#...i just think sometimes beginners can be (understandably) intimidated by all of it...

[uncanny-tranny]

Fiber arts (crochet and knit, especially) tip I found helpful: It's great to be a yarn snob, but first, find what you actually like to work with. When you're beginning, you might be working with acrylic, and that's fine. There are plenty of great options for acrylic, and even that one material can be vastly different between brands (honestly, I think people don't recognize this enough! Acrylics are actually a diverse material!). However, you might like working with other materials more as you progress, and it's good to see what you'll like! I've been working with 100% cotton recently, and I really, really like it - much moreso than the acrylic I bought when I first crocheted, and I never knew that I would have liked it more.

It's okay to work with whatever you can, especially when it's your only option. When you get the chance, though, think about some things you like in a material. What textures do you like? What colour options do you prefer (bright/muted/natural)? What is realistic for you when it comes to caring for your projects once they're done? These are all important, and they're things that are specific for you. There is no such thing as a "bad material," only materials you like and want to use. It can be intimidating to feel like you're not at this pristine place of yarn-snobbery, but truthfully: it doesn't matter as long as you make things that you like, and being able to explore what you like can be really helpful.

[thrashkink-coven]

Things for beginners to know before starting demonolatry or demonology practices

1. The classifications of demons were written by humans, not demons.

Different occult schools of thought will have different understandings of the Hierarchies of Hell, whether Hell even exists, and what attributes are associated with each demon. In some sects Lucifer reigns supreme Emperor of Hell, in others it is Sammael, Moloch, or Baal. It all depends on the perspective of the practitioner. All of these models are equally correct and incorrect. Documentation of de(a)mons were often written by right hand practitioners who saw them as evil, therefore their negative attitudes are emphasized. Other times devotees have documented the same entity as being very kind and affectionate. It is incredibly important to take into account who is speaking whenever you read about demons. No single book or author can deliver to you the most **objective** facts about these demons or the model of reality, if they claim to, they’re lying to you. You as the practitioner must discover and decide what reins true in your reality. Teachers and gurus may influence you but ultimately you must make the decision for yourself.

2. Assume all spirits are multi dimensional

Lucifer, the light bringer, is also the spirit of darkness. He is the sweet prince and the adversary, he is a devil and an angel. It is extremely rare that you will encounter a spirit that is only one thing. There is a little bit of truth to everyone’s interactions. To a Luciferian, Lucifer is a guide, a companion, and a positive presence. To a Christian he is an adversary, a tempter, liar and bringer of evil ; and there is an entire rainbow of other experiences that contribute to the understanding of “Lucifer”. Demons are not all good nor are they all bad, trying to paint them in only one light will only lead to disappointment and confusion. It is just as foolish to assume that a so called angel will always be pleasant and nice, as it is to assume a so called demon will be terrible and mean. Every energy interacts with every person uniquely.

3. Scary and intimidating doesn’t automatically mean “evil”

Nice and pleasing doesn’t automatically mean “good”

If you’re interacting with demons or spirits associated with death, it shouldn’t be very surprising that they’re dark, mysterious, or have a frightening appearance. If you’re dealing with demons or spirits of sex and lust, it shouldn’t be very surprising that they’re alluring, attractive, or beautiful. This doesn’t mean that the scary demon is going to kill you, and this doesn’t mean that the sexy demon is going to fuck you. There are very likely going to be times when your demons will scare you. This doesn’t mean that they’re going to hurt you or possess you (they shouldn’t be frightening you to the point of constant paranoia, but seeing some “disturbing” or strange imagery isn’t out of the norm when you’re contacting a de(a)mon).

If you enter a deep dark cave looking for a bear, don’t be surprised when you see sharp teeth. Demons of violence may summon gory imagery. Demons of death my feel cold and distant. A large part of demonolatry is understanding your fear and overcoming it.

4. Yeah, it’s intense.

Okay. This is hard for me to explain. Infernal spirits and angels alike are entities that force you to confront your innermost self and change. It’s not always spooky and scary and whimsical. Sometimes it’s losing your dead end job, having a serious breakup, losing toxic friends, or having a personal epiphany. When I say it’s intense, I don’t mean that I’m levitating and seeing gnarly gory shit and summoning demons while covered in blood all the time. I have dreams and experiences of course, but seeing a demon work is not about the theatrics. Are you ready to confront the things you rrrrreeaaaaalllly don’t want to think about? Your trauma, the lies you tell yourself to get through the day, and the toxic cycles you comfort yourself with?

Lord Lucifer has made me cry many MANY times. But it was never because he hurt or scared me. I’ve seen many demonolaters refer to Lucifer as a therapist and I couldn’t agree more. He not only changes your understanding of yourself, but others and the world. Through this understanding you can change yourself, and others, and the world.

5. You as the practitioner need to be able to withstand the symptoms of your demonic relationships

Being in a relationship with Lilith or Asmoday is not an excuse to develop a porn addiction. Being in a relationship with Lucifer does not give you the right to psychoanalyze all of your friends, being in a relationship with Eligos is not an excuse to destroy all of your relationships or be cruel towards others. Demons represent energies and concepts that are unfavourable to the masses. When working with Astaroth I will feel more lustful, just by being in her proximity. That is not justification to cheat on my partner or force myself onto him. As much as demons like Lucifer for example can inspire us to be wise and sharp, he can also influence us to be vein and narcissistic. We must always be aware of these effects and resist them, working with demons and shadows does not mean becoming the worst version of ourselves, quite the contrary. Interacting with these negative aspects is meant to show you how to overcome them.

6. Demons cannot and will not replace your relationships with humans

I am very pro godspousing and having friendly and affectionate relationships with demons and spirits. Having said that, as much as our spirits may love us and care for us, they will not be the ones to text you good morning. They will not make you soup when you’re sick, or buy you flowers after a hard day. Demons are guides and companions, but they are not people. Trying to use demons to solve your loneliness will only lead to heart ache. You very much can have a sincere relationship with a demon or other spirit, but be aware that that relationship will not mimic your relationships with humans, and it shouldn’t. Gods and demons are not humans, therefore your relationships with them will not feel human.

7. There’s always more to learn

Devotion to any spirit is an endeavour that can take years or even a lifetime. Your work is not done because you read 3 books and browsed the Occult Wiki for an hour and a half. Become very dedicated to learning about your demons of interest and the culture that surrounds them. Yes, this means boring, tedious research.

8. No, ______ is not mad at you. Please talk to them

You will at some point inevitably do something wrong, especially if you are freshly initiated. Demons understand that we are human, we make mistakes. Instead of becoming paranoid and avoiding your demon out of fear of consequences, put on your big boy pants and confront them directly. Understand what you did wrong and learn from your mistake. There may or may not be consequences, every demon is different. But making yourself sick thinking they’re going to smite you down doesn’t make anything better. I guarantee you that talking to them about it will serve you a million times better than running away.

9. You need to know your boundaries BEFORE you reach out

As important as it is to research your demons, it is equally important to research yourself. You need to have strict boundaries that you will not negotiate. These boundaries should be outlined in your contract if you have one. If blood magic is uncomfortable for you, don’t allow any demon or spirit to coerce you into giving it until you are ready. If you’re a minor you’re more than allowed to not do sex magic. This relationship belongs to you as much as it does your demon(s). If it doesn’t serve you, simply refuse it.

10. On that note, demons can and will reject you. You can and will reject them as well.

On many occasions I have approached spirits who did not want to work with me at the moment. Sometimes they end up showing up later in my life, other times they never do. Oftentimes this is because of an incongruency on an alchemical level, we just aren’t meant for each other. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing anything wrong. Sometimes you are, but your demon or deity will usually make that clear to you in some way. Don’t force it. If I’m already terribly preoccupied with life or other spiritual relationships, I’m within my right to reject another demon trying to enter my circle. That isn’t a rude thing to do. I’m within my right to deny a ritual I don’t have the energy or resources for. We can put it on the back burner for now.

Likewise, if a demon or spirit is repeatedly overstepping my boundaries or harming me in any way, I can (and should) leave that demon. If I’m not doing enough or causing insult, that demon can leave me. As binding as devotional contracts can be, we are not trapped with each other if we choose not to be.

11. Protection shouldn’t only be against spirits. Be very aware of your surroundings and the people around you

Learn the power of secrecy. As a Luciferian living in an extremely conservative area, I have to be extremely careful about when my pendants are visible. I have to be careful when entering certain places because I don’t want to be hate crimed or harassed. Yes, being out and proud of my demonic relationships is very important to me, but it is not worth risking real danger from bigots, or risking my employment. When I go to work, I have to leave my Lucifer ring at home, not because my work is discriminatory, but because I don’t know when I’m speaking to a christofascist grandma who would make a complaint to my boss because she saw my devotional ring. I don’t know which of my coworkers would make my life more difficult if they knew about my practice. If you are visible, people will approach you and make comments. Now, there are those of us who don’t give a fuck, and on most days I don’t. But for those of us who are vulnerable to that kind of discrimination, please be aware.

12. Self mutilation is not demonolatry

If you choose to offer blood it should be no more than a few drops. You should be using safe tools like a lancet, and disinfecting the area you extract from. This should be done in the least harmful manner possible. Devotional markings or tattoos should be done by a professional.

13. This stuff takes time. Relax

These relationships don’t develop in 24 hours. It takes a tremendous amount of repeated effort to gain the favour of a demon or spirit. If you’re not getting the results you want, take a break, reevaluate your methods, and try again later.

[reflectionsofthesea]

Hiii I’m back! It's been a pretty stressful and busy time at work, so I'm less online than usual, but still learning finnish daily! It's actually being my saving grace: getting to detach myself from work,routine and stress and just putting my head into something completely different that I enjoy doing. Putting a read more because I wrote a lot here:

I've been progressing with my exercise book, and learned how to express the need to do something 'i have to...' and also the imperative tense. Really useful stuff. I also finally finished trascribing all puhekieli 'basic rules' on my notebook!

Some new stuff in my daily learning routine:

I started listening to podcasts and short stories! I was a bit intimidated at first, but now I've been enjoying doing it every day when I am cooking, cleaning the house or even when drawing/working. I'm listening to a beginner's podcast and can basically understand a good 80% of it, which is making me feel so proud and motivated hahaha. The crazy thing is that even if I don't understand a couple of new words, I can follow the conversation and the topic and I always know what the host is talking about, it's crazy. I'll definitely continue listening to podcasts and stories daily because I think it's helping A LOT and truly making me feel like I'm making huge progress and my brain is enlarging lol.

I started using LingQ! The importing videos/podcasts feature is super useful, and I imported some videos in finnish from youtubers I found and having LingQ generate subtitles in finnish for me and translation in english, so I can study them is so useful. That way I can exercise listening to more puhekieli and expand my vocabulary. It helps that the videos are super fun and entertaining themselves, so I genuinely want to know what's happening hahaha. (one was a Sims4 house building video, another one a travelling vlog)

I tried writing some 'stories' for the first time, this is also an advice I heard from a video, that helps with getting your brain used to constructing sentences and phrases. I already did this in a smaller way, writing very short sentences practicing different grammar rules to commit them to memory, but this exercise really makes you put more effort into building longer and slightly more articulated sentences, like phrases you'd say to someone when having a chat, or thinking out loud. I decided to pick some random themes and just write what I can about them! The pink underlined words/verbs/adverbs are things I had to look up because I didn't know how to say yet. I think this is a pretty fun and creative exercise to do though, and I can see how it can make your brain faster at producing sentences on the long run :) It will be fun to keep doing this when my vocabulary grows and I can say more stuff! (I saw a writing exercise idea on tumblr that was describing your Dnd characters and something about their personality/stories, and I really want to do that!)

Overall, I'm feeling really good and motivated. I remember feeling a bit stuck a month ago, and now that feeling is gone, and I feel like I improved a lot. I really think implementing new exercises like the written stories exercise and especially listening a lot has been so useful and important into me feeling like I'm growing more in this language. I'm really glad I fought my inner doubt and saboteur and just did it. I also gander at posts written in finnish here on tumblr and realized I understand a good 70/80% of what's written in there. Sometimes more or less, depending on how long the post is or how specific the words used are. But that's pretty crazy to me and really satisfying!

Also, if you need some inspiration for your language learning journey or some good tips (like the listening to podcasts and writing stories I'm currently doing), please watch this video! It really inspired me to keep going in my journey :)

[z-niceho-nic]

As someone who reads (and has a ton of problems with) a lot of both ya and adult sci-fi/fantasy, here is a list of book recommendations (that no one asked for) for people who are trying to expand out of the ya category and are kinda frustrated by it:

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (I feel like a lot of people are kinda intimidated by the importance a lot of people who read adult fantasy put into hard magic systems so this is pretty much the exact opposite – it’s a soft fantasy/almost magic realism/lot-of-vibes-not-a-lot-of-plot and has the most beautiful atmospheric prose I’ve ever encountered. Lot of yearning and dreaming and everything feels larger than life and there is a love at first sight that isn’t annoying. It’s very slow paced tho and there really isn’t much (if any) actual plot)

Spinning Silver and Uprooted by Naomi Novik (both of these are kinda blurring the line between adult and ya (I’ve even heard someone refer to them as “older ya”). A lot of girlbossing, intense female friendships, loser male love interests, inspiration by slavic folklore (yes I’m biased), plot of both is basically the most unhinged girl you can imagine fighting against fairytale magic.)

The Broken Earth trilogy by N. K. Jemisin (an actual adult epic fantasy that isn’t just a ton of sex and pointless gore and talking about nothing. It’s also my favourite fantasy I think, so remember that I’m biased when I tell you that it’s the one most important thing ever written in the genre that you could possibly read. It’s a speculative fiction/anti-utopia/equally-sci-fi-and-fantasy and it’s about environmentalism, racism, slavery, imperialism and like every bad thing ever. There’s an absolutely heartbreaking mother-daughter relationship, a ton of absolutely heartbreaking kinda-platonic-but-not-really relationships as well as absolutely heartbreaking romantic relationships. It has the end of the world (a multiple of them actually) in it and it’s all about survival and all the terrible things people for do for power and out of fear (and sometimes for love) and you just have to read it okay. It is very heavy (here insert every single trigger warning imaginable) but nothing feels disrespectful or just there for a shock value. It has one of the most experimental writing styles in entirety of the fantasy genre and it is, once again, absolutely heartbreaking and you have to read it and have your heart broken by it to fully grasp how much of a masterpiece it is)

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson (I know a lot of people recommend Mistborn to start with when reading Sanderson but I don’t like it all that much + it’s a very lore-heavy series. I however really like Warbreaker (which is a standalone and the lore is pretty easy to understand) and here’s why: bloodthirsty talking sword, a bunch of bored gods, cool aesthetics, discussion on religion, incredibly wholesome arranged marriage, complex sister relationship, there is no sex (because Sanderson) but everyone is Very Horny and it’s so funny to read. The prose is very simplistic (I don’t really vibe with it but a lot of people do) and there is a lot of plot. Imo the best thing he wrote (excluding Stormlight I guess but I haven’t read that yet) and a very beginner friendly hard fantasy)

My take on "why there are many adults that only read YA novels" is pretty simple

The YA book explosion of the mid 2000's-mid 2010's was mostly scifi and fantasy genre, and trying to "get into" adult SFF is a punishment from hell

[starseedfxofficial]

The Descending Broadening Wedge and Capital Allocation: Trading Secrets, Humor, and Game-Changing Insights The Wedge: A Not-So-Typical Chart Pattern with Big Opportunities Imagine the descending broadening wedge as that awkward high school dance where everyone slowly moves away from each other. That's precisely what price action does in this pattern—lower lows and widening price swings. It's not an everyday sight, but when you do spot it, it's like catching that one kid pulling off an unexpected breakdance move in the corner—a hidden opportunity. This pattern can be intimidating if you're new to it. But today, I'm going to guide you through how it works and how to combine it with capital allocation to take advantage of its potential—think of it as learning the best dance moves to avoid stepping on other people's toes. And if you've ever bought a flashy trading system just to realize it won't fit your style—well, you might relate. Why Most Traders Get It Wrong (And How You Can Avoid It) Many traders see a descending broadening wedge and think it's nothing but a mess of price action, an unpredictable rollercoaster ride. But what if I told you there's a method to this madness? The wedge forms because market participants are still in disagreement—buyers are picking up bargains while sellers are getting nervous. Here’s the kicker: most traders get it wrong because they lack the patience to wait for a real breakout, and instead they jump in prematurely. Much like a sale at your favorite store, sometimes it’s better to wait until the very end for the real discounts. So, remember—don’t be that trader who buys a "bargain" that ends up on the clearance rack. Instead, let's make capital allocation your best friend. Smart capital allocation ensures that you have skin in the game, but you’re not betting the farm. Allocate smaller amounts when you’re feeling uncertain—like taking small bites from a dish you're not quite sure you love—and go big only when you know you’ve got a gourmet setup in your hands. Hidden Patterns that Drive the Market Have you noticed the shape of this wedge resembles a funnel that’s about to explode? Yeah, it’s literally a funnel where the market's indecision is accumulating—and like any good drama, there’s eventually an emotional crescendo that leads to a breakout. Now, it’s key to understand the breakout. The wedge doesn’t just "break out" when it feels like it’s time for a Friday night beer with friends. It breaks out when volume finally aligns and the market's dance partners are ready to move together again—usually to the upside. So, don’t get caught in the "false breakout dance," where it looks like the market's ready to move and… it doesn’t. Instead, wait for confirmation: think of it as waiting until you're certain you're getting a real standing ovation and not just a couple of awkward claps from the back. A Game-Changer: Strategic Capital Allocation in a Wedge Now let’s dive into the capital allocation part. How much to risk? When? - Start Small, Be Nimble – Like a beginner dance class, start small, especially if this is your first encounter with a wedge. Imagine putting in only 1% of your account on this trade at first—testing the waters is far better than throwing the entire account at a wedge and hoping for the best. - Wait for Breakout Confirmation – This is the moment the music changes, and it's time for a grande finale. Scale into the trade after confirmation—add another 1-2% of your account balance once you see significant volume backing up the move. At this point, you’re not just guessing—you’re reading the room. - Never All-In – There’s an old saying: Never bet more than you can afford to lose. No one gets up at a party and bets their self-esteem on doing the worm if they’re not certain they can pull it off. In the same way, never bet your entire account on a descending broadening wedge—even if it looks like the holy grail. The One Simple Trick That Can Change Your Trading Mindset Most traders treat capital allocation as an afterthought. But the secret—which the pros know all too well—is that it’s not about having the fanciest system, it's about managing what you have with the utmost care. Even if you had a golden goose that could lay profitable trades, you wouldn’t be reckless in how you handle it. It’s all about spreading risk and having enough "bullets in the chamber" to trade another day. Capital allocation should be like a belt with enough notches—tight enough to feel secure, but with flexibility so that you don’t panic every time you lose a little weight (i.e., have a losing trade). Why Traders Get Stuck in the Wrong Mindset (And How to Escape) Have you ever tried dancing with someone who’s out of sync with the music? Awkward, right? That’s what poor capital allocation feels like—out of sync with your trades. It’s either too much money invested when you’re not sure, or not enough when the opportunity is ripe. The key is timing, planning, and executing accordingly. Instead of putting in all your chips in one go, practice building your positions in stages. Remember, the best traders often split their positions—some may go in early, others on the breakout confirmation, and maybe even more if there’s momentum. This way, you’re not betting on one dance move to save your night out—you’re building a routine. Embrace the Humor: Trading Isn’t Always a Grand Performance Trading a descending broadening wedge isn't always glamorous. Sometimes it’s like signing up for a class thinking you’d learn a cool new dance move, but ending up doing stretches for an hour instead. But here’s where we grow. Capital allocation, like a good sense of humor, isn’t about winning every time. It’s about having enough "capital jokes" up your sleeve so you can still be there when the real moves happen. Wrap Up: Apply the Wedge, Master Your Dance To wrap things up—and not like a boring end-of-meeting wrap up—but truly, think about the wedge as a tool to capture those brewing market opportunities. And think about capital allocation as your ticket to staying in the game, your dance move repertoire that helps you recover if you trip up. Trading successfully is about flexibility, recognizing patterns like the descending broadening wedge, and allocating capital in a way that keeps you around long enough to enjoy the whole performance. Now, you’re ready to dance your way through the charts—and maybe, just maybe, turn this wedge into a headlining act in your trading career. —————– Image Credits: Cover image at the top is AI-generated Read the full article

[sol-consort]

I don’t really write for stuff that I don’t have OCs in because I just find it easier than writing with pre-established characters since I know everything about my OCs and I don’t have the fear of mischaracterizing a character accidentally.

Plus I think if I did write for Once it’d be a fix-it fic that’s fixes so much it’s a completely different story and not even about Once lmao.

The only fandoms I have stories planned for that have a lot of focus on pre-established characters are Far Cry, Fallout, The Outer Worlds, and Mass Effect which is apart of The Outer Worlds story but an OC is the protagonist of most of those stories.

Actually I think the only fandoms that I have stories planned for where the main focus is majority OCs is Star Wars and Baldur’s Gate/D&D.

If I were to ever write for Once it’d be finishing the Frankenstein storyline that they never finished even when the actor came back.

A good Fairytale x D&D thing would be Dimension 20’s Neverafter season which did a really good job and is an inspiration for A Bard’s Plague although Neverafter is heavy on the horror elements while I’m sticking with just the fantasy elements. You can only watch Neverafter on Dropout though but the first episode is on their YouTube.

A Fairytale crossover thing I wanna try out is A Wolf Among Us. I do plan on doing a noir story for A Bard’s Plague but that’ll be its own separate thing in like a 1920s/1940s version of the D&D world because to me I don’t think a true Noir setting can fit into fantasy like how Victorian England or Wild West America can because it’s a little too close to modern days for me.

Dimension 20 used to be my favourite! Especially Brennan as a DM, he is really creative and fun! I used to think dnd was all serious and boring. Critical role just didn't hit it for me no matter how many times I tried, but Brennan made DnD look very fun and colourful for a beginner while critical role felt intimidating.

I used to be subscribed to dropout bc of it but also found really good shows. Eventually, I drifted off and didn't watch it anymore, so I cancelled it. Might reinstall it to see what's new.

And yeah I get the fear of mischaracterisation, but it is one of the investable things you have to swallow when writing any fanfics. No one will ever be true to the source material no matter how much we try, especially if you're one person and the source has a team of writers. Not a single one of those writers could nail the character on their own and they'd need the whole team to make it come alive.

It's a bitter truth we all have to accept eventually that our favourite characters are viewed by us through many lenses and biases. We can't understand them fully and we can't give them justice fully, we can't fly too close to the sun we may only skirt by and do good enough.

Each writer has a different spin on each character. I found out that I tend to make characters softer, more gentle, and lonely when I write them. I flush out their inner vulnerability more, focus on the thoughts inside their brain rather than their own dialogue more. I put a piece of my soul in each one of them.

And it makes me happy, the way I portray them. It's not everyone's taste and that's fine. It's my own spin on them to make them more desperate, more lovestruck and put an emphasis on their emotions. I rarely add dialogue unless absolutely necessary for the scene to progress.

I say find your own spin, there is no correct way to write it. You'll always mischaracterize the character in someone else's eyes. Sometimes the shows itself do it to their own characters. Even the writer teams are still human by the end of the day.

Perfectionism is a disease that kills creativity and keeps you stuck in a prison of your own mind's design.

It sneaks up on you too, you never notice when did you start caring for this and that until you've spent three hours on the same scene because the way the character says a particular sentence just doesn't fit at all.

Let them say the damn sentence, to hell with it all. Worst people would do is click away from your fic, and 90% of them weren't even gonna leave likes even if they enjoyed reading it so save yourself the headache and make life and writing easier for you.

Standards should be for how much you enjoy the piece you've written not for how much it meets a list of requirements.

Also oh my god you like star wars and I have been making fun of star wars nonstop. Ofhwofhd I am so sorry, I have never actually seen any of the movies, I don't know anything about it. It's just a bit I keep doing for the gag and nothing else.

A wolf among us, is that the tellatell game? I loved it before! The concept was so good even tho I don't remember the plot by now, it's been years.

Talking about fairytale spin offs, this reminded me of an old cartoon movie about little riding hood.

This one on youtube. Hoodwinked

It blew my mind as a kid, I was a huge detective conan fan (still am but shh) and making it a murder mystery with all the plot twists and characters just made my brain melt.

Nothing will ever compare to the rush of being around 10 and seeing this movie for the first time.

Actually I'm gonna go watch it again, fucking masterpiece. Give it a try if you have an hour to spare.

[spockandawe]

😍 I’ve been scrolling through your blog all evening, your work is BEAUTIFUL! I had no idea you could make books look so gorgeous. I’ve been interested in book binding for quite a while, but have been intimidated to take the first step. How did you get into it? Did you take classes, or follow something online? Or, do you already have a post where you talk about that? Seeing your work makes it seem so worth it, even if it seems intimidating to tackle 💖💖

Oh my goodness, than you so much!!! Sometimes I feel like I have a long ways to go, but then sometimes I take a step back and say, hey, this IS fairly rad, isn't it!

But I completely know what you mean about the craft seeming intimidating. I am here to tell you that the way it feels too overwhelming to get started is one of the main speed bumps about this craft, including for leveling up while inside it. I've got a number of projects I'm wrestling in terms of intimidation right now, even though I know I've dealt with this before, and what I do is probably going to be just FINE. Books are such, like.... iconic objects, it's hard to look at a fancy one and decide that you can totally do that too. But this is honestly a craft where I have an easier time encouraging beginners than many of my others, and I've got resources for you.

Where I got started!! It was honestly super trivial stuff, my dad doesn't love reading documents on his computer for work, and he showed me how he was printing off booklets and folding them in half and doing a line of stitches down the middle, and I was like '...........SO IF I WANTED TO PRESERVE A WEBNOVEL--' and things WENT from there. I started with what I could scrounge up on google, but there are better options, and a LOT of them, and a thriving ficbinding community which is pretty good (on tumblr at least) about sharing resources with each other.

So, what I'm about to go into here is largely focused on ficbinding and webnovels and other books with CONTENT, I know some people have a great time making blank notebooks, but my mind has always slid off those. If you're intimidated by the steps involved in formatting text for printing, that may be something you enjoy!!

I think I've got a few asks about this in my spock-replies or my bookbinding tag that go over similar information in different form, but this was the first one I tripped across, with my personal rundown of what I would use to get started with a casebound book (which is most of what I've done. If you're intimidated by a full hardcover with a covered spine, then a coptic bound book will provide similar function, with different construction and an open spine, but I still haven't gotten off my ass to do one of those yet, so I don't have resources on hand. I found my footing using Sealemon's videos, not just the one linked but some of the others as well. I tend to make beefy books that aren't suited to decorative binding styles, but I want to try that, someday. But I also have like ten projects in progress and things are kind of oh-god-let-me-off-mr-toad's-wild-ride, so... not yet.

After I got comfortable with Sealemon, I dug into the DAS bookbinding channel, which is a DELIGHT. The guy who runs the channel is incredibly chill and soothing to listen to, and he knows so much and has SUCH an archive of different techniques and styles. I still haven't gotten super adventurous, and honestly this is still a channel where I get intimidated about trying something new, but there's material that's not an intricate four-part series, there's things like doing a pamphlet binding. Other youtube channels with bookbinders tend to be very helpful as well, and some like annesi binding tackle cool topics that can be hard to find elsewhere. Part of the trouble with bookbinding is that a ton of cultures developed similar ideas independently and riffed on them for CENTURIES, so there is unimaginable variety in the creative space. Video works better for me to understand how it goes than written accounts do, but it's a huge space to find a comfortable nest in.

And!! In the middle of all this, i was pointed at @renegadepublishing, which is a community largely focused on ficbinding (but also open to other endeavors as well), and just a lovely place that's been so helpful to me. There are resource documents that I believe are in the sidebar, and I think there's a dreamwidth community as well where I think they've been crossposted. I know some people involved in that community also post on r/bookbinding, though if you're more interested in binding fanfic, there's also an r/ficbinding community that may be more tailored to your passions. I'm delighted that you liked my books, but renegadepublishing regularly reblogs things from other binders that leave me absolutely starry-eyed, and it's fantastic for inspiration as well as education!

Okay, I think that's what I've got for now. That was basically the slippery slide I fell down, where I just desperately wanted to preserve mxtx's books in english, before there was any hint of an official license. That directed me down a path of learning how to make Big Books, and my own attention span drove me to figure out how to do it fast. There was a long youtube spiral while also using the renegade resources to give me a second bonus perspective that helped me understand WHY i was doing certain things. Part of what helped me out is that I have a stubborn thing where 'what do you mean i can't buy X? fine, then i'm going to MAKE X.' and that served me well here. But also, I can't undersell the excitement of holding a book you made from a piece of beloved fanfiction for the first time (no matter how crooked it is!) and opening it, and seeing the words on the page, physically, and shaped like a real book, and that thrill has carried me forward through a year and a half of this nonsense.

[shokobuns]

→ jjk men as house husbands!

(a/n): because my brain has been rotting ever since i started watching the way of the house husband. 1k requesters i will get to u soon i am so sorry. if u see a haikyuu version of this mind ur business.

ft. gojo satoru, geto suguru, nanami kento, ryoumen sukuna, toji fushiguro

GOJO SATORU — gojo knows how to boil ramen noodles and that’s about it. in terms of cleaning, he has attempted to clean your bathtub, but didn’t know exactly how, which led to him passing out after mixing a bunch of random chemicals together. while gojo’s journey to being a house husband starts off rough, he has a lot of time on his hands to learn how to do everything. he also has youtube on his side and he uses it frequently (it’s his savior). one thing that he’s surprisingly really good at is taking care of pets and kids. if you two have a dog or cat, it’s well trained, and if you have babies, he’ll be entertained all day just admiring his child and playing with them. though, his methods do look extremely chaotic to an outsider and even to you at times. he also does yoga with the neighborhood housewives.

GETO SUGURU — he’s a surprisingly good cook and he looks hot when he does it, too. he’ll always be cooking breakfast before you wake up or while you’re getting ready for work and he’ll force you to bring food with you if you’re running late. sometimes, you’ll be motivated to get up earlier just to watch him fry some vegetables just because he’s rarely fully clothed for breakfast. but for dinner, he’s always wearing some cheesy ass apron that says something like “#1 DILF.” like gojo, he’ll definitely do yoga with the neighborhood housewives, but less frequently since he likes to do his own workouts, too. geto also picked up crocheting one day and now he can’t stop making blankets. he likes doing little designs with snakes on them.

NANAMI KENTO — amazing cook and is most notable for making freshly baked bread. you’d come home from another exhausting day at work, but once you smell that bread, you’re sprinting to the kitchen ready to bite a chunk off of the loaf. of course, nanami doesn’t let you. he’s very responsible when it comes to grocery shopping and will not hesitate to restrain you if you’re ogling at something you don’t need like a marshmallow gun. of course, everyone thinks he’s the breadwinner, but really he just looks the part. he doesn’t wear a suit everyday, but he’ll put on a little button up and slacks for casual wear with the expensive watch you got him which is enough for people to make that mistake. the neighborhood housewives are too scared to ask him if he wants to do yoga with them.

SUKUNA RYOUMEN — sigh. you’re really gonna make me do this, aren’t you? anyways, like gojo, sukuna starts of having no idea of how to do anything, but he’s not really a good problem solver. he gets frustrated and accidentally breaks a door, part of it being because he doesn’t understand why you need to go out and work. though, he does support you and wants to do his best, so he knocks on the door to your neighbor’s house to get some advice from an actual housewife. she’s definitely terrified of him at first, but after seeing how you two interact a couple times, she gives in and eventually all the other housewives help him learn how to cook and clean.

TOJI FUSHIGURO — in terms of attitude and demeanor, he is the closest you’ll get to tatsu in the way of the house husband. he’s a beginner when it comes to cooking, never really having the time to actually get skilled at it until he meets you, but he does get better and he does like surprising you with new things he cooks while you’re at work. his success rate is about 90% meaning that you like 90% of the things he makes. one small thing that’s very useful is the fact that he can carry all of the groceries by himself in one go. that’s right, no multiple trips. considering the fact he was also a literal mercenary, he’s also an expert at removing stains. if you’re thinking blood, you’re absolutely correct, but he can also remove mud stains, grass stains, sauce stains, any type of stain really. very intimidating looking, but the housewives get along with him after awhile.

© this is a work of @crybabygumi, all rights reserved. do not plagiarize, copy, or repost my work on other platforms.

[turtle-go-brrrr]

General bayverse headcanons part 2

Splinter

A very light sleeper

Anytime something happens in the lair, he knows

He knows so many of his son’s secrets but act as if he didn’t to protect their feelings

Like that one time he saw Leo flex in front of his mirror (he never did it again because ‘what if it was Raph or Mikey’)

Or that one time he went to ask Donnie a question and realized too late he was having some... alone time... and Donnie tried to play it off to save what was left of his dignity: “haha no I’m not doing anything, I’m fine, how can I help you?” but left a tab open

Let’s just say Splinter knows way more about his sons than he wish he did

He feels honored every time one of them, or hell, April or Casey, come to him for advice or just to vent

He’s jsut so happy to know they trust him

He loves watching movies with them

Doesn’t really understand pop culture but is thrilled when they take the time to explain it to him anyway

He keeps every single drawing Mikey ever made him, he has multiple boxes of them and he keeps his favorite in his room

It takes so much space, but they’re really important to him

Raph made him a really soft scarf that he wears every time they go to the surface (it reassures him)

He also has a sweater and a blanket, and he loves bragging about them: “Oh, this? Yes, my son made it for me :) Isn’t he talented :)”

He finds Donnie’s smarts both impressive and intimidating

Sometimes he’s scared he will never truly understand him or that he won’t have anything else to teach him

But then Donnie comes to him when he can’t sleep or had a nightmare, and he feels warm inside

He’s really scared for Leo

He has so much pressure on his shoulder and so many responsabilities, he’s terrified he will break someday

But Leo knows he can count on his family to support him if anything turns sour and is learning to open up (thanks to Splinter)

All in all, he’s the proudest dad there could be and definitely bragged and showed embarassing memories to April and Casey when they joined the mutants

His favorite animal is the canary

April

Mom Friend ™ 

She’s the one to bring them snacks or useless trinkets they might like

Leo thinks it’s stupid and they should hoard that kind of things

(he does anyway)

She’s also the one to bring medical supplies to the lair when they’re getting short on them

She knows many people because of her job, and comes so often to the pharmacy that the people who work her eknow her and know to not ask too many questions

She doesn’t care about the sight of blood but the smell makes her sick

She still follows Splinter’s instruction when doing stitches and she took a few first aid courses with Casey

She’s the one who takes care of the biggest bugs of the lair

She’s also the one they all go to when they have an embarrassing question to ask (the kind of stuff you’re too embarrassed to ask one of your parents, no matter how close you are)

Doesn’t really listen to anyone, really

Except maybe Splinter from time to time

But like, if she wants to investigate something messy or dangerous, she won’t let anyone stop her

She won’t run straight into danger, she’s not stupid, but she’s not gonna back off just because it might be dangerous

“Okay, April, I’m sorry but you’ll have to sit this one out, it’s way too dangerous for a hum-” “She’s already inside”

 She’s brave like that <3

The best at Just Dance

Even beat Raph from time to time

She has a terrible singing voice tho and loves to scream-sing just because she knows it drives Leo crazy

Sometimes will get picked up by one of the boys and just acts as if nothing hapened and keep talking about whatever the conversation was while being carried around everywhere

Speaks 3 other languages to varying degrees of fluentness: Spanish (fluent), French (still learning but she’s getting there), Arabic (beginner)

She knows insults in a lot of other languages tho (you know, just in case ;) )

The only one who doesn’t pull pranks on Casey (she takes pity on him and he gives her kisses when she takes his side so win-win)

Her favorite animal is the fox

Casey

Pray for him

He’s so fed up with their sibling nonsense

He’s always in the middle of their fights and he’s tired of this

But he’s even more tired of being the victim of their endless pranks (especially Raph and Mikey)

The payback is worth it tho

Surprisingly good with kids

Especially troubled kids (he used to be one, so he knows what to say to help them)

Also really found of small animals

Unlike Mikey who talks to them as equals, Casey baby talks and it’s both adorable and kind of silly

He’s well known in most of the rescue centers of the city because he always brings in stray animals here

Also volunteer in some of them from time to time

He’s really conflicted because of all of the horrible things othe cops do  and he often wants to quit because of that

But if he leaves, he knows no one will try to make a change

He believes he can make things right and tries his best to callout his collegues when they say or do fucked up things

Also completely understand all the hate against cops, and don’t hesitate to let everyone know it’s justified when his colleagues try to play the victim

Despite his anger issues he tries to keep a level head when on the job

He wants to be a good cop, but being a good person is even more important (and almost got him fired multiple times, the only thing keeping him from that being his connection to Chief Vincent)

This is why he’s also doing his vigilante stuff at night

He knows that sometimes, the law won’t protect the most vulnerable people

But that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t

Once accidentally cut himself on the left with a piece of glass

He broke a glass jar, cleaned it up but forgot one little piece, and later stepped on it

It didn’t cut his foot, but he felt something under it and tried to get it off by rubbing his foot against his leg

Hence the stupid cut

Most of his scars aren’t really from his numerous fights, they’re just stupid injuries like that

His favorite animal is the cheetah

[kate-komics]

Hey Kate! I was wondering if you could share your process in how you go about drawing backgrounds in your comics? Yours always look on point, Especially when it comes to the interiors of space ships which I find impossible haha. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Okay, first off... sorry this took 5ever for me to answer 😅

So, I suppose the short answer would be a basic understanding of perspective and A LOT of references. I seriously have folders upon folders full of collected photo references and a billion 3D model references from sketchfab and various other parts of the internet. They save my ass whenever I'm having a tough time figuring out a shot.

For understanding drawing perspective as a whole (and so you don't feel lost with all these references and models) I highly recommend the book 'Framed Perspective' by Marcos Mateu- Mestre. I have a copy that sits next to my desk at all times 😊 absolutely amazing. Makes it all seem so easy.

As for my process it's actually very similar to this post I saw not too long ago! Check it out down here ⬇️

https://art-tnt.tumblr.com/post/612413698481537024/indoril-niehaus-bludragongal-askoursquad

But yeah, my process for backgrounds is often pretty similar to what’s above. Find a reference, lay down a guide and then add or take away for whatever you need to. Like this panel and this reference model. I checked some angles I liked to help me figure out my grid then I changed a few things in the room, laid down my lines and added some ships and people. Very common for a lot of artists apparently.

Though I don’t always use model help. If it’s a background I’m familiar with/ have already drawn a million times I can usually do an easy perspective grid myself. Like these ⬇️

I also eyeball quiet a lot of things because I’m lazy😅 as you can tell!

A thing I also do sometimes I’d make a perspective grid around a pose. I get pretty attached to poses. So for his panel panel I took a reference photo of myself from above and built a scene around it. I don’t recommend this for beginners but… yeah it’s a thing I do still. (Sorry, I don’t have the original reference picture anymore) but I think it definitely helps anyone understand how certain angles work.

As for interiors of space ships, I honestly just see it as a lot of repeated or dynamic shapes. You don’t need to do much to make some alright sci-fi scenes. If you look through any space or Star Wars comics a lot of the time the backgrounds it’s just like “oh, they just split this wall into asymmetrical panels and added a pipe or two and some lights.” As you can see, I do exactly that ‘cause again… I’m lazy 😂

If it’s a repeated shape I just make a flat version of the pattern then transform it into my grid. Like these fucking floor oval things at are everywhere in the star wars universe.

Work smart and use all the tools at your disposal to work faster 👍🏻 if you want to see someone go more in depth with a lot of these techniques I highly recommend checking out some of Ethan Becker’s videos on YouTube. He’s a brutally honest animator and he gives what I think are some very helpful tips to people who are intimidated by the industry or furthering their artistic practice.

But yeah... practice perspective and use reference to help you understand! And also random shapes. And also don’t be afraid to fuck up! Try things! You can’t learn if you don’t fail!

Hope this helped! I’m bad at explaining these kind of things 😅

[ringmyheart]

Dating Johan headcanons? Your Vinjin one was literal ✨gold✨ and yk so now i'm super curious about how you'd think dating Johan would be like.

Thank you!! 😭 I hope I did this well <33 also a warning, skip to where I wrote [HERE] if you’re uncomfortable w reading anything ab religion. Also I didn’t mean to offend any religion I am religious myself and didn’t specify any to avoid saying something incorrectly !

If you’re religious, he’s very VERY wary and cautious. Not of you but of the people you’re with, and it worries him a LOT

If u tell him ur hanging out with church friends he’s either insisting he comes too or asking a suspicious amount of questions of ur whereabouts and watching u from afar. He’ll probably step in on accident cuz he saw them like reach for ur shoulder or smmn and intervene cuz he thought like u were ab to get kidnapped but they were just gonna bring ur awareness to the food store around u, he’d be so on edge

He doesn’t like entering churches but if u go and u won’t negotiate on wether u can or can’t go, he’ll risk it all and come too

He’ll rough up the preacher after the service tho like “what’s your thing ???? Like what do you do.” And ask them questions completely unrelated and honestly kind of confusing to intimidate them

Like, “oh so this is all u do? U just preach?”

“Uh, yeah I love my job and am devoted. :) 👍”

“u have no other job? Nothing?”

“No...”

“R u married?”

“Yep!”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“What??”

And he meant like yeah good keep ur eyes off of u his s/o or SMM but it came out off putting and frankly indiscernible 😭

While in the service he might even start to shake cuz he’s so worried if he sees AC or hears it running he’ll grab ur hand and book it cuz he thinks ur being poisoned 😭

[HERE]

Likes to share things with you, like clothes and all. U know that black jacket he always wears it’s also ALWAYS on u too

Half of it is cuz he’s stingy w money naturally so it’s like less money spent if u guys r sharing ur food and clothes and all

So ur always wearing his stuff but in return he’s always wearing urs and like even shoes. If ur taller than him and have clothes that were his size he has ur old wardrobe in his closet now as hand me downs

HE PROBABLY wraps ur shirt around his wrist as a good luck charm before fights. Before he gets into a showdown he’ll wrap it around like his arm and kiss it and say ur name or whatever and he swears if he does this tradition he cannot lose he won’t let himself

Because u don’t spend much money, u have wired earphones (nothing wrong w that ofc) HOWEVER if ur listening to music together and he runs into someone he has beef with he’ll start swinging and ur just there like 🧍🏽‍♀️ cuz the earphones r still connected and he’s fighting to the death w like sweet but psycho playing in the background

He loves physical activities to do together. If ur not active u probably will be now forcefully bc he’ll be like please and u can’t say no so now ur hiking every day

Forgets to wait up for u bc he gets rlly ahead of himself the amount of times u get lost on the trail is unbelievable and he eventually establishes the “if u lose me, HUG A TREE AND I WILL FIND YOU” rule w u and now three times a week ur hugging a tree and waiting for him to come pick u up in the middle of the woods

He’ll apologize and tries to teach u the layout but u don’t memorize it ever

Also loves biking and gets u matching bikes, likes walking the dogs w u, going on runs etc. if u cannot run he grabs ur hand and is all its okay u got this :)) like thanks for the sentiment but it doesn't help💀

DO NOT DO HOBBIES W THIS MF!!!!!!!!! If u like to dance and tell him he’ll do it with you and within two days he leagues better than you it would suck

He is so good at picking things up if u play just dance for fun he will kick ur ass and ur like bro I thought we were just playing having fun wtf 😕 and he genuinely wasn’t even trying

So if ur competitive don’t put him on the hobbies ur into cuz he will start it a beginner and be better than u within three days

He’ll feel so bad tho if he finds out u don’t like it. Like when u drew stuff he’d sit by u and draw too and when u saw he was advancing to surpass u u stopped. He thought u just grew out of it but finds u in like a closet drawing to hide from him

But he loves doing stuff ur interested in w u even if it’s something he was never into. If u like it he likes it by association

The type of boyfriend to buy you ten fruits if you say you like one.

In passing you mention liking watermelon the next day you come home there are ten on your counter and he’s like hey :DD!

Gets you a matching dog god jacket like him so u two and ur dogs r matching always

He doesn’t care if you’re wrong, he will die defending you!!! U r always in the right what do u mean the total cost is 10.00$?? What do u mean it says 10$ on the register?? They said it was 8$ u heard them

He’s pretty reserved when it comes to personal stuff and just everything in general. U will be three years into the relationship and realize u don’t know what his last name is??!!!

He’s a “I didn’t see why it was so important” mf... if u ask ab his past or occupation he’ll tell you but in a way that underplays it extremely. Because he isn’t that ready to be vulnerable and open up as well as thinking u might not care or you’ll leave him

He’s a pretty jump-y person because he had to be alert and on his toes most of the time. If you surprise him by accident by being too quiet then appearing right by him he’ll jump three feet up like a cat or sock you in the face then apologize profusely and tear up feeling horrible

He’s pretty perceptive but when caught off gaurd he gets very nervous, can’t help it

While watching tv shows or bingeing a series he will narrate everytning to u. Because he really enjoys the show and wants to make sure u understand in the fullest too and enjoy it. If he didn’t understand sometning in the beginning but then understands you HAVE to know too

“Oh my god he just shot him....”

“The dog RUNS AWAY!?”

“She said she loves him oh my gosh...”

“They’re kissing?”

Like yes Johan.... we know.... if you tell him he’ll stop but it’s like programmed in his DNA to not shut up while watching tv he can’t help it

He’ll also pause the show to turn to u and go “I KNOW HIM!!”

And ur like “rlly?? OMGG”

And he’ll go “YEAH he’s also in that other show remember :O” and u realize he does not know him recognizes him

😑😔 .

He’s not that updated on internet and how humor has progressed over the past few years so if u send him any meme over 2015 he will be so confused

Send this and he’ll text back “😅 why did you send me this?”

“Is that sonic?”

“Are these your texts with someone?”

Otherwise he’s a pretty normal texted. He uses punctuation sometimes which will throw u off gaurd cuz it will be like “I love you.” And it’s like sweet but why did he add the period?? But he doesn’t always so it’s regular

If playing sports or doing something competitive he threatens everyone in the beginning to let you win and always lets u get the score/goal/net, whatever. He pulls everyone into him prengame by their collar and is like “listen ur letting them win got that. If I see u take that ball from them....”

He’s a helicopter boyfriend he is always seeing what ur doing what ur up to how u are, etc. protective to a fault basically

Holds u back when crossing the street as if ur seven years old

I have more I could say, but I’ll inevitable write another johan relationship hcs some day again so I’ll save it for then 😅 I hope this was what I wanted! Thank you for requesting ❤️❤️

[samwisethewitch]

Divination Basics

From the Roman priest reading auguries to interpret the will of the gods to the modern fortune teller reading with a deck of playing cards, divination has been a part of human spirituality for thousands of years. Today, divination is an important part of many witches’ practices, and can be an important tool for self-reflection and analysis.

Merriam-Webster defines divination as, “the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers.” Divination can be used for many things, not just to predict the future. It can be used to understand the past, identify patterns at work in your present, or as a tool for working through trauma.

In the book You Are Magical, author Tess Whitehurst describes divination as, “a way of bypassing your linear, thinking mind and accessing the current of divine wisdom and your own inner knowing.” As I’ve discussed in a previous post, all of us are receiving psychic information all the time, though many of us don’t realize it. Divination tools like tarot cards or rune stones act as triggers to help kickstart our natural psychic gifts.

Divination relies on the use of our intuition. Intuition is defined my Merriam-Webster as, “the power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.” These are the things you know without needing to be told. Another way of thinking of it is this: your intuition is the way you interpret the information you receive through your psychic senses.

The most important thing to remember when doing divination is that the tool you are using isn’t giving you information — it’s simply helping you to access information you already know. The revelations come from you, not from the cards or whatever other tool you may be using.

When using divination to foresee the future, it’s important to remember that the future is never set in stone. These tools can only show you the most likely outcome based on your current direction.

 Beginner-Friendly Divination Tools

These are the divination methods I would recommend for beginners. For one thing, most of these systems are fairly easy to learn and use. For another, these are some of the most popular divination methods among modern witches, so it’s easy to find information about them and/or talk to other practitioners about their experience.

As you’ll see, each divination method has its own strengths and weaknesses, so you may choose to learn several methods that you can combine to get stronger readings. Or you may find that you can get all the information you need from a single method, which is also okay.

Tarot. This is my personal favorite divination method, but it’s also the one with the most misconceptions surrounding it. Tarot cards do not open a portal to the spirit world, and they probably didn’t originate in Ancient Egypt. In fact, evidence suggests that the tarot comes from a medieval Italian card game called Tarocchi, although the modern tarot deck as we know it didn’t come around until the 20th century. Tarot cards are not any more or less supernatural than ordinary playing cards. (Which, incidentally, can also be used for divination.)

Tarot makes use of archetypes, and many readers interpret the cards as a map of an archetypal spiritual journey. For this reason, tarot cards are especially useful for identifying the underlying patterns and hidden influences in any given situation.

Most tarot decks follow the same set of basic symbolism. Unfortunately, this does mean that new readers will need to study the accepted meanings. This isn’t to say that your readings will always match up 100% with the standard meanings of the cards — you may receive intuitive messages that deviate from tradition. Still, it’s helpful to know a little of the history and traditional symbolism behind this powerful divination tool. The good news is that, since most decks use similar symbolism, once you learn the traditional meanings you can successfully read with almost any tarot deck.

I’m planning to post a more in-depth introduction to tarot very soon, but in the meantime, if you want to learn this divination method I recommend starting with the book Tarot For Beginners by Lisa Chamberlain and/or with the website Biddy Tarot.

Oracle Cards. Oracle cards have been rapidly gaining popularity in the witchcraft and New Age communities in the last few years, and it’s easy to see why. One major appeal of oracle cards is how diverse they are — there are countless different oracle decks out there, each with its own theme and symbolism. Another big plus is how beginner-friendly they are; Oracle cards are usually read intuitively, so most decks won’t require you to learn a complex system of symbolism. (Of course, the fact that every oracle deck uses different symbolism can be frustrating for some readers, because they have to learn a new set of symbols for every deck.)

Some readers (myself included) also find that oracle cards usually give more surface level information. Tess Whitehurst says that, “While oracle cards can help us answer the questions ‘What direction should I take?’ and ‘What is the lesson here?’ tarot cards are more suited to helping us answer the questions ‘What is going on?’ and ‘What is the underlying pattern at work here?'” For this reason, many readers choose to use tarot and oracle cards together to get a more well-rounded look at the situation.

Another common complaint about oracle cards is that many decks are overwhelmingly positive and shy away from dark themes or imagery, which creates an imbalanced reading experience. I think this is best summed up by one Amazon review for the Work Your Light Oracle, which says: “Basically, this is very much a deck for Nice White Ladies(TM) who like crystals and candles but aren’t ‘super into all that witchy stuff.'”

There ARE oracle decks out there that address darker themes, but many of the most popular decks on the market are overwhelmingly positive. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes a little positive encouragement is more helpful than brutal honesty. However, too much focus on the positive can lead you to ignore your problems, which only makes things worse in the long run. For this reason, finding balanced decks is important — if you’re going to use a very shiny happy deck, my advice would be to alternate it with more grounded decks, or with a deck specifically designed for shadow work.

That being said, oracle cards are a great divination tool if you can find a good deck, especially for beginners who are intimidated by more structured systems like tarot and the runes. If you’re interested in working with oracle cards, the best way to start is to find a deck that 1.) you feel a strong attraction to, and 2.) has a good guidebook. (My favorite oracle deck is the Halloween Oracle by Stacey Demarco, which I use for readings all year.)

Runes. The Elder Futhark alphabet is a runic alphabet that originated in ancient Scandinavia around 200 AD. While this was an actual writing system, it also had magical and mythological associations in the cultures that originally used it. While using the runes for divination is a modern practice, it is based on the historical sense of magic surrounding these symbols.

Like tarot, the runes have a traditional set of meanings. However, because there are only twenty-four runes, there aren’t as many meanings to learn as there are with tarot. Some rune sets also contain a blank stone, which has its own special meaning. I have personally found the runes to be a great source of wisdom and insight, although they do tend towards “big picture” messages rather than small details.

However, there is one major stain on the runes’ history; they were studied and used by Nazi occultists before and during World War II. Like many symbols associated with historical Germanic paganism, the runes were appropriated as part of Nazi propaganda — for example, the Sowilo rune was incorporated into the SS logo. This isn’t to say that you can’t reclaim the Elder Futhark alphabet, but I do think it’s important to know the history going in. Because of their association with Nazism, it’s best to avoid wearing or publicly displaying the runes.

There are other ancient alphabets that are used for divination, like the Anglo-Saxon runes or the Irish Ogham, but the Elder Futhark is the most popular.

If you’re interested in learning divination with runes, I recommend the book Pagan Portals: Runes by Kylie Holmes.

Pendulums. Pendulums are interesting because, unlike tarot, oracle cards, and runes, they can be used to answer yes or no questions. For this reason, many readers use pendulums to get clarification on readings they’ve done with other divination methods, but you can also use pendulums on their own.

A pendulum is any small, weighted object hanging from a chain or string. You can buy a pendulum made specifically for divination from a metaphysical shop or an Etsy seller, but you can just as easily use something you already have: a necklace, your housekey, or a small rock or crystal tied to a string.

Pendulums may be the easiest divination method to learn. The only thing you need to do to learn how to interpret a pendulum is ask it what its “yes” and “no” motions look like. To do this, simply hold your pendulum in your hands and focus on your connection to it. Then, let the pendulum hang from its chain or string so it can swing freely. Say or think, “Show me ‘yes’.” Allow the pendulum to swing, and pay attention to its movements. “Yes” is often a forwards-and-backwards swing or a clockwise circle, but your “yes” may look different. (Some witches even notice that different pendulums in their collection have different “yes” and “no” movements!) Once you’ve gotten the pendulum to show you its “yes,” ask it to show you its “no.” For many readers, “no” is a side-to-side swing or a counterclockwise circle, but again, yours may be different.

The biggest downside to pendulums is that because they typically only answer “yes” or “no,” you have to be very specific with your questions. Pendulums aren’t the best tool for general energy readings or open-ended advice. However, that specificity makes them great for validating your gut feelings, interpreting your dreams, identifying a deity or spirit that you think may be reaching out to you, or any other situation that requires a little clarification.

[confusedlamp]

Mental Health Strategies

I have dealt with various mental health BS (anxiety, depression, ADHD), and while I haven't gotten it all figured out, I have been dealing with it for well over a decade now. I figured I would make a list of coping mechanisms that have helped me and are worth trying out if you haven't already. None of these things are “magic” (just try this and your brain will be all fixed!),  and obviously not applicable in all situations. I mostly learned these via therapy or from other people struggling with mental illness. This also may or may not be to help me have a list of things written down for when I forget. 

Putting this below a keep reading thing because this got long FAST: 

For depression funks:

-Find a small task you can complete. Wash a dish, throw clothes in the hamper, take out the trash, etc. Something small.

-Take a shower. And try changing clothes. Even if it's in to some pajamas. If you aren't up to showering, try washing your face and maybe wiping down with a wipe. But a change of clothes will still feel better.

-Eat something. Doesn't have to be "healthy." Some food, no matter what it is, is better than no food.

-Can you get outside? Doesn't have to be to excercise. Just sitting on the front steps for a few minutes in the sun.

-Doing something to take care of yourself. Can you brush your teeth? Have a glass of water? Brush your hair? Just pick one thing and so it.

-Plan something. See if you can get a friend to meet you to hang out (or zoom) or maybe for dinner. For yourself, maybe find a movie to go see (post pandemic). Preferably find something that has a set time.

For panics:

- Square breathing. Breathe in for 5, hold for 5, breath out for 5, hold for 5. Repeat.

-There are a ton of meditations on youtube. Search "5 minute meditation" and you'll find a ton of videos.

-After the initial panic is over try calling a friend. If you can't for some reason (sometimes it's 3 am or your friend isn't available), try finding some cat videos on youtube. I highly recommend Cole and Marmalade. Something light that will get your brain on something else.

For Executive Dysfunction:

-Remove steps to putting things away. For awhile in school, I would have a mess of papers that weren't organized or put away because I was trying to use a binder. As silly as it sounds, having to neatly align paper holes or got find a place to punch those holes, would prevent me from putting things away. So I switched to folders. Suddenly I stopped losing things and my papers were organized.

-Bullet journaling. Or rather, I just have a little notebook where I put all my to do lists, grocery lists, project planning, brainstorming, etc. I don't properly Bullet Journal (TM) but I keep all my lists in one spot and it helps.

-To do lists in general. Writing out steps to get something done. Cross things out when you finish them. You get a better sense of accomplishment.

-When executive dysfunction is preventing you from getting out of bed, break it down. Step one, sit up. Step 2, swing legs over side. Step 3 stand up.

-Same with any task. If it seems too overwhelming or you just can't bring yourself to do it, it might be because you are looking at all the steps and feeling it's too much. So just think about the first one.

-Alarms and reminders. I put everything on a calendar in my phone. Google Calendar allows you to set a reminder for events days, weeks, hours, and minutes ahead. You can also set alarms for things like "I know I need to leave at 3 for the appointment, so I am going to set an alarm for 2:45 to start getting ready." Do not rely on yourself to look at the clock. YOU WILL NOT LOOK AT THE CLOCK IN TIME.

-Set the dang alarm clock across the room. That way, you gotta get out of bed to turn it off. Once out of bed, go take any meds, or if you don’t have meds, go do a small morning task. Usually doing this small task is enough to get me awake enough to not get back into bed. If I do, well, at least I have taken my meds. 

Sensory Issues:

- Fitted sweat pants and hiking pants. I can’t stand tight clothing, but I want to look presentable. Sweatpants that taper can still look decent. Travel pants or hiking pants (you can find these at places like REI), basically look like slacks but are made out of stretchy material. They also usually are made out of quick dry material which is nice. 

-Fidget and sensory toys. I really like hedgehog rings which have these little spikes on them I can run my thumb over. Also the tangle. I have a tangle that has a rubber coating that has little bumps on it. What you end up liking might differ, but those are two of my favorite. Also, if anyone gives you shit about these, you can explain “it’s sorta like a stress ball, but instead you [whatever you do with this fidget toy].” 

-Ear plugs. I wear these a lot because I have particular issues with sounds, especially certain ones. I prefer either silicone gummy ones or I like these that are “slim” because they don’t make my ears hurt. You can also get musician ear plugs that are made for musicians to protect their hearing, but still be able to hear tones and what is going on, for when sound is simply too load (also good for concerts). 

For General ADHD things: 

-Work somewhere different. This is a bit limited due to the pandemic currently, but just working at the kitchen table instead of your bedroom can help. In college, I used to go to the library to work. Just the idea that I was going to someplace specific to do a specific task, helped me actually get started. 

-Promise yourself that you will work for 10 minutes. Set an alarm if needed. Usually just starting will make the task seem less intimidating. If 10 minutes is too much, do 5. 

-Cardio. Get your self moving. This is good for a lot of things, but I highly recommend it for before you have to sit down to work on a task, like school work. I personally run, but if that’s not your thing dance, a class, walking, biking, etc. Just whatever you like. 

-Time dependent things are good to get yourself going. Again, this is limited by the pandemic, but for normal times, can you meet a friend for breakfast? Can you schedule your appointment so you have to get to it before you start work? When I was in college, I used to go to morning gym classes before my first class of the day. This got me up and if I was 5 minutes late, it was better to do that for a gym class than a physics class. Bonus because it was exercise and I could focus better on the class. 

-In classes, try to find a notes buddy or study group. That way, if you zoned out a moment, you can ask them for the notes from that section and vice versa. Also, meeting up with them is a great way to have a set time to study. 

For General Anxiety/ Depression: 

-This is going to sound cheesy as fuck, but: Make a list for what you are good at. Things you like about yourself. Things you have accomplished. They don’t have to be super deep, but can be. Do you like your nose? Can you paint your nails well? Are you good at understanding your cat? Are you good at writing? Drawing? Did you overcome a bad test and still manage to pass a class?  If you have a friend or significant other that you are comfortable with, ask them to help maybe. Keep this list for when you feel like shit. 

-Yoga. I’m sorry to put this on here because it seems like the most neurotypical advice, but. I honestly love this shit. If you haven’t given it a shot, there’s a reason why people like it. You don’t have to belong to a gym to try it. I highly recommend Yoga with Adrienne. She has some great beginner videos. 

-Take breaks from social media and news as needed. Seriously. You are a single person and can’t fix everything. Do what you can (share the information, make a donation, join in mutual aid efforts, etc.) but doom scrolling and obsessing won’t help anyone. If you won’t do it for yourself, consider that burning yourself out will make you unable to help later on. 

-Create things. They don’t have to be amazing. Crocheting, knitting, drawing, writing, etc. Having something that you can look at and be like “I made that” is really satisfying. Youtube has some great tutorials for pretty much anything. For drawing, I really like Proko. He has some great videos on drawing faces. But again: IT DOESN’T NEED TO BE GOOD. 

General Resources/ Advice:

-If you are currently in college, most campuses will have groups for counseling and even limited one on one sessions. Usually, these counseling groups are free and the one on one sessions can help you find a counselor nearby. 

-How to ADHD. Seriously I love this youtube channel. She goes over how ADHD affects the brain and has seriously helped me understand it better. 

-The Trevor Project. For LGBTQ teens and youth. They have a hotline and many other resources.  

-If what is stopping you from getting therapy is the idea that you are being dramatic/ are not that bad/ others have it worse: Go get therapy. What are we going to do, find the one person who has it the worst off than anyone and only they are allowed to feel bad and get help? Screw that. Get some help. 

-Remember that there are good things in your future. Where ever you are in life, you have something positive in your future, even if you don’t know it yet. One day, there will be a moment when you look back on the dark times and be so glad you didn’t give up. 

-Obligatory: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/  (1-800-273-8255). This is national suicide prevention lifeline, for the US. They can help. 

-https://www.crisistextline.org/ For when you don’t like phone calls, try texting instead. Has US, Canada, UK, and Ireland numbers. 

[coffeeforpedro]

Chapter 1 of Running Away

Tw: a bit of a toxic relationship but it will get worse, my bad english?

Word count: around 600/700 words

Fluff/smut/angst: fluff and toxic relationship

(This is in the HP universe BUT most of these Charakters dont really exist in the books/movies)

------------

„Yn!“ Marleen screamed and i looked back to see the slytherin girl running towards me.

”Tom is looking for you YN, if i was you, i would go to him, he seems pretty mad because he cant find you”

I gasped, thanked her with a nood and nearly sprinted through the hallways. I hope he didnt hurt anyone yet i thought to myself and bumed into Mike.

”Oh hey, YLN!” Mike Stewards, he is like the biggest asshole i have ever met and i HATE him.

”Sorry Stewards, but i have to find my Boyfriend, have you seen him?” i asked and starred directly into his eyes, he didnt seem intimidated at all by it but he nooded to the door next to us.

”He was going to look in your common room YLN, so i would say you beginn there“ He smiled at me and showed his perfect white teeth.

”thanks” i mumbled, went with my hand through my YHC hair and went through the door.

After a short walk through the halls and a stop by the teachers room, i got to my common room.

”YN! There you are!” Tom came running towards me

”I panicked because you werent at Breakfast, Darling” he stroked over my hair and kissed my temple while he whispered sweet nothings into my ear.

”Tom, i told you yesterday that i wanted to sleep longer because i didnt slept well the night before.” i rolled my eyes and got out of his arms to look at him.

”Oh…yea…looks like i forgot” he mumbled and took me into his arms again.

”why do you smell like Stewards” he said with a disgusted look on his face,

”oh yea, i met him in the hallway when i was looking for you and he layed a arm around me” i knew that i didnt even smelled like him but Tom just sensed that i was together with Stewards.

”i hate him…” Tom said angry between his teeth

”I know Tom, everyone does…Maybe we should get out of this commom room, what do you think?” Tom looked around as if he had forgotten were we were and starred at the first year girl who just came in.

”yea maybe thats a good idea” he looked angry at the girl, took my hand and pulled me out of the room, through the hallways and out on the way near the forest were he sat down and pulled me with him.

”you know that you arent supposed to be away from me for that long” He pouted and layed down his head on my legs, i stroked through his hair.

”Tom i just slept a little longer, no need to get that angry, sometimes i really get afraid.” i shoke my head and he sat up

”Afraid? Why would you get afraid?” he starred at me irritaded and confused

”You can get… a little overprotective sometimes and i just dont want you to hurt anyone just because you love me. We both are in the same class, you know that i learned how to defend myself, maybe you could just…” he stopped me midsentence

”…Not be so overprotective, YN you have to understand that i just want you to be safe and…not have to be afraid of anything.” i just nooded and kissed his cheek.

”Okay Tom, lets get back to the Castle okay? Im a bit hungry.” I smiled at him and took his hand.

He smiled back at me, stood up and layed an arm around my shoulders. ”Everything you wish for Princess.”

---------------

At that point i couldnt even imagine, what Tom one day would become.

---------

*YN= your name

YLN= your last name

YHC= your hair colour

Tag list:

@mysticapples17

@runawayolives

@dyna-m1ght

[sirfrogsworth]

When I was first learning photography I scoured the internet looking for tutorials to help me. Some resources were good. Some were very unhelpful. But there was one online instructor that continually helped me level up. And it was this British bloke, Karl Taylor. 

Karl does mostly commercial photography. A mix between fashion and product photography. He has some of the fanciest equpiment I’ve ever seen. I used to drool over his medium format Hasselblad (they made the camera that went to the moon). And he had the most incredible studio lights. But he showed me, when it came down to it, you didn’t need all that to create something beautiful. His lessons translated to even the most modest equipment. And even though his photography is of perfume bottles and fashion models, he still teaches you how to do it all. In fact, learning how to light a perfume bottle can help you learn how to light people. It’s all connected. 

Photography is a mix between the technical and the artistic. And it was that combination that really appealed to me. I love gadgets and I love creating. But sometimes photography instructors will favor one or the other and say one doesn’t matter that much. But I think you need to know the fundamentals of how your camera and lenses work. And you need to know the fundamentals of composition and the art of “making” a picture. Karl is great at just giving you the important bits of both. He doesn’t bog you down with loads of technical details. Nor does he go off on artsy-fartsy tangents. He gives simple instruction on how to make something beautiful with a camera.  And I think I learned more from him than anyone else. 

The other great thing about Karl is how much room to grow there is with his education. Most online resources just teach the basics. It’s all Photography 101. They know that most people stop there. Either photography doesn’t suit them, they’ve become bored with it, or they just don’t have the time to learn anything else. 

I thought, “Okay, I know how to shoot in manual mode, now what?” And every tutorial was like, “Here’s what the shutter button does!” I was frustrated that so few were willing to teach more advanced material. But there isn’t always a lot of money in more advanced instruction. I found myself understanding the basics very well and ready to move on, and it was challenging finding someone to teach me the harder stuff. How to shape light. How to control every aspect of a photo. How to take anything I had in my brain and make it a reality. 

Then I saw some of Karl’s photos. And they kind of blew my mind. I mean, even his product photos of lipstick were incredible. Look at those light gradients!

I thought some of it was computer renders, but his mastery of lighting is just that good. He just made anything he put in front of the camera look amazing. 

I wanted to know how to do that!

And to my surprise, Karl was like, “Here’s exactly how to do that!”

He’s basically a photography Jedi who decided to upload how to use the force on the internet.

Karl has a beginner's course (see video above) which he just made free. And it is great. It will get you started. But if you finish that and are thirsty to learn more, his education website is amazing. Tons of videos of how to do any level of photography you desire. Beginner, intermediate, and as advanced as it gets. And he is constantly adding more education to the site. 

Just remember not to get intimidated by his equipment. He’s basically using Ferrari level gear. But I promise it can all translate to more modest stuff. You can get Godox lighting or Yongnuo flashes and still take what you’ve learned and apply it on a smaller scale. Even if you just want to do natural light photography with a cheap DSLR, he’s got instruction for that too.

Plus, it is really fun seeing the expensive stuff in action. His Death Star light modifier is cool as hell. 

I know this all sounded like a paid advertisement, but I promise I just want people to know about the best photography education resource on the internet. (In my opinion.) 

As I said, his beginner course is free and it will help you hit the ground running. After that, you can pay a modest monthly fee for access to all of his education. I know the free stuff out there may seem tempting, but I promise you will advance more quickly with Karl than aimlessly hunting for tutorials on YouTube that may or may not be good. And if you think you may want to learn studio lighting at some point, there is no one better to teach you. 

I hope this was helpful to someone. And I hope Karl leads you down an amazing photography journey. 

Before I got too sick to photograph things, I did get to use what he taught me to do the red dress in the middle of nowhere photo that I loved so much. 

So I’ll always be grateful to Karl for teaching me how to do that.

[some-cookie-crumbz]

Not for the ship but for the hilarious scenario: Mina takes Todorki out for ballroom dancing lessons. Todoroki is really good as it turns out, and Mina comments “Todoroki you’re on fire”, to which she means that he accidentally activated his left side

This idea was absolutely adorable and I honestly could’t resist!!! I took a few liberties regarding the circumstances for the class but I hope you still enjoy this!

As far as Todoroki Shoto was concerned, he was only there out of necessity. 

Part of being a Pro Hero was the occasional glitzy, black tie events that involved the paparazzi, ridiculously exotic dishes and - worst of all - dancing. Shoto didn’t necessarily hate dancing. Fuyumi had taken some dance classes when they were younger and he’d enjoyed the few moments of reprieve where he was allowed to watch her work through complicated steps. It was something be found admirable, but not exactly something he’d want to participate in himself. When the cultural festival rolled around, he’d been more than content with his position on the effects team as opposed to the dance team. That wasn’t to say he thought that dancing was pointless or anything of the sort. He had watched how hard the dance team had worked in their rehearsals and knew how taxing the craft could be. He had the utmost respect for people that enjoyed doing dance as either a hobby or a profession. It just wasn’t something he was particularly interested in learning for himself.

But then his father insisted he look into taking some classes for the sake of appearances.

Fuyumi had been quick to suggest a dance studio he could take the classes at. The only stipulation had been that he would need to find a partner of his own. When he had thought about it, asking one of his classmates made the most sense. They’d be about his age, his height, and could probably benefit from the classes as well.

And once he determined that, figuring out who to ask became a rather simple task.

“Huh, not nearly as ritzy as I thought this place would be,” Ashido commented as they approached the dance studio. Her arms were folded behind her back as she took a step closer to the door, tilting her head this way and that to get a better look at it. Ashido, as the cultural festival revealed, was the best dancer among them. It only made sense that she’d make for a good partner in a class like this. “Since your family is rolling in the big bucks, I figured it’d be one of those hoity-toity kind of places. Like, the kind where they’d yell about ‘the culture’ of dance if you missed a step.”

He shrugged. “A friend of my older sister teaches the class we’re here for,” he said before moving past her to open the door. He held it so Ashido could slip in first before following her.

The young woman at the front desk perked up and smiled brightly at them. “Hello there! How can I help you kids?”

“We’re here for the ballroom class led by Hitsugaya-San,” he said.

She blinked and tilted her head. “Ah, excellent! What are your names?” she hummed, grabbing a clipboard from the small wall behind her. After verifying they were on the roster, she pushed up from her seat. “I’ll lead you up. You’re going to be on the second floor, in studio room C. I believe Hitsugaya-San’s already in there doing warm-ups with the other early arrivals.”

As they followed her up, Ashido leaned over to Todoroki. “Hey, Todoroki-Kun, this instructor isn’t gonna be, like, super strict, is she?” she asked quietly, seeming a bit uneasy. That seemed rather out of character for her.

“I’m not sure,”

“But you said she’s a friend of your sister!”

He blinked slowly and stared at her. “Yes, she is,”

“So you’ve met her, right?”

“Once or twice. Again, she is my sister’s friend; not mine,” he said patiently. He tilted his head at how Ashido ran a hand through her pale pink curls and groaned quietly. “If you’re worried, you shouldn’t be. This is a beginner’s class. I doubt it will be too difficult. Besides, you’re a talented dancer.”

“I’m good when I’m doing my own thing!” she lamented, peeking at him.

Their guide stopped in front of a door. “Here you are, you two. Have fun!” she said before scampering off.

Shoto, however, turned his attention back to his classmate and frowned. “I don’t understand why you’re so worried. You have a great sense of rhythm, excellent timing, you choreographed the entire cultural festival routine… Why would a dance class be so intimidating? Because it’s a more classical style of dance?”

“I just told you… I do better when I can just do what feels right, you know? I’m terrible at following directions! I hate being restricted in how I can handle something!” she confessed, fidgeting her fingers.

“But you aren't,” he said, tilting his head slightly. Sometimes he didn’t really understand his classmates but this seemed like a strange one. “We’ve been in countless situations where your ability to take charge and know when to stand down have proven helpful. Not only to you, but to our class as a whole. It’s not that you can’t follow directions, it’s just that you know when you should and shouldn’t. I think that’s an admirable skill to have.”

The other stared at him for a moment before she let out a small chuckle and shook her head. “Geez, do you really have to be the package deal, Todoroki? Handsome and encouraging is such a lethal combination,” she said.

He wanted to argue with her that he wasn’t really all that attractive, but she opened the door and headed inside, grabbing his wrist and dragging him along with her. When they entered, a woman about Fuyumi’s age with maroon hair and bright purple bangs glanced over at them. She smiled as she walked over. “Ah, hello again, Shoto-Kun. I take it this is one of your school friends?” she asked, settling one hand on her hip.

“Hello, Hitsugaya-San,” he answered with a small nod. He then indicated the horned girl beside him with one hand. “This is Ashido Mina.”

“Um, hi. Thanks for letting us join your class, Hitsugaya-Sensei,” Ashido said with a nervous waggle of her fingers.

The other laughed at that. “Oh, goodness, hun! Don’t call me Sensei! That sounds way too stuffy!” She flicked the end of her ponytail over her shoulder casually as she spoke. “You guys can just call me Akiko-San, okay? I’m not gonna sweat about formalities like my mom and the other instructors do. Besides, you two know Fuyumi, so I can let it slide. For now, just line up along the mirror and do some stretches. Let me know if you need help figuring out how to stretch, but I think you know what to do.”

“Thank you,” Shoto said as they headed to join the others. After a few minutes of warm-ups and a few more students showing up, Akiko finally called them all together to get started. Another instructor had come in to join her, the pair of them giving the beginners a rundown of the basic steps they’d need to know for that lesson.

As they took the floor together, adapting to the steps they were shown, it became clear that Ashido was a natural at it. Shoto was grateful as she kept up with him, their steps perfectly timed and in sync. The longer they worked through their movements, though, the more she relaxed and started to have fun. Akiko took the time to even praise them for how they were doing when they broke away to do a small habit of ad-libbing in their motions, Mina taking the lead.

“You two are catching on quick! Might need to bump the pair of you up to the intermediate class!” Akiko giggled, clapping her hands as they pulled off a quick side step leading to Shoto dipping her.

Shoto had to be honest with himself; he enjoyed this one-on-one session with Ashido. He’d always known her from their class work, sure, but she was much more a member of Bakugo’s begrudging circle of friends while Shoto himself tended to spend his free time with Midoriya, Uraraka, Iida and Yaoyorozu. From the few interactions they had, he knew she clearly cared about the people around them and wanted to be a Pro Hero from a place of passion. He found that admirable. Outside of the cultural festival, however, he hadn’t really taken the time to get to know her better. And, to put it bluntly, he realized that she was just fun to be around. Her energy was just one of enjoying whatever she was doing and it was infectious, leaving him to have a blast himself.

It was nice and reminded him of a time long ago when he was always as carefree as he was dancing at that moment with Ashido leading him along the floor.

Mina herself giggled and Shoto felt a small smile turn up on his own lips. “Your feet are on fire, Todoroki!” she said.

“Thank you, Ashido. Your own movements are rather incredible as well,” he said, pivoting his body to allow them both to stand upright again.

She opened her mouth to say something else but gasped. “T-Todoroki! You’re really on fire!”

He blinked before glancing at his shoulder in surprise, a small flame blazing up and starting to make quick work of his shirt. “Shoto-Kun! Put it out!” Akiko yelped, scrambling back to flail a clipboard she’d had for checking who was in attendance at a nearby smoke detector.

He covered his other hand in a thick veil of ice and clapped it down on his shoulder a few times, dozing the flames before the smoke alarms could go off. His shirt, however, was now missing the entire sleeve. “Ah… Sorry, Akiko-San,” he muttered quietly.

She let out a small sigh and shook her head at him. “I swear, you teens these days are something else. Let me see if we have a spare shirt you can change into real fast, okay?” she chided lightly before turning to speak to the other instructor. Presumably about finding a replacement shirt for him.

He glanced over to see Ashido covering her mouth with one hand while the other wrapped around her middle, muffled giggles and snorts escaping her. “You give the phrase ‘burning down the dance floor’ a whole new meaning, Todoroki!” she laughed, throwing her head back to release a few louder peals of laughter.

And Shoto chuckled himself. If this was what having friends was like, he was glad his walls had dropped.