot helps with how clothes looked, but they all screamed fashion and not basic fuckboy . Which was the vibe of the night. “God, do you have the entire Forever 21 Black t shirt aisle in here?”

Before he could retort, Zuko’s interrupted by Jet coming into their room to grab his dumb Hydroflask. It’s dumb because it’s so goddamn big, for no good reason.

“Hey, Katara,” Jet is smirking. Ew .

Zuko feels jealousy, the type that makes your body grow all hot and makes you want to punch a mattress and Jet’s pleasantly symmetrical face. God, why is he so fucking pretty? He reminds himself that Katara was entirely off limits , and schools his face. He gets these types of pangs of envy once in a while, usually during the Mercury Retrograde. Ever since they were kids, he knew Katara was going to be in his life forever. He wasn’t about to fuck that up. Not with emotions or anything.

“Hey, Jet!” Katara chirps. She couldn’t help it, her pussy is weak for pretty men. She knew that look on his face. The eyes that roamed her body clad in the tight top and jeans that made sure her ass looked like she paid for it. Thank you, Fashionnova.

He gives her a hot guy half hug, and she’s melting. Calm down, girl Katara warns her pussy. “See you around. Zuko, I’m going to Target, do you need anything?”

Zuko frowns at the sight of a fangirling Katara. “Nope.” Jet nods, and even offers up a smile. He hates that he smiles back.

Katara swoons. She flops on Zuko’s bed, eyes all dreamy and starry. “That’s the vibe you need to give off!”

“What, that I have HPV?”

“Exactly! See, that’s the type of fuckboy you need to be. You can have the same pussy clenching effect with the right, basic clothes. You’re hot, and you have a badass scar. You just need a striped Guess shirt and white Nike Air Force 1s to complete the getup.”

So, Zuko digs through his closet from his hypebeast phase to find a pair of white sneakers (“Reeboks aren’t basic enough!” Katara protests) and borrows the Guess shirt from Katara, and they were ready to scam.

Fuck. The damn tacos. And then it was all you can eat Korean food. Then it was free avant garde ice cream at that one place that cost you an ovary to even sample the vanilla bean flavor.

The first night of rushing, all you can eat Korean food, and they were already putting on the pounds.

“ Holy fucking cheese dick! I think I gained the weight of a Kardashian ass filler in just today alone! I can’t breathe. Zuko, hold up.” She puts her hand out, halting their walk back to her place. “I need to unbutton my pants.” She had one too many plates of kimchi spam fried rice.

Zuko burps graciously. Goddamn kimbap. He swallowed that shit whole, choking a few times throughout the night. “Me fucking too! Oh my god, I can’t breathe.”

“In through your nose. Out with your dairy shits.”

As soon as they got back to her apartment, they immediately reached for Lactaid, and then went over the events of the night.

“What do you think of Ty Lee? All the guys were drooling over her,” Zuko asks. Katara ditched her elaborate makeup, scrubbing her face clean and was in one of Zuko’s t shirts he’s long given up trying to get back from her. She’s twirling an expensive mechanical pencil between her fingers, the kind that has super precise lead and matches her pencil case and laptop. For the aesthetic.

“She’s the type of bitch to eat salt and vinegar chips at 9 in the morning.”

“What’s the difference between girls who eat salt and vinegar chips in the morning, and girls who eat Hot Cheetos in the morning?” Zuko’s scratching at his head, brain still foggy from all the Doritos he’s practically inhaled. He’s topless, and has one of the many sweats he leaves behind at Katara’s because their sleepovers were some of his favorite memories growing up. Even if they have to squeeze Zuko’s six foot tall ass in twin beds now.

“One has class. The other needs therapy.”

He squints from his spot at her desk, typing interrupted to push up his round glasses. “I see.”

“I saw you really hit it off with Mai,” Katara made sure to keep her voice even. “She was really into you.”

Zuko whips his head around to her. “Really?” He yelps. “Stay out of my business!” Katara throws her hands up in mock surrender. “...Did she say anything about me?”

“She said she was so tired of medium ugly frat brothers and that you showing up sent her cooch into anaphylactic shock,” Katara deadpans.

“Really!” Zuko’s eyebrows shoot up to his hairline.

“No, she just said you were handsome. And then I told her ‘don't call him handsome unless he's about to hand some money over,’ and then she laughed and then thirst followed you on Instagram.”

Zuko scrambles to check his phone. “Oh my god, she’s so cute,” he whispers, eyes enraptured by her Instagram feed. Katara rolls her eyes when he jumps into her bed, knocking her work aside to shove his greasy iPhone 6s in her face.

Katara slaps it right out of his hand. “Ugh, not the 6s.”

Zuko practically melts. “You said she thinks I’m hot, right?” Katara pokes at a man tit before curling up at his side.

“You’re annoying.”

Zuko grabs Katara's hand, playing with the tiny fingers. “I’m adorable.”

She snorts. “You know, we should make a pact. If we’re getting this invested into the whole process. Whoever becomes an official sorority sister or frat brother wins!”

“Can the prize be health insurance?” Zuko doesn’t have the energy to muster his patented glare with Katara cozied up next to him.

The second night, ice cream night, and Katara was slipping.

“What do you usually look for in a guy?”

“I usually just look away,” Katara admits, shrugging. She doesn’t forget to plaster a well practiced, non threatening smile on her face.

“Preferred places for guys to cum?” Another sorority girl asks. Other rushees are nodding enthusiastically, carefully preparing their answers.

“To his senses,” Katara huffs.

“I usually like a backshot!” Ty Lee says enthusiastically, despite the other sisters eyeing Katara warily. Ty Lee insisted that Katara would be a good fit for the sorority. She looked like the only one on her side.

While the girls were excitedly dancing along to the music playing in the shop, Katara’s eye twitches. It was the feminist in her. “If you still like Chris Brown, you’re ugly,” Katara is adamant, not relenting despite the incredulous, wide eye stares from the gaggle of sorority girls.

“Well, I guess I’m ugly then!” Mai yelps, hands crossed over her chest defiantly.

Katara smiles carefully. “You sure are, bitch!”

Fuck Katara was messing this up. She needed to make sure that they were convinced Katara was sorority girl material to move onto the next level of the secret invite only event. Fuck, fuck, fuck .

She wasn’t about to let Zuko win at anything!

Mai squints at her. “Are you a clit being handled by a frat brother? Because you’re really rubbing me the wrong way.”

Ty Lee gasps. “Please excuse her, Indica makes her grumpy.”

Katara glares. “None taken.”

She likes Ty Lee, that much she’s gathered. And, it seems as though Ty Lee had grown to like her back, making sure Katara gets enough ice cream throughout the night, even turning her head when Katara pulls out a Tupperware from her backpack to bring back the dessert to her apartment.

That was until Ty Lee remembered she had a flask hidden up her skirt, a necessity post fuckboy cheats on you . “I-I just called to say I don’t miss you! And that your dick smells like a stapler that has been microwaved for 25 seconds. Like, you can block me all you want. But you can’t uneat this ass. Sorry, I don’t make the rules!” Katara does damage control, and dutifully snatches the phone from her hands.

Crossing her arms like a mother disciplining her child, she levels Ty Lee with a concerned look. “What the actual fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Ty Lee gets up and stumbles on her way to hug Katara. “I can’t leave him! I love him so, so much. He’s my fucking ride or die, the Quavo to my Saweetie! The pitchy singing to my Selena Gomez! The Marlene to my Rosa! The badly glued fake eyelashes to my Asian sorority girl,” Ty Lee is crying and loud and her anime like tits are bouncing with every sob that comes.

Katara takes the flask of peach vodka from her trembling hands, and shakes the girl. “Look, bitch. You’re better than this.”

“No, I’m really not!”

Katara pokes the girl in the forehead. “Yes, bitch you definitely are. You’re a bad bitch that got adicktated. But that’s ok.” She tilts the red faced girl’s head back, making sure the cup of water goes down her throat. “So what if you fell in love a little? You’re in your bag bitch, you don’t need provolone smelling dick to dicktate your life!”

She rubs at her snot filled nose, and then wipes her fist on her mini skirt. “You really think so?”

“Bitch, I know so . Go be a slut, forget about Chan’s ass flake. Now hand over your phone. Drunk yelling over the phone is not the move for the night.” The other active Deltas sisters were running back from a group bathroom visit, after realizing it was Ty Lee’s bad decisions o’ clock . They came back to see the chastised girl determindly eating Ube flavored ice cream, without a phone to do dumb shit in her hands. Mai can’t help but start liking Katara.

The third night, and it’s the Deltas Sorority and Pi Alpha Psi Fraternity rush party, the most important party so far during rush week. IT was a slam fucking dunk. They had gotten catering from everybody’s favorite taco place at the Pi Alpha Psi frat house. And a fucking DIY boba bar. A boba bar! A goddamn boba bar. Katara had a ziplock baggie filled with the tapioca pearls in her left jean pocket.

All Deltas rushees were meant to be socializing with Pi Alpha Psi brothers. The active sisters were trying to see who were the classy whores in the group. They didn’t want admitted whores, just subtle ones. After fending off another medium ugly brother from trying to stare at her tits, Katara corners Zuko, who hands her another shot to take for him. “Why was that guy dressed like an uninvolved father?”

“What’s that supposed to look like?”

“Sweaty, and smells vaguely of disappointment.”

Zuko coughs. “I’m sad that hit way too close to home.”

Katara looks devastated for a split second, until Zuko starts laughing at his own joke. Then, she smacks him upside the head. “You know, you should be thankful for me. I got you looking exactly like a Pi Alpha Psi brother. Even down to the shoes.” Katara glares ahead. “God, I hate that we have to wear shoes on in this house. I hate looking at Haru’s Black Air Force 1s. Anything but those. Anything but those .”

The fourth night and they had successfully scammed the Greek system.

“Zuko!” Katara screams, bursting through his door without preamble. “Look what Ty Lee sent—wait a minute. What the fuck are you doing?” She pauses in shoving the phone in his face to see him face down in his calculus textbook.

“I’m trying to find a natural way to stay focused.”

Katara crosses her arms. “Have you considered adderall?”

Zuko snorts, clearly annoyed. “That’s literally prescription meth.”

“And what about it?” She slams her body, face first into his bed. “‘ Hey get ready tomorrow because we have an exclusive, invite only clubbing invite and the girls and I really really want you to come! ’” Katara reads the Instagram message verbatim from her phone, her chest swelling with unbridled pride. “I deserve an Academy Award.”

Zuko plops his body right on top of hers, relishing in how she groans under his added weight. “Run me my Golden Globe because according to Chan, my ‘ass better be ready to get nasty at Club Nyla .’”

“Shut the booger sugar up!”

So (on a Thursday night ) Katara and Zuko crowd in the party bus the generous Asian Greek system had funded in the name of “cultural bonding.” She can barely breathe, tits pushed in the most fuckable way possible, and she feels her face heating from the shots forced down her throat because her (potential) sisters had insisted on heavily pregaming.

While the frat brothers were perfectly content to sitting and not making any sort of movement whatsoever in the name of looking cool , the girls on the other hand were having the time of their lives.

“Oh my fucking god, for the last time Ty Lee, I cannot join the grind train, I do not have mental stability to keep my balance and shake my ass at the same time,” Katara lightly chastises, shoving the drunk girl gently off of her. Ty Lee simply shrugs, and then continues to gyrate on the gaggle of girls. The music was pounding, everyone was sweating from the amount of unrestrained dancing happening, and Katara’s pretty sure some girl just bruised her pussy after accidentally smacking it (hard) on the bus’s stripper poles. Disco lights bathe the entirety of the vehicle, enveloped in the screams and squeals of Asian girls trying to twerk and scream along to lyrics at the same time.

It was pure fucking chaos. But so goddamn fun . The girls kept constantly grabbing her hips in an attempt to yike on her helpless ass, which Katara abruptly stopped by flicking off their hands. All to the tune of “The Box” by Roddy Rich.

“Let me hear everyone loud and clear! ‘Fuck 12!’” Katara screams to a crowd of bewildered frat brothers.

“Katara, no,” Zuko’s laughing too hard, the alcohol making him feel lightheaded. Heavy rap music permeated the walls of the bus, and he feels a headache building. But he feels a little better seeing Katara having fun, nearly choking to death after taking a hit from some brother’s joint.

“Don’t laugh, I don’t smoke that often!” She insists.

Zuko throws his arm over her shoulder, pulling her close to him. “If you die, at least it was in a party bus while Travis Scott was playing.”

“I’d rather die in an Acura!” Katara yelps, getting up in mock frustration. While Zuko is simply losing his mind at her attitude, she accidentally stumbles as the bus comes to an abrupt stop, and lands in Zuko’s lap.

She’s chortling, moving about to get up. Zuko tries his hardest not to let his heart pound impossibly loud.

After IDs were checked, and a Drake song was forcibly requested by the obnoxious group of frat brothers, the clubbing event was in full swing. Yet, it paled in comparison to the fun and chaotic energy of the party bus. Frat brothers were attempting to dance, Asian girls were trying their hardest to twerk.

Katara is doing her duty as the most sober one out of the bunch and pushes random guys away before they could grab at her sisters’ hips. “You know, God gives flat asses to his strongest soldiers,” she mumbles, lips dangerously close to his ear. They were sitting down in the private seating area near the dance floor, exhausted beyond belief and watching the sorority girls’ attempts at clapping what little cheeks they did have.

Ty Lee clumsily grabs at Katara, screaming about having to piss and call her ex. Her cue to save the day. She gives Zuko an apologetic look, and whispers “I’m gonna win” before grabbing Ty Lee’s hand.

While he’s checking on his Neko Atsume cats, Chan’s Pepto Bismal smelling self is sidling up to his side. “Bro, you should fuck her. She’s got amazing tits.”

Zuko smirks, before schooling his features. That was already an observation he made when he was 16. Nice try, fuckboy. Chan continues, not caring if Zuko responds to him. “Pound that pussy like rent is due tomorrow! You have to get at that big, fat, moose sized pussy at the Airbnb we’re headed to after this.”

Ty Lee is blubbering, snot running freely down her face as though she was a 5 year old at Chuck E. Cheese realizing they didn’t have enough tickets to afford a beaded necklace. “Every time he goes down on me, it feels like my pussy’s getting colonized. Is that what love is supposed to feel like.”

Katara paused in rubbing her back. “Oh my god.”

Ty Lee grabs at Katara’s shoulders, toilet and unsteady stomach forgotten. “Please, for the sake of the female population. Fuck Zuko. We need to know if he’s packing that schmeat.”

Katara gasps. “No fucking way, we’re just friends!”

The inebriated girl clutches Katara’s face in between her sweaty palms, lowering her voice in a volume she thinks counted as a whisper. It was more of a scream than anything else. “We always try to get the hottest rushees to fuck each other at the Airbnb. Then, you’ll definitely make it into Deltas. Because if anyone deserves to throw that neck back on Zuko, it’s you.”

“Well gee, thanks. I’m touched.”

“Moan harder! Don’t sound like I’m forcing you to fuck me! This isn’t no 90 Day Fiance shit! I thought you were an actor. Where is the commitment to the craft? You sound like you’re a dying tractor. Do better!” Katara continues jumping on the bed, trying to emulate a good old fucking. Zuko breathes in, before an unrestrained groan comes from his lips. Katara’s cooch instantly quakes.

Their shoes were off, at her insistence, sheets already strewn about to make it believable. She could hear the snickering behind the door she’s triple checked to make sure it was locked and unable to be seen through the keyhole, her thong shoved in front of it to ensure their privacy.

“Zuko, Zuko, Zuko!” she pants, makine her voice sound as fucked out as possible. “I can’t!”

He continues smacking his arm, trying his best to replicate the sound of cheeks being clapped. “Baby, yes you can. You’re taking me like a fucking champ.”

Katara almost couldn’t hold back her giggle. This was all so fucking ridiculous. Taken straight out of a Larry smut scene. But they had a job to finish, a lifestyle they needed to live out, a pact to win. She whines, he lets out a moan. They bite their fist before they lost their minds and ruined the scam. She could imagine the title to their terrible porn video: college girl takes BEC (big emo cock).

“So, so good!” Katara made sure to make her voice sound as strained as possible, jumping even harder on the mattress. Zuko is ashamed to say his dick twitched in his pants the slightest. “So goddamn big. I feel so full!”

“Thanks for thinking I have a big dick,” he mutters, before letting out another wanton cry.

“Please be quiet!” Her little faux whimpers are simply killing Zuko, a blush creeping on his neck. He may or may not be jerking off to a sound now burned in his memory.

“Ready for the grand finale?” Zuko’s bewildered, pausing in his erratic jumping on the mattress. Katara jumps as hard as she can three times, before landing a punch square into Zuko’s stomach. It’s unexpected, and he doubles over, wheezing and pathetically gasping for air.

“Baby, cum in me!” Katara mewls, a devious smile on her face.

Zuko frowns, rubbing at his sore stomach. “Really? You’re that invested in this role? You would hurt your bestest friend in this world?”

“Shut up! Let me bully you.”

They leave the room, ensuring their hair looked as disheveled as possible, clothes put on backwards, and Katara’s lip gloss smeared across his face. It tasted like Starbursts and scams.

The pair were suddenly enveloped in violent cheers. Muscled frat brothers were taking their beefy arms and slapping Zuko’s chest in celebration. Zuko could see Katara blushing, acting bashful and even tucking a strand of hair behind her ear for emphasis. He rolls his eyes, and deftly decided his heart was indeed forever stolen by the bat shit crazy bitch.

“My man!” Chan howls, grabbing Zuko in a signature bro hug. “Any other Deltas you want to raw dog tonight?”

Zuko’s gaze was focused on Katara’s smiling face. “This dick belongs to one woman.”

They sorority and fraternity wearily climbed back into the party bus in the wee hours of the morning, needing to make the trek back in time for classes. Everyone was to stop by the Psi Alpha Psi house to collect their stuff, and then make their way home.

Zuko’s nodding off, too tired to continue breathing when Katara pokes him expertly in the arm. “What?”

“We’re going to steal the house trophy when we get back.”

He gasps. “Not Beatrice.”

“Yes, Beatrice!”

“Why do you want a $9 dildo from Amazon anyways?”

Katara sighs. “I overheard them this morning. The Deltas and Psi Alpha Psi. They were running through photos of girls and guys that rushed that didn’t make it through the process. And they were so fucking mean , Zuko. Like I almost cried, and they didn’t even roast my ass. Like Co-Star level bullying. They don’t deserve Beatrice. We do.”

“So, bet’s off?” He cracks his knuckles in anticipation. She simply nods.

“You bitch. You didn’t have to slam me so fucking hard!” Katara reprimands. Zuko silences her with a passionate kiss that has every emotion she could possibly feel tingling throughout her whole body. She’s pushed up against the fireplace, clutching the wall behind her as though finding something to grind her against Zuko’s fiery passion. They were simply mimicking the rest of the group coming back, girls pressed against the frat brothers, trying to make the most of their remaining high instead of heading to class.

They pause to take a breath of air, (they could hear Mai mock gagging in the back) before sending each other a secret nod.

“You feel that pucker in your asshole? You know shit’s about to get real,” Katara says in a low voice.

Zuko’s slamming her against the fireplace once more, this time Katara’s hand now finding contact with Beatrice herself. In a flash she’s shoving the phallic toy in her jacket, sprinting for the door.

Chan, eagle eyed as ever, and experienced in the art of recognizing dildo thievery, instantly shoves Ty Lee off his lap. “Don’t you dare take the fucking house trophy, bitch!” He barely finishes his sentence, before he’s shoved to the ground by an enthusiastic Zuko, who grabs Katara’s hand and breaks into a run.

They run, run, run until they reach Zuko’s apartment, collapsing on the patch of fake grass at the front of the building. He still has his hand intertwined with hers, her other hand having a vice like grip on the sex toy.

“You know what, I don’t care about making other friends. You’re all I need.”

“I know.” Katara can’t stop the smile from growing on her face.

#zutara fanfiction #zuko x katara #zutara #zutaramonth #zutara month 2020 #day 25 #they share a hotel room #but it's an airbnb bc i said so #atla

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astrology-with-charu · 4 years

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Gemini Season & New Moon in Gemini June #Astrology #Horoscope

Bike riders are out on the roads with a devil may care attitude - you know Gemini season is here.

Socially distancing, the neighbours are celebrating birthday screaming from one balcony to another cute wishes, you know Gemini season is here.

Something inside you doesn’t let you sit - you pace, you tweet, you read, you tweet again, you have to have to tell someone that thing you might have heard & might be true or not - you are 60% sure it’s true, ok 50% sure, ok who is ever more than 30% sure of anything anymore & subtract 10% cause it was told by my aunt to my other aunt, you know Gemini season is here.

Silly antics & a bit of belly laughter - it was a joke, a bit of tall tale - but it made you laugh didn’t it - when we are able to joke a little bit even in middle of a pandemic - you know Gemini season is here.

youtube

This is one of those rare years as 2020 has decided to be on all accords, where Gemini Season is beginning with a new Moon - Sun & Moon in Gemini - oh that’s not all Mercury, Venus, North Node in Gemini !!! That’s a lot of exclamation marks & it deserves it so.

Gemini heavy energy keeps things light within even when we don’t know if this is hope or delusion - there is no way to tell right now. Gemini season brings overload of information but there is no discretion in that - we don’t know what’s false what’s true.

It’s information - unprocessed, raw - all for our quick consumption & action. But we mutate, grow mentally in Gemini season - we are able to use all of that information coming our way to create something meaningful. We always walk off wiser, learning, reading, writing, selling, creating something of real commercial value after Gemini season - our mind grows as does our knowledge. And reskilling is what I feel we must dedicate this season to.

We will have the stormy summer of eclipses which I spoke of in my Eclipse note

(https://www.facebook.com/595133057621535/posts/847026582432180/)

but we will have Sun in topical zodiac sign of Gemini till 20 June - giving us flexibility, agility to mutate to new life situations. But things aren’t going to be fixed in stone - expect speed, too much information / news coming our way, things changing quickly but trust also your capacity to respond to it.

This new moon in Gemini which will have strong influence on us for next two weeks - walks the thin line of hope & delusion. At 2° Gemini it prompts return to State of Innocence, to never loose that child like belief in marvel of life - imagination, play, possibly bringing us back to books & games we enjoyed as a kid.

This is a bit of discovery process - discovery of new & of what looks impossible. We to some extend are prompted to not poke holes in our imagination - not shoot darts of reality at the moment. Sometimes hope in current moment is more important than thinking about larger life plan - small victories are more important than waiting to win the larger scale life battle. There is a bit of self indulgent denial of uncomfortable truths in this moment.

2° Gemini in Sambian astrology is depicted as “Santa Clause furtively filling stockings hanging in front of the fireplace” - there is a deliberation in creating optimism cause this journey of discovering the impossible that we are on requires a bit of faith, just pure child like faith in life. And the new moon at this degree of innocence is trying to gently wake that back up in us - through play, through reminder of the past, even through this lovelorn nostalgia doing circles in our mind. We are being reminded that we dream, we hope & we create from a place of possibilities not from a place of lack. It’s reminding us possibly of happy times so we can start working on creating happier ones.

You and I both know there is a whole lot of misinformation & sometimes unfounded optimism which is doing rounds. But within limits is that so bad ? Neptune is a strong influence right now & will be till mid June - that breeds deception, misinformation but it also rules miracles, faith, solidarity, higher octave of Venus - selfless love & compassion for others in the common boat. But it’s not the music of sinking titanic that Neptune is blaring, though many of us would be strongly hearting the blues cause the cocktail of Venus retrograde & Neptune square usually ends up in nostalgia or worst romantic mistakes. Neptune creates the fog of hope too - helping us walk beyond our current existence & our current limitations. Helping us do things that are frightening sometimes even heroic. Beautiful things come out of loss sometimes with Neptune faith cause it dissolves what’s not real in our life.

Conjunct the fixed Star Alcyone - known for Mercury of Freud - this is opportunity to plant a new seed devoid of judgement cause there is possibility of real insight provided we don’t yet - not yet - poke holes in the possibility by making a list of all the reasons why it won’t work. Return to state of innocence requires more than just laughing with your friends again - it requires us to create hope against hope. Collectively it puts the responsibility on all of us to put our thinking caps on, leaving the wallow of the past behind to create for the future. This is the star of Leonardo da Vinci - inventive, artistic, visionary. It’s linked with blindness to what’s in front of us but it’s also linked to third eye opening - there is potential for a visionary idea, real insight provided we stay off our own rushed judgements against our own possibility of success.

But this is your vision - not of a cult leader - that’s where we need to be careful of the deception element of this season. Easy test is to know whether you are working on your imagination & idea or another man’s dream that was sold to you. This star is also linked to Jim Jones - you know the spiritual leader that led a flock of 500 followers to mass suicide on the basis of his “spiritual” vision - yes one of those we gotto stay off.

As I mentioned in North Node In Gemini & South Node In Sagittarius note -

(https://www.facebook.com/595133057621535/posts/849354288866076/)

road to success till early 2022 is to learn to see world in simpler terms & making life decisions using facts not philosophy - no cults, manipulators of information calling themselves “guru or Teachers or worst saviours”, staying in present - here & now, not a 2030 plan but a now & here plan, empty mind of old information / learning / philosophies- reskilling, staying local versus globe trotting, flexible, media savvy, staying off extreme belief systems & extreme philosophies, staying far off from people peddling those as well. Rahu will continue to manipulate & exaggerate information - think of time post 9/11 when north node was last in Gemini - think of information/ misinformation spread post that as well as impact on our belief system, faith & on mundane level how globalisation and travel was changed forever.

While you sift, sort absorb information overload, stay on a plan - don’t get distracted by theories of people peddling them for click baits & views. Your time is precious & this period is crucial for you to reskill, learn, get more involved in your local communities, become a student of life - that feeling of being a student who hasn’t yet chosen his or her specialisation - he/she is confused yet full of possibilities cause anything is possible & there are multiple options cause everything is being recreated in some ways.

Both Mercury & Venus in Gemini are out of bounds till early June - this is our mind & heart together in uncharted territory. It’s great for developing new ways of thinking, hearing those imaginary noises in our head 😉, lateral thinking, learning information on things we didn’t think possible before. Shocking talks with no way of knowing validity of the tall claims by people, our talk till atleast 9th June will have no censors, no limitations. It will lead to the diplomatic issue on global relationships in first ten days of June which we spoke of in Venus retrograde videos & notes. We would say things we haven’t said before but we would also open ourselves to possibilities we haven’t opened ourselves to - out of norm bold expression of unique. If you listen to Howard Sterns - he has Mercury out of bounds! It gives creative talent for dissolving boundaries of what is normally possible - we are able to go unorthodox and with Mercury zooming ahead of Sun it’s the time to try the untested.

This will happen in love & intimacy too with Venus out of bounds - but remember Venus is retrograde - experiment but don’t get attach to whatever quirky pleasure or relationship you are trying out. It may not fit post the retrograde so don’t overextend financially or emotionally or in fashion / dramatic change in looks - we are bound to go for the ne real tried before fashions & styles.

In this out of bound period - you would find yourself or yours taking the risk to go for a job or career or project never tried before but more to their liking.

Next week 25-27 May we would see a display of exaggeration or hyperbole unfortunately & it will escalate tensions. There is need for adjustments on these dates - need to be flexible to see things from others perspective as our compulsive side or of others we deal with can get out of control. Arguments are possible as anything that’s being created contrary to what we want can bring up fears or rule us up while our mind & heart is out of bounds. We would need to consciously stay humble in our talk but still communicate what we need.

On 28th May North Node in Gemini will meet Mercury first time in 19 years - unicorns won’t fly but we would get amped up to talk & a chance discussion or messaging or thought can give a hint like boulder to a growth opportunity. Next 6 months we are going to be growing it & perfecting over next 18 months with North Node here. If you miss it don’t worry - we can’t really miss our destiny - we would have Sun make the same aspect right before summer solstice in June. But make an effort on these days to listen to signs, to yourself, as you would be just beginning to develop awareness to what growth opportunities north node in Gemini will bring to us. 28 May, 19 June & 5 August are exact dates when our personal planets would make first contact with nodes - support required to respond to upcoming opportunities usually comes on those days so listen in.

On 29th May all the way to end of month - Saturn with Virgo moon will guide us to partition our big ideas into actionable steps. Words may not come out in the way we want - I won’t choose this time for external communication but more for a step by step plan & to create real ways to create gains from those out of bound ideas.

While eclipses will bring storms & fated changes - Gemini season always reminds us to not forget to play, connect & laugh.

https://www.facebook.com/595133057621535/posts/860613727740132/

After a bit of panic attack, I played Candy land today - we are never too old to play, never too old to learn new skills - many brilliant ideas came from play!

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shizen-hime · 5 years

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Omg u do free readings?? i really want to understand my chart but is so confusing I WOULD LOVE IF U COULD DO MINE... I was born on June 10th 2001 in greensboro NC at 6:13am 🥺🖤 if u don’t do them like that that’s ok thank u so much hehe

Okay so I was writing your chart and I was almost finishing and everything disappeared :_____D

But let’s make a resume: you’re highly mental and your head is going 200 km per hour all the time. You’re never satisfied with anything and you must search for info of everything. You feel you need a puruse, a philosophy, a career, an investigation all the time.Basically because you’re all air, you’re all communication and information. Mercury on the first but retrograde and in opposition to Mars can make you not able to communicate right, though. And since you’re so air you need to do this well and this kinda hurts you. You’d be a great teacher because opposition aspects are not very hard and easy to surpass to be stronger.

You might feel you want to write or talk about yourself but at the same time it hurts you or you feel you’re bad at it (tho you’d be the perfect teacher -Mercury opposed Chiron). You might feel all your life you’re being criticized or all the world is against you and that others will always be better. You might have a lot of trouble with your lovers, best friends or people you deeply know because of that Chiron/Mars on the 7th house. You might feel you’re unable to make first steps on anything (same aspect as one of my friends which brought a lot of trouble to her, she stayed with the same toxic guy for a year because she was unable to tell him he was being a dick). You’re also someone who might cause a hard or a strong first impression.You’re someone who needs to express yourself though. Definitely writing would be super healthy for you. Maybe talking in a camera if you’re more comfortable. You need to write about yourself, your thoughts.

Your Jupiter in the Asc makes you someone jovial, cheerful, optimistic. You’re a Gemini in a Gemini Asc so you might be someone tall and slender, but maybe the Jupiter makes you someone who can gain weight easily. I felt like pointing it out because of your blog, which is mainly skinny girls and as I see it “anorexia propaganda”. I might feel you might be someone who is conscious about the weight. I can’t say anything except to take care of yourself and eat healthy. I find it so stupid to search for happiness in anything that is physical (body, money, food, idk whatever like this). Jupiter opposed Mars makes you someone who rushes stuff, acts before thinking and this might hurt you or others. Although that, almost all your planets are retrograde, which makes you someone who’s thinking by themselves all the time and overthinking or that doesn’t really know when it’s time to act or to say anything. Meditation would be the best thing to do as I see it. To learn to express what you gotta express and keep to forgive what you don’t.

Your Moon! Very mental too, but dreamy! I said before everything got erased that you should investigate Carl Gustav Jung, a psychologue that used dreams, synchronizations, tarot and the unconscious to trait his patients and search for a way to learn about the unconscious and his own dreams, etc. SUPER interesting. But anyways, this Moon will make you search, travel (mentally basically), investigate, study, search for a religion or a psychology. You need to search and not settle down in anything, since you’re SO Aquarian and you need freedom. You’ll be changing all your life, though sometimes you might feel you don’t wanna. You’ll be needing to demand a lot of freedom from your lovers because you’ll be unable to be with only one person but this will be difficult to you because of what we said earlier about your Mars/Chiron and also they’re retrograde, so you might end up just feeling this for yourself and feel guilty or just bad. DON’T! You need to get what your heart is telling you.You’re very responsible and socially over-conscious. You have this thing about the houses 1-7 which are you and the others and traits that will make you feel you need (and everyone does) to interact, to socialize but at the same time you think everyone hates you or something similar. I have the same issues and in the end you have to learn not everyone will like you, you just need to be yourself. House 7 acts as a mirror: if you don’t like people, people won’t like you. If you think everyone is so nice and cool, you’ll feel you’re so nice and cool to people too. Trust me, this works a lot. You’re younger than me, so you’re probably now “waking up” from the teenager years.

Oof I think I made a good resume! We haven’t talked about the Sun in the 12th house, your Venus in Taurus (yaaay) and your North Nodes + other stuff!

Let’s see, so you’re actually veeeery wise because of Saturn in the 12th as well as your Sun. Your Saturn/Moon trine makes you very responsible but also responsible in socializing, which is perfect for such an air person! Sometimes so much air makes people talk talk talk talk and oof! This Saturn will make you very capable of sacrificing yourself for others and study anything psychological and mystical (PLEASE just take a look at Carl Gustav Jung!! You won’t study him in any career and that’s sad!). Very interested in helping others! Having the 10th house in Pisces also makes you someone who might feel a need to make something to help others as a career. Since you’re a true investigator too and you have a bit of Aquarius on the 10th, searching for new ways to help others would be amazing for you too! You’re such a Gemini creative thinker so go ahead!

Let’s end up with your Sun, which is weird to not say this as a first thing lol.Okay so what we said about you sacrificing for others your Sun is also there! This could make you someone who’s rather... hmm.. “brought” by others, so you’ll have to use your fire stuff (tho it hurts you and it’s difficult) to put yourself behind! Since you got Jupiter in the first house, it can act a bit as a Sun, but it can also act “too much”. Jupiter gives a lot and sometimes is bad.You’re very air and your head goes to 100000000km/hour, but your Sun will demand you to relax as well, to be introspect and MEDITATE. Isolation from time to time will also make you good! You’re very social but it also gives you a bit of anxiety so it’s ok to take rest! Working for others and make charity work would make you feel very good too. Anyways, you’ll need to socialize with others, so isolating yourself forever is not good too.

Oh my, I forget about your precious Venus and the only earth you got :__cYou’ll attract a lot of socializing and you’ll also need that in your life. You feel a A LOT and you actually enjoy all mundane pleasures, such as food, massages, stuff like that. In this house, you’ll receive a lot of help from friends and co-workers! Maybe they’re not your best friends but these type of people will make you realize and make you feel good, like a group more than only one person. Once you enter to a one to one dynamic, you enter to this 1-7 house thing, which is actually very easy to surpass as we said. We see the sextile with your North Node in Cancer. So your Venus will help you feel better and happy. We finish with this North Node.Being it in Cancer, it’s kinda difficult, since you got like 0 water lol. And Cancer are FEELINGS, but feelings that are put into your face and into other’s faces. So this Node is telling you to express these feelings, especially to those friends we said earlier. You’ll need to develop a self-expression and leadership qualities too. You’ll have to surpass this fear of not wanting to make first steps and putting yourself towards others, but nicely!! You’ll grow a lot of confidence, power and self-determination by being yourself and creative!You’re 0 water so for yourself feelings might be like “what’s this I’m not saying that lol” but we all are human potatoes with stupid feelings! Use this amazing Venus you got to be a bit more stable and feel secure to express your feelings.

So again, my recommendations:

- Carl Gustav Jung pleaseeeee!!- Write, talk to yourself! It. will. make. you. so. good.- Meditate too to relax. You need it too. Take long walks by yourself (leave or shut your phone off!!). Your Venus will love if you take her to nature places!!- This is because of your blog, but EAT HEALTHY PLEASE! Aghh your Venus would kill you if she sees you not eating :c It might be because of this Venus you got, or you’re too mutable energy, or this Sun in the 12th house, but you might find yourself being carried by others, being carried by stupid, not healthy fashion stuff and ashhjjhghghgh nooo! >:c- Be. Yourself. You. Will. Fucking. Love it. You’re such an amazing person, very dreamy, very mental, but with really good intentions. You’re just a bit.. unbalanced because you got 0 water and basically 0 earth. So expressing feelings or knowing exactly what you need and want is something that might just not exist. But that’s perfectly fine!!!! You’re a searcher!! Maybe you’re an inventor of a new philosophy!- Never stop investigating or studying stuff! Your Moon will demand you new knowledge, as well as your Gemini nature. You’ll probably never set up in anything, but that’s alright? There’s not a true truth, right? Search for yours! Maybe you’ll find it when you’re 90 and you’ll be like “cool, I loved my life! c:”.- IDK, have fun??? You might be someone who never settles down, but that’s alright too. Since you’re so mutable and so mental, maybe you end up thinking stuff that society and friends tell you it’s what you gotta do, but maybe this is not what you feel deep inside you. Follow your heart! But don’t try to use this excuse as an escape, since you might be a bit like that too xD.

Hope this helped! For any question or anything just tell me

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ralphsspiritualstuff · 7 years

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Retrograde Planets in the Natal Chart

There seems to be some confusion about retrograde planets going along the internet. If you were to average out all the posts describing what happens to an Rx (retrograde) planet, it would likely read something like this:

“Retrograde planets appear to be moving backwards through the sky from the perspective of earth which gives them special properties. The planet’s energy is turned inwards and things that planet rules tend to go haywire, so here are some tips for surviving a retrograde and the shadow period before it:

1) Take some time and reflect on what that planet means. Retrogrades are time for reflection.

2) Expect things to go wrong, even things that planet may or may not rule. Retrogrades are just kinda hectic, so wait till everything is direct to move forward.

3) Don’t do anything that involves that planet. At all. ESPECIALLY if it’s Mercury retrograde.

4) Hide in a bunker under the ground. Wait for all the planets to go direct. It’s just safer that way, ok?

Retrogrades in the natal chart may have a very muted expression because their energy is turned inwards. Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean your doomed, but you’ll just have a LOT of extra difficulty and awkwardness as a result of your retrograde planet because other people won’t get your weird way of doing that planet’s action. On the bright side, though, sometimes these retrogrades can actually bring special talents because the planets motion is turned inwards so it’s like doing a lesson over again.”

It is true, a retrograde planet CAN cause some hiccups when they are transiting, but descriptions like this stigmatize people who natally have retrograde planets. Are they doomed to never be able to use that planet’s energy because it’s “turned inwards”? What does it even mean for a planet’s energy to be “turned inward”? Why are these planets “awkward”? And what exactly are the “special talents” retrograde planets give the native? Those are questions the questions that really need to be answered.

When astrologers describe a planets energy as being turned inwards, what they are trying to get across is a slightly more complex idea in simpler language and that idea is this: Retrograde planets, karmically speaking, are places where we subconsciously know the consequences of using that planet’s energy. All of our actions have consequences both good and bad whether we realize it or not. People with a planet retrograde are likely to have an uneasy feeling about using their retrograde planet’s energy because they can feel the consequences. This doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences from acting with a direct planet, but when we do that, we often aren’t conscious of what could go wrong.

For example, a person with a Mercury Rx will tend to think twice before saying anything or may opt not to say anything at all because they are painfully conscious of the weight their words carry. This can lead them to being labeled as “awkward” in the way they communicate. In transit form, this often looks like communication chaos, but in reality, Mercury Rx is trying to remind us to slow down and think twice about what we say, both verbally and nonverbally, because even small acts of communication can have a big impact on our lives and the lives of others.

How can retrograde planets be hidden talents, you may ask? Well, karmically, people tend to learn through trial and error. They do something, they learn the consequences either good or bad from what they can see. They watch the effects of their actions. That being the case, people with retrograde planets can tap into their planet for a ridiculous amount of talent, but they also tend to be very aware of the cost of doing so and will not do it unless they have a very, very good reason. Again, using Mercury as an example, somebody with a Mercury in retrograde likely knows EXACTLY how to communicate what they’re feeling, they just choose not to because they don’t want to hurt the other person’s feelings. Saying how they feel could result in a lot of emotional fallout, so while they have the talent to really get their point across when provoked, they’re often sorry later if they do.

Hopefully that helps explain the formula for how interpretations for retrograde planets are created. Here are some of my personal interpretations for each planet retrograde when in the natal chart, but if you have anything to add or ask please do so in the comments below.

*Note: These interpretations are single-planet, meaning other aspects and planets in the natal chart can change the expression. These are meant to be combined with the rest of the natal chart.

Mercury Rx: Natives with this placement often get a reputation for being quiet, not having a lot to say, or not being able to get their point across. The truth is, they often know exactly what they want to say but are more aware of the consequences of speaking their mind and would rather stay quiet than deal with that. They also tend to process information more thoroughly than people with direct Mercury placements do because they know the consequences of spreading false information or assuming something is correct right away.

Mars Rx: Natives with this placement may be labeled as weak willed or apathetic since they tend not to be self-starters or have much drive to compete. Often times, the gentle placement of Mars Rx simple doesn’t like the collateral damage of competition. While people with a Mars direct may enjoy activities that require competing, Mars Rx knows that for as high as the winner gets, the loser gets equally low. This may lead them to forgo participation in anything they must do alone, so they may get run over by more competitive types. The upside is they’re generally pretty good at waiting and are very patient people although their lack of a rush can frustrated more ambitious people. While they can be exceptional competitors under the right circumstances, you’re unlikely to find Mars Rx using that ability.

Venus Rx: Natives with this placement tend to shy away from the material side of life. As a result, they often get labeled as having poor financial management and eating disorders when in reality, they tend to not need a lot of physical objects to be happy. It’s not that they don’t like stuff, they are just aware of how it can complicate things. The stereotype about being unloving is absolutely not true, as Venus Rx can know a love beyond what physical needs dictates, but they often question WHY someone loves them and for what reasons. They can get whatever it is that they want or need, but typically that isn’t much because that’s all they want, not because that’s all they can get in whatever house Venus is in. They don’t want to deal with the burning questions of why they do something if material investments are involved, so they keep it simple.

Ceres Rx: Natives with this placement may lead hectic, disorganized lives because frankly, they know how boring a routine can be. People with Ceres Rx are completely capable of running a tight ship but would prefer to let things be loose. They likely frustrate those around them with their apparent lack of discipline and routine, but if they absolutely have to they know how to get themselves back on track just in time to go back to a messy, surprise-oriented way of living.

Juno Rx: Natives with this placement may avoid partnerships and seem to be very “independent” instead. These lone wolves, however, are just trying to avoid dependence on somebody. It’s not that they can’t have partners, it’s just that they often don’t because they don’t want to use another person to compensate for what they can’t do; they want to be able to do it themselves! Juno Rx people typically won’t settle down until they can be for themselves what they want in a partner. This can lead to their partner feeling useless since Juno Rx tend to have a “If I want it done right I’ll do it myself” mentality but they can and do depend on partners once they’re satisfied with their own capabilities.

Jupiter Rx: Natives with this placement may avoid questioning things too deeply or be uneasy about learning too much about topics like politics and religion. These people often have the ability to pull off miracles of luck in their given houses, going much further than their Jupiter direct counterparts but they tend not to because they’re aware of how bad the crash from going too high is. As a result, Jupiter Rx natives tend to be more low key and avoid situations where they learn too much too fast. People may think of them as ignorant or as “killing the vibe” but it’s because Jupiter Rx knows subconsciously about the come down of a good time all too well.

Saturn Rx: Natives with this placement often have a lack of outside structure and as a result get very, very good at structuring themselves. Often, these people are disillusioned with the true cost of achievement and may choose to live life as free spirits rather than submitting to “the system”. Saturn Rx can work remarkably hard and know all the steps that go into making something big happen, but because they can see all the steps and work ahead of time, they tend to abstain. People with Saturn direct may think of them as downers but that’s just because Saturn Rx people know the grim reality of ambition.

Uranus Rx: Natives with this placement are often labeled as old fashioned or unable to keep up with the times because they’re not excited by new ways of doing things and technology. Uranus Rx, however, is very aware that anything that claims to solve a problem is likely to just create another in its place, even if it isn’t obvious. These people may find comfort in tradition because at least then they know what the consequences of the actions that have been tested over generations are and they don’t have to deal with figuring out new solutions to the new problems.

Neptune Rx: Natives with this placement are often labeled as grim and being downers when they feel they’re just being the voice of reason. Neptune Rx knows subconsciously the consequences of getting one’s hopes too high and they know that life is rarely as magical as we build it up to be. While these people may seem to move through life without a sense of wonder since they keep their expectations low, it’s because they don’t want to ruin a truly beautiful moment by making it more than it is in their head.

Pluto Rx: Natives with this placement are often labeled as “chill”, or more frequently, unpassionate. People with a Pluto Rx are usually pretty good at letting things go, especially in their house/sign that Pluto Rx is in, because they know the consequences of obsessing over something. They generally avoid pain because although they are very capable of gritting through rough situations when they need to, they don’t like how those types of experiences shape people. Pluto direct people are more likely to accredit their strength to a hard event they overcame while Pluto Rx people are more likely to wish such events never happened. Inside, they know they have the strength to survive hardship so the appeal of proving that they can isn’t readily present. While they may seem to lack a bond that drives them, they’re quite happy living life in its more gentle manifestations.

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wineanddinosaur · 4 years

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Wine 101: Merlot

Inspired by one of VinePair’s most popular site sections, the Wine 101 Podcast takes an educational, easy-to-digest look into the world of wine. This episode of Wine 101 is sponsored by William Hill Estate Winery. To experience William Hill Estate Winery is to discover another side of Napa Valley. William Hill Estate Winery is a place where extraordinary vineyards are tucked away along the serene Silverado Trail. A place where you can still discover an incredible wine for the first time. A Napa Valley winery that is off the beaten path. At William Hill Estate, we believe the beauty of wine is in its simplicity, sincerity, sun, soil, and the power of human hands and minds. That’s the spirit in which we make our wines, staying as true to nature and its fruits as we can. William Hill Estate Winery, pair with life.

Welcome back to Wine 101. In this week’s episode, VinePair tastings director Keith Beavers goes through everything you need to know about Merlot: Its parentage, its use as a blending variety in wines like Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, and how its extreme popularity (and a line from the movie “Sideways“) has given it a bad reputation in more recent years.

As Beavers explains, the Merlot group came from two orphan grape varieties: Cabernet Franc and Madeleine. In France, Merlot is predominantly grown in Bordeaux, where it is celebrated for its blending abilities.

Outside of France, the grape is also grown in the Friuli region of Italy, as well as in Croatia, Slovenia, California, Washington State, and New York. Following the wine’s peak in popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it began to decline after being overly mass-produced and saturating the market, but, as Beavers explains, Merlot is worth a second try. The grape is used in many blends on the U.S. market — especially Pinot Noir, thanks to the 75 percent rule — meaning most are already consuming it, whether they are aware of it or not. And when it is done right, Merlot can be a beautiful, soft but round wine.

Listen Online

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My name is Keith Beavers, and Mercury is in such retrograde right now. Can you feel it?

What’s going on, wine lovers? Welcome to episode 22 of VinePair’s Wine 101 Podcast. My name is Keith Beavers, I’m the tastings director of VinePair, and salutations!

OK, here we are. We are at the Merlot episode. This is going to be awesome. It’s time to set the record straight on this awesome grape. I promise you’re gonna love it.

Often throughout these episodes, I have mentioned the variety Cabernet Franc, and I call it an orphan grape. And I never really explained what that means. We know that Cabernet Franc originated in the Basque region of Spain, where it was called Achéria. DNA profiling cannot find its parentage, so it’s an orphan grape. It appeared in the Basque region of Spain, and then it began to travel with humans, eventually making its way to the Bordeaux region.

If you were to head north off the coast of the Basque region of Spain, you would be in the Bay of Biscay. And if you go straight north from the Basque region, the town called Bilbao, which is the capital of that region, you would hit the northwestern peninsula of France, which is called Brittany. Inland from the coast of Brittany is a town called Saint-Suliac (my French is terrible). Here, in the middle ages, was a monastery or an abbey — monks were everywhere around this time. And of course being monks, they had vineyards and it’s thought that the Cabernet Franc grape, at the time, made its way to Brittany. And then from Brittany down into the Loire Valley, then from the Loire Valley down into Bordeaux.

One thing about Bordeaux that I couldn’t mention in the Bordeaux episode is that the majority of the activity in old-school Bordeaux before the Médoc was even created, because it was created, took place mostly south of the town of Bordeaux. A lot of wine was made in Entre-Deux-Mers, that big swath of forested vineyard land, where all the white wine is made now.

But there are a lot of vineyards all around that area. There’s also islands in the Garonne River where vines were planted back in the Middle Ages. And early on, these vineyards were not one set variety, they were field blends of different varieties. And it’s here in this mix of vineyards, maybe even on one of those islands and the Garonne River, where Merlot was born. And the DNA profiling for a long time showed that Cab Franc was a parent of Merlot. But at the time, no one could figure out what the second parent was. So let’s say Cab Franc was the father. Who was the mother?

In 1996, there was a vine sample that came from that little town Saint-Suliac from an abandoned vineyard on a slope called Mont Giroux. Brittany had abandoned all winemaking 200 years prior, actually to this day there’s only one vineyard in that area making wine. Nobody knew what this vine was, it didn’t even have a name. And then, a few years later in the Charente Department, which is just northeast of Bordeaux, this same vine was found on the front of four houses in four villages in that department. Is that cool, or what?

They actually named this grape the Grape of Madalena because at the time, the grape ripened around the holiday of Saint Madeleine, on July 22. Initial DNA profiling showed that it was also an orphan grape, so they named it Madeleine Noir de Charente, the black grape of Madeleine from the Department of Charente. And then in 2008, further DNA testing showed that it is, in fact, the mother of Merlot. No one knows where Madeleine came from. But two orphan grapes that probably came through Brittany and made their way down to the mixed vineyards of Bordeaux back in the day, and somehow, Cab Franc and Madeleine cross-pollinated and created Merlot.

And in the early 19th century, the Médoc has been around for a minute, and there is documentation coming out showing the origin of the name Merlot, which is really cool as well. It says that the name was given to the variety because there’s a blackbird in this area that likes this grape very much. And in the old tongue called Occitan, which is this very old language that’s been around this part of France and Spain for a long time, the name of the bird was Merlau. We started to see documentation about the Médoc, celebrating the Merlot grape as a blending partner to Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as Cab Franc, but Merlot has this softness to it that rounds everything out. And of course, on the Right Bank, Merlot is being focused on because it is an early ripening variety. And over on the Right Bank, it thrives because of the climate over on that side. And this is the home of Merlot. This is where it came from. And like we talked about in the Bordeaux episode, it reaches its peak of awesomeness on the Right Bank, specifically north of Saint-Émilion in the Pomerol appellation, specifically with Pétrus being a hundred percent Merlot, and another one called Le Pin. And this is something to know about this grape. It is not really known for its varietal character, so much as it is known mostly for its blending ability.

Merlot is a lot about texture, more than it is about varietal characteristics and aroma. But the cool thing about Merlot, and somebody who was part of the DNA profiling had this to say about it: From its mother Madeleine, it gets its early ripening because that grape was an early ripening variety, from its father Cab Franc, it gets it’s high-quality tannin and pigment. Also, when it’s grown in cooler climates, you can get some of this herbaceous nuance with Merlot and that is absolutely a characteristic that comes from Cab Franc.

It’s kind of wild. Cab Franc gives Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon its peppery stuff. I mentioned this in the Bordeaux episode, but we might as well mention it again because it’s the Merlot episode, the majority of those affordable Bordeaux coming from the Right Bank from the Côtes de Bordeaux and Bordeaux AOC and Bordeaux AOC Supérieur, those are all primarily Merlot blends. And this is aided by the fact that it is an early ripening variety but also it’s very friendly to a high yield. And speaking of high yields, California, my god … we’ll get there. So in its home, it’s known mostly as a blending variety, with few exceptions.

What happens when this grape leaves its home? We don’t see a lot of Merlot being celebrated outside of Bordeaux. There is Merlot being made in the southwestern part of France, north of Bordeaux, and also in southern France, but Bordeaux is really where it shines. But because of its early ripening and because of its friendly high yielding, it is the blending grape for the world, it seems, for red wine. As of 2010, it was the second-most-planted grape on the planet.

I love Merlot. I think it is such an awesome grape that makes awesome wine. It’s a workhorse around the world for blending, but there are places in the world outside of France that do 100 percent Merlot that is just stunning as well. If it’s done right, in the right soils, and the right climates, it is just beautiful. Even though the thing is it’s not really about aroma, you can get some blueberries sometimes, and there’s that peppery note that comes in, but it’s the texture of Merlot that is so wonderful. And one of those places in the world outside of France that makes Merlot this way is Italy. And not just Italy, Friuli. One day I should do a Friuli episode, am I right? The Merlot coming out of Friuli can be so wonderful. It’s often a 100 percent variety, sometimes it’s blended with Cab Franc, but the climate there and the soils and the slight elevation of their vineyards, just make the most beautiful Merlot. There actually is Merlot made on the lower plains area, which is a little more basic, but still beautiful and plump and juicy. But Merlot in Friuli is a thing, it’s not often available, but you should definitely try to seek it out, because that’ll give you a sense of what a 100 percent Merlot can taste like in one of its purest forms.

Actually, Merlot makes up 15 percent of the wine produced in Friuli. And sometimes they call it Merlott, with two “T”s at the end, because it’s part of their dialect. But what’s really interesting is there’s an actual agriturismo touring route called Strata de Merlot. It goes along one of the main rivers in Friuli, the Isonzo river. And you can travel along the river and you hit all these little towns and you drink Merlot the whole time. It’s real. It’s awesome. Outside of Friuli in northern Italy, Merlot has grown all over the place in the Veneto and the Trentino-Alto Adige, but significantly. Merlot plays a big role in the central part of Italy in Umbria. In Tuscany, in Chianti Classico, Merlot is allowed in their blends. And I have to say, there’s something really nice about a Merlot and a Sangiovese being blended together. Sangiovese has this crazy ripe cranberry and cherry thing going on, and Merlot comes in and softens and rounds it off. It’s just beautiful. Also in Bolgheri, which we’ve talked about before, Merlot is allowed in those blends and it softens the Cabernet that’s grown in that area. Just south of Tuscany in Umbria, there is a grape that’s native to that region called Sagrantino. It’s one of the most tannic varieties on the planet. It’s huge and ages forever. And sometimes, they blend that with Merlot and it’s just an amazing thing. What it does is it softens and keeps the depth, and it’s really an awesome blend. And they call that Montefalco Rosso, which is an appellation in Umbria.

Just across the border from Friuli in Slovenia, Merlot is awesome as well, because political lines don’t define terroir. So it’s a similar terroir to Friuli, it’s awesome stuff. Also down into Croatia, Merlot is done as well. I just say that because those wines are coming onto the market, and it’s something to look out for, but what we really have to talk about is why a lot of people are like, “Should we hate Merlot?” Thanks California.

OK, so it’s not California’s fault as a whole. In wine, it’s usually the human’s fault, not the wine’s fault, because the humans are the ones that make everything crazy. And this thing went crazy.

Merlot in California wasn’t really a thing before Prohibition. It wasn’t until the late ’60s, ‘69 into ‘70, that Merlot began to be experimented with as a blending variety to Cabernet Sauvignon, which was quickly becoming a very popular vine in the area. And it wasn’t until after the 1976 Judgment of Paris, and in 1980 when the first AVA was awarded to California in Napa Valley, that Merlot started really making a name for itself. Cabernet Sauvignon was so popular, and Merlot was such a great blending variety, Merlot was just everywhere. People started making Merlot on its own as a variety itself. And people started thinking, “Hey, this is really nice. It’s soft.” There was a quote calling it “Cabernet without the pain.”

So in the ’80s, it built and built, and by the 1990s, Merlot became one of the most powerful, popular wines out there. It was one of the most popular glass pours in America in the 1990s. In 1991 or ‘92, there were about 8,000 acres of Merlot under vine in California. By 1995, there were 26,000 acres of Merlot under vine in California, and they got more and more popular, and it got crazy. By 1999, this dude named Rex Pickett was writing a book about two loathsome dudes rolling around in wine country in Santa Barbara. For research, he would go to wine tastings. It was like $4 for a wine tasting back then, so he went to all these wine tastings, and what he realized was that no one liked Merlot. The people that were working the tasting rooms weren’t really a fan of it. And there was this perception at the time, Merlot had saturated the market so much, and so much mass-produced Merlot was being made, it went from being one of the most popular varieties to a variety that was so overdone, that people were done with it.

And the book “Sideways,” Rex Pickett had a few versions of it, and in one of the versions of the novel, that famous line from the movie is in it, but he deleted it from the final novel. And when the movie was being made, he gave the director of the movie every version of the novel that he had, and the director found that line and kept it in the script, because it was a good punchline for the movie.

But by 2003, there were over 52,000 acres of Merlot under vine in California. So in 2004, when the “Sideways” movie came out and that line hit, Merlot had been suffering for a while. It had not been a popular wine at all because of its over-saturation in the market. And of course, because of that amazing Pinot Noir monologue in the movie, Pinot Noir becomes the No. 1 grape in the world. It kind of takes Merlot’s place, if you will, as the soft alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon. And within a year after the release of the film, Merlot’s sales in California dropped by $77 million. That’s a big hit, it didn’t destroy the Merlot industry, but it definitely messed it up. And there were winemakers that make great Merlot in California that were like, “What going on?”

Merlot is not bad. It doesn’t make bad wine. It’s sort of what we’ve done with it that turned it into what it was. And Pinot Noir went down that path for a while as well. The popularity of Pinot Noir, and the oversaturation of it. You can’t mass-produce Pinot Noir, so it had to be blended with other varieties like Merlot and Syrah and be called Pinot Noir because of the 75 percent rule that’s available in the New World. It was a trend. Merlot is awesome.

To this day, 10 to 15 percent of all Merlot made in California goes into a California blend. It’s a blending variety. It just is. But when it’s in the right place. it can be beautifully done. And there are places, specifically in California, in Napa, that are very good for Merlots, that are often 100 percent Merlots. You have the cool climate of the Carneros region, which actually has some fun Merlots. Coombsville, Oak Knoll, and, of course, the famous Stags Leap district, which is near Carneros. Those areas have great soil and climate for good Merlot that people make, and they don’t have to blend it with other varieties.

Outside of California — Merlot is grown everywhere, it’s all over the United States. If there’s a wine- growing region in the United States, Merlot is being grown. It was once a big deal in Washington State, and they make great Merlot over there. But, like California, it was more popular in the ’80s and the ’90s. It’s still there, but just not as popular as Riesling.

New York is doing Merlot in a really wonderful way. Last episode, we talked about the Riesling happening in the Finger Lakes. Well, the Finger Lakes also does really great Cab Franc and Merlot. But Merlot really shines on Long Island, specifically on what’s called the North Fork of Long Island. It’s a bunch of old potato farms that are now vineyards, and it has a great climate. There’s actually a sign when you’re going to Long Island saying, “Last stop before Bordeaux,” because it’s across the ocean and stuff. But it’s a great place for Merlot, and I’m sure you’ll see some of that on the American market.

That’s Merlot, guys. Are you guys into it now? Is it something that you’re like, “You know what, man, Keith, you’re right. I’m going to go check out some Merlot.” Check it out, guys. It’s a great blending variety. It’s going to be in a lot of wines, whether you know it or not, especially in American wines. But it can really shine on its own as well. And it’s great in blends from Bordeaux. Give it a chance.

If you’re digging what I’m doing, picking up what I’m putting down, go ahead and give me a rating on iTunes or tell your friends to subscribe. You can subscribe. If you like to type, go ahead and send a review or something like that, but let’s get this wine podcast out so that everybody can learn about wine.

Check me out on Instagram. It’s @vinepairkeith. I do all my stuff in stories. And also, you got to follow VinePair on Instagram, which is @vinepair. And don’t forget to listen to the VinePair Podcast, which is hosted by Erica, Adam, and Zach. It’s a great deep dive into drinks culture every week.

Now, for some credits. How about that? Wine 101 is recorded and produced by yours truly, Keith Beavers, at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I want to give a big shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin. I also want to thank Danielle Grinberg for making the most legit Wine 101 logo.

And I got to thank Darby Cicci for making this amazing song: Listen to this epic stuff. And finally, I want to thank the VinePair staff for helping me learn more every day. Thanks for listening. I’ll see you next week.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article Wine 101: Merlot appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/wine-101-podcast-merlot/

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johnboothus · 4 years

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Wine 101: Merlot

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Follow Keith Beavers on Instagram

Or check out the conversation here

My name is Keith Beavers, and Mercury is in such retrograde right now. Can you feel it?

What’s going on, wine lovers? Welcome to episode 22 of VinePair’s Wine 101 Podcast. My name is Keith Beavers, I’m the tastings director of VinePair, and salutations!

OK, here we are. We are at the Merlot episode. This is going to be awesome. It’s time to set the record straight on this awesome grape. I promise you’re gonna love it.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article Wine 101: Merlot appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/wine-101-podcast-merlot/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/wine-101-merlot

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delfinamaggiousa · 4 years

Text

Wine 101: Merlot

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Follow Keith Beavers on Instagram

Or check out the conversation here

My name is Keith Beavers, and Mercury is in such retrograde right now. Can you feel it?

What’s going on, wine lovers? Welcome to episode 22 of VinePair’s Wine 101 Podcast. My name is Keith Beavers, I’m the tastings director of VinePair, and salutations!

OK, here we are. We are at the Merlot episode. This is going to be awesome. It’s time to set the record straight on this awesome grape. I promise you’re gonna love it.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article Wine 101: Merlot appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/wine-101-podcast-merlot/

source https://vinology1.wordpress.com/2020/10/22/wine-101-merlot/

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americanwitch13 · 5 years

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This has already taken affect in my life! Right at the end of Mercury retrograde I experienced a potentially bad miscommunication situation resulting in words being put into my mouth (not out of maliciousness but rather simply faulty memory) that really hurt my feelings (and possibly others' as well). Thankfully, on literally the day Mercury finally went direct, I had a heart to heart that cleared everything up and bonded me even deeper with that person. Communication is key, people, and always remember that we are only human, we are fallible, and sometimes we make mistakes not out of any ill intent, but rather because emotion can cloud memory and even create scenarios that never occurred or rewrite history. And that's totally ok! These things happen and as long as we're open to honest communication we can move mountains together. And if we're not, that's ok too. Sometimes truth bombs blow up relationships for a reason (especially if they're toxic and we were blinded to that fact). But other times, they can bring us even closer. I have a big mouth, constantly over-share, I'm terrible at lying, honest to a fault, and can't keep secrets and that's all gotten me into a lot of trouble since childhood but it's also helped me develop some of the best relationships and friendships of my life and I wouldn't trade them for the world. One of my old college roommates once told me that I'm a mirror and a truthsayer and that that will make a lot of people uncomfortable and not want to hang out with me, and it's true, I've experienced many people who can't handle that level of honesty about themselves or others and that's ok. Not everyone is cut out for that. Some people need masks for a variety of reasons. But I'm here for all you truly authentic, genuine souls who wear your hearts on your sleeves and forever insert feet into mouths. I've got your back. Let's go truth bomb the world and shatter deception! * (Image credit: @the_goddess_circle_ara) * #witch #witchesofinstagram #witchesofla #witches #witchcraft #solitarywitch #socialmediawitch #witchmemes #witchy #newage #witchywoman #witchlife #witchaesthetic #pagan #magick #mercuryretrograde https://www.instagram.com/p/B5QSzLpHZ1J/?igshid=axd8o4ma60v9

#witch #witchesofinstagram #witchesofla #witches #witchcraft #solitarywitch #socialmediawitch #witchmemes #witchy #newage #witchywoman #witchlife #witchaesthetic #pagan #magick #mercuryretrograde

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askluxnovalibra · 7 years

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i have saturn in 1st retrograde and venus in scorpio retrograde and that's really hard to deal with them. for you, what are the harder placements/aspects? or the harder to deal with? and what we can do to deal with them? 💜💜💜

funny, I have Saturn in the 12th retrograde! I’m still trying to learn about that one. There’s a lot of negative connotations with a Saturn Retrograde, stuff like you were a bad person in your past life and now you must make up for it in this life. It also makes us doubt ourselves, face our problems alone and in silence, and masks our feelings. In the 12th, it’s hard to pin down exactly what’s going on for me. I constantly have an internal struggle and a tarot reader I talked to even picked up on this lol she said that I’m constantly fighting myself and holding myself back. I think that also has to do with my Saturn opposite Sun. It’s odd, my Saturn and Sun are not only opposite signs, but are also in opposite houses: Libra sun in the 6th and Aries Saturn in the 12th. Basically, I think this is why I have a lot of self-doubt, insecurities, worried, extreme self-consciousness but also a lack of true self awareness. It causes fear and guilt, makes me think I don’t deserve good things or to be happy. It makes me shy and feel unimportant, fear criticism, and distance myself from others. It’s not a fun placement lmao. Advice for Saturn Retrograde is learning how to love yourself, faults included. Learning how to be patient and forgiving with yourself, to know it’s ok to not have life figured out or to not be where you want to be. Knowing only you have the power to make yourself safe, the power to control your own life and change what needs changing. It’s also your responsible to make yourself happy and not to rely on distractions to do so.

Scorpio venus as you probably know is tough to deal with. It’s just such a hot and cold placement, there’s so little middle ground. I haven’t had real a crush in over 4 years. I distance myself from people, and I get paranoid when guys try to talk to me (hardly ever lmao but still). I love love but I’m terrified of it. I don’t open up easily (in real life) and I don’t have someone I tell everything to, even though I’d like to. My Venus’s tightest aspect is a sextile to neptune which only makes my idealization of love worse. I escape through books/TV/daydreaming scenarios. It’s almost like I’d rather live in those worlds than in my own.

I’m used to it but a lot of people don’t know how difficult it is to have a Libra moon. You have to contend with constant melancholy, apathy, and just being bored of life. I’m tired all the time and have very little motivation do to anything. It’s a placement that insistently just nags at you, that reminds you that you aren’t truly happy that you’re just faking it for everyone else’s sake, and worried about them and therefore neglecting to take care of or even care about yourself.

Stellium are annoying too. Everyone that doesn’t have one is lucky lmao. I have 6th house (sun, moon, mercury), 7th (venus, mars, pluto), and 10th (uranus, neptune, jupiter). 6th makes me anxious, paranoid, stressed, neglecting of my health, and easily overwhelmed. 7th makes me constantly want love but afraid of opening up to others. It clouds my personality. 10th makes me both believe I’m special and believe I’m nothing at the same time. I want success but I’m afraid of it too.

Then I have an Aries-Libra interception. I have Cancer in both my 3rd and 4th house and Capricorn in my 9th and 10th house. And because of that sign interception, it means I have my sun and saturn as planet interceptions (something I just learned about recently). And when your sun and saturn are intercepted, it adds insecurity, self doubt, and inhibited personality growth. It’s odd because I have Libra intercepted but Libra is also my dominant sign. I’m basically a walking contradiction.

lmao I went a bit overboard with all that 😅😅 when it comes to advice, just know that it’s ok to be at whatever stage you’re at. Healing isn’t a straight line upwards, it’s got slopes and loops over itself. Patience and understanding. Meditation, journaling, and spiritual stuff may help too. I like talking to my guardian angel, it helps to release negative stuff

Hope that made sense 😅😬

#personal #hard placements #long #thank you for asking!!!!

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13signs · 7 years

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Mercury Retrograde: Aries-Pisces (Actions of the Heart) Mar 27-May20

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Evolving Door Astrology

At the end of March and through May 20, Mercury will once again confuse our senses, blur our vision, and test our common sense. The more intent we are on winning through force and self-fulfillment, the more we are liable for setbacks. We'll want to trust our hearts, but we should not take action on our heart's desire until late May. Our disappointments in our personal lives and relationships, anxiety about world events, financial instability, the banality of our culture will keep us in a fog of ennui, and we'll be looking for some kind of miracle or quick fix. We may depend on fate or luck, which precedes sloppy thinking and dangerously bad decisions. Reality fatigue can drive us into unrealistic fantasies. Mercury retrograde, in its pre-shadow, will start at 33 degrees Pisces on March 27, move into Aries March 30, and then (apparently) reverse itself April 8, retreating back into Pisces until April 22. As our fortunes go boom-and-bust, we can lose ourselves in self-pity, depression and anger.

Mercury will return to direct May 3, signaling a new start, but the post-shadow will last until May 20, where it is again appealing to our romantic attraction to ill-advised action. As an added warning, Pisces Mercury goes direct at the same day a Yod occurs, May 3, which is liable to catapult us into escapism and addiction, or self-sacrifice and victimization as we find ourselves poorer and powerless, in spite of our need for speed, particularly as Mercury again enters Aries for the second time on May 15.

The graphic above illustrates the entire sequence of the Spring Mercury retrograde experience from start to finish, from its Pre-shadow, the Retrograde to the Direct and the Post-shadow events. Mercury won't be a reliable ally again until the cycle is complete on May 20. In one way or another, our thoughts will be shrouded by alternating emotions, desperation and greed, and we will be desensitized to reality. If we start things we can't finish, we'll have to re-do them, since we will have had acted impulsively without being able to anticipate the consequences of the actions we take.

A perfect example of bravado in the face of difficulties is Trump's recent announcement that he intends to revive the coal industry by reducing regulations for worker safety and lowering wages to compete with China. On the face of it, this is sheer nonsense. There is no such thing as "clean coal" and anyway, Chinese coal is so cheap that even including shipping, they can undercut the American coal industry, as they did to our steel industry. No matter how low the wages, American workers will never see these jobs return. Trump is wasting his time and credibility offering these idiotic (Piscean) hopes to people in states that have been marginalized by global economics and the widespread replacement of coal as an energy source. Yet he intends to push ahead anyway, an Aries quality that can fall flat on its face during Mercury retrograde. Falling world-wide demand--only a few industries like the cement industry use coal--and the rapid move to renewable energy will doom this silly attempt to shove the genii back into the bottle!

The Pre-Shadow

The pre-shadow is when Mercury's tricks and other people's secret agendas sneak up on us like a thief in the night. A lot of people have concluded that the pre-shadow is as bad or worse then the actual retrograde! We bite off more than we can chew. Maybe that's because we're in danger but we don't know it yet, and can't see it coming. Being aware of the pre-shadow gives us a chance to be on the alert for any signs of self-delusion, and quash them quick. Like the hedgehog sticking its head out of its burrow too soon, we can't know what to expect, the environment isn't friendly to our dreams, and a predator may be waiting silently, ready to pounce. We have to err on the side of caution, and take no chances. Mercury enters Aries on March 30, so any errors of judgment can mean destruction, violence or an accident, especially when we find ourselves in conflict. The tendency will be to push ahead anyway, no matter the dangers. However, like a woman in labor, this is not the time to push ahead. We have to wait until the cervix dilates to accommodate the baby's head. The bold impulse, no matter how visceral, will lead to difficulties, if not immediately, then down the road, where we'll have to face them eventually.

Mercury Retrograde

By the time Mercury actually goes retrograde, it may be already too late to avoid blunders. If we have ventured boldly into new territory, we're not going to be able to proceed without failure. The pre-shadow gave us a chance to stop and double check everything--even the smallest detail. If you did not heed the danger signs, during the retrograde period, your desperation may lead you to even riskier chances, winner-take-all gambles that will backfire on you. This isn't a good strategy. We are dealing with the unknown threat. We must not become lax or overconfident, which will lead to mistakes. We can be the eternal optimist, the luckiest person alive, but optimism and luck will surely fail us now, just when we are counting on it. We have to delve deeper, beyond appearances, with an even greater sense of skepticism. The future lays in wait for us like a plunging barometer, and we must take the warning seriously. The guiding premise is: don't listen to your own needs or desires, Mercury is not favoring them. Life is more complicated.

Mercury's official Retrograde starts April 8, when it has reached 5 degrees Aries. The Sun is still in Pisces until April 17, so Pisces is still milking our egos. Interestingly enough, Samsung is introducing its newest phone, the S8, which they have named the "dream" in late April. Samsung has a history of rushing products to market that are not ready--their infamous exploding batteries--and the announced release date during Mercury Retrograde would place their new phone in that same category.

This is not the time for beginnings, or starting projects. Instead of building a new house, fix the roof on the old house. During Mercury retrograde, a new house will not be built correctly, it will have hidden flaws that will only show up later.

If we are susceptible to the liars, open and trusting to them, we will pay the price for their deceit and our gullibility. Anyone who takes out a loan, buys into a get rich quick scheme, empties out their bank account, falls in love, will suffer losses during this period. Above all, avoid becoming another liar, avoid exaggerating your position or power. This will lead to a fall. The bigger the lie, the harder the landing.

The best way to face this Mercury in Aries backward movement is to avoid impulsive actions; something-for-nothing windfalls; especially when it looks too good to be true. Take the time to research anyone's claims during the retrograde period, delay any contract or initiation if possible, and not act on them until after May 20. Let the buyer beware and due diligence are the key watchwords of this time period. When a new project involves your own force of will, beware. If you act on self-interest you will be sorry later, and have no one to blame but yourself. The con man gets conned during Mercury retrograde!

Mercury Direct

The catch-phrase for Mercury direct is: cool your jets and don't take the bait! On May 3, Mercury resumes its forward motion at 32 degrees Pisces, but it's still not safe to make assumptions that everything is OK. We can easily be seduced or enticed to think everything is back to normal. Even though it's moving ahead again, Mercury will not have achieved the same degree it was in when the whole cycle began. Mercury must get back to the degree it was in before the retrograde motion began, which is 5 degrees Aries. This won't happen until May 20, even though Mercury enters Aries for a second time May 15 to tempt us into thinking everything is green-lighted and we can force our way past delicate mechanisms that can trap us. Mercury direct is a period of waiting and caution, were we watch unfolding events with some trepidation that all is not what it seems, in spite of our own determination otherwise.

We should act on our plans and ambitions with renewed vigor only after Mercury has shed the ghosts of the past, and we are operating on facts, not wish-fulfillment. We can then give ourselves over to the future with renewed confidence that things will go as hoped, which only occurs after May 20. Think of it as a bank account where you have been withdrawing money, and shrinking your assets. Although you stop taking money out, you have to deposit new money to build it back up to where it was.

The Endgame: Post-Shadow

We enter the post-shadow May 9, which lasts until May 20. It tells us that we cannot be sure we've won the race until we actually cross the finish line. Last-minute snafus can derail us. If we make assumptions about our success, we can get clotheslined just when we think we have achieved victory. Although Mercury makes progress through the shadow, and things are less liable to hurt us, there are always details that can knock us out of the race, surprises that can still cause loss just when we think we have won victory.

We won't be out of this loop until May 20, when Mercury moves past the point when it started fooling us. Although things will gradually improve during this period, it's still not 100%. This is a time for reflection, regeneration and regrouping. Learn from previous broken dreams and schemes. As Mercury enters the post-shadow, look around, consider what you have done, even turn around to question what you thought you already knew. Make a checklist. Look at your motives and your aspirations carefully. Study your failures and learn from your enemies. Don’t go looking for the grand slam or a big breakthrough, be satisfied with fixing what has been broken or spoiled; be humble. Nothing is perfect, but improvements are possible. At the end of the post-shadow, you can go on your merry way, knowing that, at the very least, your personal strength and force of will can help solve whatever problems come your way, instead of adding to them. Congratulations! you have survived another Mercury retrograde!

#13 sign astrology #astrology #mercury retrograde #Mercury in shadow #ponzi scheme #Pyramid scheme #miracle #heart over mind

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mikazukikannagisjourney · 4 years

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Gemini New Moon x Scorpio Full Moon Energetic Message Combo, May 22 2020 (but can be timeless)

In a nutshell: Retrograde season is upon us, and everything that has been pushed in the backburner for so long are now coming up to be acknowledged. With so many planets slowing down, not only will the pandemic aftermaths cause so much havoc and chaos and destruction in systems that no longer work, but the flexibility or resilience of many people will be challenged. To the max. However, this is not an entirely negative thing as these series of events can give the whole world a lot of time not just to look back and reflect, but also to put closure on things that needed to be ended, even if it means diving down into the pain of doing the uncomfortable things. In everything you are doing right now, please know this: It is time to face who we truly are, and be open to accept everything, from the good, the bad, the ugly, and all that exists in between. Only by doing so can we be free to be who we truly are, as the Source beings that have always been deserving and so worthy of love. Hi everyone, how are you all doing? I hope you are all thriving in these interesting times. And by interesting, I mean it's kinda extreme right now. So if you feel like you're being wrung dry and have nothing left, don't worry, it's a mass consciousness thing. Plus we have a lot of retrograde planets such as Venus (love, relationships, and money), Jupiter (travel, expansion, learning, luck), Saturn (reaping the consequences of your actions aka karmic shits, and surprisingly, agriculture), Pluto (secrets, buried things that needed to be released, death and rebirth, changes) and by next month, our favorite retrograding planet Mercury (communications, commerce), and based on what each planet rules, it's going to feel like a white water rafting ride with no paddles, no light, and no boat lol OK I am not here to bring fear, because retrograding planets just send us a message on what we need to review, to relearn, to release, and whatever re-doing needs to happen in our personal lives. Yeah, I have to put a disclaimer here that right now, it is most prudent to put our energies on our own personal stuff. Why? Because at it's core, we can only control ourselves. We can only change our own self. True change is something that happens innately, and even if you thought you initiated a change in someone, unless that someone has imbibed the impact of your action, they won't change for very long. So instead of using up all of your energies and resources on forcing the world to change and then getting frustrated because you can't change the external, why not try putting all of those efforts into your own self? I mean, it's worth trying, if it's for your own good. Try a new perspective, see different viewpoints, put yourself in other peoples’ shoes? Enter into a new realm of infinite possibilities? If it doesn't help shift your mindset or your energies, or at the very least make you feel comfortable for 5 minutes, well, at least you tried. That's an effort that you made for yourself, to move forward even for a bit, and be proud that you did that for yourself. Not everyone is up for that, and you choosing to put efforts on YOU is a wonderful gift for yourself in this bewildering yet energetically funky times. Because change is inevitable, albeit even necessary, and as the law of evolution mildly suggests: evolution does not favor the fittest or the strongest or the largest, but rather the most adaptable ones. Think mammoth versus elephants. Which animal is alive right now, the fluffy or the not fluffy? Of course, as always, I am not saying all of these stuff sitting on a cloud. Oh good glob no. To be honest, I am not immune to this massive energetic shift, and the reason I was unable to make a Scorpio Full Moon post (my apologies) is because I felt like I was dying, literally and figuratively. My entire body ached, it was too humid that I kept getting asthma, and I just couldn't function cognitively because of anxiety attacks, for lack of better terms. It felt like a drugged stupor, I honestly couldn't remember how I even managed to survive that period. And it felt so dense and heavy, I couldn't complete the full moon release ritual until about 3 days after, but I still got to do it so my energies could clear and be a bit more functional. It wasn't fun but I just simply told myself that I needed to learn how to surrender and it's one way to do it. Despite the bombardment of all the things that I ever did wrong, the regrets, the painful memories, literal PTSD flashbacks, yeah if you felt those and you still have them, I feel for you. I have an energetic support photo below to help you fam. So... What can I expect from the coming weeks and months? Well, I am so glad you asked. The next weeks and months can make things interesting, some unexpected events can happen, people, emotions, memories, events can come back to haunt you. You know, fun stuff. Again, before you explode into a huge blabbering, cussing mess, please, please, let this be an invitation for you to grow into your best self. You don't have to go all the way, you can just try it out, be with yourself, ask what needs to be released, reviewed, redone, revisited, realigned, re-examined, or re-accepted, or whatever re-prefixed word you have lol

But really...

I was gonna write that same stuff for the previous Scorpio Full Moon and I thought there's gonna be a new message for this Gemini new moon, but apparently it's the same, and with even greater intensity as well as relevance. Just a discaimer, I don't watch energetic updates from others anymore, so I won't know if what I'm gonna put in here has been said by others. OK,this post is a combo message, and using the energies of Scorpio (with Pluto energies of death and rebirth) as well as Gemini (with Mercurial energies of communication and basic or foundational learnings) this new moon is giving us all a chance to face a figurative form of death and eventual rebirth by communicating with our subconscious, everything that we have buried and forgotten and lost and all that jazz, so that we can be reborn into our true selves, as children of Source, the universe, God, however you call your higher powers. We deserve such recognition, but nobody is going to do that for us but our own selves, so might as well start that journey now. It is a way to show up to the world, the universe, and for ourselves. No pressure to keep ploughing through though, just keep at it in your own pace, at a speed that allows you to move with changes without meeting any form of resistance. Just remember that with each change comes a shift of everything, and let me tell you that you don't have to rush, but rather allow things to settle in, otherwise your body will rebel, and that isn't the most fun. Symptoms can include bellyaches, gas, a lot of coughing or mucus discharges or respiratory unrest (not COVID-19 related), and if you're a lady having that time of the month, extra-bleeding (probably releasing so much stuff from the Sacral center, I know I did), and your muscles or bones failing you at some point. Just maintain proper nutrition, eat what your body needs. Also, really painful memories can also resurface, and if you can transmute them aka cry them out without putting any thinking, like literally just feel them out until the emotional charge passes, please do that too. Please do not, by any means re-stuff them back, the memories with charged emotions just wanted to get acknowledged and be sent back to source, so just allow them to do that. It's ok to express anger, rage, sadness, being petty, etc. as long as you don't project those energies to other people, because involving other people can make things messy, especially if you're asking for forgiveness but because they're unaware and asleep (unlike you who's awake) they will never do that. Believe me. So if you need more energetic support to make things more manageable and less overwhelming, there are lots of energetic healings out there, you can try one or try them all (ahem, ahem lol). Also, while you're at it, please drink a lot of water, stay hydrated especially when you're living at the latitudes near the equator. I was gonna type in more stuff but my flow seems to have halted. No biggie though, because I'm adding an energetically-infused photo here (my photo of shelf fungi gives me a vibe of a solar system lol) to give support to everyone who reads this, across all space and time. Seriously, these are energetically erratic times but you always have a choice on how you'll react. Whatever works for you is perfect for you in this time.

Anyway, I truly hope this post made sense to you, made a resonance, or simply acknowledged any of the uncomfortable stuff that you have been feeling lately. If you have any questions, please do not hesistate to ask, my asks are always open. You can even ask anon mode. Thank you for reading this very long post, and may you grow into your best self. Wishing you all the best, Mikazuki

PS. If you found the information in this post to be very helpful, insightful, and of great value to you and your own personal journey, please feel free to reblog, share and heart/like, or if you feel super-generous, energetic exchanges are welcomed! Please click here and use this email address: [email protected]

Thank you so much and be blessed!

PSS. If you’re interested to get a personal card and energetic reading, for inquires please send an email or an anonymous ask in this page. Thank you! =)

#new moon in gemini 2020 #new moon in gemini #full moon in scorpio #full moon in scorpio 2020 #scorpio full moon x gemini new moon post #energetic support #energy-infused photo #reiki support #reiki-infused photo #new moon in gemini may 22 2020

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28-11s · 5 years

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i’m going to start off this post with an apology for disappearing again, especially before valentine’s day. i was trying to hold back from doing it so i could spend the 14th with you and finally ask you out on a date but my need to ghost prevailed and well. yeah. it’s been rough like it hasn’t been in months, (and i think you understood it since i haven't posted here in days) but i guess it is because i’ve been dealing with constant uneasiness? i’m actually not sure what’s wrong, though. do you ever feel anxious even when things are going well? like, you cannot sleep or focus on your work or do anything really because you’re too busy feeling overwhelmed? it’s horrible, especially when you cannot pinpoint the reason and so you end up just locking yourself away. we're going to blame mercury retrograde and not my mental health, tho. especially since sun and mercury are in pisces. 🤕 🤢 i’m sorry for being so distant both physically and emotionally and just... not being there for you. the worst thing about me ghosting is in fact not knowing what to say once i feel better. i can write here rather easily but the moment i have to dm you i feel awkward and guilty and i never know how to act... i’m not good at saying sorry but appearing randomly after days without saying anything makes me feel even worse, so i never know how to be. but anyway, that’s not what I want to talk about in this message. i needed to feel better the other day so i checked the padlet and found the message that you wrote a month ago… it hit me a lot and kinda really resonated with me. it sucks how late I saw it and I feel really bad since you opened up to me so well and idk, it’s like i looked down at your effort by not replying immediately, even though it was involuntarily. but i cannot just ignore it so here’s my (late) reply to all of that. first of all, let me tell you how much i appreciate the straightforwardness of that message. it gave me an input on how you have been feeling and it also made me feel closer to you, especially considering the fact that i can strongly relate. not gonna lie, I hadn’t cried (like, actually cried with sobs and all that shit) in months but i couldn’t even reach the middle of the message because i literally couldn’t see SHIT. knowing you have been struggling with these emotions is… devastating? to try and explain: it’s like the whole world came crashing down. this whole ghosting thing isn’t something i can actually get mad at you for, because i know how exhausting life can get and how comforting being alone can be. as you can see, i do that a lot, too… which is why i make “excuses” for you. of course, when it gets to three weeks it stings and i do get annoyed at times . but it’s not something i will crucify you over? especially because it would be super hypocritical of me. so, please, don’t ever think that you’re “taking advantage of me” or whatever, because you’ve been nothing but amazing to me for the past years and i literally /know/ that i couldn’t do better than this even if i tried to. you’re one of the few good things in my life rn and if i haven’t gone completely insane yet is thanks to you too. and while i'm happy you do know that i sincerely treasure you a whole lot, i can't help but get worried because of you being insecure. you're human and like everyone else, you experience lack of confidence, and honestly i'm glad you told me about it. more than insecure, i’d say i’m way too paranoid for my own good. i often get ugly thoughts that try to make others look like they’re out to get me and i always have to stop, take a deep breath and remind myself that not everyone is trying to hurt me, but i also get those moments of "what if". what if i say this and sound weird or what if i talk too much about myself and make royal uncomfortable by coming off as vain. and there are times where i hesitate or straight up don’t post on the blog because i don’t want to burden you with /my/ emotions, so i understand that too well. but we've talked about this so many times: we both have to fix these problems, but you know it won't happen overnight and every single little step counts, even if it requires lots of courage and trust. i don't think you realize how happy it makes me when you reach out randomly or open up to me directly. it makes me feel trusted, worthy and useful, so please don't villainize yourself for being human and wanting to share your feelings with others. you're far from being toxic and you need to finally understand that you're not putting any kind of pressure on me and being able to help you, even if just by listening, helps me as well. we deal with situations and feelings that are similar and i've found a solution to my problems the times we've opened up to each other. but lol. that part right there about you being self serving pissed me off so fucking bad, you have no idea. when i say i cannot find a single flaw in you, i mean it. i know it might sound fake or exaggerated but it's true. you’re one of the kindest and most selfless people i know and it's hard to even imagine you as selfish or “self serving”. i want you to think for a minute. do you think you’ve ever done anything to me to get you the title of self serving? i have a really good memory when it comes to you and i can assure you are far from being that. you have NEVER asked for anything, you have NEVER made me feel wrong or treated me badly. obviously i don't know what happened in your previous relationship and even after * dmed me to befriend me and then ask me to deliver you that message, i’ve been meaning to ask you about your dating history since i don’t think i have ever seen you as upset as you were those times, but it felt like i was being nosy and out of place so i just sucked it up and moved on. ngl though, i have been curious about it. both because i want to learn something new about you and because i want to be prepared. i told you about keo and how he mostly affected my self-esteem, so i kinda feel bad for not knowing about what has affected /you/ in the past. folds hands. let me also add something. me being scared of confrontation isn’t an excuse for us to avoid talking directly about certain things. if we keep on avoiding any kind of serious talking 1) i’ll never learn how to deal with it 2) i think we’ll be missing out on a huge part of relationships and on the long run it will show. and i’m not exactly scared of confrontation. i’m scared of hurting you by saying something wrong. i get so defensive /and/ passive aggressive for no reason when i feel the mood shift and it makes me say really mean things just to get a reaction out of people. but i’ll never be able to fix it if i don’t start talking with my own partner. but still. you’ll have to be the one to bring it up if you want to because i’m still a scaredy-cat after all and i’ll never start anything. <3 you have also talked about me deserving better and it reminded me of all the times i’ve said you do deserve someone better and you said that you don’t care because i’m the one you want. it goes both ways, really. there is someone out there for me, even more than one person, but just like there is someone else out there for you too. but it literally does not matter to me if someone is waiting, because i don’t want them. i want You. you're the love of my life and my best friend and i seriously cannot imagine my life without you. i can promise you that i will be here by your side. we can be scared of being vulnerable together. LMFAOOOOO WHY IS THIS SO LONG I'M SO SORRY FUCK AND I AM NOT EVEN DONE SINCE YOU POSTED ANOTHER MESSAGE ON THE PADLET AND I WANNA REPLY TO THAT TOO. yes it takes me days to reply to one (1) singular message yes i live like this. anyway the latest message put me in such a good mood. your care package isn't here yet but i can already tell that it is going to work perfectly. but?! your hobby is literally naming pets after food or things and honestly? i respect that life. i still remember when you talked about wanting to get a cat to name it pancake. 🥺 i hope you took pictures of your friend's dog, though. 😡 and on god i knew something was gonna happen to you. kisses your wrist and puts a bandaid on it. the fact that you're still running around sleep-deprived and with a sprained wrist is so You. fucking sagittarius sun gemini rising headass. but OMFG I USED TO LISTEN TO THAT SONG WHEN I WAS A KID. you brought back so many memories. </3 while my baby was being a busy bee, i was busy being Lazy. my week has been kinda ok? i've been spending my days watching stuff on netflix but now i'm sad because i saw a possible spoiler of the drama that i am currently watching aND . I DIDN'T SPEND THE LAST FOUR DAYS CRYING FOR THEM TO PULL THIS SHIT. also since there is straight up a coronavirus outbreak in my region, all the schools are closed and the shops have to close down at 6pm so i don't have to work at the office this week! a win! kinda! if we ignore the reason why i can stay home! will that stop me from going out though? absolutely not. x today i went to the gym despite the warnings lolz and i even passed out so fr who's doing it like me! then i went grocery shopping and i napped for like 6 hours. i had an appointment with my old school's head master scheduled for tomorrow since we have to talk about uni and stuff but they cancelled it :/// so i'll spend my day maybe doing some work and Sleeping. anyway. this message is a big mess but i mith you so bad and i feel so shitty for disappearing and i'm over being a ghost so! we're sleeping together tonight. :)

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psychicmedium14 · 7 years

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Mercury Retrograde is infamous for being a time of challenge and miscommunication where life turns upside down. There are ongoing jokes that its best just to stay in your house during Mercury Retrograde… To avoid traveling, talking to people, starting new projects or making decisions… While there's a small level of truth in some of this… Mercury goes retrograde 3-4 times per year, so the whole “avoid people and stay indoors approach really isn't realistic. Plus, there are positives to Mercury Retrograde when you're aware of its influence, and consciously make the most of these almost month long periods. Keep in mind, astrological influences like Mercury Retrograde are based on the basic premise that each of the planets in the sky have an effect on us in the physical. The position of the planets, their movement, and the relationships between them and us, influence everything from personality, mood, relationships, as well as personal and global events. In astrology, the planet Mercury rules communication, intelligence, memory, self-expression, technology and transportation. So depending on where Mercury lies in your birth chart, a great deal about how you communicate, perceive and relate to the world around you can be revealed. So what is Mercury Retrograde really? The planet Mercury orbits the sun at a faster rate than the Earth, and so a few times a year, Mercury catches up with Earth, and passes us on our journey around the Sun. When Mercury makes the pass, from our perspective it appears to slow down, stop completely and then move backwards. This backwards movement is the retrograde period. Of course, it’s not really moving backwards, it’s just an optical illusion from Mercury passing the Earth in it’s orbit, between the Earth and the Sun. Three times a year, Mercury makes this pass in orbit and from our perspective on Earth it appears to move backward. Each time Mercury makes the pass there is a retrograde period lasting about three weeks. As I mentioned above, Mercury rules travel, technology, and communication… So the common belief is that when Mercury is retrograde (appearing to move backwards), these areas of life move backwards, upside down and act haywire for about three weeks as well. Mercury Retrograde definitely has a bad rap. Many people associate it with communication mishaps, lost keys, technology challenges, travel delays, electronic failures, and more… With a basic search you can find long lists of things to avoid and things that could go wrong for you this retrograde period. But remember… You’re co-creating your life experience. So yes, if you focus on all the negative aspects of Mercury Retrograde, they will likely manifest for you! There are however, some advantages to the Mercury Retrograde period too! If you haven’t heard about them, I’m not surprised… It is easier to focus on the challenges, but becoming aware of the opportunity can help you to consciously make the choice to embrace the unique energy of Mercury Retrograde, and to use this time to manifest blessings in your life throughout the rest of the year. Mercury Retrograde – A Positive Meaning? Mercury Retrograde has a way of opening our eyes up to what we were unable, unwilling, or just too busy before to actually see. This makes Mercury Retrograde a wonderful time to review what you are doing. Rather than jumping into something new, it’s a great time to finish up existing projects, refine and make your existing work better, and reveal solutions and innovations where you may have felt blocked or stagnated before. It may also be easier to see things from another vantage, or another person’s perspective. Yes, sometimes you will need to be patient, as transportation, technology, and communication need a bit more time. But when you’re open to the energy of Mercury Retrograde, this doesn’t have to be a bad thing and can all be like a breath of fresh air when you realize it’s ok to slow down a bit, be patient, and let things work themselves out. Sometimes stepping out of your normal routine (as Mercury may trigger for you) is the best way to refresh yourself, gain a deeper understanding, or see things in a new way. Mercury Retrograde does sometimes show us things we need to redo, fix, or change completely. So rather than being frustrated when you realize something needs to be rebuilt, think of it as an opportunity to create something even better than you would have before. Mercury Retrograde and Communication: In terms of communication, some people might tell you to stay indoors, unplug your phone, and avoid talking with everyone so you can limit communication issues that sometimes seem to be more prevalent during Mercury Retrograde. While communication can sometimes more challenging during this time, those sticky conversations usually have a purpose, and can lead to breakthroughs, deeper insights and more authentic relationship connections. Mending past conflicts, clearing miscommunication, and clearing Karma are all very real possibilities for the types of powerful communication work that can come about during Mercury retrograde. Its also a great time to reflect on your own communication style with yourself and others. How can you more lovingly communicate your meaning while still speaking your truth? What does your inner voice and self-talk sound like? Are you loving and supporting your self, or could how you talk to yourself be an area in need of an overhaul? The key is to trust your intuition, be honest, and keep your heart open to make the most of the communication opportunities during this time. Remember, Mercury is not really moving backwards, it’s just an illusion. Keep this in mind when things like communications, technology, or travel seem to be moving backwards for you! It’s all for a purpose, and rather than backwards movement, it’s an opportunity to make things better, finish something more completely, or look at things in a new way you may have missed the first time around. Mercury Retrograde is the perfect time to practice patience, to reflect on your life and what you’re working on, to finish you current projects and to view reality, and all aspects of life in a more positive, and entirely new light. Most importantly stay positive, keep your heart open, and know that very soon Mercury will once again be direct and you’ll be moving forward at a rapid pace in all areas of your life. The Archangels and Mercury Retrograde: Insight into which Archangels to call upon during Mercury retrograde can be found by looking at the Astrological correspondences. Archangel Raphael: The planet Mercury is traditionally associated with Archangel Raphael. In addition to healing, Archangel Raphael also oversees travel, which is one of the areas Mercury Retrograde is known to complicate. Call on Archangel Raphael to help smooth out any hurdles or challenges you may encounter while traveling during Mercury Retrograde. As a planet, Mercury is the astrological ruler of signs Gemini and Virgo. Archangel Gabriel: Gabriel is the Archangel corresponding with Gemini, and also happens to be the Archangel of communication. Call upon Archangel Gabriel during Mercury Retrograde to help keep the lines of communication clear and open. Gabriel can also help to ease challenges with technology, especially those related to communication such as cell-phones, the internet, and computers. If you're feeling a bit worn out and drained, ask Gabriel to surround you with her golden healing light to refresh your energy and give you the strength to contnue onward! Archangel Metatron: Finally, Archangel Metatron is the Archangel who corresponds with Virgo (also ruled by Mercury). Metatron offers incredibly powerful support any time there are energetic shifts happening (like right now)… He can help you to make the most of the Mercury retrograde energies by not only staying balanced, but also supporting you in reviewing where you are re-evaluating the path you're on, and realigning with a your true soul path and purpose on a deeper level. Really, to make the most of Mercury Retrograde… Think “RE”! REst REset REveal Re-fresh Re-evaluate Re-align Re-view Re-do Re-learn Re-think Re-write Re-boot Re-discover Re-boot Enjoy this little slow down that is Mercury Retrograde, by taking the opportunity to breathe, review, refresh, and just be. Don't rush into things… Take time to enjoy the process, review and reflect, and use this retrograde to realign with synchronicity and the Divine nature of time.

#astronomy #moon #solar eclipse

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