#/ con. sider. :eyes:

[sunisglowing]

FULL MOON IN HASTA NAKSHATRA - PICK A CARD

(sidereal virgo)

WHAT IS MANIFESTING/COMING IN YOUR HANDS? 🌕

PILE 1

You are getting the recognition you deserve. A lot of your have been planning for a celebration. There's a lot of partying and dancing. You will be having fun there. Some of you might be going to a concert soon of a very famous celebrity. Some of you will win a competition or you will perform in front of a crowd. You will be showcasing your talents and getting attention for it. Be ready for a lot of eyes and compliments on you.

I'm seeing that you might have a stage fear or the fear of what all hate and drama comes when you are famous or in the public eye. You are scared of bullying and people bad mouthing you. You might also fear that if you do/did something wrong, you might get caught.

My advice is to keep moving forward even if you fear these things. Because success is in the cards. Some of you might be leaving home and relocating somewhere. You might be fearing to leave your comfort zone rn. Know that it's going to be okay and you will find new people there you will understand your emotions and provide you with security and comfort.

Get out of your comfort zone. It will help you a lot and you will find people a lot people who are gonna help you in your work. Some of you might also be travelling for work.

PILE 2

You have been putting in the work and moving forward slowly in terms of finances. You are building up your finances. You will have to be patient to achieve your goal. You will be achieving material security in your hands that you have been building for a long time. You willing be getting the results of your efforts. Just please be patient.

You have built something stable. It might be for some of you that you have achieved this goal and now you are thinking about your next journey or wish. You might be wanting to start something new. You might be thinking about the next thing you want to pursue and you have a lot of options. Relax, don't worry so much about it.

You have a lot of ideas in your mind right now. Carefully analyse those options, think things through. Divide and analyse the pros and cons. Don't make hasty decisions. Don't wait for the approval of others, just jump once you have decided to swim in the waters. The only approval that matters is your own.

I'm seeing that whatever path you decide to embark on, you will become an expert in it. A leader and powerfigure of some sort. You might also go and attend a school or course for this path. I feel a lot of you will go to a formal education or training for it.

Through this, you will be able to see things from different perspective and have a broad view of the subject. You will be seen as a go to or authority figure/leader in the future in this path. You will become open minded and make better decisions. People will come to you for advice.

PILE 3

For pile 3, I see life has been pretty rough lately. Some of you have been feeling out of balance because of your pain. You might have been betrayed or had ended a relationship (platonic, romantic, any) with someone and it has been rough. You might have had difficulty in dealing with your pain and that might have affected your studies or work.

You personal life might have affected your financial or career goals. I see you might have been facing challenges after challenges in career as well as personal or love life. Now, the good part is that you will be getting opportunities in career or studies. You will start laying the stable foundations with hardwork and training. You might be going for some sort of training or study.

Starting again on the solid ground. You have the resources and finances to move forward and get your life together. You just have to be a little more patient. Don't think that gloomy phase you have been will last forever.

Whatever opportunities you are manifesting or wanting to arrive will only be given to you by efforts. So you have to pick yourself up back and start moving for. Don't expect to arrive something for just in case if you have been waiting.

Also with new goals, there will come new challenges that you have to face. There is still people who will try to do you wrong or hinder you in achieving your goals. These people will be revealed to you, maybe they have been or they will be soon. You are wiser now, so you know whom to trust and pick out who is untrustworthy. Some 6th house energy coming from this pile or you are going through a 6H transit.

There's a lot of competition coming towards you so please be prepared. Also be prepared that some people will be nasty towards you and will do something to put you down. Keep your goals and plans private and don't tell tye new opportunities that coming to you to people right now. I really feel someone or some people will betray you and will hinder you from achieving your goals, so yeah I'm repeating be prepared lol😭

PILE 4

Some of you might have went through a loss. Something that happened in the past might have left you feeling in deep sorrow, broken and unstable. You might have been feeling lonely and isolated, just reminiscing in the past.

This something that ended and there's has been deep feelings of anger and disappointment. You might have been crying over spilt milk. There was a death of someone close to you or something that had died that has deeply affected you. Intense dark emotions govern you at present.

It's time to say goodbye to this phase of yours and move on. It feels like there's a change coming in your life. You might have been running away from feeling all these intense emotions and going through the grief. Nobody else will be able to heal you even if there's good people in your life.

You might be finding it hard to accept that loss. Maybe you are escaping from the pain by going doing all things that have thrill and speed. That will only make you feel restless when you are alone with your own thoughts. Think about what you are doing and it's motive.

You are accepting and letting go of the loss. Feel those emotions. You might have been really private or would have deactivated your socials. Some of you don't like being out in public or getting unwanted attention. You don't like to show your vulnerable self in the public.

This phase of grieving is coming to an end and you will be chasing after new goals. New opportunities for work related travel is coming towards some of you. This time you are putting efforts to move forward in life. Some of you might be relocating as you don't really like being in the same environment. Most of you are moving on from the past to something better and more productive for you.

[youshi56]

THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT

FRIDAY

TRULY I TELL YOU, UNLESS YOU CHANGE AND BECOME LIKE CHILDREN, YOU WILL NEVER ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

MATTHEW 18:3

HE COMES AS A CHILD

On the wall of the house I grew up in hung an image depicting Jesus with his head tilted back and laughter erupting from his mouth. His eyes were shut tight, displaying his laugh lines, and a look of pure delight was on his face. Seeing this image every day of my childhood helped shape an understanding of an often-overlooked part of God's personality: his childlike playful-ness.

While the scriptures offer limited insights into the early life of Jesus, there is still much we can learn. Contemplating his childhood becomes crucial in our understanding of the heart of God, and reflecting on his human experiences can unveil profound revelations. Have you ever pondered that Jesus spent half of his life on earth as a child? What might this tell us about him, especially when he teaches us that we must become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven? We can infer that we

were never meant to lose the characteristics and heart of our childhood selves, especially the desire to play. Jesus, as a perfectly integrated person, didn't leave playfulness behind.

G. K. Chesterton says, "The true object of all human life is play.

Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground" (All Things Con-sidered). Jesus was once a toddler who likely giggled uncontrollably when Joseph made funny faces at him. He would have run and played his favorite game with other children in Nazareth, and knowing the compelling nature of Jesus, he likely had an amazing sense of humor. I can only imagine how hard he made the disciples belly-laugh. Jesus, who is God, remains perfectly integrated and retains an enduring desire to play, seeking to infuse joy and laughter into our relationship with him.

Many of us can be tempted to reduce Jesus's personality to stoic and impersonal, but this would fall short in acknowledging Jesus's full humanity. Jesus, the Son of God, perfect in both divinity and humanity, expresses all of his emotions and attributes with perfect harmony, never having to subdue his personality because of fear. As we encounter the real personality of Jesus, it can reveal to us how he desires to relate to us, as well as how we are meant to relate to him and relate to ourselves.

Today, may we take time to allow our hearts to see him rightly and encounter the joy and playfulness of the childlike heart of God.

Where I lack a childlike heart, Jesus, be born in me.

REFLECT

1. In Matthew 19:14, Jesus says, "Let the children come to me."

What thoughts come to mind as you hear him say that to you?

2. Reflect on your favorite part of being a child. How could that connect to how God desires to relate to you and you to him?

3. Ask Jesus this question: "What game do you want to play with me?" Write down what he tells you, and then ask, "Why do you want to play that game with me?"

Take a few minutes to write about this in your journal.

PRAY

DEAR JESUS, YOU ARE INVITING ME TO BE LIKE A CHILD AND EXPERIENCE PLAYFULNESS IN MY

RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU. PLEASE RESTORE MY CHILDLIKE HEART AND TEACH ME TO HAVE JOY.

JESUS, SHOW ME HOW TO LIVE. AMEN.

[risalei-nur]

The Words - The Tenth  Word - Part 44

You see with your own eyes the numerous designs made by God as signs, similitudes, and analogies of the Resurrection. He displays them in every era, the alternation of day and night, even in the coming and going of clouds. If you imagine yourself a thousand years in the past and then compare past and future, you will see as many examples and analogies of the Resurrection as there are centuries and days past. If, after this, you still con- sider bodily Resurrection improbable and unacceptable to reason, there is something seriously wrong with your powers of reasoning.

Concerning this truth, the Supreme Decree says: Look upon the imprints of God’s Mercy, how He revives the earth after its death. He it is Who will revive the dead [in a similar way]. He has full power over everything (30:50). In short, there is nothing which makes the Resurrection impossible, and there is much necessitates it.

The glorious and eternal Lordship, the all-mighty and all-embracing Sovereignty, of the One Who gives life and death to this wide and wonderful earth as if it were a single organism; Who has made it as a pleasing cradle and handsome craft for humanity and animals; Who has made the sun a lamp that gives it both its light and heat; Who has made the planets transports for His angels—such Lordship and Sovereignty cannot be con- fined to a mutable, transitory, unstable, slight, and imperfect world. Thus there is another realm, one worthy of Him, immutable, permanent, stable, great, and perfect. He causes us to work for this realm and summons us to it. Those who have penetrated from outward appearances to truth, who have been ennobled by proximity to the Divine Presence, all spiritual “poles” endowed with light-filled hearts, and those with enlightened minds, testify that He will transfer us to that other kingdom. They teach us that He has prepared a reward and a requital for us there, and that He gives us His firm promises and stern warnings thereof.

[mattramzzz]

on a new 3-lane st

was where theyd, all, meet; as, ewes, alld, bat ewer eyes & con- sider the words that were slurred 2bhiding the truth of the mess -age, found, hid ‘den & dark, as ewed see, a- mid sin, in the park, where a man was, there, tryin 2 climb up & in2 a cave, where a dweller would save what shes painting, hidden behind a love seat or couch, on 2 which, shes, seen, faint -ing (home)

[theangel-aziraphale]

True… I will jus-st have to keep an eye on your antics-s-s Puck. Just don’t get yourself into real trouble with s-someone who does-sn’t cons-sider you endearing.

Of cours-se.

*Sniraphale looks at Puck in such a way that he appears to be smiling very cutely.*

S-s-s-so self-serving, you are. I don’t know, Luc-sifer won’t be pleased if you muck about too much with him or his children. Chloe might s-scold you but she’s quite formidable from what I’ve heard. Who knows-s you might find s-some joy in all the antics-s his children get up to! It’s-s far too much excitement for me though.

We will have to wait and see. And I could s-say the same for s-someone els-se… but we jus-st met s-so perhaps-s-s not.

*He already feels cold, but he won’t push it. He does tilt his head just a little bit.*

Anytime, dear Puck… you know where to find me.

darling someone needs to tell crowley that you're ok with this form cause... I'm like 99 percent sure puck is in danger

Really? Oh no, that's-s bad. I will rectify this-s... Puck is-s-s only fooling around~

[hagakuremarco]

Vietato abbracciarsi.

Toccarsi.

Baciarsi.

Stringersi.

Sono vietate tutte le forme di affetto

fino a data da destinarsi.

Quel metro di distanza

è uno spazio siderale dove non cresce niente.

Questo virus ci sta uccidendo

nel modo più atroce che esista: Lasciandoci soli.

Bisogna trovare un modo, qualunque esso sia

per restare uniti: i virus non sopportano le persone felici.

Bisogna reagire pensando che non sarà sempre così.

Contrastando la paura con dosi spietate di bellezza.

Difendendo la dolcezza che possiamo ancora regalare

leggendo poesie a chi ci sta vicino.

Mandando carezze con gli occhi.

Facendo capire a chi ci vuole bene che ci siamo.

Usando la testa e non la rabbia per difenderci.

Torneremo alla nostra vita un giorno

rendendoci conto

di quanto sia incredibilmente bella e preziosa.

E forse, smetteremo per sempre di sprecarla.

E forse questa volta, la vivremo istante dopo istante.

Senza più aver paura di sbagliare.

Forse inizieremo a vivere davvero

senza avere più paura di sognare.

Andrew Faber It is forbidden to hug.

Touching.

Kissing.

To hug.

All forms of affection are prohibited

until a later date.

That meter away

it is a sidereal space where nothing grows.

This virus is killing us

in the most atrocious way that exists: Leaving us alone.

We have to find a way, whatever it is

to stick together: viruses can't stand happy people.

We must react by thinking that it will not always be like this.

Countering fear with merciless doses of beauty.

Defending the sweetness that we can still give

reading poems to those around us.

Sending caresses with the eyes.

Making it clear to those who love us that we are here.

Using the head and not anger to defend ourselves.

We will return to our life someday

realizing

how incredibly beautiful and precious it is.

And maybe, we'll stop wasting it forever.

And maybe this time, we will experience it moment by moment.

Without being afraid of making mistakes.

Maybe we will start living for real

without being afraid of dreaming anymore.

Andrew Faber

[zombies-aliens]

thoughts on gemini suns & scorpio moon/risings ? 🐬

LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOO this is a tough one 🧐

Cool people shoutout to all Gemini suns Scorpio moon and rising people 😁 i ask everyone of my followers to show them some love bc they’re awesome AND JUST SOME bc I’ll get jealous

Geminis are usually talkative people when comfortable I notice they folks like food a lot and their self esteem swings on a pendulum but that might be bc most Geminis in sidereal are Taurus which makes a lot of sense 🥸

Probably intense pent up emotions that need a release depends tho with Scorpio moon. 🌝

People might see them as intense or their appearance to cause some sort of reaction rather than a basic glance, their looks could trigger emotion out of others whether it’s love or hate or something in between. Of all the water signs this one has the most fire sign energy 🔥

Powerful rising sign, the type to rise from the ashes. Might have to go through something conflicting before it happens. The Phoenix is a mythical bird to think of when you think of Scorpio risings. Most associate Scorpio with sex but with scorpio there is always more than meets the eye and shouldn’t be objectified as objects - male or female. Could possibly get mistaken for aries rising since aries is also ruled by the planet of war - mars.

Everything has its pros and cons tho and it’s important to be responsible with your life and not blame everything on our birtchart… or can we?

There are SOME people with this placement tho that makes me wanna do a drop kick on them and throw them down a flight of stairs 😤😤😜

[esuemmanuel]

Soy un idealista, un soñador, un cabrón loco que sueña con Soledad y que sólo en mis más ardientes desvaríos la puedo tocar, pero Ella... ¡Oh, Ella no está! Ella es sólo el esbozo frágil de lo que no puedo concebir, porque no tiene piel, no es tangible; es un sueño, una quimera, un bendito imposible... un beso que lloro a la par de las estrellas que miro todas las noches al abrir los ojos y soñar... ¿En dónde más la voy a encontrar sino en el místico palpitar de esos preciosos astros que deambulan en el vacío sideral? ¡Dios bendito! ¡Ésta es mi realidad! ¡Amo lo imposible y así, así me encanta vagar en este mundo insufrible del que no me puedo zafar!

Esu Emmanuel© ,I am an idealist, a dreamer, a crazy bastard who dreams of Soledad and that only in my most ardent ravings I can touch her, but She ... Oh, She is not here! She is only the fragile outline of what I cannot conceive, because she has no skin, she is not tangible; It is a dream, a chimera, a blessed impossible... a kiss that I cry along with the stars that I look at every night when I open my eyes and dream... of those precious stars that roam in the sidereal void? God blessed! This is my reality! I love the impossible and so, so I love to wander in this insufferable world from which I cannot escape!

[ella-se-vuelve-loca]

Hey, Roomie | Zabdiel de Jesús (2nd Day of 🎄)

(Credits to the owner of this gif!!!)

Here’s my next Christmas story for y’all! ♥️ I hope you enjoy!

~~

“Hey roomie! Sorry I’m running a bit late. I had to run by the grocery store for some stuff. On the bright side, the apple sider was on sale so I got another bottle in case you want any… wow.” I walked into our shared apartment as I held the few grocery bags in my hand and saw the decorations for Christmas already up. 

“You’ve got all these decorations up fast like really  fast. You know I love this time of year, but I wasn’t honestly expecting all of this. The tinsel, the lights, paper snowflakes… how’d you do it?” I asked as I placed down the bags and went to take off my jacket.

I started walking around and didn’t hear her voice. Is she here right now? “Hola? (Y/N)? Are you home?” I walked a few steps further and found her behind the tree putting up some more ornaments. “Putting up the last touches on the tree, huh?” I asked her and she laughed. “You know it haha what do you think?”

I stood next to her as I admired her work. “It looks really nice. Necesitas ayuda con algo?” She bit her lip and shook her head. “No, pero quiero hablar contigo.” I nodded, looked down for a second and noticed she was holding something. “Mind if I ask what you’re holding behind your back?” She gave me a small smile. “You’ll see soon enough.” I grabbed a chair and sat down next to her so we were eye to eye.

“Fair enough. I’ll wait… de qué quieres hablar?” She cleared her throat and her cheeks became a slight shade of pink. “I um… I heard what you said about me to Chris a few days ago. About how you felt about me…” It was my turn for my face to become red with embarrassment. “Oh so.. so – so you heard about.. okay um…” I scratched the back of my neck. 

“I’m sorry… I know you’ve had a lot on your mind recently and I’m sure that having me being… well… me… wasn’t easy for you y entiendo si estás enojado o molesto conmigo. No quería estresarte aún más than you already were and I’m sorry if I did..” I switched from English to Spanish real quick when I’m nervous. Oh God…

She didn’t say anything and just continued to look at me. It made my face burn even more than it already was. “How come you never told me?” She asked. “I was kind of hoping you felt the same way. Why – Why do you ask? And what is that behind your back?” I just want this conversation to end already and just go back to pretending that she doesn’t know. 

She then brought her hand up above my head before I could even get a good look at what she had. “What is it? What do you – ” She grabbed the collar of my shirt with her other hand, brought me closer to her body and pressed her lips against mine. My eyes widened for a moment, not quite expecting her to kiss me. I slowly raised my hand to cup her cheek and melted into the kiss. 

I smiled into the kiss. Is this actually happening right now? Is my mind making this up? 

We slowly pulled away and I slowly glanced up to what she was holding above the both of us. “Mistletoe… you’re pretty clever, you know?” I chuckled and looked back down at her. “A little part of me think I’m dreaming but you don’t have to pinch me to prove it. You… you’re a weirdo, you know that right?” She placed her hand down so it rested on my shoulder. “But you’re my favorite weirdo.” We smiled at each other.

“Tengo una pregunta…” I told her. “What is it?” She asked. “Does this mean I get to call you mi amor or no?” She laughed and kissed me once more. “Does this answer your question?” I smiled at her and nodded. “It sure does… mi amor..” I brought her face closer to mine and placed my lips against hers. Mi amor… I like the sound of that.

[cintreuse]

let's play The Hitcher. not

the shitty two thousand

and seven remake with S-

ean Bean, who always sti-

cks out in my mind as Alec

Trevelyan from nineteen

ninety five's Goldeneye, b-

ut the original nineteen e-

ighty six film with Rutger

Hauer and C. Thomas Ho-

well. i'll be Hauer's chara-

cter, John Ryder, and you

can be Howell's character,

Jim Halsey. now, fair war-

ning, this game can only

be played once, since you

have to shoot me in the

head at the end of it, but

it really is an exciting ga-

me. and it may not end

well for me, generally, b-

ut i do get to pull some-

one apart with a transfer

truck, so that's somethin-

g exciting that i'm looking

forward to. maybe we c-

an fool your ex into play-

ing that part. another par-

t of the game that i find

generously appealing is

that the entire premise of

our play time is the theme

of pursuit, on my part, and

perseverance, on your p-

art. for instance, you'll pic-

k me up from the side of

a road, you'll have to borr-

ow my car for this part, a-

nd then after letting you

know in a charmingly cas-

ual way that i'm going to

kill you, we'll be stopped

in the rain at a police bloc-

kade, during which time i'll

hold a switchblade to your

femoral artery and when

the cop notices the place-

ment of my hand and the

fear in your beautiful doe

eyes, i'll distract him by

assertively fondling your

crotch, and he'll say some-

thing along the lines of,

"you boys have a good ni-

ght," and we'll continue dri-

ving. in a part of the game

that comes a little later, aft-

er you shake me off and i

dismember a family of four

before you can warn them

or stop me, i'll surprise you

in the booth of a roadside d-

iner. during this part of our

game, you'll ask me why i'm

doing all of this, and i'll te-

ll you that you're a smart

kid and to figure it out, t-

hen i'll place pennies over

your eyes with saliva that

i wipe from your trembli-

ng lower lip, which you

can fairly assume that i w-

ant to take between my t-

eeth. i'll frame you for the

murder of several police

men, you'll be embroiled

in a high speed chase wit-

h state authorities, i'll show

up in the knick of time and

shoot them all, saving you.

when i'm eventually caug-

ht and taken into custody,

you'll be asked to speak w-

ith me and during our con-

versation you'll spit in my

face, i'll wipe it off and con-

sider how much i love you

while rolling your spit bet-

ween the pads of my inde-

x and middle fingers and

thumb. flash forward a few

hours, and blam, you smo-

och a bullet right between

these mad dog eyes in the

middle of a deserted West

Texas highway while i'm on

my blood soaked knees. a-

nd that's the end of the ga-

me, sugar pie. so what do

you say, darlin'? want to give

it a go? don't make me shed

my own tears. it'll be such

a pathetically poetic way

to end it, right up our alley.

[arcticdementor]

In 2016, voters on both sides of the Atlantic shocked the political establishment by voting for Brexit and Donald Trump. In the eyes of their critics, these movements represented the resurgence of dan­gerous forms of populism and nationalism. Combined with earlier “nationalist-populist” victories in central Europe, and rising support for populist parties elsewhere, commentators at the time predicted—or, in most cases, feared—that a populist wave could soon sweep across the West and beyond.

Four years later, such a wave has not materialized, though popu­lism has hardly disappeared. Andrzej Duda recently won reelection in Poland, while Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party has held on to its super­majority in parliament, and populist parties represent significant vot­ing blocs in legislatures around the world. After a three-year interlude, the United Kingdom has moved forward with Brexit under the premiership of Boris Johnson.

Today, as another U.S. presidential election approaches, it is worth taking stock of the transformations that have—and have not—oc­curred within American conservatism during the last four years. If Trump goes down to defeat this November, some will suggest that any attempted reconfiguration of the American Right provoked by his 2016 election was a misbegotten effort, and that, after a four-year hiatus, global liberalism can now safely resume. But a closer examination of right-wing populism’s trajectory, both within and outside the United States, suggests that such a return to Bush-era conservatism is unlikely. Regardless of what happens in the November election, the gaps between conservative ideology and practical realities will continue to push right-wing parties in postliberal directions and will continue to favor political, if not necessarily partisan, realignment.

…

Michael Lind has described the situation as a new class war. “A trans­atlantic class war has broken out simultaneously in many Western countries,” he writes, “between elites based in the corporate, financial, government, media, and educational sectors and disproportionately native working-class populists. The old spectrum of left and right has given way to a new dichotomy in politics among insiders and out­siders.”3 Lee Drutman’s much-discussed analysis of the 2016 elec­torate in the United States indicates how this reconfiguration has begun to unfold. Comparing the social and economic views of voters for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016, Drutman found, not surprisingly, that traditionally conservative voters favored Trump and traditionally liberal voters favored Clinton. What propelled Trump to victory was his three-to-one win over Clinton among populist vot­ers—those liberal (i.e., Left) on economic issues and con­servative on social questions and matters of identity. Most strikingly, populists made up 28.9 percent of the American electorate in 2016, whereas libertarian voters—those conservative on economics and Left or lib­eral on social questions—were only 3.8 percent of the electorate.4

It was Trump’s performance among the large number of populist voters and Trump’s disregard of libertarians that shocked the Ameri­can Right in particular. Ever since Frank Meyer and William F. Buckley patched together “fusionist” conservatism in the 1950s and ’60s, the American Right has combined social and cultural traditionalism with a broadly liber­tarian economic outlook. The terminology has long been confus­ing, as American conservatives have typically held views called liberal or neoliberal in the European context: they argue for a small state with minimal intervention in the private sector; they favor (at least in theory) the privatization or elimination of many government services; and they are suspicious of public benefits as well as public services, but they make an exception for a strong military. This alliance was driven by the turn of the Democrats toward the Left, although the Democratic Party had previously been home to socially conservative Catholic immigrants who favored the corporatist agenda of Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s.

…

One additional factor is needed before explaining how the Repub­lican Party and American conservatives responded to Trump’s vic­tory. Tocqueville was correct when he observed that America was a society full of associations, with citizens constantly forming new groups to push for political and social changes of every variety. Over the second half of the twentieth century, however, many of these associations changed from organic expressions of citi­zen concern to large foundations which advanced the agendas of their donors. On the right, this change meant that conservative think tanks, activist groups, and the like adopted an almost universally libertarian viewpoint—as the donors endowing these foundations held libertarian views on economics—albeit under the banner of “fusionism.” Consequently, at typical conservative conferences for university students, socially con­servative students are imbued with libertarian free market doctrines (though rarely any serious empirical study of modern markets and firms).

…

The end of the Cold War and the success of Bill Clinton’s neo­liberal presidency—during which he incorporated welfare reform, free trade, and stricter criminal justice policies into the Democratic platform—convinced libertarians and neoliberals on the right and left that their moment was at hand. The Republican Party came to power in the U.S. Congress in the 1994 elections on a mission to slash government spending and welfare benefits. “The era of big government,” said Clinton in his 1996 State of the Union, “is over.” While the GOP did not achieve all its dreams (it had also hoped to eliminate numerous federal agencies like the Department of Education), free trade agreements such as nafta and Chinese accession to the WTO were signed with bipartisan support. During this period, the United States conceived of a future economy that would combine the mone­tization of internet technology and a transition from heavy manufacturing employment to a service-sector economy (hospitality, etc.). With a few exceptions, American conservatives had little or nothing to say about this change, even as the manufacturing core of the American economy was hollowed out. Fusionist conservatives had outsourced the economic portion of their thinking to libertarians, and they mostly professed their desire to “allow market forces to work.”

In the absence of an economic policy that would help middle- and working-class Americans, however, conservatives’ insistence on con­serving traditional family structures became hollow and moralistic. Many otherwise socially conservative black and Hispanic voters have avoided the Republican Party for precisely this reason. But socially conservative white voters, even those whom Republican economic policies do not help, have stayed with the party in the hopes that Republican presidents would appoint socially conservative judges to the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts. A tipping point during the 2016 campaign was Trump’s decision in May of that year to release a list of possible Supreme Court picks in order to reassure pro-life voters of his sympathy with socially conservative causes.

Yet Trump’s appointees have largely disappointed social conservatives with their recent rulings. It seems increasingly clear that, over a period of four decades, the conservative legal movement’s primary success has been to keep Republican voters engaged in a Sisyphean task. America’s underlying liberalism, as Adrian Vermeule put it re­cently, has meant that “in critical cases, involving central commitments of the unwritten constitution, it is highly likely that one or more of the middling conservative justices” will defect.5 Conservatives have pinned their hope on institutions designed to fail them in critical moments.

…

Following the shock of 2016, American conservatives have divided into three main categories: (1) those who opposed Trump, still oppose him, and hope to regain control of the Republican Party on the stand­ard pro-business, laissez-faire platform of recent decades; (2) those who were initially skeptical about Trump but have rallied around the cause of nationalism; and (3) those who have used the occasion of the Trump presidency to push for a new Right. Let us take a brief look at these three groups.

…

The great hope of the Never Trumpers seems to be that a Trump loss in November, especially a decisive one, will revive their fortunes within the Republican Party. But their political prospects seem lim­ited even in this scenario. Despite advertising themselves as responsible centrists, they have shown essentially zero interest in serious policymaking, focusing almost entirely on Trump’s character, per­sonal scandals, their preferred vision of “American values,” and so on. Meanwhile, the few areas of potential bipartisan collaboration have shifted, for the foreseeable future, mainly to issues of industrial policy and technological competition with China—issues the Never Trump­ers have totally ignored, both during the last few years and throughout their entire careers. It was Republicans like Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio, and Josh Hawley who recently cosponsored the American Foundries Act with Chuck Schumer, for example. And now that Democratic nom­inee Joe Biden has made issues like industrial policy and “Buy American” key aspects of his campaign, any Republican cooperation with a Biden administration will likely be led by the economic pop­ulists. The Never Trumpers are simply irrelevant on these issues, and their actual records when in government remain glaring liabilities for anyone associated with them. Donors and media out­lets might have some use for them, as they apparently do today, but neither the Biden administration nor the post-Trump Republican leadership are likely to have much interest in these figures.

Unlike the Never Trumpers, the second group of conservatives have embraced Trump’s “nationalist” rhetoric, but they have other­wise left traditional (anti-statist) American conservatism intact. Among voters, these were Americans who gravitated to Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again,” along with immigration restrictions and a rejection of globalism in economic and foreign policy. Some conservative intellectuals embraced the nationalist framework from the beginning, such as Michael Anton, whose article “The Flight 93 Election” starkly contrasted the options of Trump and Hillary Clin­ton. Writing in 2016 at the ironically titled blog Journal of American Greatness under the pseudonym Publius Decius Mus (a blog to which I contributed as well), Anton excoriated “checklist conservatives” for having stuck with free market ideology and neoconservative foreign policy even in the face of repeated failures. This group of nationalist conservatives have congregated around the Claremont Institute and its Claremont Review of Books and affiliated publications. Aside from becoming gen­erally more nationalist on foreign and immigration poli­cy, however, this group has had little to say about the implications of broader political realignment.

In summer 2019, the Israeli intellectual Yoram Hazony launched a conference in Washington under the name “National Conservatism,” aiming to gather intellectuals and politicos who reject the Never Trump framework. Hazony’s own defense of nationalism, published in the 2018 book The Virtue of Nationalism, is itself sui generis. In Hazony’s account, nations are the permanent opposition to empires, against which they always find themselves locked in struggle, though it is difficult to fit into this framework nations that became or ac­quired empires (what would anti-imperial nationalism say about Algeria, for example?). Hazony’s view of nations is based heavily on the Old Testament and the experience of Israel and England, as well as a pecu­liarly English view of conservatism as subrational and tra­ditionalist. National Conservatism is also markedly Protestant in an old-fash­ioned way, as Hazony has promoted the view that Henry VIII’s actions constituted the first Brexit in resistance to ecclesiastical imperialism. While openly aligning itself with European populists and nationalists, however, National Conservatism has had little to say about the sources of continental right-wing thought, from Roman law to the Catholic Church, or about the conservative use of the state.

…

The difficulty facing National Conservatism, however, is that it is primarily oriented toward rethinking conservatism itself rather than thinking primarily about the challenges of contemporary politics. National Conservatism and (anti-Trump) Principled Conservatism are both arguments over the content of conservatism. In the Anglo-American context, National Conservatism, as Hazony frames it, high­lights historical empiricism (or traditionalism), nationalism (i.e., against imperialism), religion, and limited executive power. While the “na­tionalism” element of National Conservatism is transferable to other countries, historical empiricism and limited executive power are not the most pressing political concepts, particularly in times of economic crisis and emergency.

…

Thus most of the conservative activists wearing MAGA hats at Trump rallies or conservative political conventions are simply anti-immigration libertarians. Talk to them about the need for the state to support domestic manufacturing, or the need to boost family for­mation through a Hungarian-style benefit program, and they will probably call you a socialist. In general, aside from opposition to immigration and support for the American military, they have no vision of how the government is to be used at all. In different cir­cumstances, they would revert to an anti-government stance along with opposition to increases in federal spending.

…

The third group of conservatives are those who take Trump’s election, Brexit, and the rise of populist political movements in Eu­rope to demonstrate that the configuration of politi­cal ideologies immediately prior to 2016 had fallen out of step with conditions on the ground. As it is to this group that I myself belong, I transition here from describing the circumstances of Ameri­can con­servatism to outlining, however briefly, an argument for this vision of the Right.

American conservatism has been anti-statist since it coalesced in opposition to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s expansionary New Deal during the Great Depression, and particularly in its formulation after World War II. Even among conservatives who are not anti-statist per se, hostility to and skepticism of the federal government runs deep. The state is considerably less visible in daily life in America than else­where: health care is privately administered, public universities are not free, taxes are not suffocating, and labor is more lightly regulated. Yet most American conservative intellectuals, activists, journalists, think tank staff, and the like still act as though the primary enemy is the federal government, or use alarming rhetoric about taxation that has not been changed since the days of much higher tax rates before Reagan’s tax cuts in 1981 and 1986.

From the standpoint of the postliberal Right, the liberal view of the state as a keeper of the peace and preserver of individual liberties—the view of most American conservatives before Trump—is not an adequate answer to the present situation. A correction in the direction of the state is needed. On this point the American Right has much to learn from the European Right. And as discussed above, the constituencies that delivered the Re­publicans to power in 2016 would likely agree. According to a major March 2019 survey of U.S. adults, pluralities of respondents favor increased federal spending in almost every category: education, veterans bene­fits, rebuilding highways and bridges, Medicare, environmental pro­tection, health care, scientific re­search, Social Security, assistance to the needy, domestic anti-terror­ism, military defense, and assistance to the needy in the world. Only in the category of assistance to the unemployed did respondents favor keeping spending the same (43 percent) rather than increasing it (31 percent).6 Trump’s victory additionally suggests that there is a majori­ty of Americans who favor increased state intervention to align eco­nomic production with the national interest, and who favor an end to the increasingly punitive and destabilizing form of cultural pro­gres­sivism domi­nant at present, and a correction in favor of the family.

The way to view this movement is that a maintenance or increase of state power in the United States is going to continue. The question is simply whether the Right is willing to use power when it has access to it, and use it for the sake of the common good. Twentieth-century conservatives’ devotion to unregulated markets and liber­tarianism has now contributed to a series of financial crises, the loss of U.S. manu­facturing, and a completely demor­alized society. Yet many conservatives continue to speak as though libertarianism is the solu­tion.

…

If we consider the policy areas that can and should drive political change in the United States, two areas stand out for the new American Right: family policy and industrial policy. On the first, merely speaking about the cultural pressures that families face, as American conservatives have typically done, is not enough. Too many families cannot afford children, and all the factors hindering the choice to raise children are only becoming exacerbated in the post-Covid-19 world. The United States has the fiscal resources for a family policy, like that pioneered in Hungary and elsewhere, that would meaningfully sup­port the formation of families—and the creation, for conservatives, of a stable electoral base. In the fall 2019 American Affairs, I outlined what a FamilyPay proposal should look like in the United States, cen­tered on an annual $6,500 benefit for married couples with one child, $11,500 for two, and so on. As the response to coronavirus shows, rapid political change is possible under extreme circumstances, and the Right must be ready to go with spending plans that buoy Ameri­can families during a time of severe economic distress.

…

The second area of advance in conservative thinking concerns industrial policy. In the United States, industrial policy largely dis­appeared from public discourse after the end of the Cold War and the worldwide trend toward liberalization. During that time, though, the United States arguably implemented a different kind of industrial policy—of moving labor off­shore and transitioning to a digital and service-sector economy. Since 1990, China in particular has rapidly increased its share of value-added in high-tech manufacturing, while U.S. manufacturing produc­tivity growth has stalled. American com­panies have become less inno­vative, not more; they do less investment, not more; and many spend a significant portion of their profits boosting their own stock prices. The result is that the number of low-wage, low-pro­ductivity service sector jobs has in­creased, while many critical manu­facturing sectors have slumped.

Politicians like Senators Marco Rubio, Josh Hawley, and Tom Cotton, in particular, are putting industrial policy back on the map, arguing that national security requires us to maintain industrial capa­city, not only through Trump-style trade actions but through direct­ing American investment toward strategic sectors. Government re­ports from Rubio’s office have emphasized the need to counteract China’s plan to dominate world manufacturing by 2025, a view which has since become something of a bipartisan consensus. While indus­trial policy has often been thought to be more appropriate for de­veloping economies, the frightening reality is that Western economies are or soon will be merely “developing” compared to Chinese ad­vances in 5G communications, artificial intelligence, and many other fields. The coronavirus crisis has also highlighted Ameri­can dependence on Chinese-manufactured pharmaceuticals and medical equipment; the pressing need for an American industrial policy can no longer be ignored.

Moreover, the postliberal priorities of industrial policy and fami­ly policy are complementary. A comprehensive family policy will give statesmen on the right the stability from which to implement an ambitious industrial policy (and pursue concomitant goals of stronger labor policy and workforce skills development).

…

What the Right has not yet found is an ideology through which to integrate these elements of a new politics that takes advantage of the state for the sake of the common good. Indeed, the Right has implau­sibly convinced itself that modern conservatism is not an ideology at all. As the reaction against liberal democracy’s system of separations implies, however, majority or potentially majority constituencies across the West want their nations to be integral wholes: to have con­trol over their borders, an economy put in the service of the com­mon good, the ability to raise successful families, and the capacity to main­tain their strategic advantage in the face of rising adversaries.

The discovery in 2016 of voters with morally right-wing and eco­nomically “statist” views has been mirrored elsewhere. In the United Kingdom, this group turned out in force, both in the 2016 Brexit referendum and in the December 2019 elections that were in effect a second referendum on Brexit. The same voter group has kept Victor Orbán in power in Hungary, and has established and expanded a right-wing majority in Poland—most recently sending Andrzej Duda to a second presidential term, even in the face of a concerted international campaign to delegitimize his election in advance. Coun­tries previously thought to be immune to populism, like Spain, show growing movements in this direction. Italy has grown even cooler toward the European Union since the EU effectively hung it out to dry during the Covid-19 crisis earlier this year. And while the French Right is politically divided, a union of right-wing forces there would be politically formidable. While the circumstances are different, each of these changes follows a similar path. At some point along the way, an enterprising right-wing party realizes that liberalism has become an exhausted ideology—exhausted because it is incapable of clearly articulating what the common good is, and incapable of inspiring the loyalty and shared sacrifice that nation-states require to function.

Everywhere that the Right is successful, it is shifting toward a postliberal political stance to reintegrate society, economy, and the state. To do so, it must begin with a base of socially conservative vot­ers, since voters split more strongly on social issues than on economic ones. Instead of trying to turn these voters into economic liberals, the Right should give them what they want: an economy oriented toward the nation by employing the means of state, and a society that is supportive of family life. Internally, this move will require the Right to change itself markedly. However important the traditions of Anglo‑American conservatism may be for some strains of conservatism, the moment is one in which politics and the state must reassert themselves against the attempt to dissolve them into markets and a borderless globalism. That will require the Right to become more corporatist in its approach to directing busi­ness activity in the na­tional interests, and more integralist in its view of the link between government and the common good. The word integralism has come back into vogue in English, not to posit some immediate union of church and state, but to argue that the liberal separation of politics and the common good is unsustainable and must be reintegrated. Whatever word we use to label it, the policies of the next Right are already in evidence: it will use the power of the state to coordinate business and industrial enterprises toward the common goods of peace and strength, while pursuing macroeconomic policies that shore up the cultural base required for any functioning polity. In doing so, moreover, the Right’s focus will inevitably shift from internal debates over the content of conservatism to external coalition building and effecting a larger political realignment.

[soul-heart-and-beyond]

Name: Mickey Mouse

Nicknames: Mick

Gender: Male

Date of birth: November 18th

Age: Unknown/ 91

Race/Species: Mouse

Spoken languages: English, Spanish and a few others. (Varies on version)

Romantic/sexual preference: Hetero-romantic (Usually)

Occupation: Various.

Hobbies: Her hobbies and interest include: Cleaning, reading, helping others, solve problems, baking/cooking, watching action movies and television, roller-skating, etc.

Criminal record: Framed, stolen things, damaged property, inflicted injury upon others, etc (Depends on version)

Disorders: None.

Eye color: Brown

Height: 2 feet (without heels)

Scars: None

Birthmarks: None

Overweight: No

Underweight: No

Favorite color: Red, White, Yellow, and Black

Favorite food: Cheese

Wants to get married / is married : He would like to get married.

Gotten pregnant / had a child : No

Wants a child : Yep!

Likes children : Can be good with kids at times and bad with them at others.

Can sing: Yes.

Play an instrument: Play the ukelele, piano, guitar, and drums.

Can dance: Yes, though a small amount.

Gotten tattoos: No.

Gotten piercings: Nope.

Smoked/drank/done drugs: Some occasional alcohol at times?

Had a broken heart: Yes, though it may be from his own actions and flukes towards Minnie or him getting a little jealous.

Been in love: Yes.

A cuddler: A good cuddler.

A kisser: Yes.

Scared easily: Yes.

Jealous easily: Yes.

Hot/cool tempered: Definitely has those but he tries to contain them.

Trustworthy: Yes

Single: Depends on the verse.

Extroverted/introverted: Introverted

In a relationship: Depends on the verse.

Considered mean: No.

Fears: Tall heights, usual big bullies, and danger that would come to him or his friends.

Siblings: Felicity

Parents: Unknown (?)

Pet(s): Pluto

tagged by: @rockinthedots

tagging: Whoever wants to!

[risalei-nur]

The Words - The Tenth Word - Part 32

Suppose a gifted writer could rewrite in an hour countless books whose letters were confused or effaced on a sheet of paper without error or omission, fully and in the best style. If someone then told you that he could rewrite in a minute from memory a book which he had written and had fallen into water, how could you say that he could not do so? Or think of a king who, to show his power or warn or for recreation, removes mountains with a com- mand, turns his kingdom about, and transforms the sea into dry land. Then you see that a great boulder blocks the path of guests going to his reception. If someone says that the king will remove the boulder with a command, would you say that he could not do so? Or imagine someone assembles a great army in a day, and you are told that he will re-assemble it in battalions by a trumpet blast after dismissing them to rest, would you respond with disbelief? If you did, your error would be enormous.

Now, see how the Eternal Designer closes winter’s white page and opens spring’s and summer’s green pages before our eyes. With the Pen of Power and Destiny, He inscribes infinite species on the page of the earth in a most beautiful style. They are all intermingled but he inscribes them without confusion and error, giving each its distinct form. Inscribing one does not hinder the inscription of another. Is it reasonable to ask concerning the All-Wise and All-Preserving, Who compacts a great tree’s being into a dot-sized seed, how He preserves the spirits of those who die; how the All-Powerful One, Who spins the earth like a pebble in a sling, will remove the earth from the path of His guests travelling to the Hereafter?

Is it reasonable to ask concerning the All-Majestic One, Who installs the atoms of all living beings in their respective bodies with perfect orderliness with the command of Be! and it is, and thus creates disciplined, wellorganized armies—is it reasonable to ask how He can re-assemble these atoms and bodily members, which have already known each other in perfectly organized battalions of bodies, after they have dispersed?

You see with your own eyes the numerous designs made by God as signs, similitudes, and analogies of the Resurrection. He displays them in every era, the alternation of day and night, even in the coming and going of clouds. If you imagine yourself a thousand years in the past and then compare past and future, you will see as many examples and analogies of the Resurrection as there are centuries and days past. If, after this, you still con- sider bodily Resurrection improbable and unacceptable to reason, there is something seriously wrong with your powers of reasoning.

[stellaviatoremastrology]

Virgo Moon: Emotional Efficiency

April 21, 2019

The Moon in Astrology

The Moon is traditionally ruled by Cancer, the sign of motherhood and feminine qualities. In our natal charts, the moon represents our emotional body, our mothers & our relationships with them, as well as how we relate to others. Our insecurities, fears, emotional dependencies, sensitivities, unconscious reactions, and the way we seek emotional fulfillment can all be derived from our moon sign. Depending on an individual’s chart, the moon sign can be a very hidden, private part of one’s personality, or it can be very prominent, like wearing one’s heart on their sleeve.

Ruled by Mercury: 

One of the key things one must understand in trying to understand Virgo Moon is that because Virgo is ruled by Mercury, the emotional expression of the moon is being filtered through a very analytical and sometimes critical lens.

Virgo Moon processes emotions not by feeling them and letting them out, but by analyzing their own reactions, labeling them, and trying to store them away into neat little boxes within their minds (or into pros & cons lists in their notes app.) Negative feelings are likely to either take a back-burner or become overwhelmingly anxiety inducing, sometimes seemingly without any logical reason. Virgo moons like to fix things, and when they think something needs to be fixed then it can consume all of their attention. Whether they choose to focus on what can easily be fixed now or tackle what is most challenging is up to the individual.

Virgo Moons feel safe & comfortable when things are simplified, organized, and systematized. They thrive in situations where they can stick to a routine because it allows them to feel in control of their lives and themselves.

It is much easier for Virgo Moon to breathe when they know that they can follow through with a plan and what the results will be. And that things are exactly where they left them before they walked away. (I wouldn’t recommend cleaning or redecorating while they’re on vacation.) It is because of this that Virgo Moons are often labeled perfectionists, neat freaks, or wrongly mislabeled as “OCD.” The truth is that Virgos simply know what works for them and what doesn’t. They are resistant to the change brought upon by others when they feel like the system they currently use to do a task is perfect the way that is it. As a rule, why try to fix something that isn’t broken?

This is not to insinuate that all Virgo Moons live in perfectly clean houses or drive sterile cars because as it turns out, some of them grow up in states of chaos and become afraid of the order that they know they need to feel better.

This can lead to Virgo being very comfortable smack dab in the middle of a huge mess. They will reject anyone trying to help them “clean up their act.” Their desk at work may be spotless but at home it is what they like to call “Organized Chaos.” Is it really? We’ll never truly know, but they seem to know where everything is, so it is hard to argue with them. They may even crave messy situations, as cleaning it up will make them feel useful and productive. Not just physically messy, but sometimes emotionally messy as well… yes, drama has it’s place in the Virgo Moon’s heart.

When Virgo Moon is put into situations where their routine is thrown off, thrown completely away, (or they are not allowed to have one) control issues can arise because Virgo Moon suddenly feels completely out of control, of everything. Que Anxiety! Paranoia! Irrational Behavior!

When you take away their safety net of perfection, Virgo Moon can lose all sense of emotional stability.

Growing up in chaotic households or foster care systems can be especially traumatizing to the Virgo Moon Child, because then a routine is never established. This is usually where the thriving in chaos trait starts to weave its way into the Virgo Moon personality, and a mess can start to look like home.

Virgo Moon will feel good about themselves when they learn to get a handle on a routine or organizational system that works for them, allowing them to feel the satisfaction of being able to execute a goal perfectly. Such as cleaning the house, a skin-care routine, or perfecting a template in which to write all of their essays. They make great friends with planners, organizers, and traveler’s notebooks as well as calendar and journal apps. Whether they choose to actually use them and help themselves is a whole other matter altogether.

Servitude as a Love Language

Being able to create a task list and then carry it out is very emotionally satisfying for Virgo Moon, so satisfying that they will take on the task lists of their friend sand  family and start crossing items off theirs too with a smile on their face.

Being able to help others take care of themselves in the way that Virgo Moon cares for themselves is euphoric for them, and why they’re often found with so many pets. Pets require the love, care, & attention that Virgo seeks to give without asking for emotional responses from them in return. It’s the perfect symbiotic relationship. To Virgo Moon, the care, advice, & attention they are offering you IS their emotional response. Mercury’s mouth becomes dry in Earthy Virgo when you ask them about their feelings. Their actions speak louder than their words maybe ever will. You must pay attention. (And maybe ignore their more critical comments, which are always said with good intentions.)

It is not unlikely to find Virgo Moons working in nursing as well as animal hospitals, shelters, or with children.

Defense Mechanisms

Virgo Moon has several defense mechanisms, the main one being unrealistic expectations.

These expectations are not just casual goals they would like to meet one day, but the upmost perfectionism they expect themselves to meet at all costs. They are highly self-critical. When unable to meet their own expectations, Virgo moon sometimes projects these expectations onto others, usually their friends & loved ones, which can lead to conflict and emotional distance that make them feel safe, but makes them appear harsh, nagging, & critical.

The second is emotionally isolating themselves.

Refusing to share their internal reactions with others out of fear of loss of acceptance (their idea of whats acceptable being based on their own ideals & not those of others) leads to a loss of integrity, making them shallow & superficial in the eyes of others. By choosing to relate shallowly, Virgo is keeping their quiet observations & techniques to themselves, not helping anyone, which ultimately makes them feel useless and undeserving of love, attention, and companionship. Que self-esteem issues & loneliness that feels like black hole.

The key to Virgo Moon’s emotional satisfaction is to let go of their unrealistic expectations for themselves, as they are the root of the majority of their self-esteem issues, control issues, and & rampant anxiety.

Recognize when perfection is achievable & when it is not. Virgo moon at it’s best is compassionate, kind, & helpful. They have a warm & subtly fragile disposition that is inviting to those that need them most. Intelligent, witty, sarcastic, & self-sacrificing, they make excellent co-workers & friends.

The best way to acknowledge the Virgo Moon in your life is to acknowledge the things they do for you, and let them know that you appreciate it. Like a wall-flower they observe everything about you, so show them that you notice them too. They want to be recognized.

Famous Virgo Moons (Sidereal):

Nicki Minaj, Jack Nicholson, J. K. Rowling, Channing Tatum, Amy Adams, Eva Bruan, Genghis Khan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, Jay-Z, Kristen Stewert, George W. Bush

Thank you for reading!

Xoxo,

Madison Louise

[bluepenguinstories]

Happiness Overload Chapter Forty-Seven

I woke up in the middle of the night, which wasn't something that usually happened, unless...

Okay. So the night before I also woke up in the middle of the night, but that was because a certain someone got up and knocked me off the couch and hit the floor. How rude, I know. But most nights were different. Most nights, I slept like a baby, unless...

I looked down. Aha! There was the culprit. Doing what I should have been doing. She looked like she slept without a care in the world. But then if she was on the floor, and I was on the couch, then...

Argh! Not fair! That bed was ours! I mean, mine! All mine!

“She didn't even sleep on the couch next to me...” I pouted.

Wait. No I didn't. That wasn't how I acted at all. Get it together.

But still, why did she sleep on the floor instead of next to me? Has she finally gotten tired of my attitude and this is her way of punishing me? That must be it. She finally wised up and realized how unhealthy it is to be around me. Yet it's me who's the one who sticks around when I claim I can't stand her. Whatever the reason, any of them valid, I don't care. I just wanted my sleep, and with her on the floor and not underneath me, I couldn't get back to sleep.

Then it hit me: I knew what I would do.

Ugh. So tired. Five more minutes. No, hours. No, days. Five weeks, five years, even. It didn't matter. Just a little longer. My weak eyes couldn't bear to open.

Yet open they did. No, they weren't weak in the vision department, but if you asked them to stay open, they would refuse. It took much effort, effort that I didn't want to have.

Remember, you only have three days now.

So heavy. So, so heavy.

When I could finally manage to pull myself out of the realm of sleep, I found myself still lying on the floor, the messy apartment illuminated by the morning sun.

I tried to pull (or was push the right motion?) myself up, but I found myself in a rather strange predicament: I only had one hand to use.

What? That didn't make sense.

I turned my head to the right, where the couch was, and noticed my hand, raised up, and holding the hand of another.

“Did...did she?”

In what must have been an involuntary stir on my part, I yanked my hand and that was when the war began.

“What do you think you're doing?” I heard a low, but also sleepy, growl.

Great. Bad mood. Was not having it. Especially when I even tried to be considerate last night. Upon hearing that, the yank was deliberate and I pulled my hand free. Now there I was, sitting next to the one with the mood.

“What? I'm getting up. It's...” I reached into my pocket and brought out my phone. “...noon. Well, still morning to me.”

“First off,” oh boy. She was already starting a lecture. “You should have woken up bright and early no later than 7 AM.”

“Jeez. I'm up now, aren't I?” I looked around, no sign of Blanc. “Besides, Blanc's still asleep, too, aren't they?”

Spoke too soon. From behind the couch, up popped Blanc.

“Here I am!”

Butch pointed behind her. “You were saying?”

I needed coffee. Or six more hours of sleep. Yeah. That was it right there. All I needed was to sleep and not be woken up until I didn't have to deal with anyone and their expectations.

“Second of all,” she continued the lecture, not letting me live out my dream of going back to sleep. “I thought you said we'd get the bed tonight, but here I am, on the couch, you on the floor, and I find out Blanc got the whole bed to themselves.”

“Look, that was the plan,” I explained. “But then you passed out on the couch and I didn't want to wake you, which is also why I decided to sleep on the floor, as uncomfortable as I may have been. I was trying to be considerate.”

Butch grunted. I couldn't tell if that was a positive or negative grunt or just one of her tics.

“Considerate?” She balked. “I was cold! I didn't get a blanket or nothin'! I didn't even get something to sleep on!”

“Uh, the couch? A pillow? If you wanted to sleep on something so bad, why didn't you get a stuffed animal.”

“I'm not talking about couch cushions! I need something soft underneath me to get a good sleep, something that covers my whole body! Furthermore, you weren't even next to me.”

“Again,” I groaned. This was getting really grating on me. “I was trying to be con-fucking-siderate! If I got on the couch, I could've woken you.” Yes, I was aware of my own mood, so to soften the blow, I tried the best thing I could think of. “You're so cute when you sleep.”

“Oh, so I don't look cute when I'm awake? See, I can't stand you! You make excuses and then you don't even do what you set out to do! I want action! I want to beat up some Flashbulb goons! But I can't do that if I have no way to get there! I bet I can find a way to get there, myself, just by being around anyone else!”

“You're the one who came along with me. You said, and I quote, 'I have nowhere else to go'.”

“Yeah, well, that was true, but my statement still stands. If I find someone else to hang with, I will, and I'll find a way to The Flashbulb's lair without you.”

“Fine. If that's how you wanna play it, I saw a man and a woman yesterday when I went out. Maybe see if they're interested.”

“Ew, a het couple? Gross! I'd rather deal with a thousand you's than a couple of straighties.”

“ALERT: THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTING!” Blanc cupped their hands and paced around the apartment.

“No, Blanc. We're just in a bad mood because we just got up and haven't eaten. We're tired, that's all.”

“Yeah, tired of your shit,” Butch grunted. “Y'know what? Yeah. I'll find someone else to be with. Can't be that hard.” I watched her get up, slip on some sneakers and her jacket, then place her flat brim baseball cap on her head, backwards, no less.

From out of her jacket pocket, she grabbed a remote and pressed a button. What was her workstation (her desk, computer, gadgets and gizmos galore) soon began crumbling. But not like they were being destroyed, but more like they were folded. Before my eyes, everything that was hers (including her Nintendo Switch) had shrunken and folded until they formed a cube, which she placed in her pocket.

“You said I couldn't take it all with me? Guess again,” she sneered.

“Ooh! Cool!” Blanc exclaimed.

Butch opened the door and before leaving, called out. “See ya, suckers!”

“Fine! Good luck out there! See if I care!” I yelled back as I watched her close the door behind her.

I continued to sit. The realization of what transpired had yet to set in. All I could think to do was lay my head on the couch and groan.

“Oh no! I'm sorry, Velvet! I hope I didn't ruin your guys' relationship!”

“There is no...” I started to reply. But then it hit me: she just walked out there, in an unpredictable environment where anything could happen. What's to stop her from something distressing her, or being attacked by someone else's frenzy? “Shit. She's gone.”

“Yeah...” Blanc looked away. “Off to a fated encounter with who-knows-who.”

“Or what. God damn it. What was I thinking?” I looked at Blanc. “You didn't ruin anything. But I may have if I don't hurry. I don't care about any sort of relationship, but I want her to be safe out there!”

What a fun way to start my day! At first, I thought it was gonna be boring, what with Velvet asleep and Butch not wanting to do anything but hold Velvet's hand until Velvet woke up, but nope! Not boring after all! We got to go out and what's more, with the chance to meet new people! Good gosh, I sure am glad I picked a good couple of friends to spend time with!

“Ugh...I sure hope she's okay. I sure hope anyone else is okay. What was I thinking?” I watched Velvet grind her teeth in frustration and pinch her arms as we walked. “This is all my fault...or maybe it's not all my fault, but I still feel responsible. Argh!”

“Don't worry, Velvet!” I reassured. “Everything'll be fine, and if it won't, at least we'll have fun along the way!”

“Thanks, I think...but I don't think that really helps me right now.”

Her pace was brisk with her nervousness and worry on full display. Oh, I would call for some divine intervention, but that didn't really mean anything, and, by the looks of things, I wouldn't have to.

“Hey Velvet!” Her head was toward the ground. Hot damn, that bummed out? “There she is! See, she's fine! What's more, she's with a couple of...” Wait a second. I knew those faces anywhere! Without hesitation, I ran toward them.

“Wait!” Velvet came to her senses. “Wait up!”

From behind me, I could hear Velvet running after me, or better yet, maybe she was running toward Butch. Either option would have been fine. But my sights were set on the (new) familiar faces.

“Trent! Juniper! You're here too!” My excitement to see them just couldn't be contained. “Wait...where's V...Ve...” Hm...names. Nurse lady, has a bit of a blood fetish, it'll come to me... “Volcano girl!”

“Hey, buddy,” Trent greeted. “Though I don't actually know you.”

“Volcano girl? Sounds like Sharkboy and Lava Girl! I love that movie, though I always have to cover my eyes during the scary parts.” Juniper added.

“Scary parts?” Butch chimed in. “What are you, ten?”

“Oh. Right. Alternate dimensions. Of course.”

“Wait, what?” Juniper seemed confused. “First I'm hearing 'bout this.”

“Never mind them,” Butch shrugged. “They're just a little loopy.”

Behind me, I heard Velvet approach, and hunched over, huffing to catch her breath.

“Yo, these two are the people you saw yesterday?” Butch asked. Velvet looked up, then nodded.

“Yeah, no,” Butch explained. “Those two aren't a straight couple. They're brother and sister. Which would make it double gross if they were a couple.”

“One of us isn’t straight, anyway,” Trent gave a chuckle.

“Trent! You just came out!” Juniper gasped. “That's so brave of you!”

“I'm talking about you, you dork.”

“Oh. Right.”

“Hi, how goes it?” Velvet waved, still hunched and catching her breath.

“Great!” Juniper replied, always a little cheery in her voice. “Though I don't know what all the excitement's for.”

“Oh!” I did my best to explain. “Well, you see, I know you guys, but not like, 'you guys', y'know?”

“Nope! But that sounds cool!”

“Oh, well actually, I've seen a few sci-fi movies, so I think I've heard of this kind of thing,” Trent began to explain in his 'well, actually' nerdy way. “Like, if there's infinite possibilities, then surely, hm...well, doesn't matter, because this is real life.”

“Oh, that is so you, Trent!” I laughed. “Still, there's one person missing, I'm sure.” Yes. There was. There totally was. I was supposed to see a happy couple, and here I was, just seeing the siblings. Oh shit. I knew what was going on. “You guys must have never met her, huh?” Now I was a little bummed with the realization.

“Her? I've met a lot of her's in my day,” Juniper thought aloud. “Mostly online, though. I don't really get out much. But there's all sorts of girls who play Final Fantasy XIV, and I've even started an all-girl guild before.”

“Oh please,” Butch groaned. “Real adults play Animal Crossing.”

“Well, whatever happened with this world's version of her, I hope she got to live the life she wanted,” I lamented. “Aw, and I wanted to see the lesbians get together!”

“There, there,” Velvet gave my shoulder a pat. “We all want the lesbians to get together.”

Butch cupped her mouth and I heard her whisper to Velvet. “What're they talkin' about?”

“No idea,” Velvet whispered back. “But I agree with the general sentiment.”

“Oh hey!” Juniper pointed to my arm. Looks like I switched to my clunky arm without even thinking about it. “That's a cool arm you got there.”

“Thanks!” I beamed. “A very smart and kind lady made it for me.”

“Aw, that's so cool! I wish I could do something like that!”

“I'm sure you can!”

I mean, you've done it before, after all.

“Nice to meet you guys, by the way,” Juniper looked in Velvet and Butch's direction, then back to me. “I guess you already found out who we are, huh?”

“Yeah, you could say our friend was rather loud with the introductions. Well, anyway, I'm Willow,” Velvet greeted, giving an obvious fake name.

“I'm Birch,” Butch added. “'Sup?”

“Oh! I see what you guys are doing!” I joined in on the fun. “Then I'm Professor Oak!”

“Hey, wait a second...” Juniper pointed to each of us. “I have a feeling one of you isn't telling the truth.”

“Yeah, you're right. Name's Velvet.”

“And I'm Blanc!”

“I'm still Birch,” Butch (or Birch now?) crossed her arms and gave a sly smile.

“What? Since when?” Velvet protested.

“I just decided. I'm Birch now. Take it or leave it.”

“Oh, I'll take it, alright,” Velvet teased.

Birch leaned in and grabbed Velvet's hands. “Yeah you will.”

Velvet leaned in closer and it looked like the two were about to make out when Juniper, who looked a bit red in the face, spoke up.

“I'm not interrupting anything, am I?”

On cue, Birch let go and turned toward Juniper. “N-No! I don't know why you would think that!”

“Well, it was nice to meet you guys!” Juniper waved. “Maybe we'll catch you around.”

Trent and Juniper turned to leave.

“Let's go back home,” Birch motioned. “I think I decided, as disappointing as you are, no one else is going to top you.”

“Except you?” Velvet suggested.

“Hey! That's not what I mean!”

As I watched the siblings leave, I came up with an idea.

“Hey!” I called out to them. “Wanna check out our place?”

“Sure!” The sister called back, and started running toward us. Trent followed behind.

“We've still got time to kill. I just try to encourage her to get out of the house every now and then. I know it's a scary time, but being cooped up in the house all the time can't be good for you,” Trent explained to us.

“Yeah, Velvet!” Birch sniped at Velvet.

“No you! I go out all the time!”

Just a little further up ahead, thank goodness the apartment wasn't far. Soon they would see how great our humble abode was, right above a convenience store. They would see that, or they would see, ah, shit...

“H-Here we...are?” Velvet's jaw seemed to drop to the ground as what was supposed to be an introduction turned to a eulogy for a destroyed building. “What's going on? What happened to our apartment?! Why does it smell so bad?!”

Birch sniffed. “I smell beef jerky.”

Crows and ravens and magpies alike swarmed around the wreckage of the apartment and convenience store. Many murders of crows, doing just what their group namesake suggested – massacring the building. One crow turned to us and yelled, in perfect high pitched English:

“EATING CARCASSES MAKES US HAPPY SO YOUR HOUSE TURNED INTO ROADKILL.”

I noticed Birch cringe from that remark and Velvet wasn't looking too great either, probably broken up by the lack of house.

“Never have I ever seen this before,” Juniper murmured, otherwise left speechless.

“No. This is no time for 'never have I ever'. This is serious,” Velvet complained. “Now where are we supposed to sleep? What are we supposed to do for food? I mean, there's my ship, but...” She looked at us. “I'm sorry, guys. I didn't imagine something like this would happen.”

“Hey, it's not like there was anything you could do,” Trent pointed out.

“Nah, I could've stayed at home, and then the apartment would've probably been fine. I could've totally done that.”

“Dude, you know what would've happened?” Birch tried talking some sense into Velvet. “The crows wou've still appeared, but you'd be in the house, and then they'd probably peck you to death.”

“Yeah, you're right,” Velvet sighed. She reached her arms out to try to hug Birch, but I watched as she backed away and then crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air.

“Nope! I still haven't forgiven you for last night!”

“What?! Are you serious?!”

“Again, I must ask: am I interrupting something?” Juniper chimed in.

“No, we're good, thank you for asking,” Velvet reassured, then turned back to Birch. “Now will you tell me what's really going on?”

“I already did. If you don't get it, that's on you.”

“Argh! I don't like it when you do this! You drag something out that doesn't need to be all because you don't want to admit what's really bothering you.”

“Uh, guys...”

“Oh, don't mind them,” I waved my hand away at Juniper. “They're just doing roommate things.”

“Roommate things...” She stared, fixated at the arguments. “Do you think I could get a...roommate?”

“What? You want that?” I pointed to them.

She shook her head. “It just seems like they're really passionate about each other.”

I laughed. “Passionate. Sure.”

“Wait!” Trent jumped into the conversation. “That just gave me an idea!”

Velvet and Birch stopped their theatrics and turned to the guy with the idea. Juniper and I listened in as well.

“You guys are out of an apartment, and although we all just met, how about you stay with us? I know it's not something we usually do, but what do you say, Juni?”

“Yeah!”

“What do you say, Velvet and Birch?”

They turned to each other. I could hear them whisper, but this time, I couldn't tell what either of them were saying.

“This is all happening so fast, but I'm down,” Velvet gave her answer.

“It only seems like the logical move at this point,” Birch also answered, in what I believed to be a yes.

“Well then it's settled! Come on!”

We followed the siblings and along the way, Velvet tried to make conversation.

“So what's your crib like? Got a nice setup?”

“Crib? You make it sound like babies live there. I mean, not that there'd be anything wrong if they did, since as we all know, apple sauce is the bomb!”

“Oh my god,” Velvet turned to Birch. “She is too precious. Can we adopt her?”

“Adopt her? What do you think she is?” Birch replied in disgust.

“By the way, you guys, I'm 32!” Juniper looked pleased to let the two know.

“Ah, I see. She's a little older than both of us. So she would be the one doing the adopting.”

“What's wrong with you? Why can't you act normal?”

“To answer your guys' question, we live in a condo. We used to have an apartment, but we moved about a year ago, a little before this whole mess happened. There's five bedrooms, most of which are just open guest rooms, since we never actually expected to have people over. It's quite nice, really, plus we only had to pay rent on it for a few months seeing as landlords no longer exist.”

“One positive from this whole ordeal, huh?” Velvet reflected.

When we approached the door, we noticed other condominiums next to it. Trent explained how there used to be other tenants, but each of them died due to various circumstances related to the pandemic.

“Well, here we are,” Trent motioned for us to go in.

Velvet extended her hand for Juniper to shake.

“I'm thinking of starting up a harem, wanna join?”

“Um...”

“If you want to be in a polyamorous relationship, you should first try being in one relationship,” Birch remarked, and walked past Velvet toward the door.

“DID YOU HEAR THAT?! DID YOU HEAR WHAT SHE SAID?!” Velvet pointed toward the culprit and cried out. “THE GALL!”

“I don't know what to say so I'm just going to nod and pretend I do,” Juniper muttered through gritted teeth. Oh boy. It seemed this one didn't like being put on the spot so much.

“Come on, you dork,” Birch beckoned Velvet.

Velvet rushed in. “Well, see ya inside!”

Juniper tugged at her pigtails and went inside. I followed suit, but not without the name of the third party member in the other universe wracking my mind.

“Veronica Sawyer? No, that's not right. Veruca Salt? Hm...I might be close that time...”

I didn't think I knew her last name, so I was pretty sure there was no way it began with an 'S'. But still, something told me it began with a 'V', and it wasn't Velvet. “Ve...Venus? Hm...maybe...”

Oh well. It would come to me. That I was sure of. Then I could go and focus on more important things.

Inside was the living room where two couches sat on both ends of the room, across from each other. Next to the couch to the right of us when we walked in, was a chair, and next to that chair was a coffee table. Of course, there was a much longer and wider coffee table in the middle of the room, between the two couches.

Blanc took to jumping onto the couch at the left end of the living room, and bounced on the cushion. “Ah! It's so soft! It's...joy flavored!”

“Joy flavored, huh?” Juniper remarked. “That's one way to put it.”

Okay, so she said she was a few years older. Big deal. She was cute, like, damn. Maybe it was just the whole innocent aspect to her that made me think so. Dunno. Maybe it was the pigtails. I watched as she sat next to Blanc. Maybe those two just paired together well. No, not in the romantic sense, but, like, similar vibes.

As for me, I elected for the couch on the right end. That way I could face my audience directly. There would come a time where I had to lay all my cards on the table and reveal that not one of them was a Joker, and in fact, one of them was an ace. The rest were Queens, and a Jack. I think. Look, this analogy got way out of hand. Fact is, I would need to be open and honest with these folks we just met. They deserved to know who they were hosting.

So I sat at the far end of the couch, resting my arm on the arm rest. If that wasn't what that thing was called, I'd start a war.

Speaking of war, Birch sat at a chair next to me. Looks like my analysis was wrong. There were two chairs at both ends of the couch. What an odd thing to have.

“So, Juniper,” I got right down to business. “Can I call you Miss Per?”

“That would be cute! Like whisper! Or whisker!”

Oh my. She was just way too cute. Too pure. Too...per?

“Yeah, sure. Or even Pepper. But not Pepper. That stuff makes me sneeze.”

She gave a soft laugh in response to that. Good. Ease them in before dropping the bomb.

“Anyway, here's the deal: my associate and I cannot stay long. In two days, we plan to raid the headquarters of The Flashbulb and put a stop to this. If all goes well, you guys will live, and Earth will go back to normal.”

“Ooh, this sounds interesting! Okay, so is this like a roleplaying thing or...?”

“No.” Shit. Of course. Most people don't know what the fuck a 'Flashbulb' even is. “You know anything about the ETNA Corporation?”

“Yeah! Ms. CEO had a press conference a few months ago! Apparently this whole thing is her company's fault and she's looking to clean up the mess and contain things. Ah, but we haven't really heard anything from her since, have we? Hope she's doing okay.”

“Okay, first off: she's a robot. Programmed to say certain things to appease the public. I don't mean that in a figurative sense, I mean that literally. There is no reason to feel any sympathy for 'her'. Second, what the fuck? She's a CEO.”

“Not like you'd care, if you were still with the CIA. Paycheck's a paycheck, right?” Birch butted in.

“Oh? And what about you, Area 51 goon?” I shot back.

We both crossed our arms and looked away from each other.

“Now, now,” Blanc also jumped in. “I love how eager you two are to put on a show, but weren't you telling sweet little Juniper about The Flashbulb?”

Shit. They were right.

“Okay, so yeah. ETNA is just a front for The Flashbulb. Apparently they go around screwing things up and they've been able to get away with it because very few know about them and they're also incredibly powerful with a buttload of resources.”

“Heh. Butt,” Juniper giggled.

“I know the name's gonna come to me...” I could hear Blanc muttering. “Venusaur? Veterinarian?” They shook their head. “That doesn't sound right, either.”

“Hey bud, what'cha doin' over there?” I asked them.

“Oh! I'm trying to remember the name of a friend I met back when I stole one of The Flashbulb's devices and crash landed in a park sometime in the past. Though it wasn't the past in this universe, I guess?”

That's right. There was still much about this Blanc I didn't know and that just reminded me further of that.

“Well, what were they like?”

“Oh! She was very sweet! She saw me unconscious on the grass so she took me to an apartment and she acted all nurse-like! Later she tried to poison me, then she shot me, then she dug into my wound and took some of my blood and drank it!”

“Uh...and this was a friend of yours?”

“Oh yeah! Don't worry! It's not like she sucked it out of me, I would never let anyone be that intimate with me! She just took a syringe and filled a vial and then drank from the vial!”

“That still sounds. Hm. What's the word? Not good.”

“It wasn't bad, though! I mean, at first it kinda was, because it hurt a lot, but I think even if I wasn't totally on board with the idea, it was for the best! We both got superpowers, and sharing is caring!”

Okay, at that point I wasn't sure if Blanc was just making shit up or if most of that was actually true.

Beside me, I could hear Birch's stomach growling, and she must have noticed as well.

“Say, you guys got any food?” She jumped up.

“Yeah, help yourself to the kitchen,” Trent, already in the kitchen, called to her. Damn, he could hear her from there.

“Well, see ya, suckers! I'm off to raid the kitchen!”

Eh. It was for the best. It would calm her down and keep her out of our hair. I really wished that I could have enjoyed this moment more, but it felt like I was still stalling and making no progress. All I could do instead was hang my head in shame.

“Aw, cheer up, Velvet! If anyone can defeat The Flashbulb, it's you!”

“Thanks,” I shook my head, which still fixated on the floor. “But I still don't know how we're going to get there, or what we're going to do once there. How am I going to be an optimist about this?”

“Oh! Speaking of Pompeii! I feel like her name's on the tip of my tongue!” I looked up. They were still trying to think of the name of their “friend”. At the least, I had to commend Blanc for perseverance. “Hm...nope. Still not sure. Oh well, she'll come to me sooner or later! Probably tomorrow when we're all sitting out here and having lunch.”

Birch came back into view, holding in her hands bagels, muffins, apples, and bananas. In her mouth was a straw, which the straw belonged to a juice box.

“Sorry, guys! I tried to stop her, but she was relentless! Plus, I think she growled at me.”

“Snack attack, motherfuckers!” She roared, and plopped back down in her hair.

“Jeez, you're worse than my sister.”

Birch growled in response.

“Don't beat yourself up,” I told Trent. “There wasn't much you could've done to stop her.”

“Hey, you like bananas too?” Juniper pointed out.

“No,” Birch replied as she shoved a whole banana into her mouth.

So she says she doesn't like something, and then she takes it anyway. I see how it is.

“Mm...but Velvet, I know what you mean,” Juniper turned to me. “This whole thing's been crazy. If that is the right word to use? Sorry if it's not. But yeah, I never really liked those elevator things, as I've had a fear of elevators since I was little. Living upstairs is fine because stairs you at least know how you're getting up, but it's a little freaky.”

“Wow. Elevator phobia. Never heard of that one before,” I replied.

“I think I noticed how dire the crisis was when my usual customer stopped purchasing from me. Hope she's doing okay...”

“Customer?”

“Oh! Yeah! I have an Etsy! I make little bead bracelets and sometimes I make metal sculptures. I have, or I had, my own workshop. Now I mainly stick to beads since I lost most of my tools!”

Birch burst out laughing, kicking her legs up.

“Etsy? Really? That shit's for three kinds of people: teenagers, girls in their twenties who think they don't need a job, or middle aged moms who are bored staying at home all the time!”

“Hey!” I scolded. “Don't be rude!”

“I'm a rude dude with 'tude. Deal with it.”

“Maybe if it was just us two, sure, but we're guests here. In this house, we love and respect Juniper and Trent.”

“Oh, it's okay! I took zero offense to it! In fact, I started when I was in my twenties! I guess the word for it would be NEET? It means Not Employed Extra Terrestrial, I think.” That Juniper. Too precious for this cruel world.

“Uh, I think that's a different ET,” Birch pointed out.

“Oh, you may be right, there, too!”

“Look, I'm sorry about not being so nice or whatever. I'm just a little mad at my associate right now because she doesn't know proper sleep etiquette.”

“WHAT?!” I spat. “That's not true at all!”

“Hey, it's totally fine! I'm just glad to have company for once!” She waved it off.

“Anyway, you're like pretty or whatever, so feel free to spit on me if I get to be too mean to you, 'kay?”

“Aw, thanks!” She shook her head, swooshing her pigtails from side to side.

After we had a dinner of nothing but a whole bunch of pizza rolls (honestly, goals), Trent showed us to our rooms. Blanc decided they weren't interested in a room and were fine just sleeping on the couch. What a weirdo. Just as I was starting to warm up to them, they do something stupid like that. On second thought, I should've thanked them, since after all, they took the bed the night before.

“I assume you two probably want to share a room?”

“No,” I replied.

“Oh, okay, well then, sorry for assuming. I'll show you to one of the other rooms.”

“I changed my mind. I'll share a room with her.”

“Are you sure you want to?” Velvet nudged me.

“Yes.” Oh boy, was I going to regret this.

The siblings went into their respective rooms, as did I. Inside was nothing but a queen sized bed and an empty space by the way. In other words, perfect. With the press of a button, my workstation unloaded and presto! Even my chair came along with me! Everything was in order. Except for one thing: Velvet took to the chair as soon as it appeared.

“Hey! That's my seat!”

“Too bad. I'm not leaving this chair until you tell me what's been bugging you.”

“That's not how that works!”

“I'm staying right here.”

I huffed. I knew that was going to happen and I still gave her a chance. What a pain, what an absolute pain in the fattest rear end that ever existed!

“Fine!” I plopped on the bed. “There's enough pillows here. I can spread them all in a line and lay on my belly right over them.”

“You know that wouldn't work if you had bigger boobs.”

“What?! Why are you being the mean one?”

She turned around in the swivel chair.

“Because this is bugging me, too. I deal with your attitude because I know you better than that, but you can't just be like that with everyone you meet. First there was Blanc, then these siblings who were kind enough to give us a place to stay.”

“Okay, but you know I had a valid reason for not trusting Blanc.”

“Yeah, but everyone? Come on!

“I apologized, didn't I?”

“Yeah, just like you apologized for losing control at the restaurant the other day.”

How could she? Just bring that up. The gall. My hands formed a fist.

“That's not fair! You know I can't control that! I just do what I can to prevent it!”

“You're right. I'm sorry. But you can control how you act with other people.”

I hated this. All of this. None of it was fair. I didn't need some lecture, especially not from her of all people. All I wanted was a good time.

“You can't change someone,” I growled. “You should know that.”

“I-I wouldn't want to! I don't think you need to change, I just wish you'd treat people better.”

“Okay. Deal. Can we be done?”

“No. Because you still haven't told me what it is about last night that's got your panties in a twist.”

“Okay, first off, I wear boxers, so jot that down.”

She glared. Why? Why was she being all serious? She was supposed to be the jokey one!

“You can be so hot and cold. Sometimes, you're brutally honest and I appreciate the honesty, but then whenever it concerns me you're still brutal, but you get all coy and evasive. I don't care if we don't go any further--”

“Good,” I interrupted. “'Cause we won't.”

“--But I would like it if you were more honest with me.”

“Big talk coming from you.”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I know. My whole life is shrouded in lies. But that's not what this is about. This morning, I caught you holding my hand, but then you acted like I'm the worst thing that's happened to you. So I want to know, do you like me or do you hate me?”

“I...” No. No. Stop. Don't make me say it. “I'm neutral. If you want me to be nicer, fine, but I can't have any strong feelings toward you one way or the other.”

“Can't or won't?”

“Don't do this. Please.”

“If you hate me, fine. I can live with that. I'll just sleep on the floor tonight and leave you be.”

“I DON'T WANT YOU TO SLEEP ON THE FLOOR!” I snapped. Oh god, I hope my shouts weren't too loud. That wasn't what I wanted. I could feel myself shaking. Velvet turned wide eyed.

“Are...are you okay?”

“Yes! Just. Please. Let's stop.”

She turned back around in her chair. “You're right, I'm sorry. I probably hit too many buttons.”

I got up. I didn't know if this was one of her tricks or not, but I didn't like where it was going.

“What are you doing? I thought we were done.”

“I'm going to try figuring something out on this laptop. Maybe I can find some information, somewhere. You were right, too, I wasn't taking things seriously enough. I feel like I literally have the world on my shoulders. The last thing I need is a relationship.”

“Hey, uh, let me see those shoulders.” Deary me, what was I doing? She leaned forward in her seat and I began massaging her shoulders.

“That feels nice,” she sighed.

“Yeah, yeah,” I turned my head, embarrassed.

“Can you say one good thing about me?”

“Let's see...you're quick on your feet, you're funny. Er, sometimes. You care a lot about others, and you're quite smart, even if you don't always act it.”

“That was more than one thing.”

“Look, I...” Yeah. She wasn't done just yet. “I don't hate you.”

“I don't expect you to like me, either, though. Even if I tease you. I know we were only partners back in Area 51 because the place was going to explode and we had to work together to survive. Otherwise, one of us would have killed the other.”

“Look, that was a different me. Maybe my feelings on you are still complicated, but I don't want to kill you. I don't even want to hurt you.”

“Aww,” her voice went back to her usual tease. Almost a relief. “Almost sounds like you care.”

I wiped my eyes. There must have been a smudge on my face or something. “I do. I just...”

“You just?”

“Can you just come to bed. Please? I don't want you on the floor. I didn't want you on the floor last night.”

“Are you sure?”

“YES!” I covered my mouth. “I want to sleep on top of you. I can't sleep well otherwise!”

“Was this what all this was about?”

At once, she got up and walked over to the bed. Her expression didn't seem to change much, which was still a bother, but she moved the pillows aside and laid on her back. Then, she raised her arms up and motioned for me. “Well, come on, then.”

I ran over to her and laid down, my head resting on her chest. She wrapped her arms around me and without warning, I started to cry.

“I don't hate you. I just don't want to feel strong feelings toward you the other way. I'm afraid of what might happen.”

“There, there...” She gave my back a rub. “I understand. Whatever happens, I'll still be there to try to keep you safe. I don't care if you say you don't care.”

“I do.”

Oh jeez, I was already getting tired and I was in no position to turn the light off. Likewise, there was no way I was going to let her get up.

Later in the night, I awoke. It just happens sometimes. Not anyone's fault, even if all is well. Honest, I loved that Birch was able to finally get that off her chest, and I enjoyed the position we were in, but it may have just been my thoughts waking me up. Or it could have been the light being left on.

No, pretty sure it was my thoughts.

Maybe in the morning, I'd be able to do some actual research, but then, part of me doubted that would happen, either.

First, Blanc showed up the day before. Then, Blanc, Birch, and I meet these siblings who apparently Blanc knew from another universe, our apartment got destroyed, and we moved in with them. Yet I still had no idea about the whole Flashbulb thing. There was also the matter of this friend that Blanc seemed to keep forgetting about, which just served to remind me that maybe, even if it is still them, there's still going to be a lot I wouldn't know about them.

It was all going so fast, and by the looks of things, it wasn't about to stop. All I could do was hope that in the midst of it all, something would come together.

[kitsoa]

Meta reality anon: Well when it comes to Yozora we'll know better (or won't) in a couple of days. ;) Yeah something like that. I do think the merging and confusion between fiction and reality will be a major theme in the upcoming saga. After all it's been built up since COM in various ways: false memories vs real. Nobodies. Data and Dream worlds. Woldlines. Different realities w/different versions (video game Yozora and real Yozora). I do think MoM will toy w/this a lot. I think I'm pretty -

2 pretty focused on those dark beings MoM told Luxu about in Union X. He made them seem very different from what Sora and anyone else besides MoM has encountered so far. More intelligent. More scary. I'm wondering if MoM isn't the only mastermind in the shadows. Like those dark beings he mentioned are beyond anything even existing in the Realm of Darkness and they're pulling their own strings to keep this war cycle going. Shoot for all we know they messed w/reality first and MoM got in-

3  on it later on. There's a lot to unpack and a lot we don't know. But I do think those dark beings are going to be a huge deal: possibly the true final bosses of the saga (not that I think MoM will be a blameless saint unless some epic twist is made. He's definitely a shifty guy just for what he put Luxu and all the other Keyblade weilders through. Good intentions or not). They say there was darkness before light and all light must have a source. Maybe we'll learn about the first clash-

4 between light and dark, battling for supremacy as reality was taking shape. MoM could be a ancient being as well from around that time. As one reality fell to darkness. People learned to create new realities like storybook tales. Ansem said a heart like Sora's could breathe life into anything, from wind to a puppet. Maybe MoM also had a heart like that. One that could create whole realities even. The heart is the most powerful and mysterious thing in KH. Kingdom Hearts itself will make anyone-

5 a god who opens it successfully. Kingdom Hearts is a character all on it's own. It's the one that truly decides what is or can be real. It certainly seems far less inflexible them most Keyblade weilders are. W/this in mind Kingdom Hearts already has a very mysterious connection or interest in both Sora and MoM. Maybe KH is more active then we think? Everyone just sees it as this thing to attain or protect. But maybe it uses the Keyblades as its eyes to watch all these realities w/hearts 

6 I'm not sure if this whole kh universe is MoM's creation or if it's Kingdom Hearts. But I do think MoM is fascinated w/ideas of what's real or not on many different meta levels. I think to a degree Sora (and Yozora) is too. Sora's very first lines are questioning if what he knows is real. He also thought more deeply about the nature of nobodies and found out they are real. Not to mention, again, Ansem's insight that Sora empathy allows his heart to create hearts in others. What's real again?-

7 In KH Idk. Honestly the very idea of questioning reality to this extent is unthinkable. You'd almost feel detached like you were in a constant dream. Then to suddenly to yoinked to another Final World when you're existence was suppose to vanish. That's insane. Do you think the MoM's and Sora's actions are causing a ripple effect on KH? One that's warping fact and fiction. MoM and Sora were brought to a world: Fantasy based on Reality (FF13V's original tagline). What does KH consider not real?

In regards, to the dark beings mentioned in the flashback, I’ve basically said my piece in my analysis of the scene. I personally don’t think he’s talking about an actual force of darkness. I think he’s taking advantage of the double meaning in KH terminology to make us think there’s another force of evil out there. I think he’s actually just explaining his ‘sympathetic’ back story. The reason for the smoke and mirrors is because it’d be in dramatic character, point to the themes of fantasy as a coping mechanism, and the reality of it being the interpretation of real world evil would give away the twist. 

That’s my meta reality lens. If we limit our ideas here, then yeah, MoM could be talking about a new dark force in the lore. I just think we have all the lore pieces in terms of opposition laid out before us.

And having someone behind MoM is always a possibility but it’d be a little tired due to MoM’s reveal that he’s basically behind the entire first saga too. Motive is one thing but I personally am not a fan of last minute villains. MoM’s being established as a villain for years now and it’d be a little low to change that in the finale. 

Ultimately if you view the KH world as an entirely fictional beast, the subjects within it unaware, then you can essentially explain any plot holes and contrivance as a “meddling god” or author. I’ve always been one to try to understand the inner mechanisms of mythological physics which is why I’ve gravitated to this reading. Making real that which isn’t. I refer to my interpretation of the Replica situation to best describe the entire function of the kh world. 

Replicas are objects imbued with data. Cold hard facts and information. A heart is the force that sparks that data into life. Whether its a heart placed in the object or born from surrounding relationship, the heart is the sole requirement to be considered an existing person. And by nature of this very basic law the object miraculously becomes the intended person down to the blood pumping in their body. It’s not magic, it’s like… the actual physics. Because this is a reality that is subservient to the emotions and those emotions are born from the story told. The fantasy being presented. I go into this in my Worlds as Stories theory but it’s the reason why I see these grand entities like Kingdom Hearts as simply the embodiment of the entire fictional realm. 

I think the 4th wall is going to be broken soon. That Sora is going to discover his origins and have to grapple with his philosophies of existence being put to the test. This could very well change the entire fabric of the KH universe as a result. I mean you can't undo that knowledge once it happens. (i mean unless you forget which could happen). I’m the weird one saying that I don’t think Sora and Yozora are in the world of Verum Rex but in the real world. Because if Yozora dwells in a Fantasy based on Reality. Then Sora exists in a Reality based on Fantasy.