#Breaking the Magician's Code

[nevesmose]

Can I be a huge nerd about a piece of writing that has had a very big influence on my own style?

It's from an alternate history timeline called Protect and Survive that was posted between 2010 and 2013 which can be viewed chapter by chapter here. In summary, it deals with the before during and after of nuclear war breaking out in 1984 with a focus on what happens in the UK but some diversions to the US and Europe as well.

It's a very bleak story inspired by Threads which is something I've yapped about many times and, stylistically, by David Peace's novel GB84. But that's not super important really - I hadn't read anything by David Peace before I read Protect and Survive so, to me, it feels emotionally like the origin point of a lot of the tools it uses.

I recommend the whole thing but what I want to focus on is the fifth chapter in which the nuclear attack actually happens. It's not that long so give it a read if you'd like to but then come back because I have lots of things to say about how it tells its story.

Back yet? Good. Depressed yet? Yeah. There's so much worse.

Anyway, to begin at the beginning:

The Fire Brigade may not be able to reach you.

Each main chapter title and opening line comes from the real life Protect and Survive publications that would have been distributed in the lead-up to nuclear war. So they're the framework for the story and almost always used in a way that illustrates how optimistic and/or deliberately deceptive each piece the advice is. For example here we've already been shown in an earlier chapter that all the emergency services have been withdrawn from likely target areas in order to preserve them for the aftermath. The Fire Brigade is not coming, ever. You really think the government would do that, just go out and tell people lies? 🤔

The Constable didn't see the mushroom cloud. He'd made for a shop's cellar the second he heard the siren. He had pushed people out of his way to get there. When it hit, he wet himself.

The Shopkeeper didn't see the mushroom cloud. He'd been down in the shelter since the siren went - his wife had frozen up, the silly bitch, but he'd got her into the shelter.

The County Controller didn't see the mushroom cloud. When the warning came in he thought of his grandchildren and burst into tears. When the bomb shook the very foundations of his basement bunker, he hit his head and passed out.

The Old Man and his Wife didn't see the mushroom cloud. They saw the flash, though. They never saw anything ever again.

I love love love the rhythmic list-like format here that is telling us what the various POV characters we've met so far are doing at the moment the bomb hits. There's a regular beat all beginning with the same phrase and all telling us what the various characters are doing with the use of the most relevant details to give us insight into their character through their thoughts and actions.

The Constable is a very scared young man far out of his depth and behaving accordingly. The Shopkeeper was in the shelter and although he made sure his wife got in too he still thinks of her as a silly bitch for freezing up which is indicative of his ruthlessness. The County Controller who is supposed to be safe in a bunker, exerting control over everyone else, is still just a individual person whose thoughts are of his own family and, in any case, ends up having his "safety" completely subverted when it KOs him at the vital moment.

And then, speaking of subversion, we get to the last paragraph which plays the kind of bait-and-switch I will never ever stop using because it always works to throw off the reader and make them feel, however unconsciously, unsettled by what's being described because the pattern has been broken which is jarring on a very instinctual level.

They saw the flash, though. That itself is further unsettling because it's phrased like a helpful, positive kind of conversational interjection when the descriptions of the others have been much more clinical and functional. And what it's describing is anything but positive.

They never saw anything ever again. And so we have another quick change not just of tone, going from a statement about what they did see to what they won't ever again, but also in terms of scale. In the space between sentences we've zoomed out from a description of one single event that did happen to literally the entirety of time in which something will never happen.

I'll give you a little spoiler here too when I say that this is also foreshadowing that will come back to haunt us later. We aren't being lied to or anything, it's just that the only specific information being given to us here is that they never saw anything ever again. It means exactly what it says, no more and no less, but coming to it for the first time it's easy to read it as just a roundabout way of saying "they died". This is a very effective trick to mess with people.

As it happened, the fears of a 'four-minute warning' were unfounded. From detection to impact, the first missile to hit the UK took just over five and a half minutes. Airbursting near RAF Scampton, this burning cloud marks the start of the Russian attempt to neutralise Britain's bomber fleet through short - range submarine launched missile attacks. Although the EMP arising from such attacks plays havoc with air-traffic control and navigation, it is not enough to stop the V-Bombers. These crews have trained for thirty years so that these few moments are survivable. The Vulcans and Victors are already off the ground. They have their orders. The 'go' order (Britain's submarines are launching, too) was not issued by the Prime Minister - she will be dead within two minutes of the Scampton attack. In fact, two separate 'go' orders are relayed. The Deputy Prime Minister (already deep underground in CHANTICLEER) is a 'Nuclear Deputy' - he gives the order almost before the tearful radio operator finishes his dispatch. The Air Chief Marshall, steaming around an undisclosed location on HMY Britannia, gives the same order some thirty-five seconds later. This is academic however; by this point, flight suits have sprinted across tarmac and are checking their aircraft as if in fast-motion. Beneath the waves, the 'doomsday letter', handwritten by the PM, has already been opened with shaking hands. It consists simply of two words - 'Strike Back.' We do.

Look how much this section is a big, solid wall of text compared to what's come before. It's the kind of detached factual description you'd get in a Tom Clancy novel with lots of acronyms and technical terms being thrown around in long, detailed sentences with lots of different clauses, hopping quickly from idea to idea, person to person, and place to place as a large number of different things happen all at once. The fact that RAF Scampton has actually been hit, with all of the suffering that entails, is kind of lost in the middle of the big flurry of activity happening.

My favourite part is "these crews have trained for thirty years so that these few moments are survivable" - once again we have a zoom effect but it's a zoom in this time, collapsing down from thirty years into the very short, busy space of time that this section is conveying to us.

I also find this part really interesting:

The 'go' order (Britain's submarines are launching, too) was not issued by the Prime Minister - she will be dead within two minutes of the Scampton attack.

Like I mentioned before, this section is portraying so many things happening all at once, so much so that the tone starts to get almost breathless as what the submarines are doing has to get compressed into brackets within a larger sentence.

And then we get some more little meaningful word choices, like sometimes it's a lot more effective to describe what isn't happening rather than what is. "The 'go' order was not issued by the Prime Minister" is a really effective way of communicating the idea "something is going wrong here and things are not as they should be" and then in the next bit of the sentence we find out why - "she will be dead within two minutes of the Scampton attack." Not only is it another indicator of how quickly the different events are all piling on each other but saying "she will be dead" brings in a feeling of inevitability, of events being outside anyone's control.

For comparison, you could convey much the same information by saying something like "the 'go' order was given by the Deputy Prime Minister, underground at CHANTICLEER, since the Prime Minister died within two minutes of the Scampton attack." But I feel like it loses so much of the sense of chaos and events blurring together, in flux but coalescing inevitably towards an end point that will happen soon.

No-one is quite sure what's going on with Her Majesty.

Communications across the UK are severely disrupted by the first bomb. And the second. And the third.

The panic, the vomit

The dust and the screaming

The big bombs hit the cities.

London gets ten.

In isolation this part looks almost like a poem doesn't it? Things are suddenly very disjointed and staccato compared to the long sentences we just had. The repetition of "the first bomb, and the second, and the third" is good here, piling one upon the other.

And as it goes on even the word choices reflect how much things are breaking down - "the big bombs hit the cities" and "London gets ten" are both infantile ways of describing it. Like the events have robbed everyone of any control they have, turning them into powerless babies panicking and vomiting and screaming as things happen that they can barely comprehend. There are no more highly trained people rushing around doing well-prepared things like we just had. And I like the almost embarrassed tone of "no-one is quite sure what's going on with Her Majesty" as though this was the comically belated last rational thought someone had before the end. We do find out eventually by the way.

I'm not going to go through the whole thing in this level of detail but the first sections of the chapter are doing a huge amount of work very effectively and I wanted to make sure I talked about all the things I noticed.

Newcastle is 'spared' a direct hit - the megaton with its name on it undershoots, airbursting over a chip shop in Heddon, a few miles to the South-East.

I cannot over-emphasise how important it is that it mentions the bomb hitting a chip shop. I've been to Newcastle once in my entire life and I have never heard of Heddon so as a reader I don't have a very strong mental image of either place.

But I can imagine a chip shop, a mental image that comes ready-made with a long list of related memories and sensory inputs that I, as the reader, am doing all the work of remembering, connecting it to what I'm reading and making it feel real. I can remember the smell of the fryers and the taste of salt and vinegar on hot, fresh chips and I can see the tiny white drifts of spilled salt on the counter. And so when I read about the nuclear apocalypse hitting a chip shop I can form a very strong image of what that's like. And all this just from the choice to say that it happened to "a chip shop in Heddon" which is a really big impact from so few words.

The Central European front is now silent, save for the crackle of flames and the cries of young men - something of a ceasefire occurs, as there is no-one left to fight.

🚨"Something of an X" alert🚨 since I know this phrase and others like it are ones that I use very very often. Saying a thing is "something of a whatever" is a fantastic way to be ironic, funny, sarcastic, sad etc. A very useful tool. Like for example "the clown smooshing a pie into my face during my job interview was something of a surprise" or as in this case where it's not really any kind of ceasefire at all. It's just death.

First to go was his hair - it caught fire. His scalp melted and his teeth burst. His clothes became his skin and his skin became his clothes, and then both slid off his bones.

This is one of the scenes that has stuck with me ever since I first read it. One of the best, most effective ways of getting under people's skin (lol) with gory scenes is to mention specific things that everyone tends to find personal/intimate/vulnerable. Hair is good for this, as we can see here, but I have always been a big fan of mentioning teeth since it can make the reader think about something that unsettles them and more importantly have a kind of physical reaction to it right there as they're still reading. For example:

His teeth burst. Something I don't like makes my teeth itch. I had a dream where someone replaced all my teeth with marshmallows. All of her front teeth were broken during the crash.

I would be willing to bet the 12p of pocket change currently in my possession that at least one of those phrases made you just a little bit more conscious of your own teeth. Maybe you even poked at them with your tongue or something. Everyone can relate to bad things happening to teeth.

"His clothes became his skin and his skin became his clothes" is also a really evocative way of presenting it. The idea being conveyed is just "his skin and his clothes melted together" which is already pretty bad, but framing it as this cyclical exchange of each object transmutationally becoming the other makes it seem so much more drawn-out and torturous.

A screaming skeleton, caught burning in mid-air, the Cadet's last words are unintelligible, for his tongue has burned out. Although all this has occured in a fraction of an instant, relief still registers in the boy's brain as the coup de grace comes - the blastwave bursting his smouldering scarecrow like a locomotive through a snowman. His remains float up to meet the mushroom cloud like a letter up a chimney. No-one will ever speak about, or think about the Cadet from now until the end of time.

One of the first things that strikes me here is that there are quite a lot of hissing "S" sounds in play. It makes me think of something hissing away in a frying pan which is appropriate, considering. We also have another negative description of what isn't happening in the mention of his last words being unintelligible, and another use of a very large scale kind of zoom out when it says no one will ever think of him "from now until the end of time" just to illustrate the magnitude of how much both the Cadet and the world in which he lives are being destroyed, as though not only is he gone but so is everyone else who would ever be able to preserve his memory.

And the similes! Sometimes a very brutal, alien event needs a very brutal, alien comparison to fulfil the purpose of illustrating what is going on without offering any comfort to the reader. It's like if you say "the roasted xargbulox meat tasted like chicken" that gives familiarity to something strange and also brings in a little bit of the "chip shop" trick where you're using whatever real-life impressions and memories people have of what chicken tastes like to support the fictional thing being described.

Whereas I feel like "a locomotive through a snowman" gives illustration without comfort, instead of falling back on the reader's existing ideas it makes them put in the effort of getting out the metaphorical Lego set and combining locomotive + snowman to arrive at the desired mental image.

That's about all I've got so thanks for sticking with it if you did! There are lots more nifty stylistic bits as the story goes on. Bleak, though. Very bleak.

[dare-g]

*reveals your secrets*

[simply-a-void]

Down bad is such a quentin song and ill stand by this opinion. Like specifically q's relationships to brakebills and eliot separately.

[the-good-luck-anomaly]

[thezombiegeekinthehawaiianshirt]

[abigailthedreamer]

I cant say i even remember what i ate last week but you know what i do remember watching as a kid after school on YouTube?

I watched bro in a mask with his harem of girls (Who i’d bet Routinely pegged him every week) perform Magic tricks and show how they’re done and i ate that UP.

Also fun fact: Masked magician there was a childhood crush of mine, i think it was the mystique of the mask, the fact he sometimes did really dangerous tricks.

,,,,OR maybe sometimes he’d get caught up in the trick itself. I recall a switch-a-roo trick where one of the girls ended up swapping places with him and he was chained up and kid me was like:

Edit Since I’m watching an episode now: I get it was normal for the time, But damn the narrator is so pervy with the girls! Always on about their ‘Sex-Appeal’ as if they’re not the one’s carrying these tricks.

If anything, the Masked magician is the Sex-Appeal here/j

[astra-ravana]

Combat Magick: The Art Of Mystical Warfare

Combat magick is the practice of using metaphysical and energetic techniques for defense, offense, and strategic advantage in spiritual or psychic conflicts. It blends elements of protection, attack, and counterattack, often drawing upon personal will, energy manipulation, and ritual magick to influence outcomes in battles—whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.

Principles of Combat Magick

• Energetic Warfare – Combat magick works by manipulating energy to shield, attack, or neutralize threats. Practitioners learn to harness their own energy and direct external forces to achieve victory.

• Intent and Willpower – A strong will is essential in combat magick. The practitioner's intent determines whether their spells are defensive, retaliatory, or aggressive.

• Cleverness and Intellect - When it comes right down to it, your mind is the single best weapon in your arsenal. The practitioner should possess a some level of mental prowess before attempting combat magick.

• Ethical Considerations – While some use combat magick for self-defense, others employ it for baneful purposes. Some witches mayfollow guidelines such as the Threefold Law or personal codes of conduct that forbid the use of such workings.

Forms of Combat Magick

Defensive Magick (Shielding & Warding):

• Shielding: Creating energetic barriers around oneself or others to deflect attacks (psychic, emotional, spiritual).

• Warding: Placing protective symbols, sigils, or enchanted objects around spaces to prevent intrusion.

• Cleansing & Banishing: Removing negative influences through smoke cleansing, salt, sound, or sacred words.

Offensive Magick (Curses & Hexes):

• Curses & Hexes: Directing harmful energy toward an opponent to weaken, confuse, deter, or harm them.

• Energy Manipulation: Sending concentrated bursts of energy to disrupt an enemy’s balance.

• Elemental Combat: Calling upon fire, water, air, or earth to aid in magickal attacks.

Counterattacks & Reversal Magick:

• Mirror Spells (Return to Sender): Reflecting an attack back to it's source.

• Unbinding & Curse Breaking: Severing unwanted energetic ties or removing hostile spells.

• Reversal Magick: Redirecting negativity away from oneself and sending it elsewhere.

Tools & Techniques Used in Combat Magick

• Sigils & Symbols – Used for protection, strength, or attack. Examples include Algiz (protection), Mars glyphs (aggression).

• Herbs & Crystals – Protective plants like blackthorn, vervain, or dragon’s blood; stones like obsidian, hematite, or black tourmaline. Baneful components include herbs like datura, calamus, belladonna or Spanish moss and stones like opal, sardonyx, and garnet.

• Blood & Personal Energy – Some warriors of the craft may infuse spells with personal essence or their own blood to strengthen the magick.

• Chanting & Incantations – Words of power can amplify intent and activate spells more effectively.

• Astral Combat – Fighting in the spiritual realm through visualization, dream work, or projection. This can help you catch your target in a vulnerable position and quickly gain the upper hand.

Who Uses Combat Magick?

• Witches & Sorcerers – Those who practice both light and dark magick for protection or justice.

• Psychic Warriors & Energy Workers – Individuals who engage in spiritual defense against negative entities or forces.

• Shamans & Spirit Walkers – Practitioners who deal with hostile spirits or supernatural threats as well as those performing exorcisms.

• Chaos Magicians – Those who employ sigils, servitors, and energy constructs for their warfare.

Combat magick is not for the faint of heart—it requires discipline, mastery of energy work, and deep self-awareness. While it can be a powerful tool for protection and justice, it should always be wielded with wisdom and responsibility. Whether defending against psychic attacks or engaging in mystical battles, combat magick remains an essential part of the spiritual warrior’s arsenal.

[lizardsfromspace]

Between 1997 and 1998, Fox aired a series of popular specials called Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed, in which a masked magician revealed how magic tricks were done. I think it was the most popular special out of all of the many, many, many Fox reality specials in the 90s and early 00s. Bigger than Alien Autopsy! Bigger than When Cars Attack! It made a lot of magicians mad.

In the final special (with the original host, they did another in 2002 and then a whole series later on) they revealed the masked magician's identity. It was an incredible, suspenseful moment. They revealed the magician was...

...SOME GUY!!!

Love the lack of explanation. It's Valentino! Y'all know Valentino, right? No need to introduce Valentino! A man whose Wikipedia page informs us "redirecting to Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed". First names are not necessary here. Not in the wondrous world of Valentino.

[allmondbuttergirl]

pick a pile - Advice from BTS: Hyung Line

༘⋆ Before you begin, take a moment to center yourself and reflect on your current journey. Trust that the universe has a plan for you, and the messages you receive today are here to help guide you towards your next steps. Pick an image whose energy you're drawn to the most. ⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖

──── ୨୧ ──────── ୨୧ ──────── ୨୧ ──────

✧ Pile One — Jin

This is so Jin-coded. Like that older brother energy who says something hilarious one minute and then hits you with the most grounding, protective life advice the next — with a side of “don’t be dumb, you deserve better.”

🧿 What the Cards Say: Two of Wands · Ace of Pentacles · Queen of Swords

He is asking you to stop waiting for permission. You’re standing at a threshold, holding a dream in one hand and hesitation in the other. He says, "“Choose yourself. Begin something that will last.” You’re being guided to plant a new seed — a project, belief, or way of living — rooted in clarity and purpose. But do it from a place of wisdom, not emotional reactivity. There’s something regal in how Jin’s energy shows up here — calm, clever, discerning. Vision is nothing without grounding. And you don’t need everyone to agree with your path — only to walk it with your whole heart.

✨ Jin's Advice: “You have more potential than you’re letting yourself believe. Take the leap — you’re ready. Build something real. Stay smart, stay grounded, and don’t forget to protect your energy along the way.”

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

✧ Pile Two — J-Hope

…this is SO Hobi, but like his deeper, more introspective self — the side people sometimes overlook beneath the sunshine.

🧿 What the Cards Say: Four of Swords · The Hermit · The Magician

J-Hope shows up not as the eternal sunshine — but as your guide into sacred stillness. He asks, “Have you paused long enough to hear your own voice again?” There’s healing here — the kind that happens when you step away from noise, from hustle, from the need to be “on.” In the quiet, you rediscover your tools. Your soul is the magician — resting, reflecting, then rising. The lesson: Silence isn’t absence — it’s preparation. You don’t have to force the next chapter. Rest, and your power will return to you tenfold.

✨ J-Hope's Advice: "Take the break. It’s okay to go quiet. That silence is sacred — it's where you'll remember who you are. And when you're ready, use all that you've learned to create something only you can. You're more powerful than you think."

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

✧ Pile Three — SUGA

🧿 What the Cards Say: Eight of Wands · Queen of Cups · The Magician

It’s classic Yoongi. He’d never force you to rush healing, but he would encourage you to stop over-perfecting and just let your soul speak.

Yoongi’s energy rushes in like lightning through water. He whispers, "Move.Create.Feel Everything." Something is ready to come out of you — a truth, a creation, an emotional release. But you’ve been doubting your timing. SUGA says the timing is now. Your emotions don’t make you fragile — they make your art real. He says, "Use it." Your softness is not your weakness. Let your emotions lead you to something bold, fast, and true. The storm inside you is the spell.

✨ Suga's Advice: "Move fast when the spark hits. Don’t waste time doubting. Let your emotions be your fuel — not your chains. You’re not missing anything. You already have it all. Make something with it."

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

✧ Pile Four — RM

This is the Namjoon spread — like a handwritten poem he’d leave pressed between pages of a book.

🧿 What the Cards Say: Seven of Pentacles · The Tower · Six of Wands

Namjoon meets you at the intersection of patience and collapse. He says, "Don’t fear what’s falling apart — it’s clearing the way for who you’re becoming.” You’ve waited. You’ve tended your garden. But sometimes the walls still fall. The Tower here is sacred disruption — and he’s reminding you: this is not failure, it’s freedom. And when you rise — you’ll rise seen. You’re not behind. You’re transforming. Be brave enough to stand in the fire — because what comes after will be your liberation, your recognition, and your quiet triumph.

✨ Namjoon's Advice: "Be patient with your becoming. Don’t fear the fall — it’s carving the space for your truth. You will rise, and when you do, you’ll shine not because you were unshaken, but because you kept choosing to rebuild."

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

[betraumatizebaby]

I saw your post and have some incorrect quotes!

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

*Eurylochus and Elpenor are planning to crash Ody and Poseidon's "wedding"*

Eurylochus: We need to distract the guards.

Elpenor: Right.

Eurylochus: What are we gonna do?

Elpenor: I'm gonna break their elbows while you poke their eyes.

Eurylochus:

Elpenor:

Eurylochus: Deal.

(Spoiler: They did NOT save Odysseus and ended up married too)

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

Persephone: You don't need my blessing to go kiss Polites. In fact, I was pretty sure you were already kissing Polites!

Hades: Nope.

Persephone: In that case, as the archbishop of Hades's fully awakened Bidom, I give you my blessing to immediately leave and rectify that as soon as possible! Go now, my love, and kiss Polites right on the lips!!!

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

Hades, holding a rock: Polites just gave this to me and said "I feel like you deserve the moon but all I can give you is a rock".

Persephone: If you don't marry him, I will.

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

Odysseus, to Poseidon: I'll be under the mistletoe when I start feeling desperate!

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

(During the honeymoon)

The gods: I regret nothing!!!

The crew: I regret everything!!!

I Signed Up for a Quest Not a Wedding Registry! AU part two

Previous = Next

Let me continue this.

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

Eurylochus: This man is crazy, y'all. I've had him blocked on everything for weeks, yet he still manages to find ways to contact me—

(Hears something and turns around to look at a microwave. Yes, I know microwaves don't exist yet, but whatever.)

Eurylochus: Bro, this is what I'm talking about! Look, he's calling me on my microwave—how is that even… I didn't know microwaves could do—How is he doing that?

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

Poseidon: …. --- ..- --. …. / .. - .----. … / -. --- - / -- -.-- / ..-. .- ..- .-.. - --..-- / .. / .- .--. --- .-.. --- --. .. --.. . / ..-. --- .-. / -- -.-- / .- -.-. - .. --- -. …

Odysseus: What's that?

Poseidon: Remorse code.

Odysseus: …I'm even more angry now.

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

Dionysus: I had a dream where you were cheating on me last night. Explain yourself.

Elpenor: ?

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

Poseidon: Odysseus, let me in! I need to save you.

Odysseus: Save me from what?

Poseidon: From what I’m going to do to you if you don’t let me in.

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

Polites, walking into the underworld: Hello, people who do not live here.

Eurylochus: Hi.

Odysseus: Hello.

Elpenor: Hey!

Polites: I gave you the key to my house for emergencies only!

Odysseus: …We were hiding away from them.

Elpenor: Yeah, I need a break from Dionysus—for at least four days.

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

(Dionysus hands Elpenor a marriage certificate signed by him.)

Elpenor: What is…? How did you do this?

Dionysus: Come now, Elpenor. A magician never reveals his secrets.

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

Other Demigod: Seriously, what do you see in that guy? (referring to Polites)

Hades and Persephone: He makes us laugh.

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

Poseidon, after Hades judges him and the others for kidnapping a mortal and forcing them into a marriage: Why do you act like you didn't kidnap your lover and have two lovers?

Hades: Well, first of all, Zeus gave me permission to marry Persephone, and second, not only did Polites actually consent to the marriage, but Persephone allowed it to happen! Did your other wife agree to this?

Thank you for this incorrect quote, this made my days! Anyway please give me more ideas. I would love to hear your ideas and opinions for this AU!

[spirtualitywithlumi]

Jungkook’s Conversation Energy with his FS + Her Reaction ? (Some Channeled Dialogues)

Let’s break it all down like the cosmic gossip girl I am

Deck: The Lotus Tarot deck

✦ TAROT SPREAD

Judgement — Soul recognition, divine wake-up call The World — A fated ending-beginning cycle The Magician — Confident charm, he knows the vibe The Hanged Man — Hesitation, pause before boldness The Tower — Sudden chaos, emotional intensity Justice — Balance, karmic fairness

1. Judgement:

This is not your average "yo, wassup?" intro. Jungkook doesn’t even mean to approach her. Think: a moment of instant recognition, déjà vu, karmic pull. “Have we met before…?” with his inner voice loud AF saying: “That’s her.”

2. The World:

He clocks her whole vibe. She’s got main character energy, like she doesn’t need anyone to complete her. “You seem like you’ve got the whole world spinning around you… but are you always this alone in it?”- this is what her inner monologue might say to her the moment she meets JK.

3. The Magician:

Now this is where he flips the switch. Once he gets a read on her energy, he pulls out that Virgo-coded finesse. His words? Charming. Effortless. Intentional. “I don’t usually do this, but something told me I had to come talk to you.” He doesn’t come off cocky. It’s giving “I manifested this moment, so don’t move.”

4. The Hanged Man:

Once the convo begins, time literally feels like it slows down. They both feel suspended in that liminal space like the world around them fades. This is his deep eye-contact era, pausing before he speaks.

5. The Tower:

— plot twist. Something disrupts the flow. Either she says something raw that shakes him, or he just realizes this is it and it scares him. “You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met.”

“You seem like you’ve got the whole world spinning around you… but are you always this alone in it?” (or she might have said this out loud). There’s a spark of fear, maybe a "oh sh*t, this is serious" moment.

6. Justice:

And here comes the balance. After that Tower shock, he recalibrates. He chooses honesty, transparency, emotional accountability.

“I don’t know what this is yet… but I want to find out.” +

Her Reaction: The Tower, The Moon, The Sun.

Confusion. Confusion. Confusion

“He’s not just a fantasy. He’s light. Safe. Real.” From fear to warmth in 3 seconds flat. Her guard drops not because he forced it, but because his energy was that genuine.

a channeled dialogue of this first convo for the next blog ?

I got you 💋

✦ do you want a personal reading like this?

🌸 I offer:

Celebrity Tarot Reads (K-Pop, BTS, Actors) SP Manifestation Guidance Future Love + Shadow Work Spreads Moon-Coded Letter from Your Twin Flame Channeled Audio Readings + PDF Summaries ✧ First reading? Ask for a free pull!

—

📩 DMs Open: @xuexing-lumi Tumblr inbox

🖤 closing words from Lumi:

We ride or die, even through the mess. 💅 — Lumi, the Moon’s Bride 🌕💋

—

(ignore):

[childrenofcain-if]

Hiya author, hope ur health has gotten better! You've already written quite a lot and I'm sure nobody will blame u for taking a break while ur literally bedridden.

Sending u the very best wishes, rest well ❤️‍🩹

aw bonnie, thank you for very much for this sweet message. i swear y’all are gonna give me diabetes from such sweetness, but i’m not complaining.

luckily tho, i did get chapter three done by crawling to the chair again because if the creative juices are flowing, i am powerless to stop them 😔 so i have a pretty solid draft of the final product ready. imma get working on the music part to include in the update as well 😋

also, another piece of good news is that chapter two has been coded! alby is a magician and they’re way too proficient at sorting out my messed up google docs 💀 the chances of the next update being on/before halloween has been doubled, although i wouldn’t make any promises yet since chapter three is a fucking mammoth of different branchings as per the ROs you go with.

i hope everyone is resting well too and taking care of their health 🫶🏻

[monotonesmile]

The Scrap Animatronics in the Diner! (Character Bios under! ⬇️)

Afton: The one and only William Afton, no longer in his old, rotting suit, now in a soft, pastel Springbonnie suit, much to his annoyance and displeasure. He now works alongside Willow as her financial advisor, he has more experience with running a restaurant anyways. During the day, he is usually found near the front desk or in the back, he doesn’t like to interact with children or customers, so he avoids them at all cost, not that he could hurt any of them, Willow had implemented a safety protocol into his code that’ll shut him down if he touches anything that could be a weapon or if he gets violent. He is one of three animatronics with a soul.

Lefty: Ah yes, the mute magician bear, this Lefty happens to be an older model, not possessed by the now freed spirit of Charlie, he’s outfitted with the same systems and code every other animatronic has, making him just as animated and human-like. Unfortunately, no voice box was ever made to fit the Lefty model, so he’s mute, not that he minds, his expressions and body language say enough for him, plus, it’s nice to see mute or deaf kids get excited to see an animatronic with a similar disability to them, seeing their faces light up as he uses sign language is one of his favorite things. He’s the calmest of the group, mainly resigned to just watching the chaos in the background.

Molten: The mangled wire bear, one of the largest animatronics in the Diner, his wires make up the entire building's wiring, he sees and hears everything happening, making him the perfect security during night and day. Though, during the day, you’ll likely never see him unless you enter the bar, where his head is usually found, the regulars know him and he’s great to talk to! He’s oddly positive yet chaotic, always one to get in on the mischief caused by the others, but he’s all around a sweet bot. Just don’t break into the Diner, you might lose your head.

[bright-eyed-sinner]

Wizards: A Controversy

I acknowledge, full well, that I am going to step on some toes with this one. Some of what I'm about to say will definitely rub people the wrong way. Before I begin, I want to say that I agree wholeheartedly that my stance is uncommon, morally questionable, and faithless. I am not here to question your faith, nor your validity, however- only to express how I have coped with my own. I've said before that I self-identify as a wizard. Not a magician/magickian- ceremony isn't my tallest teacup. Not a witch- the line that determines what makes a witch can get shaky when you examine the claims of influential witchcraft figures. Not a sorcerer- my magic isn't inherently malfeasant. Not a druid- I love nature, but I fear the wild. I am a wizard, which to me, means two things: I am really good at knowing things that other people don't bother to learn; and I live in a world where idea and analogy are inherently tied to matter and action. I have a saying: "Wizards are not good con men- con men are just bad wizards." The reason I say this is because I don't believe in magick. I use the Crowleyan spelling here because for as much as I believe that I can affect the world tangentially, through symbolic words, art, and rituals- I know that's a result of interpretation. I am only using magic because that is what I have decided to acknowledge this practice as. And if I can get consistent results in that mindset, I don't need to look at it any deeper than that- most people will see the results and accept, at least, that "The Wizard Did It Somehow". And that's that. The public doesn't care how Granny Fitz makes her famous apple pie, it's still the best damn pie they've ever tasted. We magic-users all talk in a kind of advanced, unspoken-of code, I've found. Aphorism, analogy, and fable all blend to create this rich landscape of phrases that are all too easy to take literally. Running around the forest with friends to restore dopamine becomes 'a moonlit coven ritual.' An anxiety episode or a deep depression that we cannot explain becomes a 'spiritual attack.' Problem solving or brainstorming with a visual aid becomes 'divination.' Therapy is shadow work. Cleaning and airing out our homes is consecration. Doing arts and crafts to deal with a break up is cord-cutting. Stopping to acknowledge our needs for rest and a warm drink is meditation. Our hopes, ambitions, fears, and loves are gods. (Deity work primer post) It never stops. And just in case you're frothing at the mouth with rage that I would dare reduce your spirituality to this- I don't ever want it to. I don't ever think it should. We live through analogies and ideas, and they have re-enchanted our lives, uplifted our mental and physical health, and improved us as people- all because we give enough to ourselves and spaces that we are able to take back from them when we need to, in the form of comfort, and reminders, and something to do with ourselves when we have nothing else. Please know that I am making this post for the little magi, the reluctant wizards, the beautiful curious enchanters- it is so easy to fall prey to pseudoscience and cult behaviors, and equally easy to dismiss this entire thing as a LARP or a farce because "that's not how the world works." Be reasonable, with yourselves and others, I beg you. Let the magical live alongside the mundane, because the 'us and them' is exhausting for everyone involved. It is magic. It is amazing. It is real, valid, useful, moving, empowering, and beautiful. It is not a substitute for the world around you.

Blessings, with love from this long-winded madman.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

3x09-Apologies

A message to the audience? Meta part 1

"I dont know what but something else is happening."

It begins with Martin Scorsese discussing the art of filmmaking, and Marcus watches what looks to be a documentary about cinematic sleight of hand.

Martin Scorsese: The fantasy is what we’re doing now, right here in this room, with these lights and cameras and mirrors. Something else is existing there. I don’t know what, but there’s something happening. It’s not part of our normal day… literal nature of how we live… but we’re trying to create something different...

I'll consider this one of the many moments of breaking the fourth wall in the season and telling of the relationship between viewer and filmmakers. we also get another quote from magician Ricky Jay:

People frequently talk about how much more difficult it is to cheat in a card game than to perform good sleight of hand. But if you think about it, what makes magic different is that it’s inherently honest. You tell someone you’re gonna deceive them before you deceive them. In some way, that makes it more difficult.

I think this is speaking to the viewers. They're showing us one thing but meaning another- literally throughout the episode was like a magic code to crack (we'll talk code cracking part 2).

And before we get back to the story for episode 9 (which is annoyingly claire heavy with syd carmy moments) the creators tell us this:

Magic at its best for it truly to be a magical moment. It has to be spontoneous. It has to be something that just happens.

More later.