#not to promote anything unhealthy or whatever but personally?

[bipolarbuttercup]

Do you get the fun kind of mania? Because I just get Rage-Flavored and I haaaaaaaate iittttttt

heheheh ahahahah i dooooo in fact its 4am and i just got back from a wild night out >:] honestly sometimes u gotta dance it off yknow like that bubbling snarling feeling in your chest is real fuckin good on the dance floor <3 hard to say something outta pocket if you're too lost in the sauce to speak and its too loud to hear lmao i just love going nonverbal on the beat >:]

[aurekiwi]

Your love life within the next 6th months?

𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐳𝐞 | follow me | support me (ko-fi)

Pile 1 ; Pile 2 ; Pile 3

Be aware that this pick-a-card(picture) reading consists of only three piles, meaning that it won't resonate for everyone. Some of you may not have a relationship within the next six months. This PAC reading was for a very specific audience. Open it only if you feel drawn to opening this reading. Please let your intuition guide you when deciding which pile to choose!

Any form of feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Pile 1

Hello Pile 1! Within the next six months, you may feel pretty overwhelmed due to your work and personal responsibilities that you might not really a strong pull towards having a romantic relationship with anyone. It can also be that your life is a bit turbulent and you don't really have the time or energy to meet with someone. I do see that you might fall in love with someone or have a big crush on someone, but it feels more like a situationship or an interaction that'll leave you feeling upset and disappointed in the end. Whatever romantic interaction you have with this future person may drag out for a bit of time but unfortunately end on a not-so-desired note- you'll have to move on from this bond. You may meet this person through your workplace or your school, or in a particular setting where you need to work with someone on a mutual goal or a project. You may establish a bond with this person initially through mutual interests and compatible personalities that is discovered through interacting with this person while working together.

Pile 2

Hello Pile 2! I think some of you may already be in a relationship and some may have someone in mind at the moment and have thoughts to establish a romantic relationship with a person of interest. This person of interest seems to be surrounded by lots of Pentacles energy. For some of you, I'm feeling boss, a leader of some organization/company, some kind of authority figure. For some of you, I'm feeling a coworker/peer/classmate. You may feel that the two of you are compatible and ignore earlier signs of turbulence. It feels unbalanced. The relationship feels like there's a focus on infatuation rather than something more grounded and secure. You may put in way too much time and energy that isn't reciprocated, leaving you feeling emotionally burnt out, upset, and unheard. Some of you may have the relationship consumed of sexual relations with a lack of communication. Some may turn to substances or some unhealthy addictions to cope. Some may struggle with co-dependence or excessive trauma-bonding. I also sense knowing how to hurt the other person and saying something that'll hurt the other person on purpose to establish power within the relationship. Overall, I think the relationship will be short-lived and end within the next six months. After the relationship, you'll find that you feel really free, like you can do anything you want and roam free, a breath of fresh air almost. You're asked to reestablish balance in your life after the separation, to start anew as the kind of person you truly are rather than matching someone's likes/type. You are much more than just XYZ's lover. Stay away from substances or any other unhealthy addictions. Go out with friends, with loved ones that make you happy. Have a great time with those who truly care about you and your well-being.

Pile 3

Hello Pile 3! Within the next six months, you may find yourself struggling with lots of overthinking, internal conflicts, or arguments with those who're around you. I looked into what it might be about, and it seems like it'll be arguments about how you're going forward in terms of life decisions, it can also be able something related to career such as a promotion gone wrong, rejection from a program that you thought you'd be getting into, etc. Lots of turbulence and unfortunately just a chaotic time where it feels like the ground beneath you just opened up and you're completely taken aback by everything that is happening. Within this dark and stressful time, however, you'll be uniting with someone who brings you balance, strength, hope, and motivation. A new relationship, a new lover, or the return of a lover who has been your lover for lifetimes. This person will help you through a very hard time. They will be very patient with you and show their support for you so that you don't feel alone. They'll be there to listen to you when you feel frustrated about your current circumstances, kind of help you start moving again. They'll show you the power and control that you have over your own life, that you can do anything and become anything that you want to be. I think they'll help you recover your relationship with your inner voice, your conscience, the "you" that you ignored for a long time due to the people that surrounded you at the time who made you feel you had no control over your own life. I think this will be a very healing relationship and one that is very nurturing and balanced. This sounds like a beautiful bond!

[a-d-nox]

pac: what awaits you at the end of the rainbow and how can you follow the path to abundance?

take what resonates leave what doesn't - nothing is 100% for you because these aren't personalized so please no angry comments or dms about what i am saying not being a good fit for you or that you "don't claim" just keep scrolling if that is the case. be kind, self reflect, and have fun.

last pac/pap: how to promote self-love going forward

masterlist of pap/pac posts

want a personal reading? click here to check out my reading options and prices!

pile 1

it is not the time for you to receive your riches. don't wander in the direction of hope or "wishful thinking" - there is fool's gold waiting for you there. you are hesitant for a good reason - trust your gut. when things seem more certain, then take a chance. i also sense that you aren't ready to release old splendor to make room for new riches. change is scary but is well worth it - you just have to let go of what is no longer meant for you so you have the space for new things. trust the universe and yourself to bring you what you need. the universe is waiting for you to be more satisfied with your present situation before it offers you new abundance - you keep thinking about what you once had - stop doing that. stop waiting for your outer circumstances to change and change your inner ones.

put energy towards noticing signs from the universe so that you can release yourself from the old things that no longer serve you. accept your spiritual gifts, move on from past pains, and embrace new found awareness.

pile 2

the universe is delaying your security - feel like you have a big goal in mind and that you are faced with obstacle after obstacle. you are disconnected from the world around you. you have an opportunity upcoming in the form of riches to be found. be patient and listen to your heart throughout the process. this is a time to have hope and to be on your best behavior - release toxicity and unhealthy habits. know that sometimes the unpopular opinion is the best one to have. don't doubt yourself - you are about to reach your goal. the universe is just testing you before giving you what you desire most. patience is your friend - tune into you intuition to figure out what this is.

whatever you do, don't avoid anything at present. procrastination will only delay you in receiving your good fortune. try new things and face the inevitability of change. accept your feelings of being uncomfortable - trust that you are on the right path to receive your riches.

pile 3

you are about to be released from financial challenges and burdens. trust the universe and stop fearing the potential of slipping back into a situation in which you could face hardships. have faith that your situation is changing. fate is leading you towards something very important - you are moving from a painful cycle into a more harmonious one. trust that there is rebirth awaiting you with all new people and a brand new situation. the universe is just waiting for you to love yourself and for you to let others help and appreciate you. accept the gifts that are brought to you - stop trying to force situations to be what they are not. no one is trying to make you owe them unless they are outright saying that. the chance to reconnect with nature and to bloom is right at your finger tips; you just have to accept it.

your gratitude for what you have will keep you on the path of abundance. redecorate, renovate, reallocate, etc. spend time relaxing and appreciating what you have and the potential of what it could become. focus on what brings you peace and happiness, and the universe will be sure to bring you more of it.

[ariesmoontarot]

🌷What's Next In Love🌷

The Piles:

*ROLES CAN BE REVERSED*

Book a personal reading here

Pile One:

Labradorite “I can’t get enough of you.”

Labradorite can help with eliminating negative energies from your life along with balancing and cleansing the throat, third eye, and crown chakras. It can boost creativity, confidence, and promote physical healing. Labradorite can also alleviate pain, enhance intuition, and strengthen higher senses such as clairvoyance, precognition, and telepathy. It shields from spiritual attacks and negative spirits.

Someone can't get enough of you or the other way around. I'm sensing distance between the two of you so maybe you're in different states, haven't seen each other yet or in a long time, someone is blocked, or there is a lack of communication in some way. For some of you pile two might also resonate. I feel like there is a period of stagnation where someone is waiting for the other person. Maybe to make up their mind, reach out, to make some type of decision or take action. I feel like for a lot of you this is someone you already have history with or you know this person already and something could've happened between you that is all too very confusing for the both of you to understand. There could even be a third-party situation where someone is in a committed relationship and they are cheating with you or you're cheating with them take that how it resonates.

I'm seeing someone has their guard up. There are very strong boundaries here and it's an energy of not wanting to let you or them in. Whether it be not wanting to see each other, not wanting to have sex, not wanting to talk, or just simply being defensive in general due to some type of fear, hurt, or maybe someone blocked the other person so now you or they are mad about it but for a lot of you I'm getting they blocked you so now you're guarded about letting them back in. I feel like you wanted everything with this person, you wanted a long term relationship, to invest in a future together, having a family, meet each others families, and all that good stuff, but something happened. It seems as if they just shut you out, confused you, themselves, and basically gave you the cold shoulder with their lack of communication. You've been so open, loving, and compassionate towards them and it's like they haven't been fully honest with you about a lot of things. They haven't told you how they feel, what they're thinking, or anything really. I feel like whatever distance there is between you is needed because it's helping the both of you get back in alignment with yourselves. I feel like you've done all that you can and you're just sitting patiently loving yourself, content, and focused on your own priorities. Meanwhile, this person is coming to recognize the connection between you and who you are as a person. They underestimated you and didn't see the true value of who you really are. They didn't see how much you loved them. I'm seeing that for some of you they are indecisive between you and someone else. Maybe they are in a relationship or were in a relationship with someone and they loved this person, but they just didn't have the same goals or investments. I feel like they feel like you are their person. You love them the way they need to be loved and you both have the same goals and values in life. I feel like you feel the same way about them. Without each other you both feel like you're missing something and it's not in an unhealthy way. We all need love, support, family, and connections in life and I feel like you both want to be with each other for good reasons. God ordains this connection so you both feel this energy of being pulled closer together no matter how far apart you are. They are in the process of letting go of another person or some type of third party interference because it's blocking them from being able to come forward with an offer. For others they've already did this and they're anxious and scared that they're losing you because of what they put you through. You've always been so kind and loving to them and they hurt you. This hurts them too and I feel like they're feeling weighed down by the burden of their own guilt. They want to tell you how much they love you, but they're building up their confidence to do so. For some of you they're going to mess up again before they do it right, for others they will come clean and tell you what they've been feeling but it might not come off in the way you expect. They aren't exactly the best communicator so I see them communicating how they feel in a toxic way and then it leading to resistance and maybe conflict between you. Be patient. Don't let this stress you out and know that you are manifesting what it is you need. The fate is different for all of you in this situation so for some you will get past the hard times with this person, for others it will just be a hard lesson you have to move on from. Whatever happens will be for the best.

Pile Two:

Fire Agate “I will wait for a sign from you.”

Fire Agate can help promote passion and creativity. It is connected to the root, sacral, and heart chakra. It protects and grounds the person using it and can also increase sexual vitality / libido. It can help you step into your highest self. Fire Agate also takes negative energy and returns it back to the source. It stimulates spiritual and physical energies, invokes courage, and helps with open communication in all relationships.

Someone is waiting for a sign. Whether it be communication, action, literally any type of sign. Maybe there isn't great communication between you and them or it could be that you're waiting for them to make a decision or change. For some of you you're waiting for them to demonstrate that they care and love you.

I'm seeing you feeling disappointed and sad like someone let you down emotionally. It seems like its past energy for most of you. Like a person you loved really hurt you but it didn't just happen. You seem to be getting past it now and you're doing your best to move forward, but it's been hard. I feel like it's been hard because you don't want to move on. You aren't ready to let this person go and you could be just exploring different things and people trying to find what makes you happy. For a lot of you you're talking to different people trying to move on emotionally and mentally, but you just can't. This person is in the back of your mind and you're tired. I see that you need rest to clear your mind. Its like time to meditate, gather your thoughts, bring your mind to a clear state because your emotions are creating all these different scenarios that confuse you and distract you from facing how you really feel. You're really frustrated and I don't think you've ever been in a relationship with this person. Maybe for some of you. You really connect with them, you trust them, you feel like they are your person, but things aren't progressing the way they should be after all the time and effort you've tried to put into having a relationship with this person. Please remember the roles can be switched so this could be how they feel and maybe your in the other position. You both feel stuck here like you don't know what to do, but you both want the same thing. There is very deep love here but there is also pain. I feel like you're both learning a deep lesson about how you limit yourself from having the love and things you deserve because of fear, anxiety, and pain. It's like you're both scared of this love that's between you, but you yearn for each other so bad in every way. For some of you, you're waiting for this person to tell you they're sorry or express some type of emotionally heartfelt apology to you regarding everything that's happened between you. It's like you were keeping yourself stuck in the same mentality about the situation and waiting for this apology that you never received and finally you're not waiting for it anymore and you're allowing yourself the time to heal and move forward emotionally because you've been sad way too long about it. I'm also hearing the song lonely by akon specifically the part when he says 'cause ever since my girl left me, my whole life came crashin' and i'm so lonely". It's like you waited and waited and you're tired, you're hurting, and you just want to feel closure already. I see you really sad and just moving forward because this person hasn't been on the same page as you. You finally see clearly that it's time to continue moving on and I see better things in your future. I get this really heavy sad feeling from this pile and just know It's okay to cry and be sad. I can tell you have a really big heart. May God bless you. This person will come back and will try to be in your life, but I don't see them giving you what you deserve any time soon. If they won't say sorry to you I will because I literally feel your heart ache and I'm so sorry you have to experience this, but you are so strong and it will be worth it trust me!

Pile Three:

Clear Quartz “We don’t share the same values.”

Clear Quartz is used to cleanse, protect, and heal all chakras and energy. It promotes awareness, wisdom, intuition, and is a really good stone for calming and meditation. It cleanses negative energy and promotes positivity. You can use this stone when you need clarity and truth in your life. it can also help to heighten your spiritual and mental awareness.

So I'm seeing that emotionally you know who you love and they know they love you, but the physical world when it comes to values, goals, aspirations, you can oppose to some core details and it makes things a bit difficult between you. However, I'm seeing that you both want it to work and you're both really smart enough to come together and create ideas and ways of doing things to make each other happy. I feel like this person thinks very highly of you and they really feel like your smarter than them. Maybe to them you don't share the same values, but deep down you really do. I just feel like they think you're better than them so they may degrade themselves because of it. It's like they hold themselves to a lower standard than you. You both don't want to move on from the connection or each other because there is very deep love here and you're both emotionally committed to each other whether you know it or not. I'm seeing that somebody feels like no other person will bring you or this person happiness like the way you do for each other. You've both been with other people and it seems like they just don't compare. I'm also seeing that there has been some hurt between you guys and maybe even deception, betrayal, lies, etc. The energy here is very confusing so I can understand why you got the clear quartz because honestly I'm having trouble understanding the full message here. Whatever happened between you guys is the past and your energy is in a very balanced place now not sure about this person though. You might not feel like that, but it very much is. I see you sitting with yourself probably a bit upset and apathetic just sulking in the feelings of how this person made you feel, but God is offering you more opportunities. Change is inevitable and life will move on and get better no matter what. I'm seeing there has been a lot of obstacles, arguments, and conflicts. But nothing can stop what's meant to be. I'm seeing you closing out a chapter of your life with this other energy of someone else, maybe even this person too. It could be an ex, even someone you have kids with for some of you. They were unhealthy just as you were with them. Together you guys just didn't balance each other out and they could've been pulling on your energy heavily and it held you back from being able to see things with more of a clear-headed perspective. I'm seeing that once you really focus on what it is you want and the type of person you want it with, God will start clearing obstacles for you so things can align in the physical. It's like you had both of these energies weighing on you and it was causing conflicts within you. You're literally refreshing your whole mind of this idea you had of what you wanted with an ex or with multiple people for some of you. But it wasn't what you needed. I feel like you will meet someone new and realize these old connections just weren’t meant for you. Spirit wants you to be patient and have faith. What you need is on its way to you, but it’s a surprise that I can’t even know.

[syrena-del-mar]

People forget that actors don't owe anybody the knowledge of their sexuality. Whether that be lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, demisexual, asexual, or any other sexuality. That includes their dating history or who they're currently dating. Actors only owe the public one thing: that they do their job and that they do it well.

If that job consists of partaking in CP/ship culture, consume their media knowing that what they show you in public is curated for you as a fan. If they're dating someone who is not their partner, they're not cheating you; they're not making a mockery out of you or of queer relationships. With ship work, they're simply doing their job how their culture expects them to.

Ship work is not queerbaiting. Living, breathing humans do not queerbait. Queerbaiting comes from a marketing tactic for fictional entertainment work to ensure that they don't alienate their straight audience while also ensuring queer interest. You're consuming BLs and GLs, where the shows deliver in the promised relationships. If you're consuming BL/GL, you should know that fanservice generally follows.

Fanservice works because it's understood to be common practice. It's acting, an extension of whatever series they're promoting. Also, realize that fans often find themselves so invested in a couple that a hug or even a tiny brush of their hands will be considered 'evidence' of a relationship. Friends can flirt, 'lovingly' touch each other, and mess around without it meaning anything.

That's still not queerbaiting.

Because of how advanced technology has become, we have so much access to these actors/actresses. Accessibility does not equal entitlement to know how they identify. Claiming an individual is 'queerbaiting' only causes harm in the long term because you might unknowingly force someone to come out of the closet before they were ever ready to be. This only pushes media/reporters to continuously ask for information that isn't anyone's business to drum up engagement, potentially exploiting them for clicks. There's no need to inquire about their personal life, relationships, or sexuality.

But what if they take cryptic 'couple' photos with someone other than their work partner? Stop searching. Take their social media posts at face value. Stop trying to come up with some 'gotcha' moment, whether that be actually dating their work partner or some other individual. It's their personal life (curated, but still their life); you're overstepping, and if what you find out upsets you, then it's time to pull away.

It's really that simple.

Just because you buy into the fantasy a little too much and invest yourself in the pseudo-relationship does not mean the actors are queerbaiters. At the end of the day, fanservice is just that—a service provided for the fans. In other words, it's a job. Finding out that an actor/actress is dating someone of the opposite sex does not make them queerbaiters. (Also, realize that dating someone of the opposite sex does not signify that they're straight; whether they are or not, it's none of your business.)

If an actor/actress's personal relationships make you so mentally unwell because they're not with the onscreen partner, it just means you've genuinely detached yourself from reality. I mean this sincerely, if you're at this point, find help. Try to learn and understand more about why you're putting so much of yourself into a parasocial relationship. It's unhealthy for you to get so worked up that you feel sick because two coworkers aren't together.

If you find out that you're not a fan of CP work because you feel lied to or cheated, just don't consume it. Simply watch the show, look up their artist profile to see what other works they've been in, and log off. Don't follow them on social media, don't look up their fan meets, or watch video compilations that fans have made for shipping.

You're the master curator of your online consumption.

Curate it.

[nerves-nebula]

I’m not aromantic but I am autistic so I think about this stuff a lot and I think that the word ship often carries connotation of implied “healthiness” it because ships are usually like “end goal” stuff rather than a realistic portrayal of two characters testing the waters of their relationship and seeing where it takes them. I think your AU does an excellent job of exploring complicated relationships (both of the romantic variety and the platonic/familial variety).

I think the person who submitted that ask was probably just inquiring as to whether or not Kraang and Donnie are “end game” as in like “are they going to be together forever?” but I think from a storytelling lens, the author does not have to endorse the actions of their characters. I think it’s very realistic given his character that Donnie would have a history of unhealthy relationships.

I don’t believe that depiction is necessarily endorsement, but I do think that in this day and age it’s important for us readers to promote nuanced discussion about *why* these characters are making unhealthy decisions and why we as readers should not try to recreate them in real life. Too often works like this can be taken out of context and weaponized by people that intend to do harm and take advantage of others.

I should mention that this is not a critique of you or your work, but rather of online spaces where it is far too easy for people to get hurt and what we as readers can do to make up for the shortcomings of the lack of safety restrictions online. This is just my personal thoughts though. Feel free to disregard.

idk to me ships are like "wouldnt that be funny/fucked up" or "this is insane but how would these two end up together- lets take a journey about it" but this would be a reasonable explanation of that ask, i guess

krang and donnie are "end game", if you wanna see it like that, because they enjoy each others company and the fucked up body horror BDSM situation they share. they aren't actually bad for each other in the end, though they don't start out that way.

also i'm gonna be real for a sec, you can use literally any kind of art to hurt people. people get groomed over minecraft, not cuz minecraft is Sensitive Media being shown to kids who shouldn't see it or whatever, but because it's a popular game that a lotta people like.

people get groomed using Lolita, a book that tells you right before you start reading it that the narrator is a liar and a disgusting amoral man, but people fall for it anyway cuz that's how manipulation works. it's not really about the media being used, it's about how the abuser wants to use it.

if you wanted to abuse a kid obsessed with dinosaurs you'd probably use media about dinosaurs to gain their trust, not an obscure tmnt abuse au where a wrinkly alien and a turtle man have weird kinky not-quite-sex.

i think discussions of characters are fun and interesting, don't get me wrong, that's like one of my main hobbies. but i dont think anything about it being This Day And Age makes people particularly more susceptible to having art used against them.

[astroyongie]

Girl Generation October Reading 2023

Note: please take it lightly and enjoy

Taeyeon

Love: I don’t think Taeyeon is dating anyone at the moment. She might be seeing people in a non-official way but when it comes to dating she isn’t in the right place to do so and It also seems like he has no luck in her relationships. Everything she starts building something, it crumbles. 

Career: There’s someone in the group who really doesn’t like her and doesn’t appreciate her at all. That tension often turns Taeyeon into someone impulsive. Globally, she has been restless and working nonstop on her career

Self: She is someone rather intuitive and she knows what’s wrong and what isn’t. All of her choices are consciously made and whatever situation she is in, she knows the consequences of it. 

sunny

Love:  She is definitely dating someone and if I may, the person she is seeing is like extremely wealthy. They have been together for quite a long time and they are the one bringing her security financially and sugaring her In a way. This is maybe someone who works in the business. 

Career: She has been receiving some opportunities lately and she is working on it through the help of her manager and sponsor. She is actually rather happy with her whole career

Self: she had a long self-isolating period, where she wouldn’t talk with other members and close friends but she is slowly getting back on track. 

Tiffany

Love: She is in a relationship and her relationship went through some bumpy road but Tiffany was able to create more positive boundaries for her and her lover. Things are going good at the moment but they are still working on stuff together 

Career: Tiffany lost a very valuable opportunity in her career that would have given her a lot of money. Her lack of insight was the fault of it but she is trying to move forward now 

Self: I believe that she doesn’t have the best habits in her life and that her lifestyle is rather unhealthy (either in consumption or lifestyle In general) and she should be careful about that so it doesn’t get too serious. 

Hyoyeon

Love: She is in a relationship but her partner is a huge manipulator so it rather feels like she is stuck in that weird relationship. She isn’t happy about it but she also isn’t doing anything to leave that person. 

Career: Expect her to keep promoting her music, to have comebacks, and to show her artistic ways because this girl is booked and busy when it comes to her career and she is very happy about it. 

Self: Hyoyeon isn’t a person who’s happy. When looking at her spread it feels like she has everything she needs to be happy and yet she feels like there’s something lacking that doesn’t allow her to be totally and utterly happy. The struggles in her relationship might play a huge part in this. 

Yuri

Love: She is in a relationship but it seems like something inevitable is going to happen in her relationship very soon. (This could either be good like a marriage/baby thing, or a breakup). 

Career:  she too, seems to be very happy in her career, she wouldn’t change a thing. Not only was it a way to find her soulmate but she is rather soft with everyone and enjoys working with so many people

Self: She went through very complicated times in the past month, we are talking here of very poor health, financial issues and personal issues as well. But it seems like her karma is changing finally. 

Sooyoung

Love: I don’t get if she is on a relationship or not, but she does seem like she is working on one? Like she is developing feelings for the person at the moment and working with them to become a better couple (or a couple if she wasn’t in a relationship with them before).

Career: I see huge disharmony between her and someone in the group (Taeyeon?) where things don’t work well at all between them. Sooyoung loves the group but she rather work alone than promote with snsd

Self: Lately, I feel like she has been very aggressive toward herself and people, Sooyoung has a hard time controlling her impulsive nature. She might have been very rude, and ruthless with people around her 

Yoona

Love:  She is dating and she is very happy about her whole thing. Yoona has also been using her relationship to be more providing and productive with her career and keeping on working on her legacy 

Career: I don’t see anything for her at the moment, Yoona also seems like she is focusing on something else other (still career-related but just not what she has been giving the public, seems like this is something new)

Self: The conflicts she has with some people in her personal life are the main reason she gets depressed easily or that gets her on a bad mood. Yoona often has to deal with disagreements in her close relationships and often defeats since she gives in

Seohyun

Love:  Also dating, but her partner aren’t the best one for them and although she knows about their manipulative nature and they anger issues she still loves them too much to leave them. Definitely not healthy. 

Career: She has been procreating a lot when it comes to her career. Seohyun receives so many opportunities for her career, but the lack of energy doesn’t allow her to take them in and enjoy them. She doesn’t seem eager to work altogether 

Self: She has been making a lot of decisions abut what she wants her life to be, to become. I believe that she is ready to take a huge step forward. 

[subconsciousmysteries]

I'm removing type from my bio. I'm sick of the primitive narcissistic way people use enneagram and I'm not even going to be polite about it anymore. If you know anything about this shit you know that you're supposed to work on ALL your ego fixations, all nine of them. Go read Almaas. Most of all you're supposed to balance all nine lines that exist inside of you which basically represent all your fragmented warring selves. Enneagram is a powerful healing tool when used right because it allows you to better visualize the fragments of your personality that are struggling with each other and need to be unified to make you whole. or as MPD therapists call it, "integrated".

I'm much more interested in that than going in circles debating how people shallowly perceive me over the internet. Or shallowly trying to perceive other people over the internet. Stop this obsession with how you are perceived. It's navel-gazing self conscious 4 bullshit that has become the promoted norm in this community. No wonder everybody is "mistyping" themselves as 4s, you have to be a walking dysfunctional 4 case who is obsessed with categorizing how others perceive you in order to fit in to this community at all. Stop looking for your true type. Stop thinking your One True Type even exists, cuz it probably doesnt. Start living life without the idea of type in your head and then during reflection time you can use the enneagram framework to see if you find patterns in your behaviors and feelings, and the behaviors and feelings of others. You'll find heaps. Remember if there is no movement, ie if you're saying something is "3" but there is no wing action, and no 9 or 6 movement to back it up and connect it back to the whole, your observation is kind of meaningless.

People are holding back so much authenticity in this community because they're scared of getting retyped if some sanctimonious wanker puritan typologer thinks that one thing they said is out of line with the way they were previously typed. It's such a shame because we draw the most typological insight when we are being totally authentic about our experiences and allowing ourselves to speak whatever comes up and relate to whatever comes up, which could really be fucking anything. When we limit ourselves to one core type or one tritype or one xwx xwx xwx, we make our scope of self realization so needlessly limited. The only people this serves are neurotic, narcissistic busybodies on the internet with a terribly unbalanced 1-4 line who want to turn everyone into a caricature for the sake of their own fragile, self-serving ideologies.

The truth is we have all nine types in us and we will exercise all of them at different moments. it's unhealthy image type nonsense (specifically unhealthy 1-4 line nonsense, also 5/6 resistance of ambiguity you're guilty too) to believe otherwise.

[superectojazzmage]

Is it really wrong to try and wipe the Sith out for good? They're not victims here. It's a "religion", as you put it, that promotes ruthlessness, treachery, evil, and doing whatever you can for a modicum of power. The Sith are hardly victims.

Take note of my comment on my post about how Legends was significantly more willing to portray gray areas in the Jedi-Sith dichotomy and feature sympathetic Sith/Dark Sider characters. That extends to the Sith culture/religion in general.

Legends was a lot more willing to flesh out the Pre-Ruusan Sith and make them feel like an actual functioning society with its own culture and attitudes and traditions and virtues, not just Evil McEmpire. There’s no denying that there were plenty of evil Sith Pre-Ruusan, there absolutely were. And there’s no denying their culture is portrayed as pretty brutal and barbaric by our standards and the Republic’s in-universe standards. And there’s no denying that their complete immersion in the Dark Side and lack of Balance at the expense of the Light is just as unhealthy and destructive to them and others as the Jedi’s Post-Ruusan puritanical hatred of the Dark Side becomes. The Sith are meant as a counterpart to the Jedi narratively, and just as how Legends portrays the Jedi’s story as one of falling to their own flaws and sins but learning and rebuilding themselves anew, the Sith’s story is one of their once-great people being slowly destroyed and warped into a twisted, hateful mockery (Darth Bane’s Rule of Two cult) by their inability to change, their own failings and mistakes, and the outside persecution from their enemies… but unlike the Jedi, they ultimately fail to learn and grow and end up dispersing into other, better groups like the Jensaarai or Lost Tribe or dying out because of it.

But Legends also made a point to regularly emphasize that they were still people, and just as capable of good or evil as any other — highlighted by the fact that Light Side Sith were considered a thing that was actually possible, that using the Dark Side was not always treated as evil, nor was being a Dark Side user always considered as definitely meaning you were a bad person, nor did being Light Side user inherently mean you were good. The ancient Sith culture and its offshoots like the Lost Tribe are portrayed as engaging in things we’d see as evil, realpolitik and slavery and imperialism and expansionism… but so are a lot of the “good guy” factions like the Republic. The Sith are indeed shown have a brutal culture that emphasizes marital prowess and cunning and enforcement of the hierarchy and power-seeking and willingness to do anything for either the greater cause, but there’s also shown to be a lot of emphasis on things like loyalty to family and lords, strict codes of honor and conduct that everyone follows (which seem strange and arguably hypocritical to us, but are shown to make perfect sense to them), hierarchal respect/filial piety/ancestor veneration, self-sacrifice for the community and the cause, upwards mobility, and meritocracy where you only get to keep the power you prove yourself worthy to have and are expected to use it responsibly. They’re not all bloodthirsty sociopaths — in fact, most of them aren’t like that.

And many of the powers associated with the Sith are shown to be capable of being used by Jedi without problem as long as they’re used responsibly and for the right reasons, and vice versa, some Jedi moves are shown to be easily capable of being abused in the same ways they claim Sith moves to be. Great Jedi like Kyle Katarn and Plo Koon and others are shown to be able to use Force Lightning without issue — with the latter even being told by the Council to keep experimenting carefully with using it during the aforementioned Post-Ruusan period where Jedi became significantly more rigid. Other Jedi like Jorus C’Baoth use things like the Mind Trick to straight up mentally torture and mind control people, yet it’s still regular Jedi curriculum despite its obvious bad applications, a fact which is used to highlight how hypocritical the Jedi could be at times. And stuff like Force Healing injured people is actually considered a Dark Side move, due to the fact that it requires more exertion of one’s own will on the Force.

Again, this is not to deny that the Sith are portrayed — even in Legends — as conquering empire. But it’s not nearly as black and white as some of the worse writers tried to paint it nor as Disney canon so far as depicted it, and even then Disney canon hasn’t really featured much focus on the Sith at all and this may change as they get more Post-Disney appearances and Disney starts tackling the Pre-Ruusan days. There are meant to be shades of grayness and the Sith’s descent from a proper culture themselves into a hateful cult hiding in the shadows plotting their revenge is also shown as the Jedi tragically creating their own worst enemy with their mistakes, them and the galaxy paying for the sins and misdeeds of their ancestors, tying into the franchise’s larger themes of generational strife, senseless cycles of revenge, and the struggle to break those things.

The comparison I like to make is to the ancient Central American cultures of real life (which seem to have partially inspired Sith culture, with stuff like their propensity for pyramids) such as the Aztecs and Mayans. Were they brutal, imperialistic, cutthroat, and zealous by our modern standards and even by the standards of many of their contemporaries? Absolutely. Did that justify the persecution, colonialism, exploitation, oppression, forced conversion, and pogroms carried out against those same cultures by the Spanish Conquistadors? Absolutely not.

And to finish off, I’m once again going to emphasize another point on my original post. Namely that Star Wars lore is deliberately meant to inspire many different viewpoints and interpretations and that your personal canon is the only real one ultimately. Meaning that you’re free to disagree with my takes here and think that I’m totally off-base in my interpretations of these stories and their messages and worldbuilding, or just respectfully agree to disagree. I’m just trying to spell out my opinions and takes on Star Wars lore and why I go that way with my Star Wars canon.

[colorisbyshe]

What are your thoughts on fat celebrities who gained a platform with body positivity/diversity/being a fat icon™ and after building their career on that they suddenly go thin and/or get plastic surgery? I don't have strong feelings about it, tbh. I know it's a touchy subject for some and I get that feeling of "betrayal" but at the end of the day I don't think everyone has to be an activist or symbol of visibility and one person will never be able to represent diverse groups of marginalized ppl.

I have to frank about this up front--I have lost a substantial amount of weight. I have talked about it here before but I don't like bringing it up often. I went from over 210 pounds at 5 feet tall to about 130ish (mid-size, just about). I originally started losing weight for health reasons (had to rapidly change my diet because I had gall stones and developed an unhealthy fear of eating for several months, so the diet change wasn't about losing weight but I did lose weight from it) and then, to be frank, I kept losing weight after I got my gallbladder out because... it wasn't just society that treated me better when I lost weight, it was friends, family. People who had never, ever done anything outright fatphobic had revealed themselves to maybe be fatphobic on a more subtle level. And... I won't lie, as much as I know that this newfound kindness is very conditional and is in many ways VERY cruel (and as much as that upsets me on a near daily basis), I do not want to lose this social capital.

And I'm not saying this all to humble brag or frame myself as like The Good Weight Loss Person but rather to be very clear about what point of view I have. (And it is absolutely fine if my point of view is one that doesn't matter to you or anyone because, yes, as someone who is no longer "fat" or is maybe on the precipice of "fat" and "Average," I am out of my lane.)

So, that point of view... is split.

I am wholly, WHOLLY for radical bodily autonomy. If you want to lose weight, gain weight, redistribute weight, gain muscle, lose muscle... godspeed. I just want that within a simple framework--I want everyone to be willing to first understand WHY they want said change, to pause, look inside themselves, and see if they're doing this for themselves or other people (or a combination of the two). That doesn't mean the answer has to change what they want, I just want some internal processing to happen first. And I want people to know the risks of what they're doing and how they're trying to get there--FULLY informed consent, in a way.

So if a celebrity wants to lose weight, cool. You're right, it isn't on them to stay fat or any other size for other people.

My issue is that celebrity's tend to "promote" their weight loss in unhealthy ways. They shill weight loss teas (DANGEROUS scams) or water fasting (DANGEROUS) or say "With a doctor's supervision, I didn't eat for two weeks" (STILL DANGEROUS, DOCTORS ARE FATPHOBIC AND DO NOT HAVE FAT PEOPLE'S HEALTH IN MIND). They promote dangerous methodology, some of which is a lie (and instead they got weight loss procedures done and only lost a small portion of weight through diet and/or exercise while the rest was sucked out or whatever).

In framing their weight loss as "progress," as an "improvement" to their body, they are reaffirming fatphobia and thus pressuring their audiences to seek out similar methods to lose weight too. And when those scams or lies or "only if you have access to high quality food and a personal chef and a nutritionist and a personal trainer with top quality work out gear" routines don't work for the average person, they resort to even more extreme disordered eating or over-exercising. It becomes "It worked for X celebrity, why isn't it working for me? There's something wrong with me, I need to starve myself."

The lack of honesty means their more vulnerable fans are being set up to pursue their own weight loss with an incomplete understanding of the risks involved. AND the rewards involved. (I'm gonna be honest, a lot of things people said "would feel better" when I lost the weight feel JUST as fucking shitty. I don't have more energy. I don't get fuller faster. It's fucking lies, my dude.)

Some of those celebrities say outright fatphobic shit and turn on fat people, as if to say "I could lose weight, what's with you where you can't do it," but EVEN THE ONES WHO DON'T end up furthering fatphobia.

That is a fucking problem.

So, how does a celebrity lose weight without doing this? It's fucking hard. Frankly, I don't think any of them should talk about methodology because nine times out of ten it's either a lie, an eating disorder, or something the average person can't even attempt. And it ignores the fact that different people are fat for different reasons, therefore for MANY people NO weight loss methods are possible for them (short or long term) and that there is really only a very small group of people where "diet and exercise" will do anything for (and an even smaller group of people where that change is permanent and isn't gained back).

Secondly, they HAVE to commit themselves to STILL UPLIFTING FAT PEOPLE. Be honest about how FUCKED the fatphobia they experienced was and how it's fucking TERRIBLE that they had to change themselves to receive kindness. Talk about the societal pressures they felt and how... in some ways, they took the easy path, especially now that the path was made easier by their wealth.

Celebrities don't "owe" anyone that vulnerability but it's the only way to limit the fatphobia that rises up to meet anyone who loses weight, intentionally or not. (People were SO fucking "kind" to me when I lost weight due to developing a temporary fear of food when I had gallstones, and I had to explain to them that this wasn't a fun self improvement thing, my body was changing because I was SUFFERING and I was MISERABLE.)

Of course, they are free to betray fat people by embracing the fatphobia, but I don't think that's necessary when you lose weight. Weight loss isn’t inherently fatphobic. Talk about weight loss as a bodily change, not a bodily improvement. Talk about how a lot of time weight loss stems from losing to pressure. Talk about how most weight loss doesn't actually stick and remind people up front that you are the same person you were 20, 50, 100 pounds ago and that you'll be the same person you are now if you gain that 20, 50, 100 back (and often more! (The majority of people who lose weight gain at least some of it back and many, many people end up at heavier weights than they started out at.)

If a celebrity can't do that, they go from "Person just exercising their bodily autonomy to feel the best they can personally, which is neutral" to a fatphobic person. Who didn't just work to be less oppressed but worked to then become the oppressor.

This isn't a perfect 1:1 but it's sort of like... you can work your way out of poverty without exploiting people. You can have a comfortable amount of money without hurting other poor people. But once you gain that money, you can't suddenly think that other poor people deserve to suffer or just aren't X Y Z enough to stop being poor. You need to continue to understand and HIGHLIGHT the systems in place that exist to continue to make poor or fat people be treated like shit and suffer. And how that's wrong.

Everyone deserves a good standard of living and you aren't a better person for finding a way to more easily get better or kinder treatment from the world.

Wow, I wrote a lot. And didn't really say anything new. Just "Yeah, anyone can do whatever they want with their body, even if it's unhealthy, so long as they understand it's unhealthy and don't try to trick anyone into thinking what they did is anything other than what it is. Also, we need to be aware of how we frame our bodily changes lest we inadvertently pressure other people."

Y'all should hire someone to take my hands off the keyboard.

[asherlockstudy]

I think rhett is definitely going through some kind of midlife crisis and I’m put off by his album and the praise he gets for it because 1 the lyrics and message are vapid and cringe, 2 he totally rebranded himself & his social media as soon as he announced it as a project, like it feels so obvious to me that being so preoccupied with selling himself, his “truth”s, and proving his legitimacy is the actual thing that he’s got scars from, not Christianity. (1/2)

Okay it was a bit hard to respond to this because I wanted to ensure that it will remain respectful to R&L, you and the potential readers.

I will preface this by saying: I agree with quite a few of the things you say but I don’t share your frustration and I don’t like putting only one of them on the spot so hard. I will respond point by point to your mail and explain my stance.

Personally, Rhett’s album is not to my liking, however this is not his fault and of course people who like it are totally valid. I don’t like it because I don’t like country music and the lyrics don’t speak much to me either, because I live in a different country, continent, with a different leading Christian dogma and a different culture and understandably the song meanings don’t resonate with me much. I can see though how people who have similar experiences with Rhett can enjoy the album for what it is. When I say “enjoy”, it doesn’t have to mean it will reach the top charts or become an instant classic or that people will be losing their minds over it for long. I don’t think many people have such expectations from either Rhett or Link. They play music but they are not very skilled musicians or lyricists - they are entertainers who still try to find their niche, with a hint of despair.

I disagree about the whole pseudointellectuality thing because I don’t see any intellectuality to begin with. To me, the lyrics seemed purely emotional and personal - like someone writing down what they would like to say to their dad or son without thinking about its musicality or depth for hours. To me, it’s just a decent side project, not the beginning of a big career in music. Then again lyrics in popular music these days are shit anyway, so I don’t see how Rhett’s are specifically the problem. Compared to most songs coming out now, they are fine. I must say though that I have zero exposure to #twitter_exevangelists_girls so I can’t have an opinion on that.

I also understand Rhett’s care to promote his album. Wouldn’t you? Hasn’t Link been promoting his podcasts and listening parties and his connection to Britton from The Voice relentlessly? It is a little off to me too, seeing him promote himself independently from Link and anything Mythical, but objectively speaking, it would be weirder if he didn’t do it.

Regarding the mid-life crisis: well, Rhett had a drive to create something and earn wide acclaim for it since he was a kid. The longer it takes him to achieve it, well, he grows older and he panics. Neither he nor Link are satisfied with GMM’s success as they do not consider it creative or of high enough quality. Ironically, I think they have done things that were underrated, such as their books (I love Bleak Creek), the Hazel song and the Mythical Show. However, they have the very bad habit to shoot down anything they do the moment it doesn’t get the immediate reaction they expect from the fans. This is really unhealthy. For them. It is established that Rhett has an unhealthy need for validation and Link an unhealthy need for attention. But these are qualities that torment themselves way more than they bother us and I believe it’s pretty cruel of us to attack them for mid-life crisis or attention-seeking or whatever, on top of it. I mean, I acknowledge it too but I don’t get too frustrated over this. We are not affected - we can select to pause a video or not pay for a product. Their sense of self-worth on the other hand is insanely vulnerable.

Rhett is definitely manipulative. He is also self-absorbed and arrogant. He definitely wants to force every new opinion he has down your throat. That’s because he is insecure. He has many flaws and he tries to acknowledge and work them out in therapy but you can’t expect him to clap his hands and suddenly be a perfect person. Link has issues too: he’s prone to fits of anger, he is an authoritative control freak and he can be very rude at times. He tries to work on it, also not always successfully. Let’s not forget he is on medication which I believe helps. I am saying this because I don’t feel comfortable with the one sided anti-Rhett talk.

I agree with you on one thing for sure: he stopped being a Christian later than he claims. Maybe what he considers as an end is when he started having regular doubts. He came out to his family as non-Christian much later. However, I think you’re being a little unfair here too. They have both said that it took time to talk to their families and Link even spoke of an incident when his whole family had the need to go to Church and he couldn’t do it. Link has also implied Christy was the last and most unwilling to give up Christianity, or better, the particular Christian culture they were in. This is important. Just because they are not practicing Evangelists or missionaries anymore, it doesn’t mean that other members of their family don’t believe in Jesus or aren’t in the lookout for a dogma where they would feel more welcome and comfortable. Rhett has described himself as a hopeful agnostic which literally means he hopes to become religious again under the right conditions. The most recent photo of Rhett with his son Locke when he drove him to his college depicts Locke wearing a very big cross necklace. Unless he’s exclusively into this for the rap fashion trend, Locke might as well remain a Christian. I don’t think their families owe to us to not be Christians and I also don’t think Rhett and Link owe to us 100% transparency regarding their families or even their own religious beliefs. These are private topics. As long as they don’t convert others anymore and don’t engage in hate speech (which I believe they don’t), I don’t care. They can do whatever they want and they can share as much as they want. I even think they share too much for their own good as then people make demands of them.

As for acting like a victim… they might be. He might be. You never know. It certainly doesn’t always have to do with the money. He certainly has been the victim of his father, who was enforcing these conservative policies on him and still does. The issues Rhett has nowadays and you dislike so much are at least 70% a byproduct of his father’s parenting style. And you might be affected enough to feel annoyed by him but he is affected enough to be almost always frustrated with himself and take it out on himself and others. That’s his and his close people’s problem to figure out, not ours.

Again, to be clear, I acknowledge a lot of these things frequently. I make rants or complaints. However, I don’t have anything against Rhett and I enjoy him in anything Mythical and therefore this mail made me a little uncomfortable because it was too targeted on a single person for my taste.

[chaosdndsquad]

Reflections

The trip to the marketplace from the temple is uneventful—which is an achievement in itself considering the chaotic company Sasha now keeps…and now occasionally adds to, much to her regret. (Noa and several other of her troops are undoubtedly jumping and cheering for joy at this new development in Sasha’s character.)

Ash and Fang walk ahead, leading the way to the potions shop. Korel and Magda are talking together, heads ducked low and close, like they’re sharing secrets. Sasha can’t bring herself to be curious, too wrapped up in her own problems to wonder if others are dealing with their own. Over and over again, the events of yesterday and today play like a bard who only knows one song.

“We’re here.”

Such a simple phrase, and yet the one that gave Sasha the most hope. She remembers the agony and self-destruction tendencies she had when mourning Maya. When she survived it, she thought nothing could be worse. She was, evidently, wrong. If it wasn’t for having to take care of Magda, Sasha doesn’t know what or who she would be in that first month of mourning the 512th. Magda had saved her life…in more ways than one. Sasha doesn’t know if she will ever be able to repay this debt, but she is certainly willing to try.

This brings her to her next reflection.

Sasha is a focused person. That’s one of her best traits as a leader if she’s being honest. She can zero in on anything with a certain ruthlessness that has caused her many late nights and an unhealthy addiction to coffee. It is a trait that has served her well in the military. Even when she transferred to the 512th, with their lax policies and disordered nature, Sasha had used her skills to mold them into one of the best battalions in the GRA. She had always seen her dedication as positive, but now, it was easy to see just how much she had allowed that same devotion to turn into blind faith. Sasha could also see how that same blind devotion bleed out into other aspects of her life.

Sasha had been hopelessly devoted to Maya when she was alive, and even a lot more when she was gone. Sasha knew that she could have learned to love Ioh Graylock in the same way.

Sasha was a fool to not realize she felt the same about Noa Montoya as well.

The taste of their final conversation still left a bittersweet tinge in her mouth. Sasha had meant every word: if she had to do it all over again, Sasha would trade spots with Noa in a heartbeat. All their friends would still be alive if Noa were Captain instead of Sasha. But maybe that’s why Sasha was promoted over Noa: Sasha had follow-through, especially when she shouldn’t.

But the thing that Sasha focused on the most, was the overwhelming amount of love that flowed from her heart. Developing feelings for Ioh was easy: a shared tired glance, fingers that touched for a few seconds longer than they should between friends, an amused smirk at a shinnies antics. Many times, it felt like Ioh and Sasha were the only two adults that acted like adults in the 512th. It was a comfort to lean on one another when the others around them became too much. They found peace in each other’s silence. It wasn’t a surprise that soft, tender feelings crept up on Sasha, but at least she was aware of them.

Noa had snuck into Sasha’s heart without knowing.

It was a relief, honestly, when Sasha realized that she had a crush on Ioh, because Ioh was nothing like Maya. Ioh, the exasperated, sarcastic medic who would soon as chew you out with a lecture as she would patch you up. Ioh was as cool and dry as a night sky desert. Maya was a firework show ready to go off at the first opportunity.

Noa wasn’t a firework—not like Maya--but she was a dancing flame all the same. Warm and reliable one minute, and then going in whatever direction the wind blew her, leaving you cold and wondering what happened. She picked up conversations just as easily as she would drop them, moments later when something else captured her attention. Noa was opposite to Sasha in all the ways Maya was, and a little extra. Sasha considered Noa her best friend, but she failed to realize how precious Noa had become until she was gone.

Sasha is pulled out of her musings when Bryn zips in front of the group without anyone noticing. She speaks to Ash and passes something along to him. Sasha takes the time to look, really look, at Bryn, their druid and flighty friend of the party.

Noa and Maya would have loved her. Bryn’s wild nature would fit like a glove alongside Noa and Maya’s. In another life, much kinder than this one, Sasha imagines that she and Noa could have raised a child whose nature is similar to Bryn's.

And that was the crux of it all. Maya, Sasha’s first love and forever twenty-three, was not nurturing as Noa and Ioh had been. Maya, for all her talent and excellence in her field, had ultimately been given a  leadership position over everyone else because of her family name. Maya, in turn, had taken the title not for the honor or pride in her skills, but because being in charge was new, exciting, and an excellent way to pass the time until the next campaign came along. Noa, Sasha knew, had asked for leadership positions: not because she wanted a new challenge, but because no one else would take up the responsibility. Noa, for all her flighty nature, wanted to take care of her shield siblings: because no one else would, and she knew she could do it. That was the difference between Noa and Maya: Noa cared in the same ways Sasha did. Maya cared for as long as it interested her.

Sasha snorts, bitter amusement trickling her thoughts away. She’s being too harsh on Maya’s memory, she knows it. Maya was twenty-three and Noa was twenty-eight: a five-year age difference that allowed for more growth and maturity than Maya would ever get. Wasn’t Sasha a vastly different person than she was five years ago? Who knows how Maya would have grown if the world was kinder to her fate? How would Noa, Ioh, and the other ninety-eight people Sasha have buried in that peaceful meadow of Pada?

She looks up at the big tree, in the center of the city. The trunk is at least a mile wide, the branches cover the sky so much that Sasha can’t see what the weather is like above the canopy. Her friend’s last words to her whispered on the wind, were not of righteous anger or hate as they deserved. Sasha had expected them to be angry, vengeful, towards her. She did not expect friendship. She did not expect love.

“We’re here.”

How easily two words can flip her entire existence on its axis. Sasha had thought herself a walking cemetery, carrying all these names and regrets with her until it was finally her time to join them. She was simply waiting to join them all, to eventually make the numbers one hundred and one. Now, a paladin in their honor, Sasha is a living memorial. Tattooed flowers and a hundred small leaves adorned on the shaved right side of her head, down her neck, and onto her arm, in their memory showed her dedication to Sasha’s new cause. She will bring her old friends' justice. And now Sasha knew they will be with her every step of the way.

Sasha glances back at Korel and Magda, heads still linked together and whispering over something. Sasha knows she is a loyal person…but now she knows there is a thing as being too loyal. She owes Magda a life debt, which is an unshakeable truth…but perhaps Sasha has been rather childish when it comes to her soft feelings toward Magda.

Sasha cringes at the memory of jealousy from last night. How many times had she flirted with other women while Ioh and Noa were around? How many trips to the brothel had Sasha made while they were in-between campaigns? Granted, the trips were fewer after she was ready to move past Maya, but she still made those lengthy visits every now and then. Ioh and Noa had expressed their displeasure, but that was because they were worried Sasha was slipping back into old bad coping habits, not because they were secretly jealous.

Sasha thinks of Magda kissing Primrose on the back of the hand in farewell and the childish jealousy that sprung up immediately afterward. She thinks she hid her jealousy well enough, but that doesn’t mean she was actually successful. She could be extremely petty when she puts her mind to it, and liquor can help embolden that particular trait. Now, Sasha is glad kept her distance last night during the potluck, giving the two happy women their space as they flirted with each other.

She’s a hypocrite, Sasha decides. A hypocrite who wants to hoard her favorite toy like a child. Disgust at herself coils in her gut, and Sasha quickly swallows it. She didn’t act on those feelings, that’s the important thing to focus on. She didn’t stop Magda from searching for happiness, especially considering that happiness wasn’t with Sasha.

They all enter the store and the proprietress, a pretty goth elven woman, pays special attention to Magda. Sasha makes it a point to look away, reading labels of potions she has no intention to buy.

She tunes them out (really, she must thank Bryn for this newfound skill) and continues to think. Sasha can’t be a hypocrite about this anymore. Magda deserves happiness. Sasha will not allow herself to get in the way of that, jealous feelings be damned. So Sasha has a crush on Magda. So what? She’s not alone in that if Magda’s admirers continue to grow as they are. It doesn’t matter. Magda can do as she likes, with whomever she likes. It’s not really Sasha’s business anyways.

Besides, Sasha has bigger dragons to slay anyways. Her friends won’t get justice if Sasha is busy being jealous and regretful. Sasha can get through this.

She just needs to give herself time.

[ariveth]

SHIPPING INFO! ♡

Answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog. REPOST. Don’t reblog!

WHAT’S YOUR OTP FOR YOUR MUSE? Don’t really have one in terms of Skyrim NPCs! I guess I did consider Teldryn after I first created her, but the fit wasn’t quite right.

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO RP WHEN IT COMES TO SHIPPING? Honestly? Anything. Angst, fluff, smut, unhealthy dynamics, comfort, hateships; whatever! My faves are ships that promote character development (especially when it’s mutual).

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE? As long as all characters are 21+, age gaps don’t matter to me at all.

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING? I am, but only when it comes to the actual writing (I don’t ship based on faceclaims or lack thereof, and I don’t care whether a character is an OC or canon), and the quality of the character: I like complex, characters that have been fleshed-out with a strong presence, balanced strengths and flaws, and an established, consistent personality that I can bounce Ariveth off.

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY’RE CONSIDERED NSFW? I think clothes-off is the cut-off, or intimate touching that becomes graphic in description. Depends on the thread!

WHO ARE OTHER MUSES YOU SHIP YOUR MUSE WITH? Basically all the characters she’s currently romantically involved with lol. There are also a few characters I can see future potential with too, for sure.

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU? Not really, unless you want to plot a pre-existing thing! Chemistry is key, and that requires in-character interaction. If an interaction naturally ends up flirty/romantic in nature, I will almost certainly be keen to ship without having to be asked (though I do like talking about ships anyway, and about the characters, where we want them to go, how we want them to develop etc. tl;dr I’m a talker dkdflks).

HOW OFTEN DO YOU LIKE TO SHIP? Anytime, since I love shipping in all forms: flirtationships, flings, ex-lovers, star-crossed lovers; everything. And luckily, Ariveth’s character lends itself well to all of that. I’m just a lot slower to ship serious, longterm stuff because I like to get into a thread or two to test the dynamic first.

ARE YOU MULTISHIP? Sort of! I plan to have a single ship for Ariveth’s canon storyline, but I’ll consider multishipping in AUs.

ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS? Gosh I literally don’t know dbfjsdhf. Both?? Let’s say in-between lol.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM? I.... feel like its controversial so I’m not gonna say lmfao

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU? Ask me for a pre-established non-serious romantic connection, or just interact and lets see if it happens! Ariveth’s flirty nature makes it very easy to ship with her. 

As for endgame ships (and specifically Ari’s ‘canon’ ship): that’s something I’ll only consider doing after extensive writing. If our characters have already established chemistry and a romantic dynamic in more than one thread, and I feel like the other muse would be a good match for Ariveth, I will mention the possibility to you. This isn’t something I care to rush however, given the slight exclusivity it entails, and I want to make sure there's compatibility plus a healthy relationship/mutual investment with the other mun. I wanna be clear: I do not expect more time/effort be devoted to our ship than others at all (in fact I’d encourage equal investment among all your ships) but I’m very wary of committing Ariveth to a character whose mun neglects the ship or gets bored/goes through ships quickly. I prefer to have minimal yet quality ships. I hope you can see it from my perspective and understand my trepidation. I really want to be sure. If you ARE interested in this, interaction is the only route toward it; I will not pre-plot without proper development.

TAGGED BY: stolen off the dash  TAGGING: whoever sees this and wants to do it, steal it from me!

[alyjojo]

Thinking of You - March 🥺 2024 - Virgo

Whole of their energy towards Virgo: Death rev

Feelings: Ace of Pentacles

Intentions: Knight of Pentacles

Actions: The Empress & 2 Pentacles

Real Estate came out for the Oracle and you’ve got a lot of pentacles here, this could be someone you’re trying to buy a home with, or you could be selling a home to upgrade, maybe even building one from the ground up. Some of you may be doing this with the intent to expand your family, The Empress and 10 Cups is here. Someone may be getting legally divorced so they may get remarried. Or you may be handling the financial affairs of a parent, however it works for you, it seems like things are in mid-air and taking forever, but OK 👌 is at the bottom of the oracles showing it’s going to be fine, the most fair/balanced decision is going to be made.

Their feelings aren’t really feelings, Ace of Pentacles (money) is being held back until a decision is made. If there’s a separation or divorce, it seems amicable, no one is throwing anyone to the wolves. This person could be your lawyer, contractor, salesman or a realtor, they don’t get (all?) their money until whatever deed is done and it’s not done yet. Could be a boss or a father too, you could be receiving a financial boost that’s held up for now, but it’s coming. They intend to make the most logical and practical decisions each step until the time comes to take a leap into something new, seems like it could take awhile. They’re unsure of what’s going to happen, if they’re right to feel optimistic (seems so). In action there’s really nothing they can do. Growth is coming, but not this month, and while things are out of whack they can only wait. They seem focused on stabilizing something in the home, or if you’re in between homes, you could have the entire house packed in boxes and they intend to do whatever they have to in order to get everyone through the day…even if it’s extended, if this is your person. I get good news eventually, but it’s delayed. Maybe unpack a couple of boxes so you have stuff to live comfortably. It feels more like a message of “everything is okay”.

Messages:

Their side:

- STATUS 😎

- I’ll wait forever.

Your side:

- Forever Young

- I see the real you, and love it.

Possible signs:

Virgo & Pisces, heavy earth 🌲

If you’re dealing with:

7 Swords could see you acting strategically, being very quiet and sneaky about your intentions where other people are concerned. Self preservation, you may not trust the people around you for whatever reason, valid or not. They may also not trust you. You could be avoiding a certain topic or being held accountable in some way, or that’s switched with some of these people…it’s not a great vibe.

Aries - the end of a major cycle or relationship between you, could be the end of a marriage, they’re focused on hanging onto their money - I’m also seeing a retirement fund for someone

Taurus - could be getting promoted or getting a lot of attention for what they do at work, it’s a very positive month for them financially

Gemini - trapped or obsessed, waiting for hope or some kind of sign that you’re going to fix things, or if anyone does it has to be you

Cancer - done with this, severing ties, closing the book - the end 📕

Leo - doesn’t know how to judge a situation, doesn’t have all of the facts & can only go by what they do know, may not want to repeat anything

Virgo - taking their time planning their future, or at least the next step

Libra - their decision breaks your heart or they’re making one due to a broken heart 💔

Scorpio - feels pressured to heal, or they’re pressing you to heal? I heard “get over it” like sure that’s easy, just do that

Sagittarius - there is no give in this relationship, they’re worried about themselves and don’t give af about anyone else, could be an unhealthy or generally selfish person

Capricorn - could be this person, something is taking forever, but big changes are coming, and their love for you is lasting & genuine ❤️

Aquarius - refraining from speaking about all they have going on bc it’s nacho business 🤷 or problem, it’s not your problem either

Pisces - passionately in love, or falling in love, they’re crazy about you or someone 😍

[jalousie-gd4]

week 2 update: "jalousie" research expanded into jealousy beyond the window (january 16, 2024)

[continuing on from my expanded thought on diving further into jealousy - more research and notes]

definition of jealousy: {merriam-webster} a jealous disposition, attitude, feeling --or-- zealous vengeance.

I wanted to find out what are most people jealous of, and found a forum on {quora}:

examples including:

wealth/economic wellbeing: not living paycheck to paycheck, driving luxury cars, being debt-free, can afford travel expenses

intelligence: able to grasp concepts/information quickly or have vast knowledge on a subject

social skills: people who are able to get anyone to like them, get members of the opposite sex interested/attracted, or have friends everywhere

happiness: people who are always happy, finding their purpose and enjoying life, bounce back and overcome failures and depression, overall good mental health

careers: having a top/high paying job in a recognized/respected career field (finance, business, health and medicine, engineering and tech, etc) or a job that leads to fame and success (actor, musician, professional athlete, model, etc)

health: people hardly/never effected by disease, never need to pay for devices like glasses and braces, speech therapy

looks: people with high metabolism that can eat whatever and still maintain a good figure, having clear skin, adhering to society's beauty standards

accomplishments: people who who have made a name for themselves in their chosen careers, making a notable impact on the world, winning awards (nobel prize, olympic medal, grand slams, oscars, etc)

reputation: people who have not done anything wrong, be a law abiding citizen, no criminal record, trustworthy, legend in sport or career, giving back to those in need, selflessness

talents: gifted musically, in art, in sport, in academics, in what they do, speaking multiple languages (polyglot)

next i wanted to tackle: what is jealousy? types of jealousy? how to spot feelings of jealousy? {verywellmind}

jealousy is a perceived threat to an interpersonal relationship

- accompanied by resentment, anger, hostility, inadequacy, bitterness that ranges in intensity - if severe, irrational jealousy can lead to distrust, paranoia, abuse, or physical violence

characteristics of jealousy - how it can manifest in relationships

- acting obsessive, criticizing, fault finding, blaming, feeling distrust, being overprotective or suspicious, experiencing a quick temper, verbally abusing

health complications of jealousy

- stomach aches, headaches, chest pain, high blood pressure, palpitation in extreme anxiety, weight gain or loss, insomnia or sleep disturbance, poor appetite, weakened immunity

jealousy and mental health

- anxiety disorders, attachment issues, borderline personality disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), paranoia, psychosis, schizophrenia

the six types of jealousy:

rational jealousy: when there is genuine, reasonable doubt, especially when you love a partner and fear losing them, rational jealousy can appear.

family jealousy: occurs between family, such as siblings. when a baby is born, a sibling may feel jealous as the attention of the parents shifts to the new baby.

pathological jealousy: irrational type of jealousy. unhealthy feelings may result from an underlying health disorder with signs including extreme insecurity and a desire to control or manipulate.

sexual jealousy: fear that a partner has been unfaithful and engaged in physical infidelity; you may become suspicious.

romantic jealousy: can result from a real or imagined threat to a romantic relationship, resulting in jealous thoughts or reactions.

power jealousy: stems from personal insecurity. jealous of someone who has what you want. when a coworker receives a promotion or reward that you wish to receive, you may become jealous.

looking into three prime reasons why people get jealous {psychology-today}:

1. insecurity: the most common source of jealousy

- inferiority complex - not a clinical term but an underlying impoverished ego or low self esteem - not absolute in men and women

2. obsessive thinking

- thinking style, tendency to overthink and obsess about things inevitably - for obsessive types the hardest thing to manage is uncertainty, can't tolerate the unknown

3. paranoid personality

- men and women with mild or moderate paranoia have great difficulty trusting others and often tend to ponder malicious intent to others' motives - have a personality type that leads them to feel victimized and persecuted, feeling like people are out to get them; sabotage them, their goals, their career. - perceive others have put them down, rejected them, or patronized them even when people tell them otherwise - blaming others, assigning blame to others as opposed to reflecting snd taking accountability of their own flaws or mistakes - get jealous and grasp to a strong belief and no amount of evidence could convince them otherwise

reality

- pattern of jealousy leads to a label/reputation as a jealous person - instincts signaling you can't trust someone could label you the "jealous type"

causes of jealousy {verywellmind}:

insecure or poor self-image, fear abandonment or betrayal, intense possessiveness or desire for control, misguided sense of ownership over a partner, unrealistic relationship expectations, reliving a hurtful experience of abandonment in the past, worrying about losing someone or something important

treatment for jealousy and ways to cope {verywellmind}:

psychotherapy or medication to treat

confront your fears, address you expectations, practice gratitude, be open and honest, and practice mindfulness as ways to cope

pics of written notes to be converted to this post:

[allurebalance]

Simple Steps to Kickstart your 30-Day Detox Journey!

Welcome to your 30-day detox journey, designed specifically to kickstart your path towards a healthier and rejuvenated self. Detoxifying your body and mind can have a profound impact on your overall well-being, helping you eliminate toxins, boost energy levels, and establish healthy habits. In this blog, we will guide you through simple steps that women can take to embark on a successful 30-day detox. Whether you're new to detoxing or looking to refresh your routine, these strategies will equip you with the tools and knowledge to make the most out of your detox journey. Get ready to reset, for a healthier and more vibrant you in the next 30 days!

1. What is a 30-Day Detox?

Let's face it, we live in a world filled with processed foods, pollution, and stress. A detox is like hitting the reset button for your body. It involves eliminating toxins and nourishing your body with wholesome goodness. By opting for a 30-day detox program, you give your body a chance to heal, rejuvenate, and function at its best. A detox can boost your energy levels, improve digestion, promote weight loss, clear your skin, and enhance mental clarity. It's like giving yourself a spa treatment from the inside out. Plus, by ditching unhealthy habits and adopting healthier ones during the detox, you are setting yourself up for long-term health success.

2. Setting Clear Goals and Intentions for A Healthy You

Identifying your personal reasons for detoxing

Everyone has different motivations for embarking on a detox journey. Maybe you want to fit into those jeans that have been hiding in the back of your closet, or perhaps you want to feel more confident and vibrant. Whatever your reasons may be, it's essential to identify them and remind yourself of them throughout your detox.

Establishing specific and achievable goals

Setting clear goals is crucial for achieving a 30 day detox. Whether it's cutting out sugar, incorporating more greens into your meals, or committing to a daily workout routine, make sure your goals are specific, realistic, and achievable. This way, you can track your progress and celebrate your victories along the way.

3. Creating a Detox-Friendly Meal Plan

Choosing whole, nutrient-dense foods

During your detox journey, it's essential to fuel your body with nutrient-dense foods. Focus on whole grains, lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. These foods will provide your body with the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants it needs to thrive. It is important to know what these nutrient-dense food options are and which one is best suited for your body. Incorporating detoxifying ingredients into your meals

Certain foods have detoxifying properties that can support your body's natural cleansing processes. Think turmeric, garlic, ginger, leafy greens, and lemon. Including these ingredients in your meals can help enhance the detoxification process and make your taste buds dance with joy.

4. Incorporating Regular Exercise into Your Detox Routine

Finding exercises that support detoxification

Detox is not just about food and meal plans. Exercise supports the detoxification process. Sweating, for example, helps eliminate toxins from your body. So, incorporate activities like yoga, jogging, dancing, or anything that gets your heart pumping and your body moving. Developing a workout schedule and routine

To make exercise a consistent part of your detox journey, it's essential to create a workout schedule and routine that works for you. Find a time of day when you have the most energy and make it a non-negotiable appointment with yourself. Remember, consistency is key, and even small workout sessions can make a big difference over time. 5. Mindful Practices for Detoxifying the Mind and Spirit Incorporating mindful practices into your detox journey can help you achieve a holistic sense of wellness. Start by integrating meditation and deep breathing exercises into your daily routine. Take a few minutes each day to sit quietly, clear your mind, and focus on your breath. It's a great way to center yourself and let go of any negative thoughts or stressors that may be weighing you down. 6. Nurturing Self-Care and Stress Management during the Detox During your detox journey, make self-care a top priority. Prioritize sleep and relaxation, because let's be honest, a tired and stressed-out body won't do you any favors. Create a bedtime routine that promotes restful sleep and indulge in activities that help you unwind, like reading a good book or taking a bubble bath. Furthermore, explore stress-reducing activities and techniques. Find what works for you, whether it's practicing yoga, going for a walk in nature, or even painting. Whatever helps you de-stress and find inner peace, make it a regular part of your routine. 7. Tracking Progress and Adapting your Detox Plan as Needed One of the keys to a successful detox journey is tracking your progress and adjusting along the way. Keep a journal of changes and improvements you notice in your body, mind, and overall well-being. It's a fantastic way to stay motivated and see how far you've come.But don't be afraid to adjust your detox plan as needed.

8. Celebrating Success and Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle Post-Detox Once you've completed your 30-day detox program, it's time to celebrate your success! Recognize and reward the milestones you've achieved along the way. Treat yourself to something special, whether it's a spa day, a shopping spree, or just some quality time with loved ones. You deserve it! However, don't let your hard work go to waste. Incorporate healthy habits into your daily routine post-detox. Whether it's continuing to eat nutritious meals, staying active, or practicing self-care regularly, make these habits a permanent part of your lifestyle. Remember, your detox journey was just the beginning of a healthier and happier you.

Closing

As you approach the end of your 30-day detox program,, take a moment to celebrate your accomplishments and reflect on the positive changes you've experienced. Remember that detoxing is not just a one-time event, but a steppingstone towards a sustainable and healthy lifestyle. Continue to prioritize nourishing foods, regular exercise, and self-care practices in your daily routine. Embrace the newfound energy, clarity, and vitality that this detox has brought into your life. With these simple steps and a commitment to your well-being, you have laid a strong foundation for a healthier and more vibrant future. Cheers to your success and continued wellness!