#Feb ideas -Cards

[kentnaturaltribrid]

Well, 11 more days till Valentine’s Day and since Halo is going to be 10 on October 12th, might as well finish the themes up. But for now lots more to finish. Lots of Feb things to still do and many more things left before then. So, for now it’s all just going to be quite busy.

~ Mola ‘Kudumee

P.S: since the 10th anniversary of Halo is coming up for the 12th of October might do something else if time allows and permits since there’s still lots left to do before then. Quite busy week it might end up being then.

Also, for now just a lot more than enough to do. Anyway, Lots more to finish even some More Halo stuff if time permits. In the meantime, very much busy & looking forward to the 12th.

[norikuna]

DAYLIGHT! ☓ ── ( 呪術廻戦, multi )

⌗ valentines day with the sorcerer you love <3

ᯓ starring ─ jjk ensemble cast : gojo, geto, nanami, choso, sukuna, toji, ino, kashimo, hiromi

𝓶𝓾𝓵𝓽𝓲. ㅤ﹑ ( 呪術廻戦 ; x afab!reader )  ─── ❛ cw ⌓. sfw. wc ⌓. 2k. art, sea_Pall

﹙ 五条 悟 : gojo satoru ﹚ ─ probably the type to pretend that he's forgotten valentines day to mess with you, acting clueless all morning. but he's dropping the entire extravagant surprise later for sure, including a red rose bouquet that could pay a month of rent, all your favourite chocolates and fireworks ! pretends not to sniffle and tear up when you give him your own gift, because for all his bravado it means a lot to him that you love him just as much. he just wants to see you happy, and he puts serious effort into making valentines day special, even if he hides it behind jokes and teasing. got a custom-made gift, something like a charm bracelet with small jewels and charms that represent all your favourite things. also the type to do shit like buying you a star in your name, right next to his because he thinks the idea of cosmic soulmates is so romantic. late at night, when it's just the two of you, he drops the jokes and tells you, 'you're the best part of my life, y'know.' and he means that with all his heart.

﹙ 夏油 傑 : geto suguru ﹚ ─ complains about valentines day a bit, because he doesn't see what's so different about feb 14, but he still indulges it. if you're bad at giving gifts, he'll pretend to love whatever you give him, even if it's...awful. he prefers quality time over material gifts honestly, and he plans a quiet date where he can spend as much time as possible with you, over tea or expensive wine. but that's not to say that he doesn't put effort into a gift. it's definitely thoughtful and catered to your taste, and probably more sentimental instead of flashy (like chasing down your favourite author with rainbow dragon just to get an autograph on a copy of your favourite book). clasps your hands with his to kiss you, and tell you that he loves being with you because you give him peace.

﹙ 両面 宿儺 : ryomen sukuna ﹚ ─ "why would i celebrate a human holiday?" but when you woke up, there was a velvet box beside you on your pillow, and he acts like he has no idea how it got there ('oh, it was just uraume, it wasn't me' and then he goes and gets all upset when you go thank uraume instead). he doesn't get the idea of giving flowers either, because well, they all die in the end right? but he knows they make you happy, so he's still chasing after the prettiest bouquet he can find. he'll never admit it, but he's obsessively protective over you, so the fact that he's even acknowledging valentines day means that you're special to him. the type to haul around a box of a hundred doves so you can open it as a surprise, and watch as all these birds fly all over your apartment. late at night, when no-one's around, he traces circles on your wrist and tells you that he doesn't do love, but whatever this is, he doesn't want it to end.

﹙ 七海 建人 : nanami kento ﹚ ─ he tries to be serious about valentine's day, but gojo keeps texting him ridiculous gift ideas that keep fucking with his composure. if you surprise nanami with something romantic, he'll turn slightly pink and peachy, and say that 'this is unnecessary' but he won't stop smiling the rest of the day (#needthat). even though he's not a fan of big celebration, he wants you to feel appreciated. he probably goes down the classic route of a perfectly planned dinner, your favourite flowers, and a handwritten card -> the type of husband material where he attends one of those artsty card making/flower pressing classes just to make something for you with his own hands. when he pulls you close at the end of the night, he whispers to you that he doesn't need a special day to remind him of how much he loves you.

﹙ 伏黒 甚爾 : toji fushiguro ﹚ ─ he asked what you wanted for valentines day and you said that you wanted him oiled up in the dining table. and toji's the type to lowk take that seriously, because that's kinda cost effective for him too. but he does genuinely try to do something nice and heads over to a shopping centre of stores that are way out of his pay grade, and tries to bat his pretty, green eyes into some type of discount. the sales assistants don't argue with a man built like an mma fighter wandering around the jewellery section. even if the two of you don't go out, he wants you to feel safe and secure, and he'll keep an arm around you all day. after everything toji's been through, you're the one thing that makes him feel human again. "i didn't think i'd ever have this," he tells you, holding you against him.

﹙ 脹相 : choso kamo ﹚ ─ doesn't quite the holiday, and choso just wonders if it's some sort of human ritual that he's not quite grasping. tries way too hard to make it perfect, but it's all the more endearing. choso was convinced he could handle a homemade dinner, but he burnt it so bad that gordan ramsey would have a stroke. but he was determined to bullshit his way through it, "what do you mean, babe? this is how it's meant to taste." all said with a straight face, the gall! picks out flowers based on their meanings because he wants them to represent all the real love and feelings in his heart. he's such a pda type of guy, always clinging to you and intertwines your fingers with his as he leads you around. definitely sees you as the most precious thing in the world, and he just cannot believe he has someone as incredible as you <3

﹙ 猪野琢真 : ino takuma ﹚ ─ is determined to figure out valentines day himself, without getting advice from other people (like nanami) but in the end, he finds himself tweaking out and trying to plan the perfect day for you. accidentally bought something that was really cute, little and bejewelled because he thought it would look gorgeous on your neck. didn't realise until afterwards that he picked it up from the pet accessory tub, and desperately hopes you don't realise. he spends the whole day just wanting to make you laugh, because if you're happy, he's happy. even if he does mess something up, it's just endearingly sweet and he makes up for it with pure enthusiasm. he gets all soft and melty when you reciprocate his feelings, and he tells you that he knows he's not perfect, but you make him want to be better.

﹙ 鹿紫雲 : hajime kashimo ﹚ ─ he kind of has a reputation to keep up, and rolls his eyes at the mention of valentines day. but no-one knows that back in the day (aka, the edo period in the 1600s) he was actually into things like poetry and courtly love. unfortunately, he's also an adrenaline junkie and you regret showing him the movie 'twisters' because he truly thinks storm chasing is a fun and romantic activity. he goes out and buys you something that he knows you'll actually use, more practical sort of gifts. he actually tries to go and pick flowers for you himself, instead of buying them. tries to act smug and above it all, but gets all nervous and twitchy when you compliment him and gift him something in return. almost started sweating and getting a headache when you told him that you loved him because he realised that now he actually has to be equally open about his (equal) feelings. of course, you know that hajime does love you but you just think its funny watching him go nauseous and pale at the idea of emotional vulnerability. its good to let the cocky man sweat a bit, good for character building.

﹙日車寛見 : higuruma hiromi ﹚ ─ a classy man (want him) and he treats valentines day with plenty of elegance. he's definitely secured an expensive and well-thought out gifts like a rare book, perfume, or a beautiful fountain pen (or all three). he takes you out to a fancy jazz bar, where he treats you to the prettiest cocktails and kisses your hand softly. he's surprisingly affection behind closed doors, and purrs when you run your fingers through his dark hair. also goes pretty shy when you flirt with him and get ridiculously affection, like he's pulling on his tie and trying to hide the red flush on his neck. your valentines day with hiromi ends with you and him laughing over a glass of pricey wine. he thought he was so clever for writing you a little note like 'roses are red, violets are blue, if you ever get arrested, i'll be there for you :)'

[rose-maidenn]

Pac : Let's get insights on your purpose for the next 5 months !

nov-dec-jan-feb-mar

using safe passage tarot from "Agatha all along"

Pile 1-2-3

Hey guys hope you're doing well , chose the Pile that calls to you intuitively, know that I'm not gonna sugarcoat things because I want your best . Hope you enjoy this

For more see masterlist and paid readings

Pile 1 :

You are represented by the king of wands a very charismatic person , you attract people who are looking for growth and you are someone who always wins in all fields you exactly know where to play the cards right to win . Alternatively for the other part of the group king of wands can mean someone who's nose is kind of everywhere they're at too many different things not giving one thing the change to reach the full potential.

What's missing is an ending !!! Ending to certain things relationships, people , in order to reach something new you have to let the old things go which is something you have to learn . You need stronger boundaries , more self worth and less attachment issues .

The lessons you have learnt is represented by the queen of wands it is about social settings I feel like you're someone who easily becomes friends with everyone and that's a good networking skill. You could also be someone who is very creative and starts at everything their heart calls for .

Your path ahead is represented by death , it calls for an ending ending of doubts , bad thought patters , old beliefs and relationships let shit go and see what happens .

Your Obstacles is represented by chariot I feel in this case it's about you staying in the same zone and resisting change it's like an ouroburos moving but in the wrong places and wrong circles , cut the string , your comfort zone is killing you honey

O of wands in this case is like don't wait around for anyone not even about being ready yourself just do what you need to do end the things that you need to you can't drag this anymore dear, this could also be about drug addiction or addiction in general .

Your destination is magician yay ! You know how if you just let shit go the magic happens so will it happen for you. Just let it go let people be , only work for yourself, give yourself all, heal and you will know you're powerful, you don't need a guru you're the star itself.

Thank you for reading, if you liked this and would like personal insights or a longer read to book click here .

Pile 2 :

You are represented by four of cups , you are someone who wants what they want and won't settle for anything. I sense a stern energy . Alternatively you might be someone who is extremely bored these days and just wants to lay .

What is missing is justice , you need to work hard rn for your dreams , but in the write direction I won't say you never worked hard but somehow in the wrong way , you might have a retrograde Saturn. You need to find what can do justice to yourself as you owe yourself everything and you are worth everything.

The path behind is represented by page of wands , your reading is like you were a very enthusiastic person once but now you have lost the zing for life . You have a great influx of ideas why don't you use them dear.

Path ahead is represented by the empress , clearly you are to start working on these ideas start the creative project take the leap. Focus on letting your creativity flow , your intuition knows , your soul knows.

The Obstacles is represented by eight of coins is that you need to learn dedication and working on something even if it takes time be it studying , art or relationships you are called to enjoy the journey and not just the victory.

Represented by ace of wands in this case I think you should avoid working on something new until you finish the old , you need to give one thing commitment and mastery then you will reach your destination

Represented by the king of cups. Mature and passionate about what they do . This infact represents a chance that you might become the best at what you wanna do . You might become a professor a teacher or a guide to people if you choose to follow this path .

Thank you for reading, if you liked this and would like personal insights or a longer read to book click here .

Pile 3 :

You are represented by six of coins a very beautiful earthy loving energy of gratitude and kindness , you give without thinking anything part of why you are blessed with more .

Ten of swords is what is missing in my deck it's literally a person cutting off a hand honey someone is using you , the awareness and discernment on who deserves your time money and energy is the thing that is missing .

You have learnt that people will be who they are despite giving your all so why don't you apply that in new relationships keep the knowledge but also use it . Alternatively this could be about relationship and someone leaving you in the past who was toxic.

The path ahead is represented by the fool , you're in the start of a new journey you have endless possibilities you can now leap into new and have faith that universe will do the best for you.

Your Obstacles are represented by death , you're ruminating on a past relationship too much which is making you work extra even for the bare minimum you have to work to stay in your queen energy don't do too much it's not worth it .

You must overcome the queen of wands I think this is a toxic person who was in your life you said you stupid shit that didn't align with you and now you have taken their words literally , recognize who this is maybe a family member a friend or a youtuber guru idk they have flowery energy but they're unhealed

Your destination is represented by the two of cups yay a union this can be the union of your logic and intuition. Masculine and feminine energie or a new relationship:) all in all an energy of balance and love .

Thank you for reading, if you liked this and would like personal insights or a longer read to book click here .

[crystal-wingeddragon-spikes]

"We are all works-in-progress.

You deserve much patience and time."

Edit: I have lost the file I edited in both the Wing strap and spelling. I will most likely just uploaded another after I sorted it out.

For this year's Valentine's Day, I gave you Always & Forever that I have been working on since 2nd Feb.

I decided to work with fabric craft idea, and turn her rose tiara into a clothe flower crown.

Graphics and reference used:

[kaiserthread]

cliche!

romance tropes with the blue lock boys! characters: shidou, sae, kaiser content: pro players, gn!reader first installment of my feb. series! i got so many good ideas for other charas this is def getting a part two

SHIDOU RYUUSEI - meet ugly

your morning could not have gone worse, your alarms didn’t go off, you ran out of your favorite body wash halfway through your shower, and the clothes you planned to wear were sitting in your dirty laundry pile. of course the universe heard your pleas and as you’re leaving your favorite cafe you walk right into the broad chest of shidou ryuusei, spilling your large iced coffee all over his expensive looking jacket. you’re absolutely mortified, frantic apologies spilling from your lips as your eyes well up with tears. ryuusei’s kinda pissed that his jacket is wet but that anger quickly gives way to pity when he sees that you’re more of a pathetic wet kitten than human. he interrupts you and says, “hey, no worries! i can get this cleaned later but do you want a new drink?” he feels a rush when you look up at him, pretty eyes swimming with tears. you look up and find yourself staring at PXG’s superstar striker. you nod and he presses a hand to your back as he leads you back into the cafe. you reorder your iced coffee and he adds in a blueberry muffin and complicated blended drink, pushing your hand away when you try to pay and tapping his card against the reader. “you should’ve let me pay, i ruined your jacket.” you whine, trying to dry your eyes and compose yourself. “no offense, but you look awful darling, focus on calming down before you have to clock in.” he teases, pleased with himself when you flush red at the nickname. as disastrous as it was, the interaction leaves you feeling lighter and you leave the cafe with a fresh coffee and a smile on your face. said smile disappears in the middle of your workday when your phone starts blowing up. unfortunately a few paparazzi caught the tail end of your interaction with ryuusei and pictures of you two are going around social media. people are claiming that shidou ryuusei has a secret relationship and this is quickly becoming your worst nightmare. you pull up instagram to find a dm from ryuusei explaining that his pr team is working to take down all the photos and offering protection from his legal team in case anyone tries to dox or harass you over this whole thing. the fiasco blows over but he keeps messaging you (he thinks you’re adorable sue him) and eventually he’s asking to see you when he has days off and asks if you want to date after meeting a few times. you accept and his pr team sighs when he kisses you on the mouth after a match knowing they have some work ahead of them.

ITOSHI SAE - fake dating

sae’s relationship with the media hasn’t improved a bit since he was eighteen and his manager is getting fed up. said manager loses his shit when sae pisses off yet another reporter and offers him an ultimatum, sit out of practice to attend media training or find a way to convince the media that he’s turned himself around. sae would rather die than give up playing soccer so he pitches an idea to his manager: the good ole’ pr relationship. he approves and sae sets out to find his perfect match, eventually having shidou connect him to you, a high fashion model. perfect timing really, you’d just signed with a few brands and your agent had been nagging about marketing and exposure. the two of you strike a deal; he goes to a few of your shows, you come to a few of his games, meet up for dinner once in a while, sae becomes the perfect media darling and you get your name out there. the soft launch is cute, you fly out to one his games and he takes you to dinner, a hint of red hair and two plates in the resulting photodump. he’s spotted at one of your shows and doesn’t give the paparazzi a hard time, showing a ghost of a smile when he greets you after the show. social media is suspicious from the jump and he knows he’s gonna have to work for this one. so he pulls out all the stops for the hard launch, getting you a jersey with his name on it and kissing you after a big win. from there things get progressively more serious and several months later he has a clean sheet with the media and you’ve exploded in popularity. but you had noticed that he’d been acting like a real boyfriend six months in, sending you daily texts and holding your hand where no one can snap a photo of you two. you manage to completely forget about the fact that it’s supposed to be fake until your agent reminds you that the terms of the contract have been fulfilled and that the two of you can break up and move on. so after just under a year you decide to be the one who breaks things off before he can break your heart. you show up to his apartment with a rough draft of a break up speech in your head. he realizes then, watching you hold back tears and stumble over your words, that he can’t lose you. pulls you into his arms before you can finish and whispers, “let’s make this real, angel.”

MICHAEL KAISER - secret relationship

reporters are constantly asking him if he has a special someone and the answer is always the same: he prefers to focus on his career, but then he meets you, the luxury sales associate who sold him a cartier watch. and boy was he enamored, going as far as returning to the store to try on jewelry just to speak with you. you’re lowkey flirting with him but he knows better than to ask someone doing their job for a date so he waits for you to drop a huge hint before asking you out. you tell him when your shift ends and he wastes no time in getting a dinner reservation at his favorite restaurant. he asks you to be his partner after the third date under the condition of keeping everything between the two of you secret and you accept. it’s fun at first, there’s a rush when he smirks at the cameras and denies that he’s in a relationship, knowing that he’s coming home to you. the two of you sneak around like romeo and juliet, secret meetings and walking around with your faces covered when you go to meet each other. but it gets old after a while and you start prodding him about going public, kaiser always asks that the relationship stays private to protect you, he wouldn’t be able to handle it if people started getting nosy and critical with you just because he’s so far into the public eye. you agree because while it’s getting annoying to sneak around, you’d rather keep him private than not have him at all. the last straw is when social media concots a story about him dating some singer he was hanging with and kaiser doesn’t deny it when reporters ask him about it. you’re furious with him because if he can admit to a fake relationship he should be able to admit his real one and you refuse to be his side chick. you break up with him and he's MISERABLE, his performance in matches suffers to the point where he’s benched. so he comes back and grovels at your feet for your forgiveness, you take him back under the condition that the two of you go public. he literally whips his phone out before you finish talking and starts taking pics of you to post because what’s the point of protecting you if you’re not even there?

[ranwan-love]

Your Feb 2025

Wassup people I am back after so long. I hope this reading will resonate with you all and will guide you to better version of yourself. Please let me know how much it resonated and also drop any ideas you have for future readings.

If you are really abundant buy me some coffee too loll.

Close your eyes,take a deep breath and pick a pile you feel most attracted too.

Pile one

Cards: 10 of swords, High priestess, 4 of pentacles, 2 of swords.

Hi pile one, I started this reading feeling extremely cold?? Are you in this energy or taking it to February 2025. I also feel you are procrastinating alot or there could be some addiction related issue. It can be on bigger scale as well as small like a mere sugar or caffeine addiction. So try working on it.

For week one, First word I channeled was "EVEN" and somehow my brain went "Things were maybe in odds with you but now they will fall in place and even out everything" We also got 10 of swords. It also depicts completion. This cycle which have been keeping you stuck, it can't be stretched anymore or whatever situation you are in right now they can't hurt you anymore. There will be an end to situation which took up too much of your mental space which could have been keeping you stuck! This week you could have strong emotional outburst but they will be due to long suppressed emotions. Due to release of this stuck energy chances are that you might have to sleep little extra to let your body recover.

For week two, we got High priestess and i heard curiosity?? You will probably start something new. First of all i felt deep silence. Here it feels like need to stop and observe. Maybe still carrying a bit of slow calming energy from past week. There are very high chances that something will make you feel curious. It can be right in front of everyone's eye but no one questioned it before. If they did they got there answer but never shared because it have to be that way. You know type of information only a seeker would find.This information might be important for you. It might open the fated events and random luck in your life. Since this information is bit mystic in nature you need to depend on your intuition. Trust that "i just know" and be vulnerable to your heart.

Extra: if you wanna start a small scale business or some social endeavour. Do it. It will be a good stable start almost like written in stars for you.

For week three there are very high chances you probably got your first order, some good money or abundance in any form. I hope you can use it to reaffirm a belief that I am Abundance. I get money out of thin air and so don't hold onto it tightly creating frequency of lack. Don't go in lack mindset. Just know there's enough for you. You have unlocked portal of financial abundance. I literally got a vision like someone was in class and got one of painting sold at high prize. You can use the earned money to buy good quality of investment instead of holding back lol.

Pile Two

Cards: Nine of swords, Ten of swords, Ace of wands, Seven of swords

Okay so I originally planned to do atleast two piles in one sitting but I suddenly had a strong urge that go light a lamp, you know what meditate too then i was like the sky seems good let me get some good fresh air. It eventually turned that let's just sit here because it started to feel really good. Like either you are doing it, so great job but if you are not then girl try it. You need it. I am sorry i specifically used girl because I keep getting that energy. Chances are pile two majorly consists of females or feminine energy. I also felt that Ma Kali connection for some of you.

For week one the energy is??? Girl what hurt you so bad? Or should I say who hurt you. Somehow what i keep feeling is this energy of blackmail, harrasment. Like in first case it is someone who has awfully toxic family member and you are stuck in limbo, spend the nights crying. Second is someone who had some kind of relationship where other party is harrassing you with some pictures or your personal data. It's like it feels so stuck in this situation that you can't even ask for help. You either sleep to escape reality or just cry yourself to sleep. I got a call too and for no reason other person felt awfully rude and I felt PISSED? Idk why I suddenly feel so pissed like for godsake who tf is this man(person). Just know girl you are highly protected. Nothing bad will happen to you. You are protected. Here's suggestion connect to female energy like if you pray so pray or tap in your feminine energy. I feel so much of female Rage here? Like no wonder i felt Ma Kali at beginning of this reading. Call her okay if you feel like! You can also ask from a female figure like strong female figure. Like for fucks sake ask for help!!!

In week two i feel like the situation might come to an end but it will leave you drained from such long time of period? It feels like a morning dawn? You might need to take deep rest , connect with yourself , heal your nervous system. There's definitely a ending here and a resting phase. Okay somehow nine of swords card was upside down so this situation could be removed even before it comes to such extreme like stand up for yourself. You are form of energy too. Don't underestimate yourself.

For week three there's new passionate begining here. It might be something that would heal you like it might not be some long term rather short? But deeply fulfilling something that you would need after the towers like situation above! There are very high chances if you get used to vibration of this small begining you might be looked up by lot of people in future. I don't know if You want to do it or not but there's alot of potential in there. This is more like spark leading to huge fire.

For week four it's just a caution that be ware of deceit and betrayal. I don't know i don't feel like giving anymore message here because you are not supposed to know much.

If this person or the thing that caused you so much pain tries to come back don't let it or it will bring pain again. Than it would be ironic to call out universe and go like why do i keep recieving pain! Like simple don't choose the pain.

Man you have to be kidding me i tried to pull two cards for overall energy and got three. So i reshuffled. I did it for three times and still got three cards.

Page of cups, knight of pentacles, eight of swords.

So pile three stand up for yourself, ask for help, make better choices, because at end of day you have everything. Emotional fulfillment, money, creativity everything you need.

Pile Three

Card: Ace of cups, Two of wands, Nine of pentacles, Five of wands

Okay pile three before shuffling I felt should I complete my work but I keep feeling let me finish it first and than do other work! Like finish what you feel called to. Don't leave it hanging because later on it might not reach the potential it can now! Like it can lead to procrastination and break in rhythm. Just don't leave a task in between probably because you have hard time restarting or even completing again?

Okay so anyways your card for week one was Ace of cups. See abundance is always meant for you. It's you who need to trust that and this will be a major focus during this cycle. There are chances you actually ended something heavy and started a new cycle or even set up an intention. It could be a begining you know is meant for you. I don't know this pile's energy is so silent that I keep getting so relaxed and quiet almost like meditate flow state. It's like you are coming in alignment with lot of your manifestations where you used to have limiting beliefs and chatter of mind. There are high chances if you overthink a lot, doubt a lot. There's a huge shift in that. You could expend a void to overall all pretty chill energy. Somewhat reminds me of "Everything is working out for me or universe is working for me"

For week two you could have multiple project ideas here where you might feel like you need to drop one or other to make one project work. I think not! You can and you probably should work on all your projects you plan too. Like just schedule them well. Ugh why this energy is so airy. Like don't stay in your head bring your ideas in 3D. OKAY. You have really cool ideas but they are useless if they are not in 3D. I don't know i randomly keep daydreaming about most unhinged stuff. Anyways if you are working on multiple project, schedule them well like don't try to do all them in one day rather try dividing them throughout week and scheduling in advance. This is so happy lucky vibe, like you know type whose confidence make them anxious. For example i know I will top the exam but I am anxious yeaah!!!

For week three we got nine of pentacles. Like you have to be kidding me. I swear you gonna manifest alot because of your flow state so ask carefully. Like the card has such deeply abundant vibe. It's like if I loose everything right now I will rebuild it even better without any problem. Like it's your mantra that I was born to be rich or I am rich. It's like you have such a great balance of give and take that your self love and self care can't be hindered by external source. Very good pile three. I am thankful for reading such energy too.

So for week four, I got vibe of celebration. A bit chaotic but definitely a fulfilling celebration. This might also act as catalyst for a growth. So try going out make circles and contacts, like have fun!!! I truly don't think so I need to say much for this pile just keep this flow state, take actions on projects you have in your head and there will be huge abundance for you.

For overall energy we got the hierophant and six of pentacles.

See pile three your energy is so in sync. It's very stable throughout the month and messages keep repeating. If i have to summarise it I will just say keep doing what you are doing. You are on right path. You definitely know how abundance work.

[ineffablefamfeb]

Welcome to Ineffable Family February, a month-long celebration of Aziraphale and Crowley navigating parenthood and what it means to build their own family. During Feb. 1—Feb.29, a variety of pregnancy- and family-themed prompts will be provided to help inspire artists and writers alike.

Rules

This event is intended only for a mature community and is welcoming of all ideas and preferences, including every possible shape our lovely ineffables could take!

Remember to tag us in your posts @ineffablefamfeb and use the hashtag #ineffablefamfeb !

While we are keeping things simple to make this event accessible for those wanting to participate, you are welcome to submit questions to our ask box on tumblr or to reply to any of our posts on twitter.

Prompts

There are two main prompt lists (SFW & NSFT) to provide you with inspiration every day in February. Additionally, we’ve provided bonus prompts for those looking for flexibility and even more ideas.

✨ Important Note: If you are ambitious enough to tackle the daily challenge—fantastic! If you’d rather skip some prompts, select the prompts that you like the best, and post them at any time during Ineffable Family February, that works too. Make SFW prompts NSFT, and vice versa. There are no wrong ways to celebrate and participate in this event!

Additionally, we will be providing a few bingo cards that utilize some of our prompts for those who want the added challenge.

Bingo Cards

Want a way to track your participation and give yourself a goal to work toward? Try for bingo! We have include three optional prompt bingo cards—SFW, NSFT, and SFW/NSFT.

If you get a bingo during Ineffable Family February, post your bingo card(s) and tag us so we can celebrate with you!

Credits

Find us on twitter! / Find us on AO3! Avatar credit / Ineffable family art credit / Graphics credit

[rustedalleys]

Alright, Dreamers! Here are your prompts for .Flow Week 2025~! The 7-day event runs from February 15th-21st! 🧡

My goal is to have a mix of structured & open-ended prompt ideas, so hopefully you'll find something you like! You do not need to do all 3 prompts per day (choosing just 1 is fine!), and you do not need to make something for every day. It's all up to you--have fun & do whatever you're comfortable with! 🧡

And yes, you can start working on your piece(s) in advance! I want to give everyone plenty of time. When February rolls around, share what you made & be sure to tag your post(s) with #dotflowweek25 so I see it! You can also @ mention me in the post. I will reblog it here @rustedalleys~! Any & all mediums encouraged: writing, music, art, video, photography, playlist, sprite comic, you name it! And of course: all skill levels welcome! See end of post for FAQ's.

Get creative~! I'm so excited to see what you all make! +u+

🖥️ DAY 1: Feb 15th (.flow's 16th anniversary!)

[ Television effect / Hazy memory / Favorite character* ]

*If you can't decide on a favorite, just pick one (or more) you really like! Same goes for the other "favorite" prompts.

🔸 DAY 2: Feb 16th

[ Underwater/Submarine world / Mortality / Favorite effect ]

🖥️ DAY 3: Feb 17th

[ Machine effect / Deepest fears / Favorite location ]

🔸 DAY 4: Feb 18th

[ Wild Card/Free Day* / Warmth & cold / Shitpost; Sabi & friends as cats ]

*Want to do something that doesn’t fit into the other days' prompts? Want to make something silly? Do whatever—anything you want!

🖥️ DAY 5: Feb 19th

[ The Sugar Hole / Regret / AU* ]

*Come up with an AU (alternate universe) scenario. For example: Sabi & Oreko as roommates, fantasy RPG team, crossover with other YNFGs, botanical garden visit, tea party, etc. The possibilities are endless!

🔸 DAY 6: Feb 20th

[ Plant effect / Contagion / Alternate outfit or multiple effects* ]

*Depict Sabitsuki (or another character) in an outfit different from what they wear by default in-game—such as the special outfits in the underwater settlement/submarine village, or make up your own outfit(s)! OR, depict Sabi with 2 or more effects applied at the same time.

🖥️ DAY 7: Feb 21st

[ Sabitsuki's Room / Comfort & healing / Endings & Epilogue* ]

*Choose one (or more) of the game’s endings to examine. Or, focus on what you think happens after the ending. Headcanons welcome!

.Flow Week 2025 - FAQ's

Q: I'm having a hard time choosing a prompt for Day X... Can I combine the prompts, or make more than one piece for that day?

A: Yes and yes! If you want to do something, do it!

Q: Is it okay if I'm only able to make something for 1 or 2 of the days?

A: Absolutely! This event should be a fun and relaxing opportunity to get creative and celebrate .flow. Don't stress yourself.

Q: I made something for Day X, but I won't be able to post it on that day OR I finished it a couple days late, what do I do?

A: No worries, you can either queue the post in advance or post it late. I'll still reblog it! The awesome part is you made something and decided to share it--it's okay if it's not on time.

Q: Is this like an "art challenge" and I have to make something every day for 7 days straight?

A: No--not unless that's what you personally want to do. You are free to make your piece(s) well in advance and then share them during .Flow Week in February 2025. And, it's not just for "art"--it's for whatever you can think of making in any medium!

Q: What exactly is .flow week again?

A: .Flow Week is a 7-day event with prompts to encourage the creation of fan works: anything & everything to celebrate .flow! What makes it an event is everyone sharing what they made by posting throughout .flow week (and a little bit afterwards, in case some posts run late, which is fine!). The event was originally run by @dotflowweek and last took place in 2023. You can see my previous announcement post here.

Q: Will this event also run on bluesky or other social media?

A: No, I'm only running it on tumblr because it's pretty much the only social media I like to use. If you're interested in helping run this event simultaneously on another platform like bluesky, reach out to me and maybe we can give it a try.

Q: I'm still confused about something. How can I ask you a question?

A: There are many ways to contact me: you can @ mention me, reply to this post below, send me a message/DM, or send me an ask here.

[bleedingcoffee42]

Updates on Lewis Nixon's personal information.

Irene Nixon died Feb 2, 1969 in Princeton, NJ. (Source: New Jersey Death Index and Death Index Code)

Lewis Nixon and Grace Umezawa got married in Nevada March 19, 1969. (Source Clark County, Nevada)

Lewis Nixon sold his house in Princeton, with Irene Nixon Estate on deed, May 8, 1969. (Scource: Mercer Co. New Jersey)

(And please do not repost to reddit or other sites, if I wanted the research there I'd put it there myself. This is preliminary research and in a few weeks I will have more to add.)

I honestly have not looked into this until this Stanhope and friends fiasco, but needed an idea when Nix got involved date wise. I've read the Hester Blue Boar update post a handful of times without it making an impact that Irene died in the 60's until the last time I read it. And I remembered I pulled that Princeton house deed info when looking for Nixon houses and noted the 'Estate' beside Irene's name, but tossed it in a folder for later.

Speculation ahead-----

After a year of stalking/researching this man and his family, I got a feel for him. Lewis Nixon III makes things happen. He doesn't have time for a wedding when he wants to get married. He's gone to the courthouse in NYC twice. Gotten divorced in Vegas once. New Jersey and California are not fast enough for him. So I looked in NYC first, then Las Vegas records and found him.

Next, Irene. Clearly from the customs paperwork we have Grace and Lew have been together for a while. He would not wait if he was divorced, he would have married her already. So, Irene. Considering the fast marriage, I felt pretty good he waited until Irene passed to get remarried and started manually going through the NJ Death Indexes in starting with the year he got remarried, and there she was.

Reference again his divorce from Kathy as he scratched out 'incompatible' and wrote in 'drunkeness' which goes in her favor since she is divorcing him. That legally covers Michael a little more as it puts Lew at fault for the marriage dissolution. (Even if Kathy's next husband was waiting over the state line) Which could have helped when he was suing Stanhope's estate for Michael's share.

My point?

Lewis Nixon is loyal, do not confuse that with faithful. He is loyal to those who have been good to him (Dick and Hester) and Irene was good to him. She was there for him during the war, through the death of his parents, was there when his sister killed herself. There when Dick left for Korea and more permanently- Pennsylvania. I feel he waited because he didn't want to hurt her, or her family who he has been apart of since WW2 and taken her away from; I feel she was probably sick and they knew it. He waits until she dies and then married Grace? I feel this one month window is a statement that he didn't divorce her. (again, please give me some time for the docs to work through this theory. But there is no waiting period on marriage in Nevada -even back then.) Once again, a demonstration of loyalty in my eyes.

We the have the case of Lew and Grace and her name as "Nixon" on the customs card in 1962. I don't know how to explain it. I do know that passengers wrote their own address on there as I recognize Lew's chaotic handwriting anywhere. Did they fill out their own forms? I imagine the customs folks wrote it off passports but I can't answer this. If I cycle through the entire planeload the handwriting changes. Could this have been a cover for going to the same address? It's 1962, people were being arrested for cohabitating twenty years earlier, I have no idea what the environment was at the time. The free and hippie sixties were the later half of the decade, early 60s are the back end of the McCarthy era and Jello Abominations. Could it be two people in love testing the waters, maybe filling out each other's cards? (examples below for handwriting comparison.) Feels like it. But the official records point to them being married in 1969 and that's all I got.

I realize this means Dick Winters was wrong about the date, and believe me, he's haunting my phone over saying that. I am trying to track sources for the 1956 marriage and most seem to be Dick's book. Even My Heritage had the date, but looking into it the information came from AI scraping of wikipedia. Wikipedia in turn -Winters & Kingseed. However I do feel he was right about Nix being in love with Grace and never having known that feeling before. Marriage was a civil union until her, then he married the love of his life. She was also close to 50 at the time and sure as hell didn't need a man as she was one hell of a lady, so she was in love with him and the fact he was married didn't matter.

Documents under the cut

[safrona-shadowsun]

Daily Writing Challenge - February 2025 Day 6: (Feb 14) Annoy / Holiday @daily-writing-challenge

Safrona could never argue that the Love in the Air holiday was a lucrative one, but it also had the unfortunate infamy to be one of the most annoying for any living mortal. And it had become more annoying when her sister informed her that her actual day of birth fell right on the ‘cupid’s bow’ that was the 14th. Her daughter had been the one to remind all of them about it in fact, going as far as to post fliers announcing her mother’s birthdate coinciding with the Day of Love all over the Elysian Sojourn. Alongside decorations of garish glittery hearts streamed through the lounge area, specially made cards with little novelty candies, and a ‘nice’ little surplus of colognes and perfumes to offer to all patrons that came to visit. Wenne even had the nerve to post the little birthday announcement fliers in the Empyrean Import’s offices themselves, much to Safrona’s chagrin.

For all the novelty and spotlight put on her, Safrona intensely favored the idea of having all of their memories wiped of her glaring birthday date. It had been enough to only know that her birth fell somewhere in February, not to mention not be reminded of how old she really was. She felt so much older than any of them realized; it was the abyssal whispers that did well to remind her. And of course, everyone and their matron hired her couriers for the most ridiculous deliveries, and Safrona had heard no end of complaints from her own while trying to navigate the warzone that was a sometimes suddenly lovestruck populace. It was inevitable that she herself had to handle severing at least one group of malicious plotters from the world. Manipulating hormones to obsessive degrees with damn perfume was both petty and demonic, and it happened every year like clockwork.

Of course, the specialized deliveries others hired the Courier for were some of her highlights of the month too; even if it did feel at times that someone had released an army of Sayaadi to torment the mortal population in some cities with suddenly ramped desire. Some were precious deliveries between long distance loves, or tenderly grown bouquets for a love interest that turned their day around. Some had engagement invitations to send, and of course the amount of weddings she had been hired to deliver speciality wine or champagne too outnumbered much of the rest of the year. When love and affection was true and not guided by some malicious hand, it certainly could uplift.

A ridiculous, lacy dress that left virtually nothing to the imagination was her birthday gift from her sister, alongside hundreds of little boxes of candies or flowers from grateful or celebratory patrons and friends. And the gift of a playful little song from Serenas was offered by her daughter, performed on the stage of the Sojourn. A sweet little melody about remembering to treat one self this holiday.

Amongst all the silliness and overextended celebration, she considered that maybe she did deserve a little celebration. And so, by the end of the night, Safrona did in fact indulge in that lacy little purple dress, open up a fine year of red, picked through a few decadently sinful treats and did right by herself.

[umbrella-academy-bingo]

🀞 Bingo!! 🀞

TUA Bingo (originally TUA Apocaliptica) is a digital event for April 01, the date of the show's apocalypse. It's an event made by fans for fans.

Fellow fans will send ideas of tropes, themes, or scenarios. Afterwards, a bingo card with the suggested ideas will be posted. There is no minimum or maximum word count. Anyone can join, there's no registration.

This is a no pressure event, it's okay if you can only check one box from the bingo card.

To participate:

Send your suggestions in our ask or submit. (not required)

Create something for each square, such as a fic, fanart, gifset etc.

Post your work in our AO3 collection or your tumblr blog and tag it as (TUAB25).

We'll reblog your post or post a promo of your work here in our bingo blog.

Timeline:

Idea brainstorming: January 16 to January 31

Bingo cards posted: Feb 01

Posting/Reblogging of works: April 01, 2025

We're all excited for our first Bingo for The Umbrella Academy! Please reblog so that we can spread the word and allow more people to join our event!

You can also join our Discord Group: The Hargreeves Family GC if you want to chat with fellow fans/participants.

[kingdededeslair]

This is my first tarot reading after being an avid reader and wanting hopefully provide some insight and guidance to others like the tarot readers on here have for me! 🥹💛

This one is inspired by The Song of Achilles (my heart), so this is about your poly philtatos (most beloved by far). Read in whatever way feels right to you! This is just for fun and some insider tips lmao! Enjoy, and please let me know you resonated and would like more readings like this! Dm me for new ideas or private readings!

1st group (Patroclus & Achilles):

This pile was easy to draw cards for overall in comparison to the other piles. The cards didn’t really jump out at me like some of the other piles, so maybe you’re an earth sign or have earth sign ruled house or degrees or prominent aspects between earth ruled placements.

1st card-who are they? (Emperor)

This first card I drew was the Emperor. The emperor represents dignity, authority, perhaps stubbornness, and of course, status. This first card, based on how I am guided to do readings, represents their persona, their ego, their main character traits. The emperor, among these cards, seems to represent more of the grounded energy your poly philtatos will have. Alongside the yearning for authority and seeking respect from their diligent hard work.

2nd card - how they’ll meet (the star)

This card is associated with Aquarius, so Aquarius season could be when you or them are born or has a deeper significance to either of you. This could also mean around this time (Jan-feb) is when you’ll meet! It could also signal that you’ll meet when either of your hopes are renewed in something, or trying to develop your faiths/spirituality. You could encounter them in a place of worship, a place that symbolizes hope to either of you as well.

3rd card- - how they’ll treat pile 1 (knight of pentacles )

they appear to treat relationships and their partners as a duty. Before you think this is not your preferred type of partner of relationship, consider the way lasting and loving relationships remain: through continuously choosing each other and keeping up your end of the relationship through your agreed upon and subtle responsibilities to one another. Your poly philtatos will ground the relationship by always choosing you and the relationship; much like Patroclus did Achilles (sob). Your poly philtatos will work hard to provide for you and this relationship in whichever way matters to you and for the long run.

2nd (two girls kissing)

1st card-who are they? (the world)

Your partner seems very airy to me. You may be attracted to air placements or air energy or have it yourself. The world represent harmony and fulfillment. This person wants to be aligned with the beauties of the world. They might be a Virgo; mercury ruled earth sign that’s mutable. As grounded as air or mercurial energy can get. They get a sense of fulfillment experiencing the natural and physical world as well as engaging with it. Perhaps they like to meditate in the natural world instead of being cooped up inside. Despite all of this zen energy, they definitely work hard to achieve a sense of fulfillment inside of them (Virgos 100%).

2nd card - how they’ll meet (8 of cups)

You’ll meet them at the end of something or when you’re walking away from a negative or hurtful situation. When you’ve outgrown something or someone. In a love reading, this could point to leaving a relationship that has hurt you or has dragged you down. You may also turn away from seeking material fulfillment, whether that be career centered, wealth centered, aesthetically, etc. this makes sense as this person will bring you to a deeper understanding of true fulfillment and balance within your life. Maybe something you’ve always sought out. You could also meet them during any of the water sign seasons (Feb-March, June-July, Oct-Nov) or that may be relevant to you and your poly philtatos.

3rd card- - how they’ll treat pile 2 (7 of pentacles R)

Unfortunately, the flip side, sometimes, of mercurial and mutable energy, is the lack of dedication to any one thing or persisten effort always being given. While they definitely will help enlighten you, they may struggle with materially advancing the relationship, you, or themselves. Either because of procrastination and executive function issues or because it’s not important to them in their lives. They may focus a lot on themselves and automatically put the relationship, and thus, you, on the back burner. They can help slow down maybe your anxious energy or overzealous pace of the relationship with realistic ideas and understanding, but they won’t push the start button back on preferring to stay in the slow lane.

3rd pile (black love painting):

1st card-who are they? (Wheel of fortune R)

This may be a fixed sign, maybe fire and earthy, because of the reversed card that was pulled, Wheel of Fortune. The fixed signs are suspected to be represented in the cards picture itself, and the energy of the pull confirms that suspicion. They seem to be someone always going through tough times. Maybe they had a tough or troubled upbringing or has been through some serious and traumatic events in life. Someone who has endured the worst and come out the other side even more resilient and wise. Someone not afraid of challenges or the dark side of people because they’ve seen it all. Maybe you’re looking for or need someone to embrace you flaws and all, maybe because of that, and that’s who this person is.

2nd card - how they’ll meet (5 of swords)

This pile screams don’t poke the sleeping bear vibes but in a hot way. This person tends to move in silence (lol) or move alone. Maybe due to their past experiences maybe just because of personal preference. Either you or your poly philtatos will be emerging from conflict or shaky situations when you meet. They may also be your lifeline out of a hostile situation or vice versa for you, them. You could also meet them during any of the air sign seasons or those periods could be significant to either of you (Jan-Feb, May-June, Sept-October).

3rd card- - how they’ll treat pile (strength)

This card really connects with the rest of this pile, at least to me, this poly philtatos of yours is going to bolster your courage. Maybe your time of conflict left you feeling weak, unsupported, or afraid. They’re going to come in to change all of that and having you feel like the strong individual you are. They’re going to be a rock for you as well, maybe an inspiration as well to assert yourself and become more brave in day to day life. They will not make you doubt yourself or them or the relationship between the two of you. They’ll be calmly passionate and protective of you just like the woman holding the lion’s jaw open. They will be unshaken when you feel unstable or not sure of yourself and remind you that you’re more than your past or what’s been done to you. Remember to comfort this person and take them out of their natural protectors mindset to know they can be safe with you as well.

[tavyliasin]

Baldur's Date Open Creative Challenge!

Artists, Writers, Creators of All Kinds!

You are cordially invited to join a creative challenge!

You must be 18 years old or over to join, but there will be 2 categories, one for SFW works and one for NSFW works!

Accepted Submission Types

Please note all works must be your own and not made using any AI, including AI RP bots for writing.

Art

Comics

Valentine's Card

Fiction

Drabble collection (series of short fic, 1-5 paragraphs each)

Poetry

Song lyrics

Full songs/music

Podfic (With agreement from the fic writer)

Cosplay (No Nudes/NSFW/Explicit please)

Other Crafts (Puppets, embroidery, paper figure cut outs - whatever you like!)

For the Rules and More Details, please see below! Credit to Morb for the new event banner!

Welcome to the Baldur's Date Challenge!

Please be aware this event will include spoilers to characters, storylines, and endings, as well as NSFW content. Proceed with care!

The idea is to create something themed around a Date or Valentine Event. It doesn't even have to be romantic or positive, there are lots of ways to take this from Valentine's Cards from characters to slow burn romance to fully brutal heartbreak and violence. The choices are yours!

The Rules

By participating, even in the SFW version, you agree and confirm you are 18 years old or over.

All creators retain full rights to their works, subject only to the conditions of the platforms they share them on (ie, AO3)

Submissions must contain at least one named character from Baldur's Gate 3

Submissions must also be based around a date, valentine-type event, or similar

AUs, non-canon, alternate versions of characters are all WELCOME

You may choose your own prompt, or use the quiz to help you decide!

Poly Romance Welcome

Characters only, no actors or real people, other than using "Reader Insert" with 2nd person writing styles.

All works must be tagged appropriately for any CWs (please ask TavyliaSin for a list if required)

All characters must be 18 or over in the game as well as in the work you create

No characters in romantic relationships are to be related to each other.

Trans and gender-swapped characters are welcomed, unless it is only for the explicit purpose of making a canon homosexual couple into a heterosexual couple (eg, making Aylin a man so that the relationship with Isobel is straight) 

Deadline is 10th Feb to allow for time to check entries

Collections will go live just before midnight on 13th Feb so they are ready to be viewed on Valentine's Day

If you would like to help with the event running, please contact TavyliaSin on Twitter, Discord, or anywhere else you can hunt her down~

Dead Dove and controversial topics, kinks, and characters are allowed but must be properly tagged to give people a choice of what they engage with. This also means there is to be no shaming - Tavylia would like to support all creative works even ones she isn't personally fond of or would avoid.

How Do I Join?

You can either send your submissions directly to the AO3 Collections, or if you don't have AO3 you can wait until 14th Feb and reblog/retweet the posts I'll make for the collections on the day to add your contributions. It's open to EVERYONE who is 18+! Join in, give it a try! Submissions on AO3 close on 10th Feb 2024 (just before midnight GMT/UTC 0) so please try to get things in on time to be on AO3 so we have a few days to accept and check submissions. The collections will go live on 14th February for Valentine's just around midnight UTC0/GMT

Select "Post to Collection" to add your work! All works will be hidden until the collection releases on 14th.

Are there any Prompts?

Yes! Aside from the general theme there are prompts for art and writing (and anything else) on the following google form. You can roll dice to decide for you as each question has numbered answers and instructions on the dice to use! But you don't have to stick to the result you get - choose what you like. You don't even have to roll dice at all if you don't want to, just take a look at the selection for some ideas and choose what's interesting in it.

You can enter as many pieces as you like, so please use this to have fun and enjoy yourselves~

If you have any questions please drop them in comments, or contact me anywhere you can find me~

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

John Darków, Columbia Missourian

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

February 15, 2025

Heather Cox Richardson

Feb 15, 2025

After World War II, the vast majority of Americans—Democrats and Republicans alike—agreed that the federal government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. But not everyone was on board. Some big businessmen hated regulations and the taxes necessary for social welfare programs and infrastructure, and racists and religious traditionalists who opposed women’s rights wanted to tear that “liberal consensus” apart.

They had no luck convincing voters to abandon the government that was overseeing unprecedented prosperity until the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, decision permitted them to turn back to an old American trope. That ruling, which declared segregation in the public schools unconstitutional, enabled opponents of the liberal consensus to resurrect the post–Civil War argument of former Confederates that a government protecting Black rights was simply redistributing wealth from hardworking white taxpayers to undeserving Black Americans.

That argument began to take hold, and in 1980, Republican president Ronald Reagan rode it to the White House with the story of the “welfare queen,” identified as a Cadillac-driving, unemployed moocher from Chicago’s South Side (to signal that the woman was Black). “She has 80 names, 30 addresses, 12 Social Security cards and is collecting veteran’s benefits on four non-existing deceased husbands,” Reagan claimed. “And she is collecting Social Security on her cards. She’s got Medicaid, getting food stamps, and she is collecting welfare under each of her names.” The woman was real, but not typical—she was a dangerous criminal rather than a representative welfare recipient—but the story illustrated perfectly the idea that government involvement in the economy bled individual enterprise and handed tax dollars to undeserving Black Americans.

Republicans expanded that trope to denigrate all “liberals” of both parties, who supported an active government, claiming they were all wasting government monies. Deregulation and tax cuts meant that between 1981, when Reagan took office, and 2021, when Democratic president Joe Biden did, about $50 trillion moved from the bottom 90% of Americans to the top 1%. But rather than convincing Republican voters to return to a robust system of business regulation and restoring taxes on the wealthy and corporations, that transfer of wealth seemed to make them hate the government even more, as they apparently were convinced it benefited only nonwhite Americans and women.

That hatred has led to a skewed idea of the actions and the size of the federal government. For example, Americans think the U.S. spends too much on foreign aid because they think it spends about 25% of the federal budget on such aid while they say it should only spend about 10%. In fact, it spends only about 1% on foreign aid. Similarly, while right-wing leaders insist that the government is bloated, in fact, as Elaine Kamarck of the Brookings Institution noted last month, the U.S. population has grown by about 68% in the last 50 years while the size of the federal government’s workforce has actually shrunk.

What has happened is that federal spending has expanded by five times as the U.S. has turned both to technology and to federal contractors, who outnumber federal workers by more than two to one. Those contractors are concentrated in the Department of Defense. At the same time, budget deficits have been driven by tax cuts under Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump as well as the unfunded wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; the Treasury actually ran a surplus when Democratic president Bill Clinton was in office in the 1990s.

When asked, Americans say they don’t actually want to get rid of government programs. A late January poll from the Associated Press–NORC Center for Public Affairs Research—a gold-standard pollster for public attitudes—found that only about 29% of Americans wanted to see the elimination of a large number of federal jobs, with 40% opposed (29% had no opinion). Instead, 67% of adults believed the U.S. is spending too little on Social Security, 65% thought it was spending too little on education, 62% thought there is too little aid for the poor, 61% thought there is too little spending on Medicare, and 55% thought there is too little spending on Medicaid. Fifty-one percent thought the U.S. should spend more on border security.

Nonetheless, Trump is echoing forty years of Republican rhetoric when he claims to have a “mandate�� to slash government and to purge it of the diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that hold the playing field level for Black Americans, women, people of color, and ethnic, religious, and gender minorities.

On February 11, Trump signed an executive order putting billionaire Elon Musk in charge of “large-scale reductions in force,” and yesterday, Musk and his allies began purging the federal government of career employees, beginning with employees still in their probationary period, typically those with less than a year in the job. The Department of Veterans Affairs lost 1,000 people, the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau lost more than 100 people, the U.S. Department of Agriculture lost more than 2,400, the U.S. Forest Service lost more than 3,000, the Environmental Protection Agency lost 400, the Small Business Administration lost more than 100, and the Interior Department lost 2,300, including workers at national parks. The Department of Health and Human Services is expected to lose nearly all of its 5,200 workers in their probationary period, including 1,300 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—10% of its workforce—while the National Institutes of Health (NIH) lost 1,500. “I am heartbroken, more than anything, for the future of science in this country as we gut this institution that has for so long been intentionally shielded as much as possible from politics,” an NIH employee told Will Stone, Pien Huang, and Rob Stein of NPR.

Five government employees’ unions have sued, saying the mass firings violate the formal procedures for reductions in force. Employees say they were already understaffed and there is no way they will be able to keep up the level of their performance under the cuts. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) points out that rather than saving money, “it is a massive waste of taxpayer dollars to fire employees the department just invested months into recruiting, vetting and training.”

On Reddit, federal employees shared their experience. One wrote: “The thing that I can’t get over is that the actual richest man in the world directed my f*cking firing. I make $50K a year and work to keep drinking water safe. The richest man in the world decided that was an expense too great for the American taxpayer.”

It certainly appears that those in charge of the firings didn’t know what they were doing: on Thursday they fired more than 300 workers at the National Nuclear Security Administration, apparently not aware that they were the people who oversee the nation’s nuclear weapons. Today, Peter Alexander and Alexandra Marquez of NBC News reported that officials are now trying to rehire them but can’t figure out how to reach them because the workers lost access to their work email when they were fired.

The firings of federal employees come after the Trump administration instituted a “freeze” on federal spending. This impoundment of funds is illegal—the Constitution, Congress, and the courts have all established that once Congress has established a program, the president must implement it. But the truth is that Congress implemented these programs for a reason, and members would not kill them because they recognize they are important for all Americans.

Now MAGA voters are now discovering that much of what billionaire Elon Musk is cutting as “waste, fraud, and corruption” is programs that benefit them, often more than they benefit Democratic-dominated states. Dramatically, farmers, who backed Trump by a margin of three to one, are badly hit by the freeze on funding provided by the Inflation Reduction Act for conservation of land, soil, and water. “This isn’t just hippie-dippy stuff,” Wisconsin cattle, pig, and poultry farmer Aaron Pape told Linda Qiu and Julie Creswell of the New York Times. “This is affecting mainstream farmers.”

Similarly, the shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is a blow to the agricultural sector: USAID buys about $2 billion in agricultural products from U.S. farmers every year. It has also supported funding for research at state universities like the University of Tennessee, the University of Missouri, and the University of Louisiana.

Cuts to indirect spending in grants from the National Institutes of Health will also hit hard across the country, and states where Trump won more than 55% of the 2024 vote are no exception. Former college president Michael Nietzel noted in Forbes that Texas stands to lose more than $300 million; Ohio, more than $170 million; and Tennessee, Missouri, and Florida, more than $130 million apiece. These losses will cause thousands of layoffs and, as the Association of American Medical Colleges said, “diminish the nation’s research capacity, slow scientific progress and deprive patients, families and communities across the country of new treatments, diagnostics and preventive interventions.”

Trump said Wednesday he wanted to shutter the Department of Education immediately, calling it “a big con job.” That Department provides grants for schools in low-income communities as well as money for educating students with special needs: eight of the ten states receiving the most federal money for their K–12 schools are dominated by Republicans.

Trump has called the Federal Emergency Management Agency a “disaster” and said states should handle natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and tornadoes on their own. But states do not have the resilience they need for such short-term emergencies. Once again, while all states receive FEMA money, Republican-dominated states get slightly more of that money than Democratic-dominated states do.

Before the 2024 election, Aaron Zitner, Jon Kamp, and Brian McGill of the Wall Street Journal noted that by 2022, 53% of the counties in the U.S. received at least a quarter of their income from government programs—primarily through Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Those counties heavily support Republicans, including Trump.

On Friday the Republican-dominated House Budget Committee presented its budget proposal to the House. It calls for adding $4.5 trillion to the budget deficit in order to extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. It also calls for $1.5 trillion in spending cuts, including cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and supplemental nutrition programs. Budget Committee chair Jodey Arrington (R-TX) said: “The era of wasteful, woke, and weaponized government is over.”

For forty years, Republican politicians could win elections by insisting that government spending redistributed wealth from hardworking taxpayers to the undeserving because they did not entirely purge the federal programs that their own voters liked. Now Trump, Musk, and the Republicans are purging funds for cancer research, family farms, national parks, food, nuclear security, and medical care—all programs his supporters care about—and threatening to throw the country into an economic tailspin that will badly hurt Republican-dominated states.

A January AP/NORC poll found that only 12% of U.S. adults thought it would be good for billionaires to advise presidents, while 60% thought it would be bad.

Forty years of ideology is under pressure now from reality, and the outcome remains uncertain.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[pyromairon]

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[lotties-ashwagandha]

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