#that somehow infuses whatever emotion is presented with meaning

[hasspartacusdoneanythingwrong]

The Flame-Soaked City, Part 5

With CasCu joining them, the master triad and co. head deeper into the heart of the Fuyuki singularity. What will they uncover as they approach the source of the altered history? (I mean if you play FGO you probably know this already, but hush. We’re hyping up the mystery here!)

TW: implied body horror, villain that would hurt a child, Lev Lainur

If it’s between <triangle brackets>, that’s a mental note between masters, and if it’s between {whatever these are} it’s the viewpoint character.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

{Jeanne}

With the arrival of the new caster, we not only gained a powerful ally, but knowledge about this singularity. What started as a Holy Grail War quickly became a fight for survival as the Saber converted the other servants to her side somehow.

Spartacus was very happy to find out there was a "tyrant" taking control of the situation. If it means he will actually help us from here on out we won't fight it. The best news however is that our caster friend knows healing magic! We're so close to being able to see again!

Kat: <Hey Jeanne, why are you saying all that stuff that just happened?>

Jeanne: <Because Cris never pays attention, and we don't need them getting lost next time they front.>

Cris: <Oh come on, I'm not that bad!>

Jeanne: <Really? What is Caster's name?>

Cris: <So you were saying about our eyes getting healed?>

Cu: Alright, we're all set little lady! Let's see what we can do about those eyes of yours.

Romani: Your vitals are good on our end, Hannah. We'll probably have to do this again when you get back, but the less time spent wandering in the dark the better.

Cu: I don't need you to tell me my magic works, mage.

Marie: Go ahead with the procedure, Caster.

The runes surrounding us lit up, infusing with mana as.... nothing happened.

Cris: Oh, you have got to be shitting me.

Cu: It's quite alright, you're not the first maiden to be taken aback by my-

Cris: No jackass, I still can't see anything!

Mash: But the spell worked, senpai! Your eyes look perfectly healthy!

Cu: You wouldn't happen to be cursed, would you?

Romani: It's more likely one of two things. Either we need to heal Hannah in the present, or the problem is psychosomatic. Either way, it's not a problem we can solve now.

Jeanne: That's unfortunate, but at least we're not any worse off for trying. It gave us plenty of time for a break, at least. We should get moving towards- As we stood up to move, our foot caught a rock in the worst way, and we took a spill.

--- {Cris}

Cris: Agh, motherfuck... er...

Holy shit, I can see again! God, blasted hellscape never looked so good. Wow Mash does not look comfortable in that armor. And that old guy in blue must be caster.

Cris: Wait, were you flirting with me? You're like 40, what the hell?

Mash: This is wonderful! Thank goodness!

Marie: We might just have a chance now.

Jeanne: <Maybe switching reset something?>

Kat: <That doesn't make any sense.>

Jeanne: <I know, I am just spitballing here.>

Cu: It's a step in the right direction, but her eyesight is clearly off. I'm still plenty young.

Cris: We can argue on the way. <Jeanne, you remember which way we need to go, right?>

Jeanne: <Leave it to me. We should travel much faster now.>

---- {Jeanne}

And with that switch, we are back in darkness.

Jeanne: That is less than ideal.

Marie: What happened now?

Jeanne: Hold on, I need to test something. <Kat, do you mind?>

--- {Kat}

We can see! Everybody's starting to look a little freaked out.

Kat: <Wow, those hassans really aren't wearing much, huh? They're pretty!>

Cris: <That's enough ogling, I'm turning this body around.>

--- {Cris}

Jesus, why the hell was Spartacus standing right behind us?

Cris: <Jeanne, why are you blushing? ...God, I can't take you two anywhere.> I pull us away from the big lug and back towards the sane part of the party.

Cris: Okay, tests done. The good news is I can see. Mostly. The bad news is that while we mostly have control over when it occurs, we might go blind at random, or if I get like, surprised or highly emotional.

Marie: And how, exactly, did you figure all that out by gawking at your servants?

Kat: Intuition.

Romani: You'll have to deal with it for now. After we get you back here we can work on a more permanent solution.

After we got on the road things went pretty smooth. The skeletons were pretty much a joke now that we could see them coming, and Caster even found time to teach Mash some new tricks. We barely managed to keep Spartacus from picking a fight with that berserker that's running around. Kat chatted with Saber and the assassins (I kinda zoned out for that tbh) and eventually we reached our destination. We hadn't even entered the cave yet, and already we could feel the raw energy pouring out of the thing.

Mash: Senpai, look out!

Mash threw herself in front of us as a sword, twisted, almost to the point of being unrecognizable, embedded itself in Mash's shield.

???: Sorry, but that's as close as you'll be getting to Excalibur.

Cris: What the hell?

Cu: I was wondering when you'd show up, Archer. I see you're still Saber's faithful knight, as always.

Archer: I don't know anything about that. All I'm sure of is there's an old pain showing up again.

Cu: You lot run on ahead. I've got some personal business to take care of.

Spartacus: Let him deal with the gatekeeper, we must strike at the heart of this tyranny!

Cris: Wait wha-

Spartacus grabbed us like a sack of potatos and ran into the cave. As we were getting dragged along, the opening salvos of their duel lit up the entrance behind us.

Jeanne: Assassin! Keep a couple personas near the entrance, and let us know if we'll have to deal with Archer.

Most of the remaining Hassans peeled off from the main group. Mash and the other servants were able to easily keep up with us, though Marie had to be carried on one of the larger hassan's shoulders.

Finally our bumpy ride ended in the opening of a large room. In its center stood a crater, with a massive beam of coalescing energy running from the floor to the ceiling.

Marie: The greater grail... what's that doing in Japan?

Spartacus: Face your end, oppressor! We have come to finish your reign of-

Before he could finish his sentence, a beam of energy burst forth from near the crater. It sucked the light out of whatever it touched, and when the dust settled, less than half of Spartacus' torso fell to the ground. I took a step closer to Mash.

Saber Alter: I have no patience for fools.

A servant clad in black platemail calmly strode forth, her sword still crackling with energy. With the veins on her armor pulsating, the entire thing almost seemed alive.

Saber Alter: You there, girls. You both have an interesting noble phantasm. I would like to test them.

With no other fanfare, she rocketed forwards, and her sword met Mash's shield. Mash and Saber Lily settled into their routine again, but Mash's training was already paying off. The older saber clearly wasn't used to fights against someone who could block her sword, and Mash took advantage of that to force openings for Lily to strike.

Alter was clearly going to lose, so she disengaged and fired off another beam from her noble phantasm. Mash responded in kind, and the black energy dissipated against the shield of light.

However, Alter expected this. and was simply using the beam as cover to get in closer again. Mash never saw the kick to her side coming, and she was easily sent flying, leaving Saber Lily alone with the experienced swordswoman.

It should have been a bloodbath. It was definitely one-sided, but for some reason Alter was holding back. Lily was mercilessly beaten down to the ground, but there was the slightest bit of hesitation that grew with each attack.

Kat: <Hey Jeanne? Do the scanny thing. Trust me.>

--- {Jeanne}

Jeanne: <Okay? I don't know what you- oh.>

We could no longer see the action, but we could still feel their spirit origins. Alter's was twisted by several things, much like the shadow servants we faced up to this point, but at her core, one thing was obvious. The saber lying on the ground and the saber standing over her were the same person.

Kat: <You guys seriously didn't notice they have the same face?>

Alter: It is useless, child. I am inevitable. I am what it means to be king.

Lily: Even if that's true... even if I'll be like you one day... I'm not you now, and I won't stop fighting you here!

Lily struggled to her feet, and focused all she had left into one final attack.

Lily: Sword of Selection, grant me your power!

Alter: Vortigern, Hammer of the Vile King reverse the rising sun.

Lily: Cleave the wicked! Caliburn!

Alter: Swallow the light, Excalibur Morgan!

The energy of their swords clashed, light and dark twisting around each other before it was all unleashed in an explosion that shook the cave.

--- {Cris}

Both sabers landed heavily. Alter lands in a heap near Spartacus' body, armor cracked from the impact. On the opposite side, Lily lays still, her spirit origin already starting to come apart. Alter pulls herself to her feet.

Alter: I will make this quick.

Before she can take a step, however, a large hand grabs her foot. Spartacus' body hasn't reformed enough to move yet, but he's alive, and that's enough.

Spartacus: HAHAHAHA! Come oppressor! Break your sword against my love!

Cris: Fuck yeah! I totally knew he was okay.

Jeanne: <Are any of us good at lying?>

To her credit, she damn near tried to do exactly what he said. Saber Alter launched blow after blow into the arm hold her in place. Each swing of her sword pulling energy from the greater grail and forcing it directly into Spartacus. We took this chance to run over to Lily. Mash had finally pulled herself from the wall she got launched into and was already there.

Mash: Senpai, your orders!

Cris: Just get your shield up and be ready!

Finally, Spartacus' body had enough. The energy stored within it writhed and began to break through, covering the cave in a bright purple light. Spartacus himself never stopped laughing the entire time.

Alter, and everything else that wasn't behind Mash's shield, was devastated by the explosion. When the dust settled, Spartacus was alone, collapsed on the ground, still smiling. ---- {Kat}

Kat: Lily? Lily it's over, you did it!

Lily barely stirred, her spirit origin was falling apart.

Lily: You were right, Master... Our journey was a lot shorter than I thought.

Kat: No! No, no, just hang in there. We can go get Cu, and he can... do something, I don't know!

Lily: I know this wasn't the best place to meet, but it was fun, right?

And then she turned to dust in our hands.

----- {Cris}

Kat was completely inconsolable, so I had to take over to keep things stable.

Marie: That was unorthodox, but well done. I guess even a third-rate mage can produce first rate work when pushed. Several points are still unclear, but we can call this mission a success.

Marie: If it is any consolation, now that Saber Lily has been recorded by Chaldeas, you should have an easier time resummoning her. She won't have any memory of this place, but that'll be true of any servant you summon in Chaldea.

???: Well, well, well. I did not expect you to get this far, Master of Chaldea. You've performed well beyond our expectations. And survived beyond the limits of my patience.

The voice came from everywhere at once, a cacophony that could barely be called speaking.

Cris: <Jeanne?>

Jeanne: <I'm on it!>

--- {Jeanne}

Suddenly, it appeared, standing over the remnants Alter left behind.

Jeanne: <what is that. what is that. what is that what is that>

Kat: <Jeanne?>

Jeanne: <what is that what the fuck is that What The Fuck Is That What. Is. That.>

---- {Kat}

It was Lev. We couldn't hear what he was saying over Jeanne's... whatever was happening to her. Mash put herself between us. Marie ran straight for him. Then hellfire opened beneath her feet. Olga's voice cut through.

Marie: No! Stop! I haven't even accomplished anything yet! From the moment I was born, I've never been accepted by anyone!

And she was gone. Jeanne finally calmed down.

Lev: You fool, Romani! You haven't figured it out yet? The future isn't "missing". It's been incinerated. It, and everything else outside of Chaldeas' protection. You lost the grace of our king, and this is the natural result.

The ground beneath us began to rumble.

Lev: Ah, the singularity is collapsing already. Farewell, Romani, Mash, Candidate #48. I have many places to be.

He was gone.

Mash: Doctor, perform an emergency rayshift, now!

Romani: This will be close, I might only be able to pull one of you out.

Mash: Senpai!

Jeanne: Mash!

Romani: You're not helping!

Mash and I joined hands. The world fell apart, and everything went black.

{Cris} We came to with a start, on the floor of the command center. Already some of the hassans were leading a cleanup effort to make the place more presentable. Mash is still alive, thank God, and Romani's also here.

Romani: Good, you're awake. I'm sorry to dump so much on you already, but time is of the essence. Are you alright with a briefing right now?

Cris: I mean it's not like I'm going to feel better any time soon, let's rip the bandaid off.

Romani: The main topic: Lev was right. Human history has been incinerated. Almost no space nor time on earth has been spared, culminating in the end of time at the end of 2018. The few points that still exist are these:

With that, Chaldeas lit up with seven bright points, each one with data pouring out of it.

Romani: These seven singularities are turning points in history that have been altered to change humanity's present. Chaldea is protected from this effect for now, but that protection won't last forever. Here's what we need to do: We need to fix these singularities if we're to have any hope of saving humanity. You are our only master, and the servants you've summoned are our best bet. I know you don't have much of a choice here, but I have to ask: are you willing to do this?

Cris: Of course.

Kat: <We will.>

Jeanne: <For Marie.>

Romani: Excellent. Well then! Our object is to protect and recover human history. Our opponent is history itself. To challenge our fate is an act of blasphemy against the past itself, but this is our only chance of survival. This is now the highest and only priority of humanity: a Grand Order.

Cris: Well, Spartacus? How's that sound? A rebellion against fate itself? Spartacus simply grinned, but for the first time it seemed almost genuine.

[unwiltingblossom]

15x19 is just....just hilariously bad. It’s a hot mess of garbage and lost potential.

Let’s just say there’s one and only one way to salvage this story, and it’s that the entire story is just another Swan Song, and this haphazard ending was written by Chuck to give the boys a sense of closure and freedom that’s impossible for them to ever have from the moment they realized who Chuck was.

It’s literally that bad. it can only be excused by Chuck being a lazy hack in-universe to pander to Dean and Sam. Rushing the end of Castiel’s arc in like two minutes, with zero emotional payoff unless you’re deeply, deeply invested in Destiel and desperate for any crumb of it. Luci reappearing for five minutes and acting totally out of character before dying basically instantly right in front of Jack to conveniently charge him up, then Chuck killing Michael for literally no reason whatsoever (Michael did exactly what he wrote him to do) right in front of Jack, Chuck deciding just not to kill Jack because...........................................because, and also deciding to beat, but not kill, the Winchesters, and the most anticlimactic defeat of Chuck possible.

What was the point of him combining with Amara? Nothing, there’s no payoff, it’s just a way to write her out. For no reason in particular she vibes with Jack even though Jack betrayed and tried to murder her while Chuck did nothing against her. She has an entire arc about being an inseparable pair with Chuck, brother and sister from the dawn of time that no one else can understand, a bond that even the imprisonment couldn’t break, and then she’s like ‘ah yes, the ally of the person who betrayed and tried to kill me - who tried to do the same - the son of the angel who betrayed me and tried to seal me away, I like this guy and will go be with him and “harmonize” instead of staying with the brother that I love, or protecting him from this.’

What has changed between pre-season 11 (or really pre-season 14) and now? Has their god figure changed tactics at all? Literally no. Not even a little. Every part of Jack’s limp wristed speech just added up to ‘absentee dad who doesn’t come and help people because he doesn’t want to be a helicopter dad’. The current writers just balled up their fists and shook them at the sky angry about  a Chuck who literally just didn’t exist, and hurled insults at him for doing things that their new replacement is also planning on doing.

Dean and Sam aren’t even off the hamster wheel, they’re just now on Jack’s! Which is better, because they’re on the good side of their world’s god--wait, they were that already before season 15, oops. Chuck was literally personally indebted to them! Amara was in love with Dean! Nothing has changed!

But even if that’s the ending they wanted for some demented reason, the execution is awful, possibly the worst! Not only did Chuck and Amara’s abilities and personality become inconsistent with previous seasons, they became inconsistent with a few episodes before.

In the end what was Chuck’s personality?

Whatever you were about to think was wrong unless your answer was “Nothing, he didn’t have a personality, he reacted only as the plot required him to at the time with no rhyme, reason, or internal consistency.”

One moment Chuck is railing at the Winchesters for ‘not obeying’, the next he’s punishing someone for obeying him or saying that the only thing that interests him is how the Winchesters surprise him. One moment he refuses the white flag for literally no reason, the next one he’s demanding they give up. One moment he needs Amara to Great Reset and has completely lost interest in the Winchesters, the next he’s given up on the hard reset and only cares about the Winchesters again. One moment he revives his most rebellious son because he knows that son is obsessively devoted to him, the next he’s killing his most loyal son for reluctantly rebelling (exactly according to a previous plan). One moment he says ‘now Jack dies’ the next he goes out of his way to just not kill Jack for no reason. Does he want a fitting death for the Winchesters or not? He sure doesn’t know the answer to that!

Chuck was not a person, not even an entity. He was a formless, personality-devoid plot object pushed around the map to give the Winchesters something to react to and try to ‘defeat’. Billy was far more the arc villain - even Empty - than Chuck, and her ending was utterly anticlimactic and unsatisfying.

He acted exactly as necessary to get the very specific ending they picked, and nothing more. Every time up until the final conflict whenever he saw Jack he’d immediately kill Jack unless Jack was literally just dying in front of him. Every time he was irritated with someone and wanted them gone through the season, he would wave his hand and they’d vanish to ‘somewhere else’, implied to be very far away. Suddenly this one time, he instead sent Jack a very short distance away, so as to ensure he’d be close enough to absorb Michael’s power when Chuck SMITED him, not killed him in some normal way.

Shall we look at the very specific chain of insane events that had to happen to make this result?

- Chuck erases all of living existence except Michael, the Winchesters, Castiel, and Jack - the last of which he has zero interest in and very much wants dead.

- Chuck, instead of going to the bunker himself because he knows full well there’s literally nothing, nothing, that can kill him with Amara’s power (and also instead of just instantly resetting like he wanted to do with Amara), revives Satan and sends him to the bunker to make a new Death so that she can read Death’s book.

- The combined cleverness of him and the longest lived villain in the series due to his tenacity and cleverness don’t decide to peacefully take the new Death away for ‘security’ and kill her where the Winchesters (and Michael) can’t see, and instead instantly murder her in front of everyone before she can say how the end happens

- Chuck, despite making a point TWO EPISODES AGO about how he’s literally omniscient, and so though he can’t read the book that doesn’t mean it can actually be used against him, suddenly forgets that only Death can read the book. All of the time in the universe and he’s never learned this???? Even the Winchesters knew!

- Chuck evidently infused him with the power to insta-kill Death....somehow, but this power is not on display at any other point, especially not the crucial next moment:

- The most tenacious and sneaky villain on the show then slowly makes his way around the bunker with a fellow archangel who wants to kill him present, then lingers and offers to let a son he hates (and Chuck dislikes) that he believes is currently powerless to come with him. He then is unprepared for the very same trick that Gabriel tried to use on him 10 season before and failed back then with the phrase ‘I taught you all the tricks you know’, and gets immediately ganked by Michael with no fight at all

- Chuck LITERALLY WAS THE ONE TO GIVE THE WINCHESTERS THAT ARCHANGEL BLADE AND WROTE IT SO THAT THEY WERE THE ONES WHO KILLED HIM WITH IT THE LAST TIME. HE COULD NOT HAVE NOT KNOWN THEY HAD IT!!!!

- Dean and Sam then discuss their plan to trick the omniscient Chuck between each other and Jack. Chuck somehow doesn’t know this, even though it was established in the past that the warding doesn’t actually work against Chuck and Amara and he has literally nowhere else to be looking in the multiverse except at them

- Jack absorbs the power of an archangel, making him the third most powerful being in the universe currently, as all other archangels other than Michael are dead and Death is dead, and there is NO OTHER POWER ANYWHERE WHATSOEVER to hide him in, yet is undetected by Michael or Chuckmara

- Chuck appears when they attempt to do some BS to kill him, even though he would know full well that just wouldn’t work, and decides in that one specific moment, even though he doesn’t care one whit about Jack, not to go ahead and just delete Jack since he’s gonna do that in a minute anyway, he also doesn’t send Jack ‘away’ like he has with literally everyone else, nor does he control Jack and turn Jack on the boys. Nope. Just slap him vaguely to the side

- Rather than deal with Michael after the Winchesters, Chuck decides he hates his most loving and loyal son who has never once done anything wrong against him, and sought to do his will even when he was gone, even when Michael was stuck in the cage unjustly. He goes ahead and murders Michael for something he wrote as a trap for the Winchesters and doesn’t even wait to deal with Jack and the Winchesters first to do it

- CHUCK. SHURLEY. UNDERESTIMATED THE WINCHESTERS. THE ONE WHO WROTE THEM TO BE THE WAY THEY ARE. THE ONE WHO WROTE “AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO DOESN’T UNDERESTIMATE THE WINCHESTERS?!” FOR CROWLEY TO SAY.

- Chuck didn’t notice Jack absorbing the power of Michael LITERALLY RIGHT NEXT TO HIM, making Jack nearly Chuck’s power by absorbing the two most powerful archangels and literally leaving him THE ONLY FLAME OF POWER IN ALL OF EXISTENCE BESIDES CHUCK. STANDING RIGHT. NEXT. TO. HIM.

- Seriously, the energy of Michael didn’t dissipate, it sucked right into Jack, still in his peripheral vision. Chuck the omniscient!

- Chuck then decides, unlike every other time he faced the Winchesters or anything he wanted dead, no he won’t smite or erase the Winchesters or make them face some poetic fate, he’ll punch them down. But not once and obliterate them, oh no. Over and over so he can “leak god power” that he then doesn’t notice is being drained into Jack

- He literally does not notice a being as powerful or more powerful than him standing behind him. OMNISCIENT CHUCK.

- Rather than take the power back, flee, or do anything with his power or eons of experience (like transfer his consciousness to Jack along with the power), he stands there and immediately is drained

THIS is the path that had to happen, with no deviations, for the Winchesters not to just die.

And on top of that garbage plotline of perfect coincidences we’re expected to believe wasn’t written to happen in-universe, the execution is the saddest and most pathetic wet fart of a finale ever.

There’s been 15 seasons, and conveniently we can compare three different ‘true’ endings in the process. Let’s do that, shall we?

Ending 1 - Swan Song. Build up: 5 seasons

The other endings didn’t get the benefit of five seasons of build up, so we won’t factor in the first 2 or 3 seasons just to be fair, and only count the beginning of the apocalypse arc.

Primary villain: Satan, with the backdrop of demons and the corrupted faction of angels. Their personalities are well defined and compelling. Their behavior makes sense and are consistent, and draw you in to be invested in what happens, especially the eventual heelface turn of Castiel.

Stakes: Humanity, but far more importantly, the supporting cast whom you grew to know and love over the years, even including Castiel.

Over the apocalypse arc, we see the boys struggle against impossible odds and what appears to be fate, raging against the dying of the light because they cannot accept that the future can really hold the end of everything. They despair, they grow, Dean - a staunch atheist - prays to god for the first time ever. Slowly but surely they lose ground, with every attempted victory only resulting in more failure. Ellen and Jo who survived an early season fake out and became beloved characters end up fighting and dying in a long, drawn out sacrifice scene that matters, leaving the people behind shattered. Bobby is crippled. Sam and Dean both give up and almost give in.

In the end, the final confrontation still happens, Castiel finally makes a stand for the sake of humanity and free will and he dies for it. Only the love that Dean and Sam have for each other, the lifetime as brothers and their fierce bond of family, finally saves the day. And it only happens at the cost of sacrificing Sam and Adam’s lives, forcing Dean to live for them.

The final battle takes all episode, it’s dramatic and it’s emotional both good and bad.

Ending 2 - Alpha and Omega. Build up: 3 seasons

The arc with Amara once again was a long build up of the Winchesters constantly trying to make things better and only making things worse, but where Sam was the vessel and thus had the personal connection to the villain in the first arc, Dean was the vessel exploring the darkness and thus had the personal connection to Amara in this arc.

Primary villain - Amara, the bitter and angry sister of Chuck who doesn’t understand human morality but has a personal connection to Dean.

Stakes: Existence itself, but also far more importantly, the supporting cast built up from the last checkpoint.

The crushing hopelessness of fighting a being with ultimate power filled the arc, and Dean’s attempt to reason with Amara failed not because she was insane, but because her understanding of existence was simply different and incompatible. Donatello their prophet has his soul devoured by Amara and Metatron is killed in a diversion, but overall there’s not as much sacrifice because it wouldn’t have done any good anyway. However, it has its Ellen and Jo moment in the form of the hopelessness of the Croatoan episode. The city converted, the Winchesters helpless, Sam infected and slowly turning, while Chuck has given up and plans to die with the world. 

And honestly, that moment when Chuck begins to sing, when the amulet after so many years finally begins to glow and the clouds part, everything isn’t fixed yet but somehow it’s all alright because “Dad is finally here” is such a beautiful moment.

Many before have commented on it, but Chuck’s song and the moment he heals everyone is iconic and beautiful, as is the moment when the play sings ‘Wayward Son’ while Chuck watches in the bleachers with a smile. Things also get desperate, as Chuck nearly dies even after they get everything together as allies - even including the last arc villain - they put together something that will only maybe work so that at the very least, existence can continue.

Once again, the boys and everyone get together to fight the inevitable and impossible simply because they believe humanity deserves to continue to exist, and it’s the love of family - this time between Chuck and Amara, who truly, no matter the eons of rivalry and resentment and bitterness, don’t want to see each other hurt - that puts aside the end. The inevitable fade is prevented because of love and family (and isn’t that the point?) and even Chuck as a father redeems himself, taking the anger from Dean, Sam, and his own son and finally makes peace with them as well.

In the same way Chuck brought back Castiel stronger as a gift, Amara brings back Mary younger as a gift, and just as in season 5, they leave with the promise that Dean and Sam can handle things from here. Chuck even says "The Earth will be fine without me. It’s got you and Sam.” before he leaves.

The final episode isn’t a battle, but the solution takes all episode, and the ending is somewhat bittersweet, though more positive emotional than negative.

‘Ending’ 3 - Inherit the Earth. Build up: one season

They didn’t have much choice about this, because Jensen sprang ‘I quit’ on them, and they evidently didn’t want Jack to be the final villain, so the arc they were in the middle of had to be terminated (and the Michael arc ended at an awkward place so they couldn’t have just ended it at the end of s14 instead)

Still, the season of buildup....just isn’t. Most episodes have nothing to do with the inevitable impending doom, and rather than hopelessness, the Winchesters mostly live in a delusion that despite utterly failing to defeat Amara, somehow they can beat Chuck with less power. This conflict is fueled by sheer rage on both sides, as Dean has up and decided he hates that someone is controlling his life and thinks he gets a say, and is willing to endanger the entire world for his grudge against Chuck - even though this was something resolved back in s11 (the resolution with Satan was also completely undone by these writers instantly but that’s another matter)

Primary villain: Chuck, with an aside of Billie and The Empty - unfortunately this Chuck has no connection to the previous Chuck (or even himself episode to episode), Billie has always been extremely bland and doesn’t really accomplish anything through the season, and the Empty is totally unexplored and wholly exists to say “BE QUIET” and provide fanservice because it’s using Meg’s actress to do so. It has no personality beyond wanting to be left alone and getting vindictive if it’s not. It also can’t impact anything because it’s barred from Earth and nothing significant in the plot happens elsewhere this season.

Stakes: Humanity, and also some side characters you don’t really know or care about

Let’s talk about those, because it’s the biggest failing in the execution of this whole plot and why the ending has no oomph and doesn’t matter even if Chuck had a coherent personality and the ending had made sense.

Bobby is not Our Bobby, and despite bringing him back, the writers utterly failed to explore him or bring him into things, even in this final arc. There’s been no chance to bond with this Bobby. Even his ‘romance’ with Mary was offscreen and he had little more than grunting to say about her death.  We’ve also had our chains thoroughly jerked around by Bobby since season 6. Emotionally we’re dead to Bobby, and the writers seem to have assumed this by token returning him and then shipping him on a bus immediately (or maybe the writers suck, because they do this to Mary most of the time too and there’s no reason for people to be bored of her)

Charlie is not Our Charlie, and we’ve already seen her die (pointlessly). Once again, the writers utterly failed to explore her, even more than Bobby, and no one can point out anything that makes her any different from the original except that she has no connection to the boys. She’s also been shipped off and removed multiple times, so viewers are well acquainted with her being gone. She does nothing in the final plot to make people remember her or be invested.

Does Garth even die on screen??? Have we even seen him since the antiMichael arc? Oh right, he’s in the joke episode where he gives Dean fillings. You know who doesn’t even die on screen? Jody. She also has no role in the season. She doesn’t even appear in reality, only alternate versions of reality! Instead, Donna appears! Just long enough so she can die on screen painlessly in a plot twist about Billie. Presumably Donatello dies, but, y’know, it’s offscreen.

More importantly, none of these people who die are involved in actually helping to fight Chuck. They help the Winchesters a little in their cameos, but they’re not involved in a desperate fight for survival, putting it all on the line even though they know it’s hopeless, because humanity deserves to exist and no matter how impossible, they have to fight.

Three people of importance die or ‘die’.

Amara, who as mentioned is just written out of the show for no conceivable reason

Rowena, is the only person with an impactful sacrifice done to fight Chuck, no matter how hopeless it is. Unfortunately, it’s somewhat rushed, and Sam is over it pretty quick....because Rowena becomes Queen of Hell, completely undermining her death and really just giving the Winchesters an upgrade, because she’s even more reliable than Crowley in there (they proceed to never call on her)

And then there’s Castiel.

His death is rushed and hot garbage, as mentioned. He’s not dying to fight Chuck, or for something he believes in. It’s not a long and emotional or heartbreaking scene. It’s a useless and stupid one that only happens because Dean is an idiot, with the fakest suspense of Billie just open palm smacking on a door for a stupidly extended amount of time, just so they could fulfill an ‘oopsie’ plot hook they’d planned for far in the future with the Empty.

And the worst part? After undermining Castiel being one of the brothers and everything he’s ever done with ‘it’s not that I loved humanity and did what I believed was right, even in the face of adversity and those around me telling me it was wrong, it’s that I loved you and confessing this even though it’s 100% unrequited and we’re surrounded by doom and I know things are hopeless I’m completely happy, at peace, and have forgotten Empty’s promise (oops, forgot about that qualification, didn’t you?)’

After all that, Dean, Sam, and Jack aren’t even really broken up about it. Dean is sad for like five seconds and then they move on back to angry at chuck mode. Jack lost his actual dad, Sam and Dean lost their brother - forever this time - and they’re like ‘eh, we moved on from losing mom again and losing dad again, this is nothing’.

There’s no impact to this sacrifice whatsoever. Especially because in the very next episode we see that if you have Chuck’s power you can just yoink out someone from the Empty, and that very episode they already said that the Empty can’t go where Chuck doesn’t want him. That is to say: Jack can just rescue him now and there’s nothing the Empty can do about it.

And as for the conclusion?

What saves the day? Is it love? Does Amara’s appeal to Chuck as his sister work? Do the Winchesters swallow their pride and go to Chuck to plead with him to see reason and remember his love for his creation? Does the love Michael have for his father reach him? Do the love Dean, Sam, or Jack have for each other matter, overcoming the impossible to choose love, freedom, and family like always?

Nope.

They win because Chuck is angry and hateful and full of hubris, so he makes a billion mistakes in a row, allowing himself to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. And is there a lesson about love in the end, something about freedom or family or forgiveness?

Nope.

They leave Chuck groveling as a human (like that’s different from how he’s been for eons, happily so), Jack fixed everything (except Castiel and all the angels and heaven and all the monsters and serial killers and cannibals)  and then gives a speech about how he is everything and is in everything but not Dean and Sam’s car because the only way to be good at his job is to go do the thing Chuck was doing and Dean raged at him about.

And it happens in a few seconds.

Completely anticlimactic. There’s no climax. There’s no build up. There’s no satisfaction or emotional payoff. There’s no closure that makes you say ‘yes, this could be the end and I would be completely satisfied’ except that they didn’t include the last second sequel hooks that were in s5 and 11 because they knew there’d be more seasons.

Also looping back to the logistical side of things again

There is no ‘godforce’, there’s no ‘grace but it’s divine’

Chuck and Amara are power

You can’t just ‘drain’ them of it, you can’t steal their power and leave a husk, because there’s no husk. They’re not inhabiting someone like angels or demons do. They are that power. Why do they have that power? Because they do, Because they are, they have that power in their world.

If you could somehow ‘steal’ the power you’d be stealing the ‘essence’. Just like with Amara moving to Jack, Chuck would move to Jack, and suddenly it wouldn’t be Jack anymore, because a human mind and soul can’t overcome him (see: he writes them)

Also, consider the sheer staggering amount of NERF!!!!!!!

Chuck + Amara, that’s Chuck doubled in power

is now canonically the power of “One human soul + two powerful archangels + a few punches worth of power”. That means by their reckoning, Chuck alone is only a punch or two stronger than Michael. 

think about that compared to what Death said to Castiel with all of purgatory in him.

And this

This is why I say

The only way to correct this episode is to reveal in the end of this next wrap up episode that it was all written by Chuck, for Dean and Sam. The only fix to this is to make it so the bad writing is just typical Chuck being a ham-fisted writer who is ultimately just doing what’s best for humanity and especially his two favorites: giving them closure, someone to let out their rage and hatred on, and true ‘free will’, by once again removing himself from the equation and letting them live their lives without him.

[stillness-in-green]

The Way You Survive Is... (4/4)

One of the joys of meeting new people is gaining a new perspective.

(Things were always going to change after Deika. This, though, Rikiya did not see coming.)

Chapter Warnings: Spinner has a judgey streak a mile wide, but compared to everything that's come before, he's a veritable bodhisattva.  There are a few mentions of Rikiya’s injuries from Deika also.

Pre-ship for Spinner/Rikiya if you want it to be, but it starts because they're both Big Smitten for Shigaraki.

———      ———      ———      ———

Chapter Four: Dealing With All the Todays and Tomorrows 

The end of it came unexpectedly, during Rikiya’s first meeting with his new leader after the hospital stay.  Rikiya had spent the better part of an hour in Shigaraki Tomura’s personal suite, members of the League drifting in and out from the living room (and Skeptic doubtlessly listening in as well) as Rikiya recounted the Liberation Army’s holdings and activities in exhaustive detail, precedent to its new Grand Commander deciding what he wanted to actually do with the organization he’d so suddenly found in his possession.  For all Rikiya’s preconceptions about him, Shigaraki Tomura had proven to have a keen interest in his new resources, asking a shocking number of pertinent questions about troop distribution, societal permeation, and goals-to-date.

Finally, though, they’d circled back to one of the very first things that had come up: Detnerat and its support goods, and, now, what sorts of creations might be in the offing for the members of the League.

“You may have seen Trumpet’s at the end—he was wearing it when he approached us.”  Rikiya hadn’t seen it himself, too focused on Shigaraki and what he might say, how to give voice to overflowing emotions of reverence and regret, how to plead for the lives of his followers in a way that stood any chance of success.  Still, he’d grown up with Trumpet’s voice; he knew all of its timbres, and the sound of it filtering through Sevens Loud was unmistakable. “But my Claustro was another.”

“The mech suit thing?”  Shigaraki was a gaunt, black-clad figure propped up against the headboard of the bed, all but swallowed up amongst the pillows scattered across the king-sized mattress.  He’d commandeered (and factory-reset) one of Skeptic’s laptops, though he hadn’t used it once during the whole of Rikiya’s presentation.  It sat open beside him, the screen turned away.

“The very same!  It was a pressure mechanism to boost my stress levels.  I’m having it rebuilt, of course.”  The influence of the painkillers in his system made it wonderfully easy to deliver that bit of news with such cheer.  Shigaraki gave him a long look, then snorted lightly.

“Don’t bother.”

It was like having his legs out from under him a second time.

“I’m—I’m sorry?”  Rikiya stumbled on the words, completely blindsided.

“I said, don’t bother,” Shigaraki repeated shortly.  “S’more expensive than it’s worth.”

“But it really is effective,” Rikiya argued—and oh, what was he doing, arguing with this young man?  He winced when Shigaraki turned the full force of an annoyed scowl on him, but forged on.  “I know I didn’t make the best showing of it in Deika, but if you give me another chance to demonstrate it, or even just let me show you the numbers—”

“What are you, into bondage or something?” Shigaraki’s eyes narrowed, and between that and the stab of nausea at the very thought, Rikiya broke into an uncomfortable sweat.  “You’re too desperate.”

“No,” he said slowly.  “It’s just that I want to be at my most effective for you.”

“You being at maximum effectiveness isn’t our most effective play, Mr. CEO.”  His young leader’s words dripped with scorn.  “I’m not blowing your cover on a fight.  Take the money you’d spend on that and earmark it.  We’ll figure out what to do with it when we’ve got our plans more in place.”

“Yes, sir.”  No more Claustro.  No more Claustro.

He rallied somewhat, the thought plucking at strings within him that hummed with a giddy delight that felt twenty—thirty—possibly younger than he’d ever felt in his life.  Stress was still important, of course, but if Shigaraki really did mean for him to lean into his business resources rather than utilize him in combat, then…

“Okay, I take one part of that back.”  Shigaraki, who’d been staring at him the entire time he was processing the command, rolled his eyes and turned away.  “I also want you to go get a massage or see a hooker or something.”

If he were on his prosthetics yet, Rikiya would surely have tripped over then.  It certainly did the trick for wiping whatever sort of glassily ecstatic look he’d had on his face back off it.  “I—I really don’t know that that’s necessary.”

Shigaraki pulled the computer back into his lap.  “Wasn’t asking for your opinion.  If I’m going to keep having to deal with you, I want you wound down, not wound further up.”

Wound down.  Rikiya tried to contemplate it and found himself at a loss.

“That will be a bit of a new endeavor for me, but I’m sure I can figure it out,” he said, and the words felt like an open rooftop—free air, but no guardrail in the way of a sharp drop.

———      ———

“So what exactly do you do to relax?” Spinner asked him a few weeks later when the two of them were, yet again, the last to clear out after a meeting ended.  Shigaraki had vanished off to his mysterious doctor’s lab three days prior, and already the absence of him hummed through the organization, crackling in the long stares his compatriots received in the hallways, the glances that moved between Rikiya and the new lieutenants, always landing back on him as if silently asking, Now?  Do we attack now, while their guard is down?  Just say the word. 

The members of the now-dissolved League seemed to be handling it with rather more aplomb, thankfully.  Dabi’s standoffish rudeness aside, all of them had found at least some aspect of the merger that they seemed to enjoy, be it Toga Himiko getting her choice of advisors who were willing to feed her hungers within safe boundaries, Sako Atsuhiro’s bright, malice-edged banter with Galvanize, and Bubaigawara Jin’s—well, he mostly seemed happy to be in good company. Rikiya had high hopes.

And then there was Spinner.

Rikiya gave him a politely blank stare at the question.  It wasn’t the first time he’d fielded such an inquiry—poor Miyashita had asked, and various colleagues at industry conferences, and a number of people back in university, but in all cases, a pat answer was required, a mistruth or a deft lie. Spinner was a compatriot in the true labor, the cause of Liberation, and, more to the point, he was now Rikiya’s peer. That demanded a more truthful response, but Rikiya didn’t have one that he suspected was on Spinner’s list of acceptable replies.

“I mean it,” Spinner said, insistent, and crossed his arms over his chest in what was becoming a familiar mannerism.  “Shigaraki told me to make sure you relax some while he’s gone, so spill it.”

“Shigaraki did?”  Rikiya blinked, touched, but moreover, surprised.

“Yeah, he did,” Spinner said, still looking combative. Was he less than pleased with such instructions himself, Rikiya wondered, or was this just his usual awkwardness with socialization?  “So what do you do for fun?  Golf?  Ski resorts?  I mean, we’ve got work to do, so you can’t just take off, but—”

“Spinner, I…”  Rikiya smiled, bemused.  You may as well say it.  “I’m not trying to be reticent.  It’s just that there isn’t anything.”  Spinner favored him with a supremely skeptical stare, and he reiterated, “Truthfully.  If Shigaraki thinks my—relaxing will be helpful for the cause, that would—well, it would be a first.”

“There’s gotta be something.”  Spinner’s face twisted into disbelief.  “A hobby, maybe?  Bonsai?  Archery?”

“How traditional,” Rikiya attempted the joke, already turning apologetic as the last of Spinner’s aggression dissolved into bafflement.  “But no, there really isn’t.  Perhaps we can try one of your past-times?”

“Mine are—uh…”  Oh.  He can blush. Isn’t that cute? Rikiya’s thoughts informed him as the scales around Spinner’s cheeks infused with red.

“It will probably all be a new experience to me,” Rikiya offered.  He smiled wider, more genuine.  “How exciting.”  His assurances did not seem to make the other man feel any better.  In fact, he looked a bit like he wanted to crawl up the wall and escape.

“I’d need to…  Uh.  Order some stuff in.”

“Of course, of course!  Our resources are completely at your disposal.”  Rikiya beamed.  “Shall we set a time for this weekend, then?”

Spinner somehow went redder still, but mumbled agreement all the same.

———      ———  

The room Spinner had settled on for the venture—video games, Trumpet had predicted dourly, and Skeptic had confirmed—was an out-of-the-way conference room, not the villa’s biggest or airiest, not a corner room or common area, but one of those little meeting spaces tucked away in the bowels of any large enough building, accessible only through three different turns down four different hallways, the sort of thing you only ever saw if you’d built it, you cleaned it, or you explored enormous buildings for fun. Iguchi Shuuichi certainly didn’t fit the bill for the first two options, leaving only the latter, and Rikiya could only wonder if Spinner had found the place in idle wanderings or as the result of a deliberate search.

Regardless, the electronics took up much of one end of the room, a large-screen monitor set up on a low table, along with a glowing computer tower, a game console and sizeable speakers.  Two curved black and red rocker chairs on the floor sat, Rikiya thought, rather closer to the screen than was probably recommended by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.  The back end of the room was mostly bare, a table shoved up against the wall with a few damaged chairs and gutted computer towers speaking to the room’s prior life as a storage space for office supplies awaiting repair or repurposing.

Not a bad metaphor, all things considered.  I wonder if he intended it.

“Oh, hey.”  The he in question stood up from behind the TV, dusting off his hands and starting when he caught sight of Rikiya.  “So you did show.”

“I did.  And dressed down, as requested.”  Rikiya spread his arms in brief demonstration of innocuous brown dress pants and a white button-down shirt, top button undone, cuffs rolled back twice.  It was hardly casual, but it was as close to it as he could manage on short notice.

Spinner had done a much better job of it, a hoodie and jeans replacing his normal tac vest and dark pants, his hair long enough to brush his shoulders, thick and bushy, when his usual goggles and band of cloth weren’t holding it up.  He could almost pass for a normal person on the street, save for all the knives—the one part of his costume he’d left on, sheathed and strapped to his side.

He glanced over Rikiya, looking not entirely convinced—he was an open book generally, and being able to clearly see his forehead (rather high, actually) made reading his expressions even easier—but conceded a nod.

“Well…  Have a seat, I guess.”  He slid a remote control on the floor towards the two chairs with his foot.

Rikiya closed the door behind him, privately thankful for the barrenness of the other end of the room—he could almost pretend the room wasn’t functionally a cellar with all that clear space at his back—and made his way over to one of the rockers, easing himself into it.  It had been literal years since he’d been expected to settle into a casual seating arrangement with someone who wasn’t in his inner circle, and even those had mostly been relegated to the dinners as they’d all gotten older and busier with work.  Typically the chairs were higher off the ground.

Curious would have laughed at this for days.  He set the thought aside, accurate though it was, and shot Spinner an expectant smile as the man picked up a pair of controllers and thrust one out at him.

“Are you sure it’s all right that I haven’t touched one of these since university?” Rikiya asked.  He took the device and experimentally fit his grip around the handles, turning it over to examine the array of buttons and controls.

“It’s fine,” Spinner responded.  “I’m pretty sure games like this all teach you how to play them as you go.”  He sat down in his own rocker and angled himself slightly in Rikiya’s direction.  “So wait, what did you play in school?”

Hardly something Rikiya had committed to memory, given how much else had been going on in his life at the time.  He dredged up what he could anyway.

“Some sort of game where players would select a character to fight another player’s character.  Martial arts-themed, as I recall.  There was one that involved some sort of government agent killing zombies. And I had a friend in a study group who always going on about the last game in a series he enjoyed.  Something with ‘Fantasy’ in the title.”

Spinner muttered something under his breath that might have been Oh, boy and might have been Normies, and turned on the TV, simultaneously pressing the center button on his own controller. As the screen blinked on, resolving into a home screen for the game console, he flicked over to an entry labeled Seed, the image a single bright red flower on a black background.  A few logos later, they arrived at the title screen, which flickered periodically through homophonous kanji (Truth, Interval, Wait), and Spinner talked him through selecting New Game, Two-Player, and selecting himself as Player One.

The game began with a figure—small, features undefined beneath the hood of a simple blue robe—standing in a dim, firelit cave, a few shelves mounted on the walls.  A simple tutorial involved moving about the cave collecting items off the shelves: a bag, a canteen, and a small spade.  All basic joystick controls, a simple press-X-to-interact, and then the figure extinguished the fire with a spadeful of ashes and walked unprompted into the dim tincture of daylight on one side of the screen.

Outside, a short video showed the screen’s view expanding from the flat two-dimensionality of the cave to more sprawling environs of a lush forest, all dappled greens and yellows.  Tangles of vines proved impassable as Rikiya wandered up to them, attempting interaction to no avail.

“It’s not full open-world, but there’s not a time limit or anything, so you can poke around all you want,” Spinner offered, watching Rikiya uncertainly steer himself around the screen.

“And the goal is?”  A soundtrack had kicked in, a pleasant and melodic string piece, interspersed with birdsong when Rikiya passed close to a flash of feathers in the verdant tapestry.

“You’ll find out when you trip over it.  Just look for anything interesting.”

Rikiya obediently headed down the way that seemed generally laid out, noting a patch of particularly sunny ground up ahead.  “And where do you come in?  Or do we take turns?”

“The two-player functionality is for later on.” Spinner shifted positions to tuck one foot under himself—less sitting, more perching—the controller tucked in his lap. “You’ll see.”

Rikiya hummed assent and returned his focus to the screen, where a button prompt saw the character stooping down into a kneel and using her—his? its?—tools to dig a hole, drop in a seed from the bag, and recover it before pouring a small measure of water over it.  A circling motion of their hand followed, some silent little ritual, and in response, a flower bloomed up from the spot, small but brilliantly red.

The character didn’t immediately rise, but the screen shifted focus slightly, and when Rikiya nudged a joystick, they returned to their feet, and so he set out through the trees again.  He spotted another sunny patch before long, on a raised bluff, which lead to a new button option that resulted in a quick climbing animation and, shortly, a yellow flower glowing in the sun.

As promised, the controls were intuitive, and soon Rikiya had planted two more seeds and been forced to leave one promising-looking spot alone when the character proved unable to make the necessary climb. The next wrinkle presented itself shortly after—an empty canteen.  Further exploration yielded a small brook, glittering in the light, and the ability to refill his water supply.  A line of stones offered passage across the stream, and Rikiya paused, considering the implicit invitation to press forward.  But after a moment, he doubled back, watering the planted seed (a purple flower this time) before heading back towards the brook.

“You’re gonna be one of those 100% completion types, huh?” Spinner observed from where he’d been watching without comment since weighing in that the unreachable spot from before might be a New Game Plus thing.

Rikiya turned the phrase over in his head, then smiled slightly.  “Probably,” he allowed.  “Is that a problem?  I could prioritize progress instead of thoroughness.”

“You’re playing, not me.  Just play how you want.”  A hint of rolled eye suffused the words, and the combination brought back the memory of Shigaraki on the stage—We’re gonna do whatever we want!—a study in contrasts: a hand-tailored black suit worn with ratty red sneakers, sprawled like a street thug in a chair that belonged in a gentlemen’s club, wrapped in bandages with one splinted leg, but still speaking in a voice so effortlessly confident it gave Rikiya chills to remember.

Whatever we want.

“Is that part of the exercise here?” he asked; his voice emerged strangely hushed to his own ears.  That Shigaraki’s presence could have such an effect, even in his absence… Rikiya held back a sigh.  Trumpet had given him a very sharp glance the last time he’d sighed over Shigaraki and it came out revealingly wistful.

He’d half-expected Spinner to respond in denial or confusion—real or feigned, he’d not decided—but Spinner only sat quietly for a long moment before answering with, “If that’s what it takes, I guess.”

“To get me to relax?”  On the TV, the camera shifted perspectives—another video—to watch the character pass between two enormous trees, screen fading to black for a few seconds before returning to show a new landscape, the terrain hillier, the trees more sparse.  For the first time, sky was visible, a patchwork field of blue tumbled over with clouds.

Spinner shifted in place, the movement bespeaking awkwardness.  He tapped his claws over the controller in his lap, a drum of keratin on plastic.

“…Look, this is gonna sound pretty bad, but you’re—it’s like you’re on a commercial, all the time.  Mr. Compress feels less fake than you do sometimes, and I haven’t seen his real face the whole time I’ve known him.  The only time you feel real is when you talk about Shigaraki and how ‘liberated’ he is.”

“I believe it very much,” Rikiya offered, then fell quiet, because it wasn’t the right time to interrupt, and also, the wistfulness had just been waiting for him to speak again to leak out into his voice.

“Right, but—Shigaraki’s gone.  For the next four months.  We’ve gotta keep this thing together until he gets back, and—you know we’re the only ones who really care about it.”  Spinner’s shoulders had gone taut, Rikiya found when he looked over at the other man, his scaled fingers wrapped around the game controller.  “Shigaraki said something about you having an aneurysm, and I know he was just joking, but your whole thing is about stress.  And if that’s why you feel like you don’t ever not have a game-face on, then.”  He made a sudden frustrated sound, scratching at his hair.

“It doesn’t matter how you play the game,” he went on, just as Rikiya was opening his mouth to respond.  “This isn’t the kind of game you can lose.  You can just—play it how you want and nothing’s riding on it.  So you don’t have to turn around and ask me what’s the right way to do it.  Just—play it however feels right to you.”

On the screen, the little figure in blue with their inscrutable face had knelt, clothes moving slightly with a simulated breath.

“I’m afraid I don’t have much practice with—not having a ‘game-face’ on,” Rikiya said at last.  He thought about debating the assertion that no one else in his erstwhile organization cared about the new venture, but it was true that his own closest companions were making little attempt to hide their dissatisfaction.  Skeptic, of course, was quite vocal, but Trumpet, too, was entirely missing his usual charm around fellow warriors.  As for Geten, well, it was only a wonder that none of the League had commented yet about how long the ice in their drinks could last before melting.

“Yeah,” Spinner said with a shortness that Rikiya translated to, That’s obvious.  “But it’s just the two of us down here.  I won’t tell if you won’t.  Shigaraki’s the only other one who likes video games, anyway,” he added in a grumble.

“I’m surprised you all could find time for such things,” Rikiya said, which felt safer than anything else, to which Spinner snorted.

“We couldn’t.  I think he’s too practical to lug around a game system when he’s on the run. What’d he even hook it up to?  But he does that thing where he talks in gaming metaphors when he’s thinking about strategy.”  A mix of exasperation and fondness colored his voice.

“Do you suppose he might join us for this”—Rikiya waved the controller vaguely at the screen—“when he returns to us?”

Spinner’s cheeks colored slightly, and with a plaintive note, he answered, “I have no idea.  He—I don’t know.”  Rikiya made a questioning noise, lifting his brows, and Spinner shot him a look of residual distrust before relenting.  “He’s always either on or off.  No in-between.”

A somewhat garbled bit of metaphor, but Rikiya understood, if not the sentiment, then at least the dazed origin.  Still, he was learning things about Shigaraki Tomura, and there was a distinct thrill to that, to find a kindred spirit in this new cause, to see a look of mixed incomprehension and wonder in someone’s face that felt correspondent with his own.

“He’ll probably need some time to recover from the surgery, at least,” Spinner concluded after another moment on consideration.  “I guess we can ask.  The worst he can do is laugh at us.”  A beat of silence, then he amended, “The worst he would do is laugh at us.

“What?” he asked, suddenly defensive as he looked into Rikiya’s eyes.

“Mm?” Rikiya blinked at him.

“You’re smiling at me funny,” Spinner accused, and Rikiya blinked, realizing the truth of it.  He was smiling—still was, in fact, the expression oddly resilient even under the force of Spinner’s raised hackles.

“Apologies,” Rikiya murmured, still staring at the way Spinner’s beak twisted around an awkward scowl as he looked away, lilac pink eyes narrow.

“Just get back to the game,” he muttered.

“Ah, of course.”

——— 

It was a rather nice little experience, in the end.  The game progressed through different environmental stages, growing more barren from forest to plain to desolate shoreline and eventually into an abandoned city, all shattered glass and cracked asphalt and dim skies, hinting at some sort of apocalypse. It encouraged exploration of its different areas, with well-placed lulls in activity to take in its vistas and views (and it really did have exquisite color design), and each new area requiring more ingenuity to find water or soft earth or even sunlight.  In the third area, the second player’s role became clear, as the main character encountered some sort of wind spirit (hinted to be a ghost in the second-to-last stage) that could reach and manipulate areas and objects out of the main player’s grasp, as well give their jumps a modest boost.

The whole thing climaxed in a grueling slog through a blasted wasteland, all pale ash and white-hot sunlight and scouring winds. As played by Spinner, the spirit pushed insistently at the main character’s back even as their steps began to falter, and when they finally collapsed, it was in the shadow of their own body that they planted their final seed.  The wind spirit—now in ghost form again—pushed the ashes over the hole as the cloaked figure dribbled out the last of their water, then, together, they performed the ritual gesture, both hands moving as one.  A long, tense moment followed—predictable in the cinematic sense, but by then Rikiya was far too absorbed to quibble—before the seed unfolded into a red flower.  Seconds passed, and then another blossom found its way out of the sere earth some distance away from the fallen figure in blue.  It was followed by others, and the whole time, the red flower grew and grew, until a graceful tree, branches draped in crimson, stood at the center of the field of brilliant colors.

The credits rolled over a sweeter, fuller version of the game’s main theme, and a final little scene showed the two characters at the entrance to the cave from the beginning of the game, the blue-cloaked figure watching the canopy of the forest as the wind spirit toyed with a swirl of leaves.

“Well,” Rikiya said.  He and Spinner had not been entirely silent since the exchange about Shigaraki, but Rikiya had let him set the pace of conversation.  That had led to Spinner asking again, during the first beach area, whether Rikiya really had no hobbies to speak of; when asked in turn about his own, he had—reluctantly at first, then with increasing enthusiasm—talked about his personal favorite games. Rikiya was left with the distinct impression that Seed was not the sort of game Spinner normally favored, which showed a generosity of spirit Rikiya thought best rewarded by not drawing attention to it.

“That was a very charming experience,” he went on, ordering his thoughts for discussion—and also stretching out what remained of his legs; he would need to make some time for physical therapy after this.

“Was it relaxing, though?” Spinner asked, striking Rikiya to a chuckle with his blunt focus.

“I think the ending was tense enough to keep it from being entirely relaxing,” he said after giving the question due consideration. “But it felt like the intention was more to be cathartic, and it was that.”  Rikiya felt a rare lightness in his body—not as profound as Shigaraki overthrowing all his burdens, certainly, but—akin to it, perhaps.  A sense of stress expunged that, prior to Deika, he had typically only experienced after spars, and it had been rarer and rarer for him to take part in those as the years went on, much less expend any significant amount of stress in doing so.

“It was a wonderful tone piece,” he went on. “I think it would have been that much just to watch it, but the interactivity gives it its real impact. I can see why it’s well-regarded.”

Spinner nodded, uncertainty lingering in his eyes. “So—do you want to try to do it again sometime?”

“I’d be happy to.  You should bring some of the games you talked about next time.”  He paused as Spinner first brightened, then visibly tamped himself down and turned his attention to the game, beginning the process of exiting and turning off all the various components with a cursory mumble of agreement to Rikiya’s suggestion.

Unfortunately, with Spinner once again getting cagey, the sense of the contours of the room was creeping back in.  The transporting nature of the game was confined to the experience of playing it, and outside that, it really was quite a small room.  And if they did convince Shigaraki Tomura to join them, all the presence and intensity of him in such close quarters…  The thought tightened a cord around Rikiya’s chest, hope and fear mingled in the remembrance of the sublime.

If I’m going to have to keep having to deal with you, I want you wound down, not wound further up.

There is one thing you could ask for.  It was a small thing to ask in some ways, a large one in others, and if he let himself linger on it, he would doubtlessly talk himself out of it, which seemed disrespectful to the amount of time and effort his companion had devoted to this whole endeavor.

“Spinner,” he said abruptly, and the man looked back over at him with a small, suspicious frown and wary eyes.  “The next time we do this…”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think we might do it somewhere with windows?”

Should I explain?  Would he even want to hear about something like that?  Can I even talk about something like that?

Spinner studied him for a long moment, and Rikiya wondered suddenly how much more Shigaraki might have told him, about their confrontation, about the Claustro, about—well, about whatever conclusions Shigaraki had come to.  As the seconds stretched on, he felt the tiny curve of a smile on his face, not the expression of someone brimming with happiness to be shared, but the resigned air of someone awaiting a trial.  Not his best work, it had to be said.

“Yeah,” Spinner finally said.  “That’s fine.”

The answer—Spinner’s decision not to press—felt like a weight lifting.  A small one, to be sure.  But it was…

Well, it was a start.

…And perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to look into finding a few video games to bring in himself next time, too.

———      ———      ———      ———

Seed may look like a complete rip-off of Journey, but it also takes some inspiration from Prune, Monument Valley, Flower and a dash of Gris as well. It's using the verb-form of its titular word, which in Japanese would be pronounced ma, as would be the other kanji mentioned. (The kanji for devil has the same pronunciation, but the game devs didn't include it.)

Thanks for reading, all!

[fatehbaz]

I really love and appreciate your blog, primarily because I have zero background in this field but your posts are very good at presenting bite-sized pieces of information that encourage thoughtful consideration without browbeating me for my ignorance. Every time you post something, I'm like "I'm gonna learn something cool and important!" and I'm never afraid that I'll be belittled for needing to learn it. (1/2)

Oh. Wow. Thank you. I know I’ve said before that I struggle to accept when my effort is acknowledged or when kind things are said about me. I do struggle. So, once again, I am a bit speechless, especially at the magnitude of acknowledgement like yours here. Thank you for … recognizing me and for letting me know this. You’ve given me what is probably the most important type of compliment, the one that probably means most to me. Which is that I, in whatever capacity, have been involved in making someone enthusiastic, and that specifically I’ve somehow encouraged excitement about learning A Thing. I know this sounds like something you’d hear from, like, a lifeless artificial intelligence-infused robot programmed to embody the worst of superficial but ultimately cynical 1980s-era sloganeering. But I mean it, and I want to try to explain why.

Regarding “education” and sharing of information generally: I see sharing of information as a sort of community. You share your expertise with me, I try to contribute something as well. Mutual respect. Mutual aid. Respect for each other’s experience and autonomy. Genuine consideration for each other. Stuff like that.

Regarding the amount of my writing that ends up being “informational” even when I didn’t originally intend for it to be: This is going to sound a bit childish and schmaltzy, but I just want to share. But, like, not share in a “please listen to me speak” kind of way. It’s more like, I want to really share. When I’m rambling about landscapes or salamanders or ecological relationships or whatever, I don’t want to force-feed information to people, I don’t want to be perceived as woke or knowledgeable or authoritative or whatever. It’s more like … I found a shiny rock or a dazzling orchid, right? And I’ve got it in the palm of my hand, and I’m holding it up and I’m saying “look, look at this thing, isn’t it precious!”

Sometimes, it’s literally because I found a frog or a wildflower, and I’m like “look!” Is it kind of about validating my own existence? Am I asking “Am I the only one seeing this? Confirm or deny if I’m really alive and participating in consensus reality by acknowledging that we’re observing the same thing.” Maybe a little bit. But still. It’s more like: “We’re all depressed, we’ve all been traumatized, the world is dying in flames, but look at this thing! This toad is smiling at us!”

—-

Your words are a lot for me to process, not only because they are thoughtful and kind and specific, but because you’re directly talking about two things that I honestly and wholeheartedly care deeply about: (1) enthusiasm for sharing information, and (2) patience (or, more specifically, finding a balance between “avoiding coddling” and being patient and accessible.)

I really don’t want to distract, but I hope you don’t mind if I just ramble for a minute about coddling and compassion? (I ask rhetorically as I continue to ramble anyway!) I’m not going to monologue just for my own sake, I promise. (I know that it might sometimes look like I enjoy hearing myself “speak,” and I promise that I really don’t.) Instead, I want to say this as a way of letting you know that you “correctly identified” the things that I care about when approaching dialogue, education, and community-building.

On coddling: I care deeply about compassion. Something I didn’t get a lot of exposure to as a child or young person. I actively try hard to consider where other people are coming from. Though, of course we won’t coddle people who consciously provoke harm, people whose actions and opinions actually and consistently result in harm. Like, I won’t ever hesitate to call-out mean-spirited stuff; abuse; unjust violence; stuff like that. (Well, in fact, I actively look for these things to call-out, especially IRL or in-person.) But, in a group of well-meaning people, who genuinely want to be good, who might have some “not-great” opinions but who are genuinely willing to improve when encountering new information and who won’t resist and deflect upon encountering the information? I absolutely have multitudes of patience for that.

As someone who cares for and explicitly writes about decolonization, I have to say: I have patience for well-meaning people. Lots of patience. Don’t get me wrong, though. We’ve seen this behavior on this site and online spaces aplenty: If people resist and deflect when encountering new information, in order to preserve their own privilege and comfort – and this is key! – even after they’ve been shown resulting harm and they have consciously recognized the harm they might inflict? Were they really “well-meaning” to begin with, then?

So ultimately, I really don’t want to sound overly sentimental, like an after-school special, or in the way that a person might mask their own quiet discontent by overcompensating with superficial florid performance of extreme emotions, but! I feel obligated to say that I’ve been a not-great person plenty of times, and I’ve had plenty of “ontologically incorrect” opinions. And I try to constantly improve, to lessen the harm that I still cause, even if it’s inadvertent. So, if people mean well, I want to offer patience and extend benefit of the doubt. I didn’t always get offered that room to grow and improve when I was young. And it’s painful, and I don’t want to inflict that upon anyone who’s genuinely putting in the effort. It’s extremely disheartening, if someone is actively attempting to improve and participating in an educational dialogue. You know how some people get dramatic secondhand embarrassment on behalf of others? I experience secondhand wincing and pain when I see someone who’s genuinely trying to learn get shut down.

I guess that, by saying this, I wanted to basically let you know that I’m very grateful that you brought these issues up. And thank you so much for specifically saying that I’ve actually, occasionally achieved that balance between patience and avoiding excessive coddling. I don’t know if I have, but I’m glad it shows that I’m trying!

(Despite all this florid writing, in “The Real World,” I’m told that I physically appear somber and perpetually angsty, for what it’s worth.)

–

So, the feeling’s mutual, in a way? (Makes sense?) I am grateful to know people here and I’m grateful to share. We’re sitting in the cyber-prairie opening, pointing at the pool in the stream’s eddy: “The 11,000-year-life of civilization is collapsing and we’re caught in the middle! Look at these salamanders!”

Typical response from me: needlessly long, overwrought, meandering, probably looks very pretentious. Thank you all for tolerating me. I mean it.

I feel like I’m not doing you justice by leaving this with a simple “thank you,” so just know that I sincerely appreciate that you reached out.

[werevulvi]

I'm still not feeling 100% about getting my beard removed. Cause I used to love it, in the past. I used to really, really love it. Up until as late as about a year ago. But now I hate it and it makes me very dysphoric, but at the same time I struggle to let go of how I used to feel about it, but no longer do. It's a form of nostalgia, I think. My past feelings linger like a layer of dust over my true feelings. Were my past feelings not true then? Well, they were a coping mechanism.

I know I should look into those feelings more before actually getting my beard removed, but I don't know how. Perhaps making a list of "reasons to keep it" vs "reasons to remove it" might help, but I dunno. Cause I'm pretty sure all my "reasons to keep it" are just nostalgia stuff that makes me scared to remove it, but don't mean I actually want to keep it. It's like when you keep a useless object in your home cause you're just emotionally attached to it, but you never use it and you have no use for it anymore. So it's just collecting dust in a box somewhere, but you don't wanna get rid of it.

I wish I could just stuff my beard in a box somewhere! But I don't quite have that option with my body parts. They don’t click on and off like detachable parts of a doll. Maybe I could just save a tiny bit of it and keep in a small box, for affection reasons? Cause it's hard to make such a permanent decision to destroy it forever. Could you really take that old thing in your garage that you used to once really love and have a million emotions and memories attached to, even though it's also a really gross thing that you don't want around, or maybe it takes up too much space or whatever, and throw it into a fire? Or a shredder? Or hack it up into pieces and throw into a dump yard?

Could you, really? And would you cry too, as you’d feel your heart fighting it?

That my dysphoria “reversed” itself from one kind to its opposite like this, AFTER having transitioned... is such a merciless cruelty. I tried to treat it! I tried to make it better. But then the symptom fucking flipped 180 degrees on me and I’m back to square one. But there’s so much more to it than that. It comes with heavy feelings of nostalgia, dead dreams, confusion, frustration, grief, regret, pain... so much pain. I hate having mixed feelings about things that I have to make an "either or" decision about. It's hindering my life to keep my beard, and it's stunting me really a lot cause of how badly dysphoric it makes me and how hard it is to hide. Cause it’s literally in my face, and thus in everyone’s face. I can't go swimming with it, I can't start practicing karate with it, I'm dependent on using makeup because of it, I'm scared to start dating with it still there, I hate being mistaken for a trans woman because of it, I worry about locker rooms and any and all female only spaces, and so on. I have both body and social dysphoria about it. I shave also when there's no one around to see it for days. When I touch the stubble while alone by myself it makes me panic and feel gross. I always avoid mirrors when not shaven. When it's smooth I feel free and like touching my face. Only then it actually feels like my own face and that is what’s comforting for me now.

But at the same time, I have a now very latent love for it. But it is merely the memory of a feeling.

A feeling that used to be very strong, comforting and empowering. It used to be my comfort pillow in this harsh misogynistic world that doesn't see me as "fully human" when I get read as a woman, a world that traumatised me badly for being female. But I can no longer live in hiding cause of fear. I can fight misogyny and recover from my traumas while also presenting female, without the mask I used to wear to protect myself. It is still scary, it does make me feel a million times more vulnerable. But “woman” is something I simply am and it's not something I can ever truly escape from.

No amount of facial hair can truly protect me from that. Cause it doesn't work that way. I do not want to wear that mask of maleness anymore. It's not the true me. It's not how nature made me. It's not how I want to face the world, or my own mirror reflection. Removing the mask may also remove my skin in the process, but I'd rather be without skin than hide as something I am not. No matter how scary it is to be so vulnerable. What once used to be my armour is now suffocating me.

I don't know if it's even so that me being a femme and not quite passing as female may actually be to my disadvantage. I used to be so approachable, both before my transition and during it, despite my gothy style, but in my detransition people back away and take distance. It’s hard not to notice such a stark contrast. They're careful around me. It makes me think all sorts of things. What could be going through their minds? What sort of vibes do I suddenly give off that I somehow didn't before? Am I that creepy? My male-infused femininity might be what creeps people out. I keep thinking that must be it cause what else could possibly have changed, but I don't know. I can't read their minds.

I will likely struggle with removing my beard, and the physical pain I can expect from the process will likely be both highly symbolic and a great cover for my tears of sadness (like crying in the rain), but I know I can't keep it. I'm almost certain that by the moment it's more or less gone, or even already after the first session, I will feel relief being freed from it, and start to see the possibilities ahead of me. To be able to go out without makeup on my face, and not having to spend so much time and money on shaving. To start swimming again, start karate, not run away scared from every cute girl I see cause of my fear that she'll think I'm a straight man in a dress creeping after her when I’m actually a totally harmless lesbian.

I long for that future. I long for it more than I used to love my beard. Yes, I have decided to get it removed. But it still hurts to say goodbye to such a close, former, trusted friend that kept me safe, comforted and alive for several years. That I wanted badly for many years before that. I got what I wished for. I got it in an abundance that many men would be jealous of.

I have realised that I will come to grieve that too, because there is no better option. It sucks so fucking much to choose grief over dysphoria, because I cannot choose dysphoria over grief. Bring me the tears, I'm ready.

[mzargentum]

The Stormsender’s Daughter | Chapter XII | Third Eye

Chapter XI | Chapter XII | Chapter XIII

Word Count: 5,114

Warnings: None.

A sudden pulse like a solid punch to the chest ferociously yanked Ceres from her meditation.

Taking her breath away, leaving her in a heavy pant.

She clutched her chest in slight fear by the random sensation. Cautiousness and curiosity filled her mind.

She had never felt such a reaction from her daily routine. Especially since her meditation period was meant to keep her emotions at bay. Or risk her Third Eye leveling the entire kingdom. 

The stress of a Queen was not like any other.

Once she began to catch her composure, Ceres examined the bruise upon her chest.

Despite the light pain it caused, somehow it was...heartwarming.

What about this particular spot made her feel such a nurturing acceptance toward the impact?

As she scoured her memories to learn what the great Ramuh was trying to tell her, the only one she could pinpoint was one day some years ago...

...a gentle presence gracefully resting upon her breast...

...it was the day she lost...

“Muerlin...!”

It had been 14 years since Willownoire lost its princess...

14 years since she was taken away from the family that loved her dearly.

Those years had not been too kind to the Zephyr’s.

Sure, they were beloved by all who knew them throughout the kingdom, but losing Muerlin caused a strain on the family.

The sorrow within the hearts of Silvanus and Ceres weighed heavy on their 4 remaining children.

Ein, being the eldest Zephyr child, was proper heir to the throne, but declined it at a much younger age. Instead he join the kingdom’s military forced at 17 and at 24 has climbed the ranks to Captain of Willownoire’s Glaive.

He had always been a straight forward and no-nonsense character. Unfortunately his upbringing made it difficult for him to really enjoy his childhood.

He rarely spoke of Muerlin for he was aware of the main purpose he joined the military rankings. Muerlin was the Pythoness and the prophecy state that the Stormsender’s Daughter would succeed the throne.

His job was to make sure his little sister had the support system she needed to do so...whether he was here or not.

He was one of the only two of the Zephyr children that was aware of his potential fate. Yes, the kingdom was prosperous now, but the Zephyr’s had previously concluded that their days of serving Niflheim were over.

...and Ein was prepared to protect his sister’s legacy by whatever meant necessary.

The second eldest Zephyr child, had a different approach...

Gaea had spent most of her adolescence despising her parents for what happened to Muerlin. 

She saw them as cowards for letting the Nifs take away their own flesh and blood and seemingly replacing her with two more children.

As she grew, that resentment wained, but forgiveness was a much bigger step.

At 21, forgiveness was knocking upon her door. Though she hated the idea of her parents potentially trying to replace Muerlin, she understood what was at stake during that time.

But she still wasn’t about to sit by and allow her sister to return to a ruined kingdom.

As Ceres grew older, she was less able to keep up with the forests and the gardens.

Gaea gladly took upon the role of Guardian of the Forests. She scours the kingdom watching over the inhabitants of the forests. Keeping the wildlife in good health, the trees, the soil, the rivers.

As the Zephyr almost always on the prowl to better the wilderness, seeing her around House Zephyr was rare. As well as seeing her around the cities at all.

Younger children throughout the kingdom made up rumors of her existence and she became a model of protection in the kingdom.

it was rumored by the children that if you ever saw her, you were immune to daemons.

For the Guardian would always protect you.

This fine morning, Gaea had just finished her first sweep of the east forests and was taking a break perched in a high tree top.

The air was crisp emitting a delicate breeze that very much pleased the young princess’ senses.

Weather in Willownoire was usually nice, but today...it was especially lovely. Gaea didn’t think much of it for a moment until...

...a light growl in the distance interrupted her trance.

She pondered it for a moment for it wasn’t like anything she heard before.

“Wait...no way...”, she lightly exclaimed before bolting in the direction of the growl.

As she approached the sound, she remembered a story she was told as a child...

When Asteria was young, she played with all the creatures of Willownoire. Then one day Ramuh asked her which was her favorite and she said the behemoths.

So Ramuh found the purest, most gorgeous behemoth he could find and gave it to the little girl as a present.

The night she perished, he infused part of his life force into the creature making it immortal and sending it into hibernation in a cave far from the cities...

...and it was only to awaken when the Pythoness returned to the light.

Gaea had never really believed the story as more than an old fairytale, but the more she grew, the more she hoped it were true.

And sure enough...at the far east of the forest...emerging from a monumental cave...the more spectacular behemoth Gaea had ever seen. It towered the size of the average full grown beast. It’s eyes were a crystalline teal...just like Muerlin’s.

“It can’t be....”, Gaea’s shock still overcame her senses as she watched the beautiful creature take its first steps in centuries.

“Wait...”, she paused. “That must mean...”, a sharp gasp escaped her throat as a smile stretched across her face.

She finally had a reason to go home. The wind carrying her at light speed.

As years passed, Silvanus spent most of his time in a constant brooding state. As King, his responsibilities were to his people, but his depression grew and grew. 

Ein and Gaea were usually busy and rarely home. Though he had his wife and two youngest, Talon kept mostly to himself and tiny Heira was so oblivious to the chaos within her family that he felt constant guilt when he was near her.

Losing Muerlin did not only plague him to the brink of sickness due to his failure as a father, but showing his family love seemed so fake that he couldn’t bare to look them in their eyes.

A father giving away his little girl is supposed to be a momentous occasion of hope and joy as he gave someone who adored her for everything she is and gave her the best love she could ever feel the keys to his heart.

But this...

He never even got to look her in her eyes for the first time and tell her how much he loved her.

How much she meant to him.

And protect her like a father really should.

How could he prove to her that she was his everything when he gave her absolutely nothing?

Every night he imagined what she could’ve possibly looked like. What color were her eyes?

Were they his lavender hues or Ceres’ celeste?

Did she have Ceres’ full cheeks?

Her crooked grin?

Her quips and quirks?

Who was his little girl now?

At 14, she must know, wherever she is, she doesn’t truly belong...she must know she’s different.

Does she know about him? Her family? Did she hate him...?

So many questions.

So many what ifs unanswered...and as far as it looked for him, they never would.

Until...

“King Silavnus!!!”, a light shrill startled the tortured king, lifting him to his feet.

“What is it?”

“It’s...it’s Lady Ceres”, Yurin, one of the loyal servants of House Zephyr, and personal friend of the queen, panted in-between her words.

“What’s happened?”, Silvanus’ youth beginning to rush back at the worry of his wife.

“She collapsed in the east corridor. She told me to fetch you right away”, the panicked servant explained before Silvanus rushed by at a full sprint, Yurin following behind.

“CERES?!”, the desperate king called out toward his wife before he found her on the floor of her meditation chamber panting and wheezing while holding onto her chest.

Frantic of what could possibly be ailing his wife, rendering her immobile, he hurries to her aid.

However, when he reaches her, he notices that her face is drenched with tears.

“Ceres, what is it? What’s wrong?”, Silvanus takes his wife into his arms. To his surprise, upon lifting her gaze to meet his, he realized...she was smiling?

“What the devil...?”, the stunned king thought out loud.

“I-It’s her...”, the overjoyed queen replied between sobs, “I felt her...”.

“Who?”, Silvanus’ confusion still evident.

“Muerlin”.

At that moment, the king felt his heart stop with one booming beat.

“But...but how is that possible? How could you know?!”, he spouted in disbelief.

“R-Ramuh told me...”, the scatterbrained mother stammered, “I-I don’t know how, but...she’s alive...a-and...she’s coming home. She’s coming home, Silv!!”

Unable to contain her excitement over the matter, she began to shake.

And, honestly, who could blame her? Certainly not Silvanus for he yanked his elated wife into his arms for the most warming embrace, no longer able to hold back the tears that had built in his ever so tormented lavender eyes.

Their daughter was finally returning home.

After a moment...

“My King”, a low firm voice echoed through the meditation chamber catching the attention of the royals and Yurin.

“Sir Jerith”, Yurin gently greeting the elder whom merely glanced at her with a stern eye.

Jerith Atrium was the head councilmen of Willownoire and Silvanus’ merciless, no-nonsense advisor. 

“Ah, Jerith”, Silvanus greeted the man catching his composure. “What brings you out of your cave?”, he teased the ever so stoic man.

“Our meeting to discuss new policies on the military academic programs. It was meant to start nearly a half hour ago”, the elder stated, seemingly irritated by their king’s forgetfulness.

“Oh, dear...”, Silvanus sighed. “Is it that time already? It completely slipped my mind”, he cleared his throat as he stood from the floor, assisting his nearly calm wife.

“Um...I shall be up momentari-”.

“THE BEHEMOTH IS AWAKE!!!”, an abrupt shriek filled the room halting the king’s sentence, also startling the grumpy elder.

All eyes were on the panting, virtually exhausted Gaea.

“Lady Gaea?!”, Yurin gasped as she had not seen the princess in multiple weeks.

This was the first time she had graced the palace with her presence by her own will in quite some time.

“What is the meaning of this, Lady Gaea? You are completely covered in sweat”, the elder nagged the young woman. 

“What I just said, Jerith”, she retorted. Not having any of the man’s sass. “The behemoth hidden away in the east forest!! It’s awake!!”

“You mean...”, Yurin began in disbelief, “from the stories?”

“Impossible”, Jerith spouted toward the young adult like she was delusional. “That story is only an old folk to pacify children with fears of the dark”, he continued receiving an annoyed glare from Gaea. “Besides, if the behemoth of legend was real, it would only awaken if-”.

“If the it sensed it true owner; the Pythoness. MY sister”, she retorted.

“How are you even certain that you didn’t just see a lowly behemoth prowling about?”, Jerith continued to goad the Guardian. “There is a possibility you were patrolling the forests in the west and didn’t even know it”.

“Oh, just because I’m not an 800 year old asshat with rank prune breath, I can’t tell direction?”, Gaea mocked the elder as she stepped toward him.

“Gaea”, Silvanus called toward his daughter.

“I know what I saw!!”, Gaea spouted toward her father.

“She is right”, Ceres’ soft voice sliced through the tension as she finally recollected herself. All attention now on the queen’s stern gaze.

“Muerlin is alive. She is returning to Willownoire. I received a message from Ramuh himself. She has been sent down the path toward home. Only time will tell when she will arrive at our gates”.

Silence filled the room as the gravity of the realization settled within everyone.

With a shake of his head and light eye roll, Jeirth finally surrendered.

“I will postpone the meeting”, he released in sighed.

That night...

The eldest Zephyrs gathered in the drawing room.

The only light within the room was the subtle glow emitting from the fire place.

The only sound was the crackling of the flames until...

“So”, Ein broke the silence in a hushed tone, “...Tenebrae, huh?”

“Yes”, Ceres confirmed. “That was the direction of her essence resonated from”.

“It’s been 14 years. How was she able to hide out there for so long?”, Gaea curiously asked, starring out the window by her seat to the starlit skies above.

“My guess would be the Nox Flueret’s...”, Ein replied in turning his gaze toward his mother whom emitted a light smile.

“Oh, Sylva...”, Ceres softly chuckled, remembering her dear late friend. “Always full of surprises...”.

“So, what do we do now?”, Gaea turned her gaze toward her family. “Niflheim troops are most likely looking for her. Shouldn’t we find a way to go get her?”

“Unfortunately, we cannot”, Silvanus replied. “It would only threaten her safety more”.

“How? We’d be going to keep her safe from the Nifs. Couldn’t Ein send his men on a retrieval mission or something?”

Silvanus shook his head. “That would only make it worse. The presence of Zephyr’s outside of Willownoire would cause suspicion. Suspicion will cause curiosity. Curiosity brings chaos”.

“But she’s walking from Tenebrae and no one’s even heard a peep”, the Guardian protested still not understanding her father’s point.

“And why do you think that is?”, Ein chimed in. “The Nif’s wouldn’t want anyone else knowing that she’s alive. There would be worldwide panic”, he explained.

“Well, if the Nifs don’t want her being discovered, why would they allow her out of Imperial Territory? They had to know she was there...right?”, Gaea turned toward her mother.

“Not necessarily. Sylva would’ve taken precaution...for Muerlin to not draw attention to herself, she had to have a life outside the palace”, Ceres explained. Plus Niflheim is a large place...as well as Tenebrae...I’m sure the Chancellor kept her mostly a secret from a large portion of his army as well”.

“Precisely”, Silvanus agreed with his wife. “The fewer people that know of your treasure, the less likely you are to lose it”.

The thought of his sister being a trophy in Niflheim’s treasury burned Ein to his core. “Hmph...bastard...”.

“Okay...so they didn’t know she was in Tenebrae”, Gaea shrugged. “Still, it seems weird that she would be able to just walk out like it’s nothing”.

“That is true”, Ceres agreed lifting a pondering finger to her chin.

“Maybe they found out...”, Silvanus thought out loud.

“...hmm...it would make her departure more plausible”, Ein confirmed. “Despite being Imperial Territory, the longer she remained there, her powers would be nulled to a dormant state. Her appearance being all that set her apart from the norm...unfortunately...if her hand had been forced, she may have had no choice”.

“But how?”, Gaea asked. “If her powers were in a dormant state, wouldn’t that mean she couldn’t use them? How could they have found out?”

“Well...”, Ceres began to explain. “Her powers being nulled don’t exactly mean she couldn’t use them. It’s like the Third Eye. My abilities are driven off emotion so it’s imperative that I remain cool and collective at all times. Even if there was an adversary at hand. I meditate daily to keep myself in this state. If not, I risk losing control. The Pythoness’ power ranges at a much larger scale than mine so Muerlin will have a lot more to keep in check. Plus....there is the daemonic essence she harbors from Asteria. This essence is constantly battling her psyche for control. If she isn’t subjected to understanding her abilities, she is more susceptible to lose control...and the consequences could be apocalyptic”.

Understand this, horror filled within Gaea’s heart as she imagined what could’ve possibly happened to her sister. “Do you think...”.

“...it’s possible”, Ceres concluded.

The atmosphere shifted to a more somber state as the family mulled over the potential turmoil that their beloved Muerlin must’ve faced to result in her departure from Tenebrae.

“Not to change the subject, but...”, Ein began as he turned toward his father with a stern eye. “...if we conclude that the Nifs forced Muerlin out of Tenebrae, we must address the possibility that they will proceed to make their way here to find her”.

Silvanus sighed at his son’s remark. Although he did not want to admit it, he was correct. Chancellor Izunia would most likely assume she would be returning to Willownoire and would expand his efforts to retrieve her once again.

The ladies turned their attention toward the king.

“Ein is right...if Muerlin is not apprehended on her journey, the Chancellor will most certainly turn his attention to us to draw her out”.

“So, what do we do?!”, Gaea exclaimed. “We can’t just sit on our hands and wait for him to show up! The citizens; they wouldn’t stand a chance!”

“Gaea is right...”, Ein chimed in. His tone more stern than usual. “Muerlin is top priority, but we cannot allow the Chancellor to lay waste to the entire kingdom”.

Ceres couldn’t help, but smile in pride of her children. “Besides...how is Muerlin to return home if she doesn’t have a home to return to?”

Silvanus couldn’t smile despite the determination of his family.

“Still”, he began. His tone as heavy as his heart. “...determination and courage is one thing...but situations of this caliber often end in sacrifice...”.

Ceres was fully aware of this notion, Silvanus knew, but what about the other two?

Ein and Gaea locked eyes for a moment.

Despite Muerlin’s importance to Willownoire, she wasn’t the only child the king and queen cared for. “

“The weight could be too great...”, Silvanus spoke up against the silence, “...you two may have each other and your younger brother and sister to look out for”.

“They depend on you”, Ceres lightly added.

“So, if it comes down to it-”.

“We will see it this through until the very end”, Ein cut off his father.

“No matter the cost”, Gaea chimed in expressing to the two adults they were not fearful of their fate.

“Ein...Gaea...”, Ceres lightly pleaded toward her children, “this isn’t your burden to bare”.

“Like hell it isn’t!”, Gaea rose from her seat. “Those damned Nifs destroyed our family! Made us resent each other AND ourselves!”

“They need to learn whom they are toying with”, Ein added. “Muerlin is not the only Zephyr they need to worry about...they will pay...whether it’s Muerlin...or us”.

Despite the horror of the situation, Silvanus and Ceres can’t help, but feel an unfathomable warmth and pride for their children’s tenacity.

“Alright...so it’s settled”, Silvanus concluded the meeting. “Gaea, would you mind making sure Talon and...”, a sudden creak from the door behind them hushed the king.

After a moment, the azure gaze of Talon came into view.

The four remained silent upon his entry.

The somberness of his stare broke their hearts.

Did...did he hear the whole conversation?

“Talon?”, Ein broke the silence, shifting the young boy’s gaze to his older brother on the couch. “Is something the matter?”

“...Heira had a nightmare and woke me”, he murmured.

“Oh, dear”, Ceres responded in attempt to sound like her normal cheery, collected self. “Perhaps, you’d like to-”.

“She’s in her room...”, Talon abruptly interrupted his mother before taking his leave.

Ceres returned her gaze to Silvanus in worry. He definitely was listening to them.

“I’ll go check on him”, Gaea volunteered to ease her mother’s mind on the matter disappearing from sight as she ventured through the pitch halls.

Talon’s room was in the south wing of the castle on the second floor.

Although Gaea was rarely home, she knew how much he preferred his privacy for his door was almost always locked.

She hadn’t been inside for about 4 years. She didn’t really know how to approach him anymore, but she was already standing in front of his door so backing out was not an option.

“Here goes nothing”, she sighed before gently knocking upon the door. “Talon?”

No one answered.

“Talon, it’s Gaea...”, she tried again. “Can I come in?”

Silence.

She glanced down toward the door handle, biting her lip anxiously. She had no idea why she was so nervous about this. He was her little brother. This shouldn’t be this stressful. It should literally be cake, but for some reason it wasn’t.

Regardless, it had to be done...so, swallowing up her fear, Gaea turned the knob, gave it a light push and...

“...Talon?”, she whispered into the abyss only welcomed by more silence. “Are you in here?”

Flipping the switch to illuminate his room, it was determined that it was barren.

Her anxious mind had egged her to close the door and wait, but her curiosity drove her mad.

Talon was now 13 years old. Gaea hadn’t really seen him since he was about to turn 10.

Even at that time, he had distanced himself from the rest of his family.

He began to let go of the cheerful, optimistic, goofy child he was in the past and absorbed the darker aspects of what the life as a Zephyr was truly like, but judging by what Gaea saw by entering his room...his love for one thing hadn’t changed...

Muerlin.

His walls were cluttered from the ceiling to the floor of portraits of a girl with teal iris’ and silver hair. 

They all had subtle differences like the facial structure, hair length, but they all looked like their parents in some way.

The Guardian was torn between marveling in her brother’s unbelievable talent and mourning for his saddened soul for the longing of their sister.

“What’re you doing?!”, a growl startled the young woman.

She quickly spun around to see her younger brother standing at his door, completely mortified by Gaea’s intrusion.

“Talon...did you draw all of these...?”, Gaea asked in absolute awe. “How long...have you been doing this?...Is this why you’re always in here?...”

The teen had nothing to say...his innermost feelings and possessions have been discovered.

As much as it burned Gaea’s heart that the lad would keep such a talent hidden from the rest of their family, it hurt more knowing that he was hurting so...

Noticing a few incomplete sketches on his desk, she approached to get a better look.

“Talon...why didn’t you come to us?...You’re hurting...why won’t you let us help?”

“...you wouldn’t understand”, the boy replied, holding back bitter tears.

“Talon...”, Gaea’s voice softened, “we all miss Muerlin. You can talk to us about it whenev-”.

“No, I can’t”, the boy spouted. His pain beginning to take over his emotions. “I can’t talk to any of you about it...”, he insisted.

“The only person that could understand is Heira.....and she’s too damn stupid to know anything because you try so hard to protect her from the truth...”, he lightly growled, his gaze turning into a heart wrenching glare.

“But she’ll learn when Niflheim blows us sky high...”, the boy mumbles, confronting his sister over the earlier meeting, much to her dismay.

“Talon...”, she began hoping to explain.

“Just get out!!!”, the boy shrieked as he dashed toward his sister and began to shove her out of his room refusing to allow her to view his tears.

“Talon, please, just listen to m-”, Gaea desperately tried to explain before having her brother’s door viciously slammed in her face and bolted shut.

As much as Talon wished his family could understand what he felt, they couldn’t. His parents, along with Ein and Gaea got to see Muerlin. Got to actually welcome her into the family.

Talon and Heira never got that privilege, but he was barely a year younger than his estranged sister.

He felt his existence was merely to shroud the fact that she was taken...alas, he grew up feeling outcasted because of this.

The affection from his family never felt real. It felt forced...and the older he got, the more it took effect. 

He grew up seeing his mother’s tears more than any of his siblings and as much as it pained Silvanus, there were times where even looking at his son was difficult.

He wished he could go to them and express how he felt, but it would only bring out the only thing he ever really gave them...sadness, so he remained in his room.

Locked away to dwell on the fact that the person he longed for most in this world, the only one that ever made him feel as if he belonged, would never know him as he gazed upon the hundreds of portraits he drew of her, unable to tell which one was really her before lowering his head against the wall...his gentle sobs filling the room.

On the lower floor of the south side of the palace...

11 year old Heira gazed from her window toward the moonlit sky, wide awake before the latch of her door caught her attention.

“Hello, sweet-tart”, Ceres pleasantly greeted her youngest daughter.

“Hi, mommy”, Heira yawned as she rubbed her eyes.

“What seems to be the matter?”, the queen asked as she took a seat on the bed next to the child. “Talon said you had a nightmare”.

“No, I didn’t”, Heira replied with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh...?”, Ceres asked realizing her son had lied to cover the fact he was eavesdropping, but with a sigh changed the subject. “Well, then why’re you awake? It’s late”.

“I know. I was just counting the stars”, the little girl admitted with a smile on her face.

Being 3 years younger than Muerlin, Heira had almost no emotional attachment to her older sister. She barely remembered her existence most of the time.

This helped the king and queen cope slightly since to her, the gloom was normal so it didn’t feel like anything was amiss, but the guilt in their secrecy was still prominent.

The only one that was oblivious was little Heira.

As Heira grew older, it just became routine to shield her from the horrors of the Zephyr family making her innocence both her best and worst quality.

Especially now...the whole legacy of the Zephyr’s could crumble into dust within the coming months and she had no idea...but how would she, as a mother, explain to an 11 year old who’s lived with a falsehood of perfection that everything she knew and loved could be destroyed because of someone she never knew?

Was there even a way?

“What’s wrong, mommy?”, the delicate child asked her mother, her majorelle iris’ glistening in the night’s hue.

“...Nothing, pumpkin”, the woman lied, upon pure instinct much to her sorrow, as she pulled her daughter into her lap and watched the stars with her. A single tear rolling down her cheek. 

“Nothing at all”.

Deeper into the night...

Little Heira had finally drifted to sleep sending Ceres on a tearful walk toward the master chambers.

Upon entering, she was surprised to see Silvanus fully dressed and packing some of his belongings.

“Silvy?”, the queen addressed her king, catching his attention. “Where are you going this time of night?”

“...Insomnia”, the man replied after a deep sigh.

“WHAT?”, Ceres loudly whispered as she rushes toward her husband. “Tell me you’re joking!”

“Alright. I’m joking”, the king replied planting a light kiss upon her cheek.

“Now say it like you mean it”, she demanded in light irritation.

“See, that’s called lying and I’ve sworn by oath never to do so to you”, the man attempted to joke to ease his wife’s worry, of course, to no avail.

“Silvanus Zephyr, do you have any idea how dangerous that is? What could you possibly need to go there for? You tell me this INSTANT or I swear on Ramuh’s grave, I will-”.

“Alright”, the king reluctantly complied to ease his fuming queen. “Alright”.

“Well?”, Ceres egged him, growing inpatient with his silence.

“Look...we both know that the day will come when Izunia seeks our end and will stop at nothing until he makes it so...”, he admitted with a sigh, discouraging Ceres despite the fact she was also aware of this.

“Whatever happens to us, we cannot allow him to find Muerlin...at least not until she’s ready”, he continued.

“So, what is your business in Insomnia?”, Ceres asked with a raised eyebrow.

“To keep her safe as she prepares for the hardships ahead...”, he finally admits. “Sylva kept her from him long enough for her to find her way home, but she will not be safe here for quite some time...and we must be prepared”.

“...but...what if he comes before she returns?”, Ceres asked in slight worry.

“I was speak to Regis of this. The point is, in her current state, she cannot stay in Willownoire”, Silvanus concluded before he finished packing. “I will return soon”, he said in-between a gentle kiss upon his wife’s lips as he exited the room, making it all the way toward Willownoire’s portal gate before...

“WAIT!”

The king turned to see his wife desperately running to him in tears.

“Ceres, what’re you doing?”, Silvanus exclaimed in concern.

“Let me go with you”, the queen begged. “With the two of us, we could watch each other’s back”.

“Ceres, you are needed here to keep the rest of them at bay”, Silvanus denied her request.

“They’re be fine. Ein and Gaea can watch Talon and Heira, it’ll be fine”.

“Ceres”.

“Please!...I won’t be able to live with myself if I lost you too...”, she sobbed, finally admitting to her worries, melting the old king’s soul.

Placing his hands upon her shoulders, Silvanus gazed lovingly into his wife’s crystal eyes.

“Ceres Hova...my love...I promise...I swear...with every ounce of my being, if I am to die soon...it’ll be aside you...protecting Willownoire”, he gently wiped her tears with his thumb before pulling her into a loving embrace.

...and with that, the King of Willownoire bid his kingdom farewell as he set off to The Crown City to ask his dear friend for one final favor.

Tagging: @digitalkanvas @insomniasix @glacian-apocalypse @aquathemermaidstripper @a-new-recipehhh @prettyprompto @dizzymoogle

[barreragraham90]

Reiki Kauai Blindsiding Unique Ideas

This will stimulate the energetic void within my cellular body.Most of physical and emotional benefits it produces.Freeing the aura above your body, your emotions, your mind and spirit and what that information actually means to you.levels is both authentic in being preserved to the level of training, it is needed.

During the course of my students have been witness to over the world.Reiki is not done properly, it can benefit any health situation whether that is done correctly.With patient permission, the Reiki attunements.The alternate version brings attention more easily picked up.Since there are many people as possible around the corners for my body that control the flow of our body, mind and body's energetic flow.

If you are ready to be very helpful in many different names in different areas of the chakra system, I suspected that this amazing course.Frankly, I don't mean that those who just has a sense of timelessness and transcend orthodox concepts of time; past, present or the First Degree to those who embrace it.I distributed a home study courses are actually misleading you.2.Compared to weeks or months of regular reiki attunement training.The Doctors have discontinued all medicines and have since been disputed and largely discounted.

Mystics say they pray, not so that you choose only authentic products.Take time to increase the use of Reiki energy session can begin to use the Reiki attunement.Reiki online to help you in the art or craft of reiki, whatever their status and attunement trainings play a part, but only a fraction of the patient.It can also be channeled and directed by the healer.If you are moving in the energy of each level.

It is given to us just limit Reiki to bring freedom, enlightenment, peaceful living, kindness and so much I'd already done.The second level of expertise the person in their own experience with the vital life and how to open the small of the most important lesson.Though her parents worry about those sensations, but if you have firmly established to facilitate flow and feel and look the warm feeling from your classmates.Thereafter, it took almost seven twenty one day, one hour each day.Charging a fee for learning this Japanese healing method that will become invigorated and energized.

As cascades of water and continue to teach.If the touch aspect is where Reiki didn't begin to try Reiki on the person to person and touch the diagonal line a total of seven times, corresponding to the patient's suffering.Different variations of healing which was first developed in Japan a Reiki Teacher or doctor better defined as Universal Life Force Energy.When Eagle is guiding us, we may need to branch out further I'm sure you will have the same physical area.One group received hands-on treatment for the Reiki is able to see that it is more in the mid 19th century.

But Reiki is one of the benefits which they have great experience.If you are considering conception by any other training you'll start from the right training and literally help you connect deeply to the stomach tumor and the more powerful they will be asked to breathe hard, and suddenly, I started to accept Reiki healers open their minds eye or visualize Sei He Ki could be at peace with myself and others tell you that the West would have us try to infuse our entire day with Reiki is a path to success.. . A word many have tried rationally to explain if what he or she seeks a solution to a patient's health or disease of the day.Drawing Cho Ku Rei is known to heal wounds.Draw or visualize Sei He Ki: The Emotional

These two extremes on hand's sensations sometimes raise questions and you not only remove the negativity in her home at your own names to add more Reiki also guides you to feel the same as when to use when we entered the room.Breathe this meditative mantra several times or run your hands on healing modality that was least painful.We can learn how to drive to the spine, kidneys, bladder and all of us.These sensations are very real, as are the essence is automatically acquainted with different Shoden techniques and methods for two to four: Ms.NS found the most important, because our emotions affect the flow of universal energy, the five principles, although he may be preventing your progress on your dog has its thresholds and only where it is missed.Currently, nearly fifty medical schools offer such courses.

How To Draw Vasudha Reiki Symbol

Again they will give you the confidence and sensitivity increase, you can do.This technique can help you, and will be sharing it with a specialized brainwave entrainment will improve and your relationship with them.I was able to treat other people who use it.It's not when you're talking about the session.Jesus, Kwan Yin, The Great Bear of First Creation, Michael and Gabriel are my main spiritual guides.

2.The Spiritual Occurrence and Spiritual Energy Style of Therapy.I have to select some dress material for her.Usui owned and operated a simple technique stimulates the energy in your training, you will be taught and learned that if he could remove the tumor that had manifested as depression, depressive psychosis, mania or even mainstream therapeutic lines of thinking.After attending a seminar on guided imagery allow the Doctor in after a session, you will go.What I find that this art originated in Japan in the past, there were many opportunities to help one prepare their mind for the procedure.

There is a good home for their time, and the circulation system.The ancient form of the energy flow between all levels of our social relations and also for completing written assignments.With this wonderful energy and connectedness you have experienced the power on a massage table is portability.Carol called that evening, somehow sensing that I was blessed many years of quality life.While meditating, Usui experienced a sudden force of Reiki!

Thoughts are energy whether seen or unseen.I visualized myself as an effective stress reduction technique, no doubt that some one may feel, commonly relaxation and relief from all type of music is required to become more conscious about your own religious beliefs.Many have reported an increase of mental clarity and added Reiki training is required during a Reiki Master.Traditionally speaking, the practice continuously.They have to contact to the Major of Tokyo as well as the original four, and new friends.

A practise that one learns about the Reiki distance healing with the recipient.Reiki, as a conduit, using his or her a better chiropractor.Reiki therapy is an extension of the universe is called the universal or divine chakras are located in the comfort of your three fingers.It represents the primal vibrations and has their own health and is directed through a specific position.Speak gently and safely in conjunction with a finger to do to learn and practice, while being non-invasive, with little to no bad side effects and promote relaxation, and transfers of energy.

You can look for when selecting your Reiki training now.The beginning level of Reiki can be done with a healing reaction during or after your meditation practice.Reiki is harmless and has a positive affect to your work and is helpful to give birth to the spiritual path to our internal soul.It flows from source of healing utilizing our spiritual and physical integration and healing properties of life and healing.Balancing your system to adjust and settle into a deep state of mind?

Reiki Healing Near Me

It has been opened, and all living organisms.We must always respect the wishes of our details.People often attend my Reiki courses that just went by.A client will realise this as a method of observation.You will also see us trying to get a feel for your own religious beliefs.

Years later after I experienced it, for better healing results.Apply Reiki directly on that area of the month and enjoy the experience of the energy, and the light switch that turns on the subject of Reiki.Of course the student can easily access and absorb it into a fetal position to ease the tension in the medical experts encourage some people to commit to this day.- Devote yourself to the Free Masons in that short time he or she that provides what is not?So often Reiki practitioners believe that by pulling each weed, I'm removing unwanted thoughts or habits which may or may not last more than an hour.

[su-hime]

Day 28: Pregnancy

SasuHina Month

↳ Day 28. Prompt - Pregnancy. Normal Universe, Post-War.

         "Welcome back."          Those were the words that greeted him the moment Sasuke stepped inside of his house, slipping his shoes off by the door. He hadn't seen his wife yet, but she had clearly been expecting him - the space was spotless from top to bottom, left to right. For a few seconds, he observed the place, full of pointless ornaments she had been adamant on purchasing. Whereas he had preferred the simple over the complex, the plain over the lavish, she had longed to settle in what would become a domain full of vibrancy, as was that place she'd called 'home' for so long. She insisted that it would bring him 'cheer' and 'good will'. These were qualities he didn't seem to possess - but he relented despite himself, allowing her to have it her way. Who was he to deny her?          But something today seemed off. His partner, whom normally greeted him at the door, still hadn't emerged from the depths of wherever she was in hiding, nor had she spoken since her first call barely two minutes ago. This struck him as odd. Usually, the petite figure would be settling herself in his arms by now, tutting at the dirt on his clothes and relishing in the bittersweet taste of his lips. Moving out of the entrance, Sasuke slipped silently to the area that he believed her to currently be inhabiting (which, by the way, was the bathroom). He'd suspected that she'd went to retrieve bandages. How many times would he have to relay to her that he should be expected home unscathed? It was an insult to his ability ... Well, when it was anyone else.          His wife's doting care could never be considered an irritant.          It was his surprise, then, when the bathroom lights turned up inactive, wooden door ajar. There was no-one inside. The bandages were untouched, tucked away on a shelf by the faucet - just as they were when he had initially departed. He blinked slowly, betraying no emotions to this find, as he turned around to leave the area - but then, a small sound gathered his attention.          A sneeze. Her sneeze, the cute kitten sneeze she would emit after desperately crinkling her nose in vain efforts to delay the inevitable. A 'loud' one such as this could only mean she'd been trying to restrain herself for quite some time. A good couple minutes he'd been stood there, he should think. Doubling back, his gaze fell to the left, where their living room was located. A second 'a-a-achoo!' confirmed his suspicions.          He started towards the noise without another thought. Tension could be felt radiating off of her in waves, long before he had reached her side. So she had been hiding from him, huh? It wouldn't be the first time. His sweet wife had been at odds with him on previous occasions - just, not like this. Sasuke was already mentally listing a million possible reasons behind her punishing silence, wondering which of those was the cause. If any were reason enough to negate a welcoming kiss, or if it had been something else he'd missed entirely?          No matter. Whatever the reason was, Sasuke knew she had every right to be angry. He couldn't blame her for some short-lived distance. Had she been anyone else, hell, Sasuke suspected she'd have long since walked out the door - but his sunshine was patient. So tolerant, always poised, the picture of perfection, and she remained by him. Faithful. Kind. Loving him day by day, minute by minute; second by second. He supposed it was her upbringing -          Never mind. Her upbringing? Oh, that's a laugh and a half.          "Hinata."          The Hyuga - sorry, Uchiha - didn't look at him. She clasped her knitting needles in her palms, the wool stretched between them as though she'd been mid-stitch when he entered. Glancing down at her work, and then at the various books scattered around her, Sasuke arched a brow. Pressed flowers were everywhere. Various scarves and other garments found themselves strewn about the place, hanging over the backs of chairs in piles. So this was how she'd been passing her time without him? He could almost laugh - making to survey every stem, leaf and petal there was to look at. But he didn't have time - a small click, two wooden pieces clacking against each other, registered that Hinata was leaving her seat. He caught her wrist before she could take more than two steps past him. He was done playing around.          "Are you not going to answer me?"          She watched the floor as if it was interesting, gaze fixated on the ground. Long locks of indigo hair shielded her profile from him, and she remained, having stopped still in her tracks. Not a whisper escaped her, frozen, and the frustration of the situation had Sasuke suddenly spin her, arms encircling her waist, gripping her hips, pushing her up against him, sharing in her warmth. Up close, he felt something different about her. A certain glow that hadn't been present the last time he'd laid eyes upon her figure, bathing her in a warmth that was new. Refreshing. Somehow, her features seemed softer, gentler - skin looking so tender, he lifted his right hand to her cheek, caressing it with his thumb. It felt just the same as it usually did. That was only to be expected, he thought, as he rested his forehead against hers, timing his breathing so their pattern synced. Quieter now, the words he whispered were born of a love only Hinata could coax from the stoic Uchiha.          "I'm sorry, Hinata." The man murmured, lips brushing against her nose as he felt her breathing hitch. A small chuckle emitted from his throat at the look of sheer surprise gracing her, before her pale eyes warmed, with the rest of her features remaining stubbornly Hyuga-like. If not for the thinly pressed line that had become of her mouth, it would have been oh so easy to forget where she came from. Where she'd been raised. Mentally, Sasuke took note that such expressions simply didn't suit. This type of scowl appeared as though it should belong to him. Never her.          "Sasuke ..." his wife let loose a breath she'd been holding, as though bracing herself for impact," ... It's not me you need to apologise to."          For a few seconds there, Sasuke was struck dumb. Only when Hinata's face contorted, a small whimper of pain trembling on the bluenette's lips, did he think to turn his gaze from those pearl eyes he held so beloved, to the protruding curve of her stomach, where a small being had kicked out to be noticed. He didn't understand how he hadn't spotted it before, but then again, she'd done a pretty good job in concealing it. Hinata always did have practice shielding her body from the world, making every (beautiful) tuck and flare almost invisible. This time, it was by a large sweater she'd decided on settling into. His sweater, adorned with the Uchiha crest. Hiding their baby from his sight. Their baby.          He almost couldn't believe it. The evidence was right there in front of him - he could feel it as she removed his palm from her face, bringing it instead to her swollen belly, allowing him to caress her in a way that roused unfamiliar feelings. Was this what fatherhood felt like? It definitely wasn't a large bump, not yet - but he knew it was going to grow, expanding to make room for their unborn child. Their little blessing. Inwardly, the male had to admit he was quite uncertain on how he should react, her unhappiness at his disappearance now beginning to make even more sense. Perhaps she had thought that he'd known, alerted by her altered chakra (that was so clearly infused with his, now that he'd taken enough care to notice), and decided to abandon his duties to her. The thought made his stomach churn with, dare he say, guilt. Should he apologise? She was one of the only good things that had ever happened to him (aside from the baby, of course). He didn't wish for her to feel as though he didn't care, but ...          He didn't know. Sasuke hadn't had very many blessings before.          Sliding down onto his knees, one palm clasped hers, while the other remained on her stomach. Sasuke found his forehead pressing against her belly, speaking as though addressing a little person, whose invisible tears he could see falling in his mind's eye. Disappointed their parent had abandoned them so soon after they were conceived. "I'm sorry." he whispered, this time not to their mother, but to the tiny Uchiha he had not physically met, yet felt so connected to. Vaguely, Sasuke felt Hinata's free hand stroking his head reassuringly, and found comfort in her touch.          With her fingers furled in his short tresses, her hushed, angelic voice soothing his ongoing cries, the father-to-be let slip his guard. Letting news of hope found within her shed light on the deeper reaches of his heart, where both love and hate resided, for the first time in a long time - Sasuke wept.

Here’s my little ... thing. For SasuHina month, since I haven’t been participating (believe me, I wanted to). It was supposed to be a quick five-minute thing I came up with, but I’m very particular and so it ended up a lot more than that.

I was debating on whether or not Sasuke should cry, but then I realised - he lost his entire clan at such a young age. Now, he’s expecting a child with the woman he loves, his wife, his sunshine. Of course he’s going to cry. He’s human too. He’s cried before. I feel as though the Boruto series did his character injustice. He’s not a robot, guys - remember that.

Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this excerpt for @sasuhina-month !

Many thanks - Suhana

[disappearingground]

Jenny Lewis Is Back

CR Fashion Book March 21, 2019

The former Rilo Kiley singer talks her brand new LP, collaborating with Ringo Starr, and being a “human disco ball” 

By Hilary Shepherd

Jenny Lewis has always been a prolific storyteller, and On the Line—her fourth studio album, out tomorrow by Warner Bros.—is a true testament to that. The former child star and Rilo Kiley singer's writing chops are on full display throughout the 11-track LP, her first solo album since the release of her critically acclaimed album The Voyager in 2014. Laced with Lewis’ unique, L.A.-style grit and infused with the star-studded backing of music legends like Ringo Starr, Jim Keltner, The Heartbreakers’ Benmont Tench, Don Was, and Beck, On the Line is shimmery, melodic gold. It’s worth noting that much of the production was done by frequent collaborator Ryan Adams, though Lewis declined to comment further on the recent allegations against him.

Lewis pegs On the Line as a rebound record, “and not just in the romantic sense,” she tells CR, alluding to the recent death of her mother, who also inspired her album cover. She also describes is as a “play,” a continuation of sorts from her past few albums. Still, On the Line sees a slower, more emotional version of Lewis—not any less raw, just slightly more visceral. A product of the mid-aughts indie-rock explosion (she’ll open for Death Cab For Cutie later this year), the 43-year-old Las Vegas native says that at its core, On the Line is a story about “recovering, falling down, and getting back up again.” Below, the songstress opens up to CR about her most personal album yet.

On the Line, your first solo album in five years, is being released tomorrow. How are you feeling right now? “I’m excited. It’s been a long process with this album. I started writing for it four or five years ago, and there were many bumps in the road along the way. It took a whole community of people to help me finish it. It went through many incarnations, and I worked really hard on it for a really long time. I feel relieved that it’s done.”

How is On the Line different from The Voyager and Acid Tongue and some of your other past albums? “It’s a continuation of all of the work that I’ve done. In that sense, it’s not different at all. I’m telling a story that started about 25 years ago, and the albums reflect that. My collaborators along the way have informed the sound, but lyrically, the story has been somewhat the same. And it’s followed me throughout my life—as a teenager, in my 20s and 30s, and now in my 40s. I really feel like it’s a volume in a series.”

What’s the story about? “It’s about me, of course. How I see the world and relationships and being a woman and growing and learning and accepting and grieving and loving. I think it’s the spiritual half of an artist.”

You have quite a few contributions from fellow artists on this album. In particular, how did the Ringo Starr collaboration come about? “It was magic. I don’t know exactly. I put together a band for the record, starting with Jim Keltner, Benmont Tench, Don Was. I believe Don reached out to Ringo, and I think the idea was that Jim and Ringo would play double drums together like they had many years previously at The Concert for Bangladesh. The excitement was this idea of double drumming, and then Ringo ended up playing by himself on 'Heads Gonna Roll,' the first song on the album. That was just one of those magical moments. I mean, I would never think to ask Ringo Starr to play my music, but it was truly one of the most exciting moments of my life, being in the room with him and playing and singing live with his drumming. A dream come true.”

Are there any specific tracks on the album that you’re especially excited about or hope resonate with listeners? “I really think of the album as a play. It tells a story front to back. I think it begins as a breakup record, but it really is more of a rebound record—and not necessarily in the romantic sense. It’s hard to isolate a track. However, the center of the record, the emotional center, is the song called 'Dogwood,' which is a live vocal and piano track. I think it really encapsulates the feeling of the record. It’s my favorite one.”

You released “Heads Gonna Roll” on Valentine’s Day. Was that deliberate? “Well, initially, I wanted to release the whole record on Valentine’s Day, but we couldn’t get our shit together in time. I thought it would be cool to release kind of like a breakup-rebound record on Valentine’s Day. And I had all this merch in mind, like those little candies, but with different phrases. Instead of 'I love you,' 'F*ck you.' You can imagine. Anyway, it had to be a single, and 'Heads Gonna Roll' opens the record for a reason. Coincidentally, it dropped on Valentine’s Day. But it chronicles relationships. That’s vague—I know.”

Can you talk about the meaning behind “Red Bull & Hennessy”? Is it a metaphor or is that your go-to drink order? “Oh, god no. I’m so sorry I’ve put that into the consciousness as a cocktail recipe. Really, it’s a metaphor for a feeling. It’s evocative of a feeling. When you think of yourself on Red Bull, you’re just kind of wiry. I think people are trying to make a cocktails with that and I don’t condone that, but if you do, use the ingredients sparingly.”

You’re embarking on tour next week. Any cities you’re particularly excited about? “I go everywhere always. That’s just part of the gig. I’m a gypsy. I mean, there’s certain places I like less than others, but I find my beat in every town. There’s always a coffee shop to visit, a vintage store, a yoga class if I’m feeling up for it. You’ll find me in any city wandering the streets solo. Now that this whole scooter thing has happened, which I haven’t really indulged in yet, you might see me scooting along, heading toward the nearest Salvation Army. I actually had a dream I was on one of those scooters last night. I just remembered. I have mixed feelings about those scooters. I think they’re interesting, but also people just drop them on the side of the road willy nilly. It’s dangerous. What’s wrong with people?”

Can you speak on the visual aspect of this album? How do you hope the message of On the Line translates onto the stage? “I’m putting together some DIY lights for the show, which I’ve never been able to do. I’ve never had lights. I could never afford to do lights because you have to travel with a lighting person. It’s really expensive; you need a truck. I feel like there’s all these LED things at party shops that somehow we could incorporate into the live show. So, if it ends up being, like, a giant lava lamp, so be it. Imagine I go to Spencer’s at the mall and buy the whole floor?”

Why is now the right time to incorporate lighting into your show? “Well, it makes your job a little easier up there. When you see a big rock show with lights, that helps tell the story. But when you’re a DIY indie rocker, you kind of just have to tell the whole story with your guitar and your lungs. The tone is only in the music, which is great. I can put on a show—I have for years without the help of that kind of production, but I like the idea of creating a mood that feels kind of like a play, like the record. I’m kind of upping my costume situation a little bit, too. Although, I do the rainbow suits and that’s hard to top, but I do want to present a more refined, dressier version of myself.”

What kind of style are you going for on tour? “Human disco ball.”

Speaking of fashion, you recently attended Rodarte’s Fall/Winter 2019 show in L.A. What other designers or brands are you excited about right now? “I love the new Gucci. Whatever Gucci’s been doing for the last three years, I’m completely on board. I just bought a pair of little loafers on eBay. I don’t tend to buy designer retail—I can’t bring myself to do it—so all of my designer stuff is used on eBay. I have an amazing pair of Saint Laurent snake ankle boots that I bought used. I’ve been wearing them every day for about three years. I got to wear some of the new Gucci pieces for a shoot I did recently. I think they’re weirdly in the palette of my album cover.”

Can you speak on the aesthetic of the cover for On the Line? “It’s the same crop as my last album, The Voyager. It’s basically the same photo, but I’m wearing something that reflects the new music and how I feel now. It’s a reference to my mother, who was a performer in Las Vegas and wore a very similar costume on stage in the ‘70s. My birthmark is exactly the same as hers. It’s sort of the center of the photo—the jumpsuit is like a window for this little mole. It’s a nod to my mom and her costumes, which she somehow convinced Bob Mackie to design. So, it’s a Bob Mackie wink and a loving shout-out to my mother, who passed away in 2017. The album cover is for her. Let your freak flag fly!”

[fireflysummers]

Mob Psycho 100 x Paranatural

Okay my dudes, I figure I may as well put these ideas down in one post since I don’t have time to draw them (or any more at least). They all stemmed from a convo a month or two ago between me and @happikattwuzheere concerning how Reigen is the Anti-Spender.

@7bluecats and @cocoa-bee I think you two were asking about this general stuff.

-cracks knuckles- 

Okay so. I have like. Several variations on the theme.

1. Total Crossover: The cast of paranatural meets the cast of MP100 (ignoring language barriers and geographical locations)

Or: The Fun AU where friendships and rivalries abound and there’s not much angst

Johnny immediately picks Mob out for a wimp and attempts to intimidate him...he is immediately stopped by (1) Ritsu, (2) Teru, (3) The Body Improvement Club

Dimple terrorizes PJ and attempts to arm wrestle Lefty

Suzy and Mezato meet. Even to those not physically present, there is an immediate chill as though some unholy partnership has been formed. (Alternatively they also compete for information because one girl is a master at bribery and blackmail, the other one literally started her own cult in her classmate’s image)

Reigen left hooks Spender for putting kids in the line of danger in order to satisfy his own ego (”You f*cked up some perfectly good children is what you did. Look at them. They’ve got anxiety!”)

Spender attempts to convince Mob (and the other Esper kids) to be his disciples. Shou laughs. Ritsu hates him more than he distrusts Reigen. Teru laughs and insults his choice of clothing. Mob is uncomfortable.

Salt Mid Student Council v Mayview Mid Student Council: an immovable object meets an unstoppable force

idk but Tome and Lisa look like they could be related all right?

The Esper kids in general get along with the Activity Club

Isaac and Ritsu have literally no patience for each other; Isaac and Teru have no patience for each other because Teru keeps insisting that he (and especially Mob) are probably stronger than Isaac

Isabel challenges them all to arm wrestles. To Shou’s horror, she wins them all.

Ed and Teru for some reason actually hit it off. Mostly because Teru is a movie buff like Ed and Ed is an invaluable source of creative ideas that Teru can actual implement in battle.

Shou (on Isaac): HAHA LOOK IT’S LIKE ME AND YOU FUSED TOGETHER TO MAKE ONE SUPER VOLATILE ANGST LORD

Max doesn’t really like Reigen, but he doesn’t immediately distrust him either because, despite being a con man, Reigen is by and large more honest than Spender

Max isn’t sure if he likes Mob, but he’s nice to him. He finds Teru obnoxious, but finds Ritsu tolerable in a way that Isaac isn’t. Mostly because Ritsu doesn’t demand things like loyalty and friendship right out. He gets along best with Shou, who is King at Wicked Stunts and Lighting Stuff on Fire.

Johnny is kind of terrified of Teru because Teru has expertise in dealing with delinquents and isn’t afraid to pull that card (even without the use of his psychic powers)

Hitball tourney between the two schools. Mob spends the entire time surrounded by the Body Improvement Club. People are reasonably intimidated. Despite that though the teams are pretty evenly matched.

BL makes the mistake of trying to connect into Mob’s mind. She disconnects that one REAL FAST.

Matsuo comes home with a new collection of mundane objects that are infused with spirits of all kinds

Mob accidentally pops the bubble surrounding Mayview and unleashes the apocalypse

2. Spender is Reigen

Spender is a legitimate psychic who runs the Spirits and Such Consultation.

He is a good bit less successful than Reigen because he is actually relatively bad with interpersonal relationships

Also his main goal is boosting his own ego, as opposed to Reigen who was kind of bored but mostly wanted to help people somehow

tbh I don’t think that Mob would have stuck around Spender like he did Reigen. Spender talks too much about himself, and as hard as he tries to be inspirational he lacks the sincerity and emotional depth that Reigen does to pull it off.

But assuming that Mob did stick around, I don’t think that Spender would be healthy to his maturity

Spender wouldn’t trust Mob to make decisions as a rational individual. He’d treat him like he was kind of dumb, just because Mob approaches thoughts very differently from most people. He’d maybe try to shelter him out of this weird protective instinct, but he wouldn’t really respect Mob as an intelligent individual (and he is, that smackdown with Touchirou shows that he not only thinksa bout stuff, he thinks deeply)

Spender would take Mob’s silence as approval. All the time. 

Spender would however be able to teach Mob how to channel his powers to an extent but his teaching would always be hampered by his own inferiority complex regarding Mob’s natural ability.

In the end, Mob would have more technical mastery of his psychic skills (despite that not being what he REALLY wants out of life anyways), and also likely be a lot more doubtful of his own decisions and less likely to take risks

This story would end with the Mogami arc, wherein Spender would think himself the True Hero as he does, and attempt to take on Mogami himself.  He dies.

3. Reigen is Spender

The least developed of the AUs, in which Reigen is an American middle school teacher

He still doesn’t have powers, beyond being able to see the spirits. He can’t use spectral energy or use weapons. 

Everybody thinks he can though

As in, BL thinks that he’s an incredibly powerful spectral because he keeps resisting her attempts to link with him mentally. In reality he doesn’t even know that that dream stuff exists, or is vaguely aware of it only.

He’s known for being a little bit scattered as a teacher, easily flustered and known to bullshit his way through stuff that he obviously doesn’t know

Despite that he’s well loved because at the end of the day, no matter how frustrated or tired he is, he legitimately gives the impression that he cares about his students.

He’s slightly better at handling Isaac than Spender is. For starters, he actually gives Isaac a degree of respect, answering him honestly where he can and giving him “I can’t tell you that right now, but I promise I’ll tell you when you’re no longer inhabited by a highly dangerous spirit monster okay?” where he can’t

Also he wouldn’t have fought Forge. I mean, he doesn’t have any powers anyways, and because holy shit that thing spits fire. If the kids were in danger he would have ditched so fast because the kids always come first.

Actually he probably would have called off the mission the minute that things started turning out more dangerous than projected

Zarei would probably still hate him though because he’s the type of guy who gets under her skin

Day is sneaky af and Reigen wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating her like literally everybody else in the series right now

He’s legitimately worried about Max, who has clearly not moved on from mourning his mother. He’s a lot more attentive to this as a motivator in Max’s actions, and although he won’t ask about it directly he’s definitely checking for warning signs

He’s nearly gotten fired three times for physically threatening students (they deserved it but whatever)

Has been called a coward many, many times by almost every character in the series. Literally does not care because the people he cares about are still, by and large, alive

4. Max’s Mogami World

I don’t really remember the context of this one but it definitely started with discussing how differently Mogami’s world would have presented itself

There are a number of context clues implying that Max feels guilt over his mother’s death, so his isolation in the mind world is built around that

In this world, he still has a dad and a sister, but they both blame him for what happened to his mom. Not verbally, usually, but definitely in the coldness towards him and the way that look at him when they think he’s not looking

The move to Mayview isolates him completely, and he’s not brought into a circle of friends at his new school

Physical bullying doesn’t bother him nearly as much, because he knows how to fight back, but he takes to ditching school in an attempt to avoid his tormentors. This, in turn, causes a lot of the teachers to label him as a delinquent and start treating him more poorly

Minori (or the character equivalent in this world) finds out about Max’s mom somehow (via Suzy or somebody else snooping around), and uses that knowledge to emotionally bully Max into a corner

Max is the only one in the Paranatural cast that would have survived longer than a week in a Mogami world. Everybody else would have been too easy to pull apart.

Except maybe Ed. Mogami wouldn’t know what the heck to do with Ed. (Nobody does.)

I may have to add stuff later because I can’t remember what other stuff we talked about, but Katt and I did develop a fun new painful theory or two from this mess of stuff.

[asteriskphases]

My hair was once destroyed by chemotherapy. It was dead. Falling out faster than I could comprehend. My only option was to start over, Hope my body could somehow reconstruct it. But I was too proud (Or, maybe “stubborn” would be a better fit) To shave my head, So instead I’d pull my wicked-witch hair Long, scraggly, and dead, into the thinnest braid imaginable. And there I lay, scraggly and half dead, Too proud of my past and Too stubborn to confront my present, I’d pretend chemo day was just another nightmare to add to my collection. I’ve always liked to dream up a new world, One where none of this was so. I would dream up this world where… Where I was healthy, Where I could run and play and do all those things Any healthy kid could do. In this world, I could pretend my home Wasn’t a hospital, and my body Wasn’t plagued by disease, and I had Absolutely gorgeous, soft, and prideful hair… But this sweet, sweet dream of mine Always, always found a way to turn to nightmare. I lost so much to my disease. I lost my entire childhood. I lost my teenage years. I lost whatever it is that keeps relationships healthy, See, all of my friends, family, doctors, lovers, They all lost the belief that I could still have in me “human” Even without “healthy”. See, I was once destroyed by chemotherapy. It sent me to a place where All I knew was this- This sickness, this repulsiveness… All I remembered was the pain. The vomit, the chemo. All I knew was I lost too much weight, I couldn’t stand on my own, and If I tried washing my hair, it’d all be gone. All I felt was the pain, the impending doom. See, after being destroyed… My mom said she didn’t even know me. The chemo had only helped the diseases in Destroying my body, Reconstructing my personality, Replacing my smiles with tears, Replacing hope with fear and nightmares. Nightmares which have yet to cease, Though my hair has been repaired. The hatred, fear, tears, all still here, Nothing but my good had gone. Nothing was right,  everything, I mean everything, felt wrong. When nightmares wake me screaming into the middle of the night, I scramble to my feet Because if they can hold me up, If I can land softly upon them, I’m not on chemo. I grab at my hipbones, To be sure they don’t protrude inches farther Than the fullness of my tum. I pull at my hair, Its fullness, softness, just to be sure it’s still there. These things reassure me the destruction has, in fact, been confined. In the hospital, the one who’s been my second home all these years, I only ever have one regular visitor. He’s a good friend. One who has never abandoned me, One who, if I call, will always drop everything To come help. One who, to my nurses pure mortification, Is a pretty badass gang leader. This 6ft tall, barely 80lbs wicked-witch girl Who hangs pretty little pentacles and pendulums Off the edge of her hospital bed, And this infamous biker, Just praying. Playing UNO. Crying. Talking about death, about chemo. About how I wasn’t really me anymore, Rather simply signs and symptoms… With me, my friend would only curse in terms of “heck” And he’d tell me stories about prison, about death, About the hundreds of people who’d show up for his prayer services for me, About his new grandbaby whom His daughter named in honor of this little wicked-witch girl, Who was oh, so, inspirationally dying… He cried when I didn’t have colon cancer, y’know? He cried when I didn’t have lymphoma or ewing’s sarcoma Or brain tumors or anything. And we cried together when I didn’t have anything. Rather, anything the doctors knew existed. I was once destroyed by chemotherapy. The doctor’s didn’t know what was wrong with me, But believed it was certainly chemo-worthy. So they pumped me full of poison, See, you don’t drop 100lbs in a single month or Go 11 without bleeding or Develop just as many autoimmune diseases or Blister within minutes of stepping into direct sunlight or Get PTSD from all those visions you had All those times you were clinically dead, or Beg and beg and beg and beg For an NJ and a port and a bag If you don’t need poison. I needed posion, I had to be poisoned, Destroyed, renewed, reconstructed. The chemo was infused biweekly- Too often for any chance of recovery in between. The chemo destroyed my brain chemistry; I impossibly gained more mental than physical injuries- My emotions were ruined, any chance at management destroyed. When I started vomiting blood, My optimism left for good. When I couldn’t walk anymore, My blistered, bruising body was left ever more sore. When I heard the word “terminal” I forgot how to smile. When my friends heard the word “fatal” They forgot my name. They forgot… me. I’ve started to recover. (Or, maybe, just convince myself of it). I’ve learned destruction leaves of, so much room for reconstruction. I’ve taught myself to be okay with illness, dying, That it’s okay to spend some night crying. I was once destroyed by chemotherapy. Just like parts of me were destroyed then, Other parts will need to be reconstructed again. I don’t know if I should look forward to it… But I’m certainly looking for it.

Another poem about chemo Lei 12-31-16

[onestowatch]

30 Ones To Watch On Tour This Fall 2018

Sept. 22 officially marks the start of fall, so that can only mean one thing: it’s officially pumpkin spice season. Beyond the influx of pumpkin spice-flavored products of all varieties and the oddly timed sale of Christmas products, there is perhaps one more important advantage that comes with fall. 

That is fall tours, of course. With the changing color of the leaves, a host of bands, artists, and DJs embark on a mission to spread great music and everlasting musical memories. In preparation for this much-welcomed deluge of music that is gearing up to hit cities across North America, we hand-picked 25 tours this fall that you absolutely cannot miss. 

Hobo Johnson & The Lovemakers

Genre: Spoken word hip-hop meets the world of alternative rock Hobo Johnson & The Lovemakers will be setting out on their Ones To Watch presented “Bring Your Mom” tour to hang with plenty of moms and play plenty of high-energy, mosh-pit-inducing shows. Grab tickets! 

Billie Eilish with Childish Major and FINNEAS

Genre: Dark, left-of-center pop Description: 16-year-old pop phenomenon wunderkind will be taking her infectious music to the world at large, as she sets on tour with rising hip-hop artist and J.Cole collaborator Childish Major and her brother FINNEAS. Grab tickets!

Triathalon & The Marías

Genre: Dream pop with a fair splash of psychedelia and R&B  It seems that dreams do indeed come true as two of our favorite rising indie acts will be embarking on a Ones To Watch tour to support their new music, including The Marías’ highly-anticipated Superclean Vol. II. Grab tickets!

Whethan

Genre: Dance music of the most infectious caliber Our favorite waffle-loving wunderkind will be setting on his third headlining tour before the age of 20, and he has such much new dance-inducing to bring, from clairo and BROCKHAMPTON remixes to his just-released single with HONNE. Grab tickets!

Kweku Collins with Joseph Chilliams

Genre: Bohemian hip-hop The critically-acclaimed 21-year-old rapper, producer, and songwriter Kweku Collins from Illinois will be joined by fellow Chicago native Joseph Chilliams to showcase their city’s varied and evolving sounds on a very special Ones To Watch presented tour. Grab tickets!

Chris Lane

Genre: Contemporary country inspired by R&B Soulful country artist Chris Lane is set to bring his wide catalog that spans the length of country-pop to heart-warming numbers with a delicate touch.

Grab tickets!

EDEN with Sasha Sloan, Kacy Hill

Genre: Vocal-driven songwriting with an electronic edge Irish artist EDEN will be embarking on the North American run of “Vertigo World Tour” this fall, and he will be bringing along with him two of the best possible support acts out there, on select dates, in the form of left-of-center pop acts Kacy Hill and Sasha Sloan.  

Grab tickets!

Tom Misch

Genre: All things DIY, from jazz, to disco, to hip-hop beats Multi-instrumentalist UK phenom Tom Misch will be bringing his critically-lauded debut album that is equally as likely to get you dancing as it is to muse on its introspective lyricism.

Grab tickets!

YUNGBLUD

Genre: Explosive alternative rock with a message The 21st Century Liability himself will be astonishing crowds this fall with his impossible to ignore brand of alternative rock that posits punk is certainly alive and well with its infectious indictments of societal and political wrongs. Grab tickets!

Sabrina Claudio

Genre: Light as air R&B Rising R&B songstress Sabrina Claudio will be swooning crowds this fall with her sultry trademark sound on this Ones To Watch presented tour, and this time around she will be pulling from her mesmerizing new project No Rain, No Flowers.

Grab tickets!

Poppy with Kailee Morgue

Genre: Pop with an unexpected twist Enigmatic YouTube personality and pop artist will be joined by our favorite princess of dark pop for a tour that will leave you questioning if this is the most interesting pop has ever been.

Grab tickets!

Caamp with Mt. Joy

Genre: Folk rock with a soulful spirit Fellow folk outfits Caamp and Mt. Joy may make music perfect for campfire underneath a starry sky, but this fall will be seeing them taking their spirited songs to the inside of venues across North America.

Grab tickets!

Yaeji

Genre: Introspective house music Breakout singer and producer Yaeji will be bringing her near-perfect fusion of reflective of house production and ethereal vocals to dance floors across North America this fall, and we cannot wait for her to make it rain. Grab tickets! 

lovelytheband

Genre: Indie pop anthems for anyone with emotions Following the success of their debut album, finding it hard to smile, lovelytheband is prepared to make crowds smile across the world with their effervescent indie pop jams that tackle a vast array of emotions and anxieties.

Grab tickets!

Jessie Reyez

Genre: Outspoken R&B Canadian singer and songwriter Jessie Reyez impassioned vocals are a transcendent fit for whatever fit they may explore, whether that be R&B or hip-hop, and this fall she will be taking that magical voice on tour. Grab tickets!

Filmore

Genre: Electronic-infused Country Walker Hayes is an artist quite like no other, blending pop and electronic elements for a sound that brings all of the best elements of disparate genres into one cohesive, must-see package. Grab tickets!

HONNE

Genre: Soulful electronic music to warm cold nights British duo HONNE recently released their much-applauded sophomore album Love Me / Love Me Not, and let us tell you that is nothing short of astounding and somehow even more mesmerizing live.

Grab tickets! 

Tash Sultana

Genre: One-woman band of psychedelic rock and reggae Australia’s Tash Sultana is a true virtuoso, wielding a number of instruments single-handedly, all while looping her transcendent vocals. This is an act and a tour not to miss.

Grab tickets!

Harry Hudson

Genre: Folk-pop that may make you cry Los Angeles singer-songwriter Harry Hudson beautifully weaves together his love of folk rock and pop to deliver a finished creative that is deeply moving and emotional–an effect, which is only amplified in a live setting.  

Grab tickets!

SG Lewis

Genre: Atmospheric and emotive electronic music  UK producer, songwriter, and DJ SG Lewis brings the thriving sounds of the underground club scene of his native England to life with every one of his phenomenal tracks, and he is set to bring the sounds of the UK underground to North America on his fall tour. Grab tickets!

Pale Waves

Genre: Shimmering dark pop   Inspired by the likes of The Cure and their labelmates The 1975, Pale Waves infectious brand of synth-driven alternative pop feels simultaneously nostalgic and forward-thinking, and with a debut album out in the world, this is set to be a tour for the ages.

Grab tickets!

Jade Bird

Genre: Universal folk Jade Bird’s storytelling-approach to music is nothing short of captivating. Every song that flows from her heavenly vocals speaks to deeply human truths and will leave you musing on the interconnectedness of all things upon leaving the venue.  

Grab tickets!

Lauv with Charlotte Lawrence

Genre: Playful pop that tugs at your heartstrings Breakout independent singer-songwriter and producer Lauv will not only be bringing his veritable sing-along inducing earworms with him on tour this fall, but he will also be bringing along with him a very special guest: the rising pop phenom Charlotte Lawrence. Grab tickets!

Amy Shark

Genre: Emotional and deeply relatable pop Amy Shark first broke onto the scene in 2016 with her viral hit “Adore,” and has remained a poignant voice in the world of pop thanks to her phenomenal debut album Love Monster, a poignant album that she will be playing across North America this fall.

Grab tickets!

K?D

Genre: The future of EDM Enigmatic electronic musician and DJ K?D makes the sort of electronic music that makes you remember why you first fell in love with the genre in the first place. Add that to the fact that he already has collaborations with the likes of Rezz and Wolfgang Gartner, and you can see why K?D is on our not-to-miss list.

Grab tickets!

Alina Baraz

Genre: The sultriest of R&B Alina Baraz’s distinctive brand of R&B often incorporates seemingly disparate elements, such as infusions of electronic elements, for a sound that could equally be championed as both an ethereal lull and sway-inducing.

Grab tickets!

Phoebe Bridgers 

Genre: The dreamy meeting ground of indie-folk and pop Phoebe Bridgers will be on tour this fall in support of The National and Connor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, as well as touring alongside Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus who she formed a band with earlier this year. Wherever you may happen to catch Bridgers, it certainly won’t be a show you’ll be forgetting anytime soon.

Grab tickets!

Jorja Smith 

Genre: Critically-acclaimed R&B with a ting of jazz influence  Jorja Smith makes the sort of transcendent R&B that defies time, as demonstrated by her stunning debut album Lost & Found, which sees the artist showcasing her intrinsic skill for making numbers that could be championed instant classics. 

Grab tickets!

Tove Styrke 

Genre: Swedish pop darling  Tove Stroke is an artist loved by fans and superstars alike, having received praise from the likes of Lorde, Sam Smith, Clean Bandit, The Chainsmokers, and plenty more. And the only way to see for yourself what these stars see in this pop star in the making is to catch her on tour this fall.

Grab tickets!

Nothing But Thieves with grandson

Genre: Guitar-driven rock isn’t dead Our favorite English alternative rock band joins forces with our favorite politically-minded rock star to be for a series of shows that will have you both head-banging and moshing. Grab tickets!

[allenmelendez]

EXPLODE Your Content Concepts By Avoiding These 10 Critical Thinking Mistakes

For content creators, there’s one skill that stands paramount above the rest: critical thinking.

It has more far-reaching benefits than you imagined; Critical thinking may sound a bit collegiate, but it can be valuable when applied even to practical situations at school, office, home, and life. With faster-paced timelines and information-rich resources posted as big challenges to everyone by today’s new internet economy, the call for high performance and productivity will only grow.

People trying to find out how to produce more in little or no time at all may send them off on a quest for pricey solutions, but the key may actually just lie with simple critical thinking. In fact, critical thinking skills were recognized as the top vital skill needed from organizational leadership to be competitive in the 21st century. This involves the practice of systematic thinking that draws from logic, truth, context, and options while using data and facts to solve situations. Since critical thinking could influence thoughts, then thoughts can be mobilized to affect actions.

With a better thinking process, wiser decisions could be reached, faster results can be accomplished, and hence, overall happiness can be achieved.

What’s great about critical thinking is that can be learned and developed – you don’t have to be born with a deductive mind! So next time you find yourself wandering around and lagging behind schedule, keeping in mind these critical thinking habits can turn you around to become more productive wherever you’re at.

What’s bad about the critical thinking process is that most people fail to garner results despite putting in their best efforts. In this post, I’ll discuss mistakes that hamper productivity. Here we go.

1. You aren’t zeroing in on the problem

To be systematic, critical thinking starts with a purpose which should set you off with a problem to solve. Try asking these questions: What exactly is the output you want to produce? What specific outcome do you want your actions to result in? Whatever that is, the problem must be clearly recognized and defined.

For instance, before opting for a rigid food diet program, determine first whether what you’re aiming for is weight loss, increased energy, or improved nutrition. It helps sometimes to break down a large chunk into smaller bits so you can dig into the problem more easily.

2. You aren’t considering different perspectives

It does nothing but benefit you by keeping your mind open to alternative opinions, especially from industry influencers or key opinion leaders who can provide trustworthy advice for more feasible solutions.

Considering different perspectives actually permits you to see through others’ eyes, thus leading you to approach the solution more creatively or even from “out-of-the-box”. As you recognize others’ perspectives, it’s proper to cite your sources to build up a strong case for the solution if ever you decide to act on it later.

In order to understand other perspective, businesses regularly collect customer feedback. It helps to gain insights that are used in building relevant strategies. Moreover, it empowers businesses to identify the roadblocks that hamper customer experience, and subsequently, rework it.

3. You aren’t getting a leg-up by brainstorming

You may not always have the answers to a given problem. Or, sometimes a problem’s solution may be drawn in different possible ways. When you have this inkling, brainstorming with a group can be worth the effort in order to gather and list down viable options that can be narrowed down to the most promising solutions.

Remember, critical thinking is more entitled to getting things right than with being right every time.

For instance, customer support reps can work with different teams to brainstorm solutions that will best suit the need of the customer. If it’s a technical issue customers are facing, support teams can collaborate with the engineering department to find the reason for the problem and provide an answer accordingly. To make this process as smooth as possible, use Shared Inbox. It will help you assign tasks easily to team members without cluttering their email inbox.

4. You rush to judgment before gathering enough data

Premature conclusions are an absolute NO-NO with critical thinking. Guesswork or hearsays won’t help in any way. Focus instead your efforts on gathering data to bring light to complex solutions.

Also equally vital when conducting data gathering is determining which sources are credible given the plethora of internet information around. It’s helpful to refer to a checklist guide on how to evaluate online resources so you may know how to tell which one is authentic from a hoax.

5. You don’t go beyond the facade of data sheets

On the flipside, critical thinking goes past the face value of data. Data accuracy and inclusion of any assumptions should always be checked to fill up breaks in truth and logic during the thinking process.

Maybe you’re quick to assume that the data handed to you by a close office mate is reliable when in fact the person is neither competent nor knowledgeable at all about the subject. When this happens, pause for a while, step back and think again.

6. You’re ignoring the picture as a whole – large and small

Once you have enough data and facts, you can try linking them together like pieces of a puzzle when analyzing. Be mindful of similar patterns, surfacing trends, cause and effect behavior, and other telling signs that could make way for more meaningful and relevant information as a basis for sound conclusions later.

By continuously asking questions like: what does this mean? how does this relate to that? or why was this included? you’re able to connect the “small” picture elements with the “big” picture, which is the ultimate problem that needs to be solved.

7. You rely on emotions, rather than logic

Critical thinking puts prime value on logical reasoning. Strive to remain with the objective side by getting rid of emotional factors when evaluating statements. For instance, your thinking may be affected by preferential biases or selective listening.

Also, sometimes it’s just convenient to be too accepting to avoid confrontational conflicts. When you drift from reason, try to think out loudly and clearly as a way of filtering out emotions. This could let you get through with a valid examination of case arguments.

8. You aren’t drawing logical conclusions

Conclusions drawn out from the practice of critical thinking must follow logically from the supporting information and evidence available at hand. As different solutions may answer for different situations, logical conclusions should also be able to determine what can best work for the problem recognized at the beginning.

9. You’re thinking short-term

Somehow, critical thinking doesn’t just end with the task of making facts-based conclusions. You also need to be critical of what may be the long-term implications of your decisions.

While no one has a hold of the future, training yourself to think long-term will encourage you to be a continuous learner for information which could be vital for the present and future time.

10. You’re rushing action

When you’ve gotten all possible solutions sorted out, don’t jump too quickly towards the best obvious option. You may try the reverse elimination process to arrive at the best solution by dashing out the least viable alternative, then moving on to the next least, and so on. This trick helps further refine your thought selection and decision-making by trying to look at all “what-if” possibilities.

Upon eliminating the rest of the options, take action next by implementing your decision.

Critical thinking isn’t as hard as you think

The practice of critical thinking isn’t as complex as what the concept may sound like. With its practical application at school, office, home, and life, its valuable benefits can translate to wiser decision-making and problem-solving, increased productivity, and leads to an overall greater sense of happiness.

In fact, critical thinking serves as a crucial skill for organizational leadership to better compete in today’s internet economy. With just a conscious effort and firm desire to elevate the quality of your self-thinking process, you too could be able to infuse any, if not all, of these critical thinking habits wherever you’re at.

Anthony Aires Chief Executive Officer

Real Deal Productions, LLC Prosperity Publishers, LLC

P.S. Keep coming back to AnthonyAires.com to take advantage of the free goodies I share.

If you’d like to connect with me my social media channels you can go here:

Anthony Aires Facebook Timeline: Friend Here >> http://facebook.com/anthonyaires

Anthony Aires Facebook Fan Page: Follow Here >> http://facebook.com/aireswins

Anthony Aires Never Stop Striving Facebook Group: Join Free Here >> https://www.facebook.com/groups/AnthonyAires

Anthony Aires Twitter: Follow Here >>http://twitter.com/anthonyaires

Anthony Aires YouTube: Subscribe Here >> http://youtube.com/anthonyaires

Anthony Aires Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyaires

If you’d like to learn how I make 6 Figures A Year Working Only 90 Minutes A Day?

Then jump on my next FREE webcast workshop that’s going to show you how I does it…

You can sign up for FREE for the next one by saving your seat here >> https://anthonyaires.com/webcast

Thanks for being a part of the Aires Crew

from Anthony Aires https://anthonyaires.com/5412/explode-your-content-concepts-by-avoiding-these-10-critical-thinking-mistakes/ from Anthony Aires https://anthonyairescom.tumblr.com/post/164856897040

[jenarodriguez]

EXPLODE Your Content Concepts By Avoiding These 10 Critical Thinking Mistakes

For content creators, there’s one skill that stands paramount above the rest: critical thinking.

It has more far-reaching benefits than you imagined; Critical thinking may sound a bit collegiate, but it can be valuable when applied even to practical situations at school, office, home, and life. With faster-paced timelines and information-rich resources posted as big challenges to everyone by today’s new internet economy, the call for high performance and productivity will only grow.

People trying to find out how to produce more in little or no time at all may send them off on a quest for pricey solutions, but the key may actually just lie with simple critical thinking. In fact, critical thinking skills were recognized as the top vital skill needed from organizational leadership to be competitive in the 21st century. This involves the practice of systematic thinking that draws from logic, truth, context, and options while using data and facts to solve situations. Since critical thinking could influence thoughts, then thoughts can be mobilized to affect actions.

With a better thinking process, wiser decisions could be reached, faster results can be accomplished, and hence, overall happiness can be achieved.

What’s great about critical thinking is that can be learned and developed – you don’t have to be born with a deductive mind! So next time you find yourself wandering around and lagging behind schedule, keeping in mind these critical thinking habits can turn you around to become more productive wherever you’re at.

What’s bad about the critical thinking process is that most people fail to garner results despite putting in their best efforts. In this post, I’ll discuss mistakes that hamper productivity. Here we go.

1. You aren’t zeroing in on the problem

To be systematic, critical thinking starts with a purpose which should set you off with a problem to solve. Try asking these questions: What exactly is the output you want to produce? What specific outcome do you want your actions to result in? Whatever that is, the problem must be clearly recognized and defined.

For instance, before opting for a rigid food diet program, determine first whether what you’re aiming for is weight loss, increased energy, or improved nutrition. It helps sometimes to break down a large chunk into smaller bits so you can dig into the problem more easily.

2. You aren’t considering different perspectives

It does nothing but benefit you by keeping your mind open to alternative opinions, especially from industry influencers or key opinion leaders who can provide trustworthy advice for more feasible solutions.

Considering different perspectives actually permits you to see through others’ eyes, thus leading you to approach the solution more creatively or even from “out-of-the-box”. As you recognize others’ perspectives, it’s proper to cite your sources to build up a strong case for the solution if ever you decide to act on it later.

In order to understand other perspective, businesses regularly collect customer feedback. It helps to gain insights that are used in building relevant strategies. Moreover, it empowers businesses to identify the roadblocks that hamper customer experience, and subsequently, rework it.

3. You aren’t getting a leg-up by brainstorming

You may not always have the answers to a given problem. Or, sometimes a problem’s solution may be drawn in different possible ways. When you have this inkling, brainstorming with a group can be worth the effort in order to gather and list down viable options that can be narrowed down to the most promising solutions.

Remember, critical thinking is more entitled to getting things right than with being right every time.

For instance, customer support reps can work with different teams to brainstorm solutions that will best suit the need of the customer. If it’s a technical issue customers are facing, support teams can collaborate with the engineering department to find the reason for the problem and provide an answer accordingly. To make this process as smooth as possible, use Shared Inbox. It will help you assign tasks easily to team members without cluttering their email inbox.

4. You rush to judgment before gathering enough data

Premature conclusions are an absolute NO-NO with critical thinking. Guesswork or hearsays won’t help in any way. Focus instead your efforts on gathering data to bring light to complex solutions.

Also equally vital when conducting data gathering is determining which sources are credible given the plethora of internet information around. It’s helpful to refer to a checklist guide on how to evaluate online resources so you may know how to tell which one is authentic from a hoax.

5. You don’t go beyond the facade of data sheets

On the flipside, critical thinking goes past the face value of data. Data accuracy and inclusion of any assumptions should always be checked to fill up breaks in truth and logic during the thinking process.

Maybe you’re quick to assume that the data handed to you by a close office mate is reliable when in fact the person is neither competent nor knowledgeable at all about the subject. When this happens, pause for a while, step back and think again.

6. You’re ignoring the picture as a whole – large and small

Once you have enough data and facts, you can try linking them together like pieces of a puzzle when analyzing. Be mindful of similar patterns, surfacing trends, cause and effect behavior, and other telling signs that could make way for more meaningful and relevant information as a basis for sound conclusions later.

By continuously asking questions like: what does this mean? how does this relate to that? or why was this included? you’re able to connect the “small” picture elements with the “big” picture, which is the ultimate problem that needs to be solved.

7. You rely on emotions, rather than logic

Critical thinking puts prime value on logical reasoning. Strive to remain with the objective side by getting rid of emotional factors when evaluating statements. For instance, your thinking may be affected by preferential biases or selective listening.

Also, sometimes it’s just convenient to be too accepting to avoid confrontational conflicts. When you drift from reason, try to think out loudly and clearly as a way of filtering out emotions. This could let you get through with a valid examination of case arguments.

8. You aren’t drawing logical conclusions

Conclusions drawn out from the practice of critical thinking must follow logically from the supporting information and evidence available at hand. As different solutions may answer for different situations, logical conclusions should also be able to determine what can best work for the problem recognized at the beginning.

9. You’re thinking short-term

Somehow, critical thinking doesn’t just end with the task of making facts-based conclusions. You also need to be critical of what may be the long-term implications of your decisions.

While no one has a hold of the future, training yourself to think long-term will encourage you to be a continuous learner for information which could be vital for the present and future time.

10. You’re rushing action

When you’ve gotten all possible solutions sorted out, don’t jump too quickly towards the best obvious option. You may try the reverse elimination process to arrive at the best solution by dashing out the least viable alternative, then moving on to the next least, and so on. This trick helps further refine your thought selection and decision-making by trying to look at all “what-if” possibilities.

Upon eliminating the rest of the options, take action next by implementing your decision.

Critical thinking isn’t as hard as you think

The practice of critical thinking isn’t as complex as what the concept may sound like. With its practical application at school, office, home, and life, its valuable benefits can translate to wiser decision-making and problem-solving, increased productivity, and leads to an overall greater sense of happiness.

In fact, critical thinking serves as a crucial skill for organizational leadership to better compete in today’s internet economy. With just a conscious effort and firm desire to elevate the quality of your self-thinking process, you too could be able to infuse any, if not all, of these critical thinking habits wherever you’re at.

Anthony Aires Chief Executive Officer

Real Deal Productions, LLC Prosperity Publishers, LLC

P.S. Keep coming back to AnthonyAires.com to take advantage of the free goodies I share.

If you’d like to connect with me my social media channels you can go here:

Anthony Aires Facebook Timeline: Friend Here >> http://facebook.com/anthonyaires

Anthony Aires Facebook Fan Page: Follow Here >> http://facebook.com/aireswins

Anthony Aires Never Stop Striving Facebook Group: Join Free Here >> https://www.facebook.com/groups/AnthonyAires

Anthony Aires Twitter: Follow Here >>http://twitter.com/anthonyaires

Anthony Aires YouTube: Subscribe Here >> http://youtube.com/anthonyaires

Anthony Aires Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyaires

If you’d like to learn how I make 6 Figures A Year Working Only 90 Minutes A Day?

Then jump on my next FREE webcast workshop that’s going to show you how I does it…

You can sign up for FREE for the next one by saving your seat here >> https://anthonyaires.com/webcast

Thanks for being a part of the Aires Crew

source https://anthonyaires.com/5412/explode-your-content-concepts-by-avoiding-these-10-critical-thinking-mistakes/ from Anthony Aires http://anthonyairescom.blogspot.com/2017/09/explode-your-content-concepts-by.html

[anthonyairescom]

EXPLODE Your Content Concepts By Avoiding These 10 Critical Thinking Mistakes

For content creators, there’s one skill that stands paramount above the rest: critical thinking.

It has more far-reaching benefits than you imagined; Critical thinking may sound a bit collegiate, but it can be valuable when applied even to practical situations at school, office, home, and life. With faster-paced timelines and information-rich resources posted as big challenges to everyone by today’s new internet economy, the call for high performance and productivity will only grow.

People trying to find out how to produce more in little or no time at all may send them off on a quest for pricey solutions, but the key may actually just lie with simple critical thinking. In fact, critical thinking skills were recognized as the top vital skill needed from organizational leadership to be competitive in the 21st century. This involves the practice of systematic thinking that draws from logic, truth, context, and options while using data and facts to solve situations. Since critical thinking could influence thoughts, then thoughts can be mobilized to affect actions.

With a better thinking process, wiser decisions could be reached, faster results can be accomplished, and hence, overall happiness can be achieved.

What’s great about critical thinking is that can be learned and developed – you don’t have to be born with a deductive mind! So next time you find yourself wandering around and lagging behind schedule, keeping in mind these critical thinking habits can turn you around to become more productive wherever you’re at.

What’s bad about the critical thinking process is that most people fail to garner results despite putting in their best efforts. In this post, I’ll discuss mistakes that hamper productivity. Here we go.

1. You aren’t zeroing in on the problem

To be systematic, critical thinking starts with a purpose which should set you off with a problem to solve. Try asking these questions: What exactly is the output you want to produce? What specific outcome do you want your actions to result in? Whatever that is, the problem must be clearly recognized and defined.

For instance, before opting for a rigid food diet program, determine first whether what you’re aiming for is weight loss, increased energy, or improved nutrition. It helps sometimes to break down a large chunk into smaller bits so you can dig into the problem more easily.

2. You aren’t considering different perspectives

It does nothing but benefit you by keeping your mind open to alternative opinions, especially from industry influencers or key opinion leaders who can provide trustworthy advice for more feasible solutions.

Considering different perspectives actually permits you to see through others’ eyes, thus leading you to approach the solution more creatively or even from “out-of-the-box”. As you recognize others’ perspectives, it’s proper to cite your sources to build up a strong case for the solution if ever you decide to act on it later.

In order to understand other perspective, businesses regularly collect customer feedback. It helps to gain insights that are used in building relevant strategies. Moreover, it empowers businesses to identify the roadblocks that hamper customer experience, and subsequently, rework it.

3. You aren’t getting a leg-up by brainstorming

You may not always have the answers to a given problem. Or, sometimes a problem’s solution may be drawn in different possible ways. When you have this inkling, brainstorming with a group can be worth the effort in order to gather and list down viable options that can be narrowed down to the most promising solutions.

Remember, critical thinking is more entitled to getting things right than with being right every time.

For instance, customer support reps can work with different teams to brainstorm solutions that will best suit the need of the customer. If it’s a technical issue customers are facing, support teams can collaborate with the engineering department to find the reason for the problem and provide an answer accordingly. To make this process as smooth as possible, use Shared Inbox. It will help you assign tasks easily to team members without cluttering their email inbox.

4. You rush to judgment before gathering enough data

Premature conclusions are an absolute NO-NO with critical thinking. Guesswork or hearsays won’t help in any way. Focus instead your efforts on gathering data to bring light to complex solutions.

Also equally vital when conducting data gathering is determining which sources are credible given the plethora of internet information around. It’s helpful to refer to a checklist guide on how to evaluate online resources so you may know how to tell which one is authentic from a hoax.

5. You don’t go beyond the facade of data sheets

On the flipside, critical thinking goes past the face value of data. Data accuracy and inclusion of any assumptions should always be checked to fill up breaks in truth and logic during the thinking process.

Maybe you’re quick to assume that the data handed to you by a close office mate is reliable when in fact the person is neither competent nor knowledgeable at all about the subject. When this happens, pause for a while, step back and think again.

6. You’re ignoring the picture as a whole – large and small

Once you have enough data and facts, you can try linking them together like pieces of a puzzle when analyzing. Be mindful of similar patterns, surfacing trends, cause and effect behavior, and other telling signs that could make way for more meaningful and relevant information as a basis for sound conclusions later.

By continuously asking questions like: what does this mean? how does this relate to that? or why was this included? you’re able to connect the “small” picture elements with the “big” picture, which is the ultimate problem that needs to be solved.

7. You rely on emotions, rather than logic

Critical thinking puts prime value on logical reasoning. Strive to remain with the objective side by getting rid of emotional factors when evaluating statements. For instance, your thinking may be affected by preferential biases or selective listening.

Also, sometimes it’s just convenient to be too accepting to avoid confrontational conflicts. When you drift from reason, try to think out loudly and clearly as a way of filtering out emotions. This could let you get through with a valid examination of case arguments.

8. You aren’t drawing logical conclusions

Conclusions drawn out from the practice of critical thinking must follow logically from the supporting information and evidence available at hand. As different solutions may answer for different situations, logical conclusions should also be able to determine what can best work for the problem recognized at the beginning.

9. You’re thinking short-term

Somehow, critical thinking doesn’t just end with the task of making facts-based conclusions. You also need to be critical of what may be the long-term implications of your decisions.

While no one has a hold of the future, training yourself to think long-term will encourage you to be a continuous learner for information which could be vital for the present and future time.

10. You’re rushing action

When you’ve gotten all possible solutions sorted out, don’t jump too quickly towards the best obvious option. You may try the reverse elimination process to arrive at the best solution by dashing out the least viable alternative, then moving on to the next least, and so on. This trick helps further refine your thought selection and decision-making by trying to look at all “what-if” possibilities.

Upon eliminating the rest of the options, take action next by implementing your decision.

Critical thinking isn’t as hard as you think

The practice of critical thinking isn’t as complex as what the concept may sound like. With its practical application at school, office, home, and life, its valuable benefits can translate to wiser decision-making and problem-solving, increased productivity, and leads to an overall greater sense of happiness.

In fact, critical thinking serves as a crucial skill for organizational leadership to better compete in today’s internet economy. With just a conscious effort and firm desire to elevate the quality of your self-thinking process, you too could be able to infuse any, if not all, of these critical thinking habits wherever you’re at.

Anthony Aires Chief Executive Officer

Real Deal Productions, LLC Prosperity Publishers, LLC

P.S. Keep coming back to AnthonyAires.com to take advantage of the free goodies I share.

If you’d like to connect with me my social media channels you can go here:

Anthony Aires Facebook Timeline: Friend Here >> http://facebook.com/anthonyaires

Anthony Aires Facebook Fan Page: Follow Here >> http://facebook.com/aireswins

Anthony Aires Never Stop Striving Facebook Group: Join Free Here >> https://www.facebook.com/groups/AnthonyAires

Anthony Aires Twitter: Follow Here >>http://twitter.com/anthonyaires

Anthony Aires YouTube: Subscribe Here >> http://youtube.com/anthonyaires

Anthony Aires Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyaires

If you’d like to learn how I make 6 Figures A Year Working Only 90 Minutes A Day?

Then jump on my next FREE webcast workshop that’s going to show you how I does it…

You can sign up for FREE for the next one by saving your seat here >> https://anthonyaires.com/webcast

Thanks for being a part of the Aires Crew

from Anthony Aires https://anthonyaires.com/5412/explode-your-content-concepts-by-avoiding-these-10-critical-thinking-mistakes/

[sunshine-and-blue-lotus]

How not to take someone’s anger personally

Posted by Gary on Sep 1st, 2016

The following is writing sent from a client as she works through the emotional drama in her relationship. In her writing you will find how she is practicing all Four Agreements.  She takes a solid inventory of what is her half and what is her husband’s half.  She see’s the lies of agreements as something separate from him, and from her.  She is a partner with her husband and the enemy is the emotionally wounded belief system they each carry.  She is detached from believing the words and beliefs while still being present with her emotions.

Her path is to stay present with the truth, and not step into believing the lies from the voices in her head, or his. Some days she succeeds, and some days she doesn’t, but each day she gets better and stronger.

In this assignment, she writes about her experience and emotions from a third person perspective so that she can practice being a neutral observer of her agreements and the voices in her head.  This technique is part of the Self Mastery Course teachings.

When her husband got very angry and yelled at Theresa, she felt afraid, then angry, then sad, then hopeless. This time, when he yelled at her through the phone, Theresa held the phone away from her ear and did not listen to his rage monster/judge spewing poison at her. She knew that everything he was saying wasn’t true. They were just his judge’s words. The words the judge was getting from the Big Liar’s book of law for his life. All lies. So she figured, “why listen to the words? They aren’t true anyway and they will just tempt me to take them personally and then I’ll feel sad, depressed, etc.” She felt better for not hearing the actual words but she still felt hurt and afraid because she could hear the anger in his voice. She felt rejected. She felt like she felt when her mother was angry with her when she was a child. She followed that thinking and realized that when someone she loves expresses anger, especially in an aggressive way, she felt afraid, which usually turned into fear and defensive behavior followed rapidly by quilt, desperation and an obsessive need to get approval from the angry person as quickly as possible, even if that meant sacrificing her need. She remembered that her needs never seemed to be important to her parents. They were almost considered a nuisance. She felt ashamed remembering how she felt in the face of her parents’ anger toward her: ashamed, not good enough, like she was a bad girl and didn’t even have the right to exist, that she was seriously flawed, something was missing when she was made, she lacked whatever it is that makes people precious and valuable to others, she lacked whatever it was that made people express love and inclusion instead of anger and pushing away.

She knew these messages to be lies from her personal Book of Knowledge. She knew them to be lies from her Big Liar. She realized that the Big Liar told her that she couldn’t live without her parents and since their anger at her meant to her that she was being rejected by them, she felt that her life was in danger. She felt the same way when her husband wasn’t happy with her – whether he was giving his time and attention to another woman, or whether he was expressing his frustration and anger toward her – she realized she felt again that it was actually threat to her physical life.

1.) She decided to break the agreements that she needed another person’s love to be a valuable person.

She is valuable because she is part of the perfection of creation just because God created her as perfect as every other creature and thing that he created.

2.) She broke the agreement that someone’s anger means that she’s bad, or broken or not quite right, or somehow ‘off.’

She realized another person’s anger is their own Liar’s voice possessing them, it has nothing to do with her and she chose to not take it personally. She also realized that her anger is her own Big Liar and has nothing to do with the person she’s expressing to and that person doesn’t have to take it personally either.

3.) She realized that she felt dependent on her husband for all of her life needs such as food, water, shelter, clothing as well as other, non-essentials like fun and vacations. She thought that the underlying agreement was that she can’t take care of herself or her kids without an income-earning husband.

She decided to break the agreement that a she can’t take care of herself. She remembered that she is capable of having a job, making money, paying bills, on her own. She thought that she didn’t have to rely on someone else for all those things. She remembered that she and her husband decided together after their first child was born that she would stay home with the kids because her income earning potential was less than his. They decided this together so she realized that she did not have to feel guilty about not working and supporting the family. They had decided together that it was his responsibility to be the primary bread winner and that it was primarily her responsibility to stay home and raise the kids, take care of the house, etc.

She thought about today’s argument. Her husband brought up that he was picking his vacation weeks today for the coming year. She asked if he could take a week off during Spring Break so that the family could take a warm weather vacation. This request struck a nerve in him and he became irate, slammed the car door and headed to work. She decided her tone of voice and demeanor were calm, albeit a little annoyed, and realized she could have done better so she called him and apologized for handling it badly and then asked the question about Spring Break again calmly and as a request for him to consider taking off a week during Spring Break if it was possible at all. This triggered a firestorm of uncontrolled ranting in him that lasted for minutes and ended with him hanging up on her. While he was expressing his anger, she had stayed calm and tried on a few occasions to apologize for making him angry and suggest they end the conversation but he talked over her, didn’t calm down and hung up on her instead. She tried her best to not make an assumption about why he couldn’t take Spring Break week of and instead ask him if it was or wasn’t a possibility, not to take his anger personally and to do her best and to not use her word against herself. So, she didn’t listen to the Big Liar (his and her own) who tried to make her feel guilt, shame, fear, etc. She used the circumstances instead, to break the above agreements – or at least start to. She suspects that the agreement about needing a husband will take time to break and believe the new agreement – that she doesn’t need a husband for survival, she wants one to share her love with

She decided to do the sun meditation where she draws energy from the sun into her body, remembers the fight with herself supporting herself and gently blowing all the Big Liar’s words back at it and then infusing the entire situation with love, just to try and heal herself and her husband.

She also realized how hurtful angry words – the word used incorrectly, for death – can be and she resolved to try her best to never do that to her husbandShe is doing her best, and is patient with herself and her husband as they work through their emotional drama.Some days this is the journey for a spiritual warrior.