#Simplify travel experience

[burning2know]

Because i have the solas brain rot and the "god of lies" slander cannot lay dormant in my brain as I'm watching the first season of the japanese TV series The Travel Nurse...

In The Travel Nurse, the main character's mentor (who is a nurse) is a serial compulsive liar, deceiving people about big and small things. Like whether his father is alive to garner sympathy. Or telling a patient their favorite restaurant is closing to motivate them in physiotherapy. Yes, this is all extremely manipulative and unethical in any Western medical system. But in the show, his manipulations have overall positive effects, and the people who recognize these effects THANK HIM for helping them, because they had the intended effects.

Protective lying (prosocial lying, if you want to be a social psychologist about it) is a real thing that can have good outcomes. Better outcomes than telling truth sometimes especially if you want to avoid direct confrontation. It's boring when it all works out, but when the manipulations don't work out, characters in the show tend to forgive them for the lying because they recognized the intention behind them and accept the apology for any harm done. Because this is cozy feel good television, that's how it's written. Real Japanese people aren't this naive. However, there ARE ways to repair/make up for the unintentional harm caused by well-intended lies.

If i remember correctly, Veilguard id the first dragon age game to get a Japanese localization. I genuinely wonder how it was received there.

[commsaquitilabs]

https://www.acuitilabs.com/acuitimobi/

[heartlilith]

Rising Signs in the Solar Return Chart

Aries Rising: With Aries rising in your solar return chart, an abundance of energy and drive is more apparent this year. You will have the stamina to take on any challenge or goal that you put your mind to. Impulsive decisions along with issues with anger and frustration could arise, but your confidence and enthusiasm should help you push through. If you have an Aries rising in your SRC, this year is perfect for asserting your identity, starting a fitness journey, and pursuing your goals. 

Taurus Rising: Taurus rising in your solar return chart shifts your focus to stability, comfort, and setting the groundwork for the long haul. You’ll seek security in relationships, finances, your career, and your home life. This is also a year that highlights indulgence; whether it be in art, food, or nature. I like to think of it as a year of *beautifying*, where you create a peaceful environment that aligns with who you are.

Gemini Rising: Gemini rising brings a year of curiosity, learning, and mental stimulation. Multitasking is the name of the game here, and although it’ll be chaotic at times, it’ll bring so much growth.  Juggling multiple interests, connections with new people, and soaking up knowledge like a sponge will make for a busy year ahead. Short trips and communication will also be emphasized this year, whether that’s through speaking, writing, teaching, or networking.

Cancer Rising: With Cancer rising in a solar return chart, the focus of the year will be on home, family, and connecting with your emotions. Shifts and transformations can occur in your home and personal life, encouraging you to prioritize self care and take care of people you love most. You may be more of a homebody this year or can have stronger emotions. Lean into yourself and allow yourself to feel how you feel without judgement. 

Leo Rising: Leo rising in your solar return chart makes for a year of confidence, creativity and being placed in the spotlight. Others won’t be able to ignore your sunny and charming presence, including romantic interests, coworkers, bosses, and friends. You’ll be hard to miss this year. Stepping into your confidence and focusing on yourself will be favored, and it will also attract admiration from people around you.

Virgo Rising: Virgo rising, this year will be about self-improvement and simplifying your routine. You’ll be more focused on your goals and it’ll be easier to adjust your day to day, especially in regard to  your health, your job, or just finding more efficient ways to live. You’ll be very productive this year like Gemini rising, but more organized and critical. 

Libra Rising: With a Libra rising in a solar return chart, relationships will be prioritized this year. Harmony in your relationships and friendships as well as finding balance between give and take will be highlighted. Art, beauty, and aesthetics will be important to you this year and a glow up could be on the horizon, since experimenting with your style will more than likely have a great outcome this year.

Scorpio Rising: With Scorpio rising, the year ahead will be filled with growth and transformation in every aspect of life, but especially in your emotional sector. You could enjoy your solitude this year, become more reflective, and value your privacy much more than in past years. This year is great for confronting your fears and running with your passions. 

Sagittarius Rising: Sagittarius rising brings optimism, adventure, and a hunger for new experiences. This is a year to explore and learn, whether through travel, education, or even reading a book! You’ll feel more confident in taking risks but remember to avoid overextending yourself or chasing too many opportunities at once, indulgence isn’t always necessary. 

Capricorn Rising: With Capricorn rising in your solar return chart, the focus shifts to maturity, responsibility, and hard work. At the end of the cycle, you will be more disciplined and mature - especially in regard to your goals and career. Success is within reach for sure, but only if you avoid crumbling under the pressure you put on yourself. Self care is equally as important as reaching your goals. 

Aquarius Rising: Aquarius rising brings a year of thinking outside the box and showing off your uniqueness. You’ll have a hard time with any limits, whether they’re self-imposed or not. Socially, you’ll be popular and recognized for what makes you different. Definitely a trendsetter placement, you may notice a lot of copycats this year. Volunteer work as well as helping others is favored now, but make sure you find balance,  Aquarius is more giving than what people assume. 

Pisces Rising: With Pisces rising, this year will be about tapping into and strengthening your intuition. Hobbies centered around creativity and healing could very well take center stage this year. You’ll be extremely attuned to the emotions and vibes from people around you, maybe even too much. Take time to reflect in solitude and allow yourself to channel your thoughts by journaling, painting, singing, or anything that you genuinely love to do. 

[sapionic]

Jupiter in Astrology SIMPLIFIED!

I was thinking about what Jupiter represents and a good keyword that can be connected to Jupiter when you're looking at any type of chart is the word.. "always" because Jupiter is the planet of experience and expansion so when we want to look at charts in a real-world way, then we can look at Jupiter and say that is what you're always experiencing.

so for instance.. Jupiter in the first house- you're always doing something! for some people it could mean they're always alone- by themselves or they're always doing something. Jupiter in the second house -they're always stable, chilling, or they're always making money or they always have money.

Jupiter in the third house- they're always talking or learning. maybe they're always socializing or they always got something to say.

Jupiter in the fourth house could be someone that's always at home, always low-key, always out the way. Always with famly. Always hesitating. Always saving stuff.

Jupiter in the fifth house -always having fun. always doing something fun.always at some type of event or just having some type of fun basically.

Jupiter in the sixth house- always doing something. always being productive. always have something to do. Jupiter in the seventh house always around people or someone. always have someone that they can count on or talk to. always have people around in some kind of way.

Jupiter in the eighth house always getting stuff for free or they always seem to accumulate a lot of things and maybe it is completely for free. maybe a lot of people give these people things or they just get a lot of free things in one way, shape, or form. These could even be people that really coupon to the max because it's like a real couponer technically don't have to really spend too much out of pocket so I feel like a genius couponer could definitely have some type of eighth house emphasis.

so if it's not Jupiter in the eighth house then it could be something else that's giving them some type of eighth house influence because it's like people with second house energy.. they might attempt to coupon but it doesn't really mean that they're gonna stick with it and Jupiter in the eighth house representing possibly having a lot of things free can make it so whereas though someone just knows how to coupon and knows how to pay less in general because that's what the eighth house represents.

someone with Jupiter in the ninth house will be someone that's always outside. always traveling. always going somewhere. always out and about. someone with Jupiter in the tenth house could be always at work. always working. always you know at some type of significant event or place. always got a job. basically same thing for Jupiter in the sixth house too especially depending on other factors. sixth house Jupiter and tenth house Jupiter could be people that's always focused on work or focused on some type of duty but of course Jupiter in the tenth house is more about the work and sixth house is more about the duty but it's like these people always got something to do.

Jupiter in the eleventh house- these people.. they can always be in the middle of something so you know. of course that could be good or bad but basically the eleventh house is about a wide range of people so people with this can always be around a lot of people. always somewhere where everybody is. this could even be someone natally who is always everywhere. like maybe this person seems to be everywhere with everyone.. like dang this person know that person.. that person..

Jupiter in the twelfth house could be people that's always low-key. always private. Could seem like these people are always hiding or always hard to find or just always being secretive in some type of way. alright so these are these are people that know how to stay out the way and you know not necessarily be seen. these are people that are fine w/out be'N seen. Jupiter in the twelfth house- it's like it's making it easy for them to do these things so whenever you're looking at a chart . just look at Jupiter as like what you're always going to be doing basically so that will make it much easier to kind of get an idea of what can be going on as far as the Jupiter placement.

if you feel like the other key keywords and other meanings just don't connect.. but if you really pay attention to what's been going on, you might see like "okay I have been kind of doing a lot of this so I guess it does make sense"

so yeah wherever Jupiter is, is what you're gonna be doing a lot of basically. you're gonna be basically having a lot of experience in that area. it could be passive or it could be loud. and of course that's where the aspects come in. the aspects can kind of tell you like how active or how passive it might be.

so very easy way to finally conquer what Jupiter really can mean. I've seen some people mention how they expected Jupiter to have this strong effect but it's because it's like a more experienced type of energy.. like you have to actually go through the experience. Jupiter is not playing a Martian role or a moon- like role. it's a passive experience role. you have to go through the experience. and it's kind of like having a story to tell.

so basically, your life? that's Jupiter. you know.. like a certain amount of years in your life.. that's Jupiter. Or a full day completed...that's jupiter.

[millersfinest]

the thing in your chest that beats ² | e.w

santa barbara!ellie williams & ex-firefly!reader

wc: 4.5k

mini-series: california | oregon (you’re here) | idaho | wyoming

blurb: you put up a good fight with those rattlers, but it wasn’t good enough—all it got you was strung up near a beach where the sun scorched you dry. abruptly, their set-up gets fucked by their own prisoners, saving your life by only a thread. but the wrath that lingered under your skin was immense, and you’re not the only one to experience that phenomenon. when another damaged soul encounters your brittle state; the dreams that put you in a tough position manifest into reality. along with a few extra miscellaneous things…

cw: angry!r, slow-burn romance, eventual smut, proximity trope, both reader and ellie on a path of redemption, afab body parts mentioned, vulgar language, reader being complicated, mentions of attraction, inner guilt, use of ‘y/n’ and ‘woman’.

note: honestly i just can’t wait for them to kiss (spoiler: not this chapter). but they’re learning to trust each other. just know in the idaho ch we’re gonna be UP! please, enjoy this for now!! (also: i hope the lot of you voted for the presidential election. these are very very important times #harriswaltz2024)

Oregon

Several days and nights were spent on a boat, cruising up the coast of California. It was one of those livable boats, where you could hide from the sun in a room with stable furniture to eat on, and a bed to sleep on. You spent a lot of your time inside the hatch, analyzing a map that Ellie had labeled with a marker. Hoping that you’d maintain your luck enough to actually see Wyoming for yourself.

Ellie had confessed that she came from Jackson, but she still hadn’t told you the why. Instead of asking about it, you refrained, in turn, asking about the settlement. Were the people kind? Did they have horses? Because you heard they had horses.

Those were the questions she could answer easily, with little to no hesitation. Until your questioning began to irritate her—which, in turn, irritated you.

The two of you bickered over the smallest of things in those days on the water. It could’ve been the heat, or the rationed food, or even your similar personalities. You couldn’t help but clash every chance you got. By the time the two of you drifted onto the coastline of Oregon, the conversations had diminished—because of your stubborn attitudes.

Leaving behind the boat was a drag, but there’s wasn’t much of a choice. The rest of the journey toward Wyoming was going to be on foot. Over cracked pavements and between dewey trees. If only the trip could be simplified by the use of a boat—it would be less extraneous.

The weather had gotten significantly cooler the more north you traveled. The mornings were the coolest, and the days were chilled with a gentle breeze. It would rain eighty percent of the time, which made it harder for you and Ellie to continue the trek. But both of you were resilient.

Somewhere between Salem and Portland, you found yourselves looking for a place to stay for the night. You had run across some nefarious people when you first arrived at the coast; and you’ve been recovering ever since. Trying to collect as many things as possible on the road to make up for the lost ammo and supplies. Which is what led to you looking for a place to crash in, basically, pitch black darkness. Navigating the dewey wood with nothing but the lights attached to your bags.

Droplets of water slipped off the waxy green leaves of the trees above. Splashing onto you—and it was shocking every time. The climate sent a gentle chill up your spine, so the water was even colder. Ellie walked ahead of you, mumbling under her breath from the lack of shelter. Her agitation was ruminating off her skin like a furnace. “We should’ve never gone this way— there’s nothing out here!”

Her agitation was obviously laced with panic. Ellie was exhausted from all the traveling and worries about conflict. “We entered a campsite a few miles back. At the very least there should be a cabin out here.” You surmised, squinting your eyes trying to defy the darkness. The auburn-haired woman scoffed under her breath, adjusting the hood of her raincoat. “If you wanna take a break, just say that.” You reached for her wrist, pulling gently. “It’s been a long day…”

“Absolutely not. We need a place to sleep tonight— with a roof.” Ellie pulled her arm away, placing her hands onto her hips. Her head hung low, clearly fatigued.

“How about this: you park it by this tree for a little bit, while I walk around to see if I can find somethin’ for us.” You offer, shrugging your shoulders, casually. The both of you were exhausted, but it seemed that Ellie was suffering a bit more than you were. Was that not that point of a team? To tap in someone else when you need it. Plus, you really felt that there was a cabin nearby. There had to be one. Most campsites had cabins that hikers and campers would go to before they began their adventures. For supplies or even important notices about wild animals.

Or, maybe, you watched too much tv at the firefly base.

She shook her head. “No chance. Separating in the dark doesn’t sound like a good idea to me. What? So, you can get lost and give us another problem to deal with?”

Pinching the bridge of your nose, you press your lips into an irritated line. “Are you seriously insulting my intelligence, right now?” You raised an eyebrow, glaring at the woman in front of you. “I was a firefly for six years of my life—“

“Oh, my God! The whole world knows that you were a fucking firefly, y/n. No need for the reminder.”

Ellie began to walk in another direction, sternly. You scoffed, following after her like confused duckling—which was an embarrassing thought. “You’re so insufferable. All I was trying to do was help you out— because to be honest, you’re not handling this well.” You quip, walking by her side with your hands shoved into your pockets.

She scoffed. “How could I handle this well? Please, tell me.” Stopping in her tracks, she glares at you. Olive irises blown out from the darkness around her, boring into your aggressive frame.

Taking a step closer to her, the corners of your lips curled, mischievously. “You could start by taking a fucking break and letting me take the lead.” There was something that differed between you and Ellie’s versions of frustration and anger. She took it up a level, while you brought it down. It could fool an idiot into thinking you weren’t mad at all, when really you were fuming. The pace of your voice was slow, almost menacing. True fire remained behind your eyes, in your posture—the way your lip twitched as you spoke.

“I’m not some damsel in distress you pull everywhere then blame when shit goes wrong.” You added, taking in her battered features. The scar in her eyebrow and her top lip. The freckles under her peeling skin from the days aboard. “I have a great sense of direction; I’ll have you know.” As you spoke, she examined your features the same way you did. “Stop arguing with me, sit your ass down, drink some water— and i’ll be back in twenty minutes tops!”

Ellie rolled her tongue in her mouth, averting her eyes from you. She was too stubborn to admit her own exhaustion to you—she’d rather be in control of the situation than someone she barely knew. Someone, who at the start of this trip, was, in fact, a damsel in distress. Your body had healed in the days since departing Santa Barbara. Not completely, but in progress. You were walking better, even though you still had a bit of a limp.

Her focus on you made it easy to forget her own ailments. The missing fingers on her left hand, the wound on her abdomen. They were healing, surprisingly. However, her attention still remained on your well-being.

She sighed, itching her nose with her index finger. “Fine. Whatever.” Ellie shrugged her backpack off, leaning against the tree. “Just come back in one piece, yeah?” Somehow, she managed to sound insulting with her hidden words of weariness.

You snickered, narrowing your eyes. “Is that worry I’m sensing or…?”

“Don’t make me change my mind.”

With that, you backed toward the path, chuckling under your breath. Adjusting the hood over your head, you focused to begin looking for the cabin that you just knew was close by. Feet crunching over dead leaves and sticks that were imbedded in the mud.

The light attached to the strap of your bag began to flicker as you pushed between the trees. “Come on…” You hit the light to stabilize it. “Now is not the time.”

When you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light.

Your past affiliations haunted you like a ghost. Somehow, you always found yourself looking for that light. Perhaps, in this case, it’s Jackson, Wyoming—a place far from what you know. That was more of a long-term goal, though. The light you were currently looking for was a building made of wood, preferably insulated.

Ahead of you, you weren’t sure if you were seeing things, but what you were hoping for was coming into view. The brightness of the moon illuminating the starry sky outlined the top of the cabin, exposing its silhouette. In excitement, you rushed toward the building, peaking through the foggy windows. From what you could see, there was nothing inside but old furniture. Thankfully, no infected. You were beat; the last thing you wanted to do was fight that damn virus.

As you peeked through every window you could find, jiggling door handles to try and find a way in, you realized it was a home. Not some hiking administration building you surmised would be around the trail. Spending enough time circling the cabin, you pick up a rock from the ground to crack a window. You were getting in that house one way or another.

The rectangular shape was rather high for your reach. Huffing, you dug your fingers into the divots of the logs. It wasn’t the best grip, but it was enough to get you into that window. After throwing your body through the hole, you landed on the ground with a thud. A shallow pain throbbed in your thigh—the one that Ellie had stitched for you back in Santa Barbara. Shutting your eyes, you took in a breath from the slight pain. You weren’t one hundred percent just yet.

Exhaling, you stood tall on your feet to get a look at the interior. A long plaid couch was placed in front of what used to be a fireplace. Burned logs was still lying in the pit, but they burned to a crisp. You were certain that if you touched them, they would fall apart under the weight of your hand. The dirt shapes on the walls symbolized that picture use to fill this space—the cabin was drained of life.

It’s only source of existence was the fact that you were standing in it.

Before leaving to retrieve Ellie, you jogged up the steep stairs of the cabin. To check the upstairs rooms for any infected or people. You must’ve been one lucky woman, because there was nothing but dust occupying those rooms. Quickly, you went through the front door to grab your partner.

Crunching on leaves and sticks, you startled her. Ellie was spotted sat in front of the tree, leaning her back with her eyes closed—which was the least smart thing to do, but she was tired. The sound of your boots crushing the elements of the forest jolted her from her light sleep. She gripped her switchblade in a fist, looking at you with determination. “Fuck,” She sighed, rubbing her hands over her face. “I thought you were someone else…”

“Nope. Just me.” You breathed, watching her as she stood to her feet. “There’s a cabin about ten minutes from this spot.” Crossing your arms, a slight smile rested on your lips. A smile screaming I-told-you-so.

Ellie slung her bag around her shoulders, dusting off her jeans; doing everything to ignore your antics. “Are we just gonna stand here, or are you gonna show me where it’s at?”

Sucking your teeth, you pivoted, rolling your eyes. She was such a sore loser. It felt good to be right, and for her to be wrong. You didn’t get lost like she thought—instead, you carried out exactly what you planned: finding shelter for the night.

The two of you approached the cabin, Ellie releasing a sigh of relief. Hallow sounds of your shoes walking up the steps of the wooden porch sounded. You opened the door, allowing her to walk through. Staring her down with same smile you had a few minutes ago. “Nice place, huh?” You asked, shutting the door behind you, turning the lock.

She meandered inside, surveying the interior. Her fingers slide along the dusty bannister above the fireplace, pursing her lips. “Not bad…” Ellie lifted an eyebrow, peering over her shoulder at you. Lifting her finger, she eyed the dust that stuck to her skin.

“Told you there was a cabin around here somewhere.”

“I knew you were gonna say that.” Ellie chuckled, dryly. Taking moderate steps toward the kitchen. Every time you stopped, she insisted that inventory was taken of all of your supplies. She achingly tugged her backpack off, sighing. You followed behind her, leaning your arms against the counter—watching her tired movements.

“Why are you looking at me?” She dropped her hands onto the counter, with that familiar irritated glint in her eyes.

You purse your lips. “You know I could do this, right?” Shrugging off your bag, you swing it onto the counter. There was a slight sway to Ellie—the only reason being her exhaustion. “We’ve done this a number of times; you can go rest up. There are three bedrooms upstairs— take your pick.”

Ellie scoffed, continuing the work in front of her. Counting under her breath. You grit your jaw, glaring at her. She was truly insufferable—moments like these really highlighted that. Her stubbornness and pride amounted about the same to yours; causing you to wonder… Were you just as bad? You pity the friends you had in your youth if that was the case. Releasing a meditative breath, you placed a hand over hers. “Seriously, Ellie, I got it. Go get some sleep.”

She looks at you through her eyelashes, allowing your skin to remain on hers. “Aren’t you tired, too?”

“Yeah, but not as much as you… I could stand to be up for a little while longer. You on the other hand…”

She pulled her hand from under yours, pushing off her wet hood. Her auburn strands were damp, sticking to her freckled skin. “All right. Make sure to write down the things we don’t have that we need.”

“I know.”

“And mark the items that we’re running low on.”

“Again, I know.” You motion with her hand to run along with amused eyes. Waiting to begin, you watch as she hesitantly walks toward the steep wooden stairs around the corner.

It was like pulling teeth for Ellie to willingly hand over responsibility to you. In her mind, she was still doing you a favor—she was working for you. But being that she was extremely tired, her inhibitions loosened. The touch of your skin to hers, surprisingly, comforted her concerns; made her sleepier. She heavily stepped up the stairs, leaning on the railing for support.

She walked into the first bedroom she saw. The light from the moon cascaded through the window that the queen-sized bed was pushed against. Shedding her damp clothing, she spread them out onto a dresser before getting into the bed. Before nodding off, she peered out the window with a burdened mind. Remembering the bulk of her actions leading up to Santa Barbara. With the added misfortune of Santa Barbara. Then… You.

The moon reflected over a sparkling pier, that was down a hill behind the cabin. The lake was completely in her view, rippling subtly from the fish beneath the surface. She cracked a smile, peering at the beautiful sight. Rolling up a pillow, she propped it up enough to let that be the final thing she sees before sleeping. Using the elements of the earth as a night cap.

She’d woken up many times throughout the night, but she was used to that habit. When the sun peaked through her window, Ellie had gotten as much sleep as she could have. The smell of cooked fish had wafted into her nostrils, pulling her from the old mattress. With a groan, she swung her legs over, rubbing her eyes.

In a blur, from the corner of her eyes, she saw a figure walking toward the pier. Blinking, she leaned on the pillows against the window, watching as the figure began to remove their clothes—it was you. Ellie watched as you dropped your items, carelessly, before jumping into the water. For the first time in awhile, her mind went blank. Completely empty.

Well… Not that empty.

She checked the clothes she had on from the night before, and for some reason, they still were damp. Enough moisture resided in her jeans that she didn’t feel comfortable putting them back on. Sighing, she began searching through the drawers for anything she could put on in the meantime.

Finding a pair of plaid pajama pants, she slid those on, throwing her holed band t-shirt over her sports bra. “What time is it?” She patted her jeans for the watch she carried with her. Cursing under her breath, she realized it was left in her backpack.

Quickly, Ellie found herself navigating to the first floor. Her eyes widened at the organized sight of all of your supplies. You had grouped similar items together and left a piece of paper with the amounts in each group. At the bottom of the page, you had written a list of the items you needed more of. Ellie’s watch was sitting on the end of the counter, properly placed. “You have outdone yourself…” She muttered, picking up the paper you scribbled on.

When she flipped it over, the subtle grin her lips faded. Seeing the sorrowful words written on the page. Since leaving Santa Barbara, she noticed you pulling out this letter a lot. The one you fetched from under that infected woman. You had never gone into what this letter or note meant to you—probably, because she never asked. That didn’t mean she wasn’t curious about it, though. Ellie never would’ve expected that you’d write on it over something as silly as taking inventory.

There were so many things she didn’t understand about you.

The aroma of fish filled her nostrils again, leading her to slab of rock placed on the counter. A coverage of cloth was placed over the fish to ward off flies. She peeked under it, seeing a perfectly scaled and grilled fish. Hunger got the best of her, and she began to eat the fish with her hands. Humming at the satisfaction of filling her stomach.

After, she grabbed the cracked watch to check the time. It was ten in the morning, the both of you should’ve been back on the road.

Pressing her lips into a line, she walked out the back door to alert you. Her fingers fiddling with the plaid cotton on her legs.

The air was fairly cool, but the sun warmed you up. Basking in the lake was like splashing your face with cold water in the morning—it was a wake-up call. Something that you needed after the night you had. In the room across from Ellie’s, the bed was too firm, and the sheets were too prickly. Your mind kept you up with the image of Honey’s infected body. And, whenever you did shut your eyes, you were back on those pillars again.

You had no choice but to get up early and occupy yourself. So, you fished for a little while, then cooked what you caught—for yourself and the sleeping woman upstairs. After that, you thought you could use a bath. And there was nothing more satisfying than cool lake water—nature’s finest.

You allowed the water to engulf you, embracing your body like a chilled hug. Breaking the surface, you swam comfortable laps around the lake. As you lazily backstroked, you noticed Ellie walking down the steps that led to the dock.

Her auburn hair was spiked all across her head—she must’ve slept well. You chuckled, swimming up the edge of the dock. Placing your hands against it, to pull yourself up a little. Bare shoulders glistening from the sunlight reflecting off your wet skin. “You have a bad case of bedhead, my friend.”

“What?” She immediately became self-conscious, running her hands through her hair. Shaking her head, she adjusted her features, trying to uphold her naturally irritated persona; scrunching her eyebrows and clenching her jaw. “You let me sleep too late; it’s ten. We should start packing up.” Her eyes avoided you, instead, focusing on the plants surrounding the lake. Or your pruned fingers holding onto the dock.

Looking up at her with squinted eyes, you dramatically sniffed. “Why don’t you hop in? You smell like shit.” You ignored her small jabs of blame, coating your lips with a smile. Perhaps, you’ve been spending too much time with her, but her little irritations were beginning to amuse you more than bother you. Or, from the angle that you were peering up at her, she looked really… Pretty. Bedhead and all.

“Excuse me?” She questioned, raising her eyebrows, finally meeting your eyes.

“I’m serious. Let’s resume the trip smelling better than a sewer.” You began to paddle backwards, almost forgetting about your own nakedness. “Take off your clothes… I‘ll give you privacy. Unless you’re too… Chicken.”

She hesitated, watching you swim backwards. Catching an accidental glimpse of your breasts as you turned around. It was true that she didn’t smell the greatest. Before she could formulate her thoughts properly, Ellie spoke. “Chicken? Really, y/n?” She sighed, punching the bridge of her nose. “Fine. But not for long— I wanna make it to Idaho within the next two days…”

Ellie shed her clothes, dropping them close to yours. She jumped into the water, keeping her head from going under, loudly reacting to the coldness of the lake. “Shit!” She exclaimed, treading water.

You turned around, chuckling, noticing her hair still disheveled. “You’ll feel better if you dunk yourself under water.”

“Hell, no! It’s too cold.”

“This doesn’t have to be another I-told-you-so moment…”

She rolled her eyes, clenching her nostrils with her fingers, lowering herself under water. Allowing the cold, earthy, lake water to encapsulate her. The first few seconds were chilling, but her body began to adapt. It became rather comforting—easing her sore muscles and healing wounds.

The lake did the same for you, which was why you were still inside of it. Time stopped at the pier; at least it felt like it did. Existing felt normal, for once. There weren’t any violent rogue people, or hungry infected. Just you and Ellie bathing in a lake.

Ellie broke the surface, running her hands over her saturated strands. Her pale skin was flushed, from what you could only assume, was the briskness in the air and the chillness of water. However, that may not have completely been the case. “Feel better?” You ask, waving your arms under the water to keep yourself afloat.

The corners of her lips curled, subtly. You had to squint to really notice her amusement. She rolled her eyes in a way to avert her gaze. “Yeah, a little.” Ellie finally peered at you, pointing a dripping finger. “Don’t say it.”

“Say what?” A grin plastered on your lips. “I told you so?”

“Do you realize how annoying you are, or just me?”

You pursed your lips, feigning thought. “Just you, I think.”

Honestly, you’re proud of yourself. A lot of the relationship blossoming between your traveling partner and yourself had been developing under the pressure of your attitudes and circumstances. The fact that you could get her to crack a smile, even if it was faint, felt good. It was either the dock’s magic, or your own.

A beat passed while the two of you circled each other. Barely looking at the exposed skin above the water, trying to be distracted by the world around you.

Surprisingly, Ellie was the first to speak—or the first to question you. She rarely every asked you anything. “That letter you carry with you…” The woman awkwardly began. “I saw it on the counter— who wrote it?”

Her voice grabbed your attention immediately at the mention of the note. You held onto it like a totem, a piece of memorabilia from your past. Hesitating, you moved your eyes from left to right in thought. “I know that it came from Santa Barbara. From that house…”

“It’s from an old friend.” You started, lips parting slowly as you spoke. Mouth going dry at the question she asked. You’ve yet to physically get the chance to talk about Honey. From the days aboard the boat, you’ve been trying to forget what you saw. Maybe, you could convince yourself that she was off living the life she wanted—instead of spending her last days suffering under the hammer of infection. “Some girl I met at that God-forsaken resort…” You attempted to casually respond.

“She got infected?”

“Yeah…” You nodded with avoidance, shutting your eyes and moving your head with a cadence of I-don’t-wanna-talk-about-it.

Ellie pursed her lips, nodding. “Why’d you write on the letter? I don’t know… It looks like it means a lot to you— I don’t understand why you would write on it?” She spoke, thoughtfully, as if she didn’t want to say the wrong thing. That was certainly the first time.

You shrug, wanting to hide somewhere, even though there was nowhere to do so. “I just want to forget about it… I guess.”

“If you cared about her, why would you wanna forget about it?”

The muscles in your forehead twitched, bunching your eyebrows together. Your face burned, lips scowling. Ellie’s voice evolved from a soft curiosity, to a judgmental version of it. You sensed the difference the moment it fell from her lips. The intention of her words didn’t matter—it was what she said that bothered you. Did she think you were cruel for wanting to forget about seeing her in that state?

“If I cared about her?” You started, evenly, but with warning. “I did care about her— I do care about her! If I choose not to remember her as a fucking corpse, that makes me a bad person?” Your voice raised, for the first time in awhile, rasping.

Ellie sighed, shaking her head with pleading eyes. “I didn’t say that.”

You scoff, swimming toward the dock. “Well, I’m sure that’s what you meant, right?” Pulling yourself out of the water, you don’t think twice about the exposing of your naked body. Cold air pricking at your wet skin. “I’m the asshole for wanting to remember Honey alive rather than dead…” You wrapped the towel you brought with you around your body, balling your clothes into your arms.

Lamely, Ellie called for you from her place in the water as you left her behind. Before you covered up, she eyed the scars and bruises on your body—maps of what your vessel has been through. Perhaps, she should have entered the conversation with more caution.

Watching you stalk back into the cabin, wiping at your eyes felt like a punishment. A worse punishment than the fact that she didn’t have a towel to dry off with.

“Nice work, Ellie.”

[arijackz]

✰ Astro Observations ✰

❤︎ Copyright © 2025 Arijackz. All Right Reserved.

★ Cancer Mercuries have the potential to become really good teachers. Cancer exalts Jupiter, which is the karaka of teachers, gurus, and is the graha that grants inner fulfillment through the acquirement of knowledge and worldly experience for the sake of one's conscious ascension. Moon and Jupiter share a resonance with themes of connectedness.

The moon is all about receptivity and accepting the influence of another; allowing an external force to touch and shift the gooiest corners of your internal world, thus creating an eternal bond and impression of that force within your psyche.

Jupiter, the traditional ruler of Sag and Pisces, is all about worldly intelligence and human awareness that only foreign exposure and dharmic alignment can achieve. Sag is the archetype of the traveler/ philosopher/ religious leader whose higher thinking allows their perspective to go beyond the immediate boundaries that limit the unity of the human experience such as race, cultural differences, economic disparities, etc.

Pisces exalts Venus, which is the graha of relationships and bridging people together for a cause. There is no force that unites people greater than death (Pisces). Pisces blurs the line between "self" and "non self", returning all the energy trapped inside material matter back to its original, whole source (The Big Bang/ God/ Whatever you want to call it).

Both Sag (Mula) and Pisces (Purva- Uttara Bhadrapada) want to remove any illusion or falsehood that prevents the soul from uniting with its true dharmic & moksha destiny.

All illusions start in the mind (the moon) and these natives (Jupiterians & Lunarians) are gifted with ease in garnering deep understandings of complex, nuanced topics (typically concerning the human psyche) and are able simplify their mechanics.

☆ The 3rd House is an underrated sexy house.

1) It's apart of the Kama trine houses (3rd, 7th, 11th) and is intrinsically connected to one's desires, the pursuit of gratification, and social appeal.

2) Governs the hands and arms, which allows sensory interaction and curiousness, thus creating attraction.

3) The 2nd house is how your voice sounds but the 3rd is what you're saying and how you're verbally influencing others. Unlike a water house, the 3rd is less concerned with the emotional weight behind building connections and focuses on the light, playful aspect of communication－flirtation. Thus creating a buzzing mental simulation, which births attraction and seduction.

4) Being the 8th house from the 8th house, this reaffirms (to me, at least) that the spark of one's raw energy and hunger for the fruit of their desires, translating to their libido and sexual tastes, can be shown in the third house.

Leo 3rd House: Your prowess is in how effortlessly you can charm the nuke codes out of the president.

Scorpio 3rd House: You vocal essence is liquid sex and attraction (Libra 2nd house), but the impact of your words are... sticky, they grasp and cling to an audience and embed their way permanently into their psyche.

★ Ardra Placements, ruled by the deity Rudra (Shiva's pre-mediative archetype) is known as the howler and is symbolized by a tear drop. This translates to an innate ability to alchemize one's pain and trauma into song as a means to lighten their emotional load.

Think of it like this: Ever since you popped out the womb, you've cried to 1) Notify the world that you are in need of something 2) To release excess stress hormones like prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and Leu-enkephalin into a perfectly shaped teardrop, and BOOM! You feel better!

The power of Ardra natives are rooted in how they shift their pain into something that can be heard (the howling) and alchemized into something that heals (the teardrop).

Ardra natives in Hollywood are BELOVED for their lyricism. Rahu gives them a communicative genius and an unorthodox approach to music, they tend to be pioneers or the faces of their field.

⇢ Taylor Swift - Ardra 🌙 ⇢ Lana Del Rey - Ardra ☀️

⇢ Ariana Grande - Ardra ☀️ ⇢ Kurt Cobain- Ardra 🌙

⇢ Lauryn Hill - Ardra ☀️ ⇢ Janis Joplin - Ardra 🌙

⇢ Vince Staples - Ardra ☀️ ⇢ Solange Knowles - Ardra ☀️

(Honorary Mention) Jennette McCurdy - Ardra ☀️

I CAN'T PROVE IT... but i'd bet money kendrick has an ardra placement (that asc lookin' reeaaallll iffy)

[courtkossai]

not really much secret to physical nonhumans in general that some folks expect double book-keep ; that in order to hold place in alterhuman communities , there is this need to acknowledge experiences as , quote , unrealistic and delusional - regardless of reasons and frameworks which explain these experiences .

kossai talk before on how this impact from religious perspective - to have to deny faeriehood in presence of others , simply because legal and medical systems must view as sickly human , can really wear down on mind and spirit .

but think some folks really lack perspective on why this wear down , and why many will say that to force double book-keep is actually more harmful than to just allow life and experience as is . so , why not try to explain from kossai perspective ?

unreality thought experiment ahead . conclusion will be below this thought experiment , which also mark in bold text .

look up at sky . what colour is that sky ? maybe black and starry , or blue and cloudy ? could even be reds and oranges , some nice pretty colours . for sake of this experiment , will simplify and say sky is blue right now , but feel free to mentally replace blue with whatever colour is accurate .

now forget all that . that sky is magenta . that sky is magenta , OK ? everyone else will say so from now on , that sky is magenta . but how odd is that ? this sky do not appear to be magenta - this sky is very clearly blue .

but this sky is magenta , because everyone else will say so . this sky is magenta , and there is no reason to question why magenta seem to be blue - this colour is magenta . this colour is magenta ! bright , fluorescent magenta ! so continue to say magenta , to acknowledge this blue as lie . but every time , every single time that look up at sky - there is blue . despite what everyone say , no magenta at all .

do everyone else simply call blue as magenta now ? do those people really all see magenta , or is this some elaborate joke ? is something wrong with colour vision , even while all other colours seem to be accurate ? or is there truth that this blue sky is ... just delusion ?

there is no reason to question anyone about this . those people will say , simply , blue is delusion , blue is lie , come on now . will chastise if ever answer wrong , laugh awkwardly , scoff and wave off , tell peers to ignore that silly little delusion .

have to say magenta . have to , there is no other choice . have to say that this blue , this gorgeous , beautiful blue , with these wondrous fluffy clouds - this is all lie . no one else can witness this beauty , and no one else care to even imagine . to experience sky as blue is not only falsehood , but almost personal offense to these people . must never mention this blue sky - or , if community is gracious enough , signpost with warnings again and again , obviously , obviously obviously this blue sky is so unrealistic , but please listen .

because ultimately , that sky is magenta , even when those words tear heart to shreds .

... and if sky is magenta ... other things might really be magenta , too . where do lies begin , where do lies end ? is there any way to know ? people talk of objective reality and consensus reality , but clearly already outside of those bounds , with no way to be sure of what those realities look like .

maybe perspective on those realities is equally false - and maybe grass is magenta , too .

end of unreality thought experiment .

now , to be clear , some folks do fairly naturally double book-keep - might even find life is better this way . but not all do , and to enforce this standard is hurtful . not only do this write off experiences as simple and unprofound lies , but also can worsen mental state , even set off other , more painful delusions .

again , kossai feel pains similar to this in denial of faeriehood and religion - paganism is already minority here , and even other pagans travel vastly different paths . there is simply no way to be upfront and explain depths , let alone touch upon faeriehood and faerie body . denial is necessity in order to get anything out of systems , but that denial also take huge toll on mood .

and yet kossai is in some way lucky . when these interactions end , kossai can retreat back to safety , indulge faeriehood , comfortably sit down with religion again , and recover . not all folks have that ability - whether because people take away such privacy and safety , or because this denial of experience send into crises outright .

double book-keep is not friend of everyone , and would do very well to remember that - to remember this thought experiment and understand just how badly this can hurt .

[dysfunctionalcreature]

so I have this Michael Shelley/Gerry Keay/Mike Crew AU and fanfic idea, which I know doesn't at all match up with the canon timeline but I don't care

The very simplified tldr of the plot is: Michael Shelley and Gerry Keay and Mike Crew became very close as young adults when they were all still human, but then Michael is taken by the Spiral, and Gerry dies of his brain tumor. Things follow canon for a while after that, but diverge around episode 91 because Mike isn't killed by Daisy. Things continue to diverge from canon after that, culminating in Mike and Gerry and Michael all being reunited, and going to live together in a house overlooking tall cliffs. But of course things are a bit different now, considering now Mike Crew is an avatar of the Vast, and Michael Shelley is an avatar of the Spiral, and Gerry Keay is an avatar of the End...

And my full fleshed-out outline/rough draft of the plot goes:

Michael and Mike became roommates when Mike was still searching for a Leitner to save him from the Lichtenberg Figure, and Michael had just applied to and gotten hired at the Magnus Institute. And they bond over the Spiral related childhood trauma they each have, they're the first ones to really understand or believe eachother's supernatural experiences, and they quickly become close friends.

Michael also encounters Gerry at the Institute and they become friends, Gerry hanging out (and probably flirting) with Michael whenever he stops by The Archives. And once they've gotten close Michael introduces Gerry and Mike, and while Michael and Gerry got close faster, Mike and Gerry do end up bonding over their experiences with and curiosities about Leitners. Gerry even eventually tells them all about the Catalogue Of The Trapped Dead.

Mike and Michael are still living together by the time Mike finds Ex Altiora, he was missing without a trace for like 2 days after he used Ex Altiora and jumped from that building to escape the Lichtenberg Figure and join The Falling Titan. Michael was so worried and stressed about what happened to him, and them and Gerry tried to look for Mike. But then Mike just returned one evening, still himself just with far bluer eyes and a more relaxed energy than either of them were used to, they're very happy that he's safe and to see how much freer Mike seems now.

Mike and Michael stay roommates until Michael disappears on his trip to Sannikov Land with Gertude. Once she returns from the trip without him, Mike goes to Gerry since he knows her but he doesn't understand Michael's absence either. So Mike questions Gertude, and when she tries to avoid telling him, he does to her the thing he did to Jon in canon, makes her feel like she's falling at terminal velocity, and she relents vaguely telling him that she sacrificed Michael in Sannikov Land to save the world.

Mike relays that to Gerry, and they both spend awhile searching for any sign of Michael, but eventually accept that he's actually gone, they mourn him together and also privately. Mike's sadness feels somewhat distant as a result of being part of The Vast, but he does keep the apartment, and all of Michael's stuff where he left it. Mike and Gerry stay in contact and even get closer, though they actually hang out less often.

Gerry continues working with Gertude, cause though her methods upset him, she is still protecting the world (as far as he knows). Mike travels a lot more, doing Vertigo stuff, but he still keeps their old apartment.

When Gerry doesn't come back from his final trip with Gertude, Mike confronts her, and she tells him that Gerry died and she left his body behind, but she doesn't tell Mike where he died or that she put him in the Catalogue Of The Trapped Dead. But Mike does remember the Skin Book, and he guesses that it might have something to do with that. He searches for Gerry and the book, but he can't find either.

Now Mike is alone without his two closest and only friends, but the lonelyness and missing them doesn't hit as crushingly hard as it would for most, due to the perspective he has from having been an avatar of the Vast for a number of years by now.

Mike meets Michael The Distortion once. It informs him that it knows that Michael Shelley cared for him, but it isn't Michael Shelley, and the fact that it (more-or-less) looks like him and has access to his memories is nothing but an inconvenience, Mike gets away from it quickly, very shaken by the encounter.

Episode 91 happens mostly similarly to canon: Mike gives his statement to Jon, he mentions that he used to be close with one of Gertude's assistants and also Gerry Keay, but it's clear that it's hard for Mike to talk about them. Mike survives the interaction cause they don't get interrupted by Daisy (she'll find Jon to kidnap once he's like a block away), so Mike bids Jon farewell with a remark about how he couldn't care less whether Jon's a better or worse Archivist than Gertude was, but he hopes that he's a kinder person to his assistants than she was.

After Michael The Distortion's statement to Jon in episode 101, it doesn't "die" like it does in canon, instead it spits Michael Shelley out and he's released from The Distortion, who does still become Helen now. Michael was part of the Spiral and The Distortion for long enough that now freed Michael is still connected to it, only now they're a more human avatar of the Spiral. As a result he can still access the Spiral's halls and make and use doors, so they easily find their way to where Mike is currently staying.

Michael looks much more human now but they are still somewhat distorted and strange looking - limbs elongated just slightly beyond what's normal, hair curlier and longer than it once was, eyes shimmering too many colours, body temperature noticeably warmer than it used to be, and he's shaky and tremblely in his hands - despite that Mike quickly understands and believes what happened to him. They're so relieved to be reunited, they hug and cling to eachother for a long while (Vast avatars and the former Throat Of Delusion can and do get touch-starved).

But then Mike has to tell Michael what happened to Gerry, and of course they're very upset.

Michael wants to try looking for Gerry's body and the Skin Book again so they do, and with the help of being able to travel through The Distortion's halls they actually find the Skin Book (before Jon would have gotten to it in episode 111).

Gerry's very happy to see them both again, but he doesn't want to just remain part of the book. So they start trying to figure out a way to free Gerry from the book and bring him back to life, and with Mike's experience with reading and safely using Leitners they do figure it out.

Gerry can be freed by becoming an avatar of the End, it's a process that involves sacrificing some people, specifically Gerry has to be summoned from the book so he can like drain enough peoples life forces. Gerry insists that the people are he kills be ones that probably deserve it, and Michael agrees and makes sure that the victims they find have it coming, Mike doesn't really care about the morals of it but he goes along with it, he doesn't mind as long as it works.

It does work, and once there have been enough deaths, Gerry is free and has a physical body again, though he's not technically alive. He's pretty undead, his skin is practically grey, his irises are dark, and he doesn't breathe or need to eat or drink anymore, and he's not only cool to the touch but Gerry himself feels like he has a constant chill, but, he is still capable of sleeping.

There's lots of hugs and some relieved tears once he's free. Over the following days as he starts to adjust to his new state of being he starts wearing only the warmest clothes he has to deal with his constant coldness. He also realizes that wearing trad goth makeup works well to hide how grey his skin is now whenever they're in a public setting.

And now they're all three reunited, Michael is no longer lost in The Distortion, and Gerry is no longer trapped in the Skin Book. So at Mike's suggestion they all decide to pack up and get away from London and go stay at a cottage on the vertigo-inducing coastal cliffs of Ireland. The cottage is actually owned by the Fairchilds but Simon offered to loan it to Mike years ago.

They settle into the cottage together easily, it's cozy but big enough for the three of them to not feel crowded. And it's a comfortable place for them all to get to know eachother all over again, now as avatars of It Is Not What It Is and Terminus and The Falling Titan.

They also spend a lot of time outside, in the garden and landscape around the cottage: Gerry and Michael often snuggled together in a sunchair on the cobblestone patio - Gerry wrapped in a thick blanket and curled around Michael since their unnaturally warm body temperature is a pleasant contrast to Gerry's unnatural coldness - Michael holding him close, enjoying the sun, and rambling softly about patterns and shapes he sees in the clouds.

Mike likes going on walks in the area and often Gerry or sometimes Michael will accompany him. Mike also enjoys "going for falls" off of the cliffs, just stepping off and falling until he feels like landing on the ground at the cottage's front door again.

And there's a village somewhat nearby that they stop into sometimes, to poke around the local antique and book stores. The town has a graveyard which Gerry appreciates and will linger in, and every so often Michael will add a new strange door into a townsfolk's house.

There's also castle ruins and such that are tourist destinations around that they'll travel to, as ancient buildings and places like that are perfect spots for Spiral and Vast and End fears to crop up, but they do it infrequently as they're all kinda anti-social beings who would rather just spend their time with eachother.

Aaand maybe at some point (like late season 3?) while they're living there Jon shows up, cause he tracked them down because he had more questions for Mike. And he talks with them and learns some answers, it's similar to his conversation with Gerry in episode 111, but with more information and perspectives since he's getting answers from three avatars now.

And maybe that interaction changes how things happen moving forward: maybe Tim survives the Unknowing? maybe they inadvertently help Jon figure out his feelings for Martin sooner? or maybe even the apocalypse doesn't come to pass?

Or maybe nothing actually changes, and the apocalypse does still happen... So then Gerry, Mike and Michael end up just vibing together as avatars throughout the Eyepocalypse: the cliffs around their home now dropping off into endless blue sky, no beach or even ocean in sight below. The town nearby now transformed into a mess of strange structures with too many doors, surrounded by a sprawling graveyard full of bodies that do not want to rest.

But inside their cottage all is peaceful, though it is weirder than it was before: there's extra doors on most of the walls. And sometimes the hallway goes on longer than it should. And the windows all show nothing but infinite, occasionally stormy, skies no matter what direction you look.

But thanks to the influence of the End, Mike and Michael are actually able to sleep peacefully, as long as they're in Gerry's presence.

So they spend plenty of time in there together, Mike and Michael cuddled up in eachothers arms fast asleep, Gerry settled close next to them with a book, he could sleep too if he wanted, but he'd rather watch over them and listen to their soft contented breaths, as lightning spirals through the blue sky outside their window.

[cappadociab]

BALLOONSCANNER - MEGA+ (3)

Soaring Over Cappadocia: Booking Your Hot Air Balloon Adventure

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[cosmicdream222]

The Phase Basics

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・。.。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

I’ve heard so much varying information on The Phase going around here lately, I wanted to understand the concept from the source. I spent hours reading the extremely long textbook from the original creator, and would like to summarize some basic information that will help clarify what The Phase is.

As always, it’s important to remember this is just one way of explaining and exploring these out-of-body phenomena and should not be taken as a holy grail. I always encourage everyone to listen to their intuition and choose methods that align with their natural strengths.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・。.。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

✩ What is The Phase? ✩

The Phase is a state of consciousness between wakefulness and REM sleep where individuals can experience lucid dreaming, out-of-body experiences, and other paranormal phenomena.

Diagram from The Phase textbook by Michael Raduga.

Phase states includes lucid dreaming, astral projection, sleep paralysis, and other OOBE. If you become lucid in a dream, or are able to induce sleep paralysis - congrats you’re already in a phase state, and don’t need to use The Phase Method.

This specific concept of The Phase was introduced by Michael Raduga. He has worked with groups of people for years helping them get into phase states with his Phase Method, and proven his techniques to be very effective.

✩ What is the Phase Method? ✩

The Phase Method is a series of techniques used to get into a phase state. It uses the natural awakenings we have in the early morning hours - where sleep is lighter and REM is more frequent - to try to induce a phase state.

✩ What are the steps to the Phase Method? ✩

Step 1: Sleep 6 hours and wake up with (or without) an alarm clock. Waking up around this time will cause lighter and more frequent REM sleep, which will make it easier to induce phase states.

Note: it’s not necessary to use an alarm clock if you already wake up frequently during the night. You can honestly just skip this step and go right to step 2, make your intention before bed, and using every natural awakening to induce a phase state. There are many successful astral projectors who use a simplified version of the phase method based on this idea, without disrupting their sleep cycles, which I will link in the resources below.

Step 2: Go back to sleep with intention. What do you want to do? Lucid dream? Astral travel? Enter the void? Decide what you want and what you will do to induce it.

Examples:

“When I wake up, I will remain still and focus on the blackness behind my eyes, which will take me to the void, where I will affirm for my desires.”

“When I fall asleep, I will enter a lucid dream. I will create a portal in my dream that will take me to my DR”.

Step 3: Perform a “separation technique” - a way for your mind to move your awareness away from your body. This can be done in various ways such as: peering into the darkness behind your eyes, listening to noises in your head, affirming your desires, making an imagined movement like sitting up, rolling over, or pulling a rope to disconnect your astral body from your physical.

Step 4+5: Repeat techniques until something happens. If nothing happens after a few minutes, go back to sleep and try again at the next natural awakening.

✩ Where can I learn more? ✩

The original Phase textbook by Michael Raduga

The Ultimate Astral Projection Guide, a simplified version of the Phase used by many successful travelers.

“Xanth’s Phasing Method” from an older website

The Phase Method for entering the void by @tia-222

Variation on the phase method that incorporates the recliner method by @pinksssecret

The Phase Method for Shifting Reddit post

[raayllum]

Why you can't just regulate dark magic: a practical thought experiment.

A few times in my many years in TDP fandom I've seen the idea presented of "Dark magic can be sustainable, it just needs regulations". This idea, to be clear, isn't inherently a bad one — but it is one that's never quite jived with my understanding of the series, even in the earlier days. So this meta is an attempt to explain 1) why I think said idea simplifies/ignores some of the pitfalls that would arise if they try and 2) doesn't adequately dress some of the core issues that result from dark magic use.

For fairness' sake, I'm going to only loop in the first 3 seasons of TDP's treatment/lore about dark magic, so no "Aaravos possession" or "it rips a hole in your spirit/soul" among other tidbits from arc 2. I'm also not going to argue on the basis of "well we SAW that humans could've regulated it but Chose not to in S7" on account of 1) it being from later seasons and 2) I'd wager some of the sustainability argument is upset with "the show Chose to portray it this way" which exists somewhat outside in-universe rationale. Cool? Cool.

Now, let's dive in:

First off: dark magic's pull on the external environment, which is what the sustainability argument typically focuses on.

Part of the regulations argument that always felt wonky to me was the subset assumption that regulations would, or could be, uniform across the board, and whether it'd exist in just the Pentarchy or in all of Xadia overall.

For starters, if it is just in the Pentarchy, while we know some spells can be done with purely human / non-magical body parts (hearts of cinder, the paralysis cure spell, seemingly tracking spell, Claudia's initial healing spell that involves grasshopper goop), the majority of what we see cannot be (i.e. Clauida's eye of griffon spell, ash defensive spells, fire spell). A reliable cure for famine, for example, requires travelling into Xadia—which, even if regulated amongst the Pentarchy, would still be unpermissible—so more 'greater good' spells would typically rely on legally forbidden Xadian components anyway. There would be a huge restriction on what could be done under dark magic as well as a huge spike in acquiring human body parts (possibly through human trafficking) or taking from the Pentarchy ecosystems to maintain consistent dark magic use (more on this change later).

Secondly, what we see within the first three seasons is that not all magical beings fit neatly into person or not a person category. Animals like Phoe-Phoe and Bait are highly intelligent and communicative; some dragons can talk but not all can't. The Magma Titan's personhood is directly called into question and neither confirmed nor denied, but just because they don't speak the setting's lingua franca (or at all, given that we do have mute characters, like Amaya) doesn't mean that they're not a person.

Distinguishing who is acceptable spell parts on the basis of perceived personhood would be a slippery slope: does a non-talking dragon count or not? What happens if one kingdom decides dragons are off limits, but another doesn't? All of those mages are still going to be crossing over to go hunt them for spell parts because if there's widespread regulation and/or supply and demand (whichever comes first, honestly) they'll have extra incentive to do so... unless the border kingdoms, like Katolis and Duren, don't let them through... which lands us more or less back to where we are in canon in terms of "you can't cross over into Xadia to organ harvest whatever you want" except with humans enforcing it explicitly rather than just Xadia. And if mages do cross the border for plants or animal-animals, there would need to possibly be elven guides assigned to them to ensure they keep to the legal boundaries (similarly to how Lujanne is assigned to the Nexus) or a centre of commerce for bartering... but even that centre would have to upheld by either 1) humans under supervision or 2) elves, who then get to directly control what goes in human hands regardless Again.

The other bigger part is that within TDP canon — throughout, but in the first three seasons... There just aren't that many dark mages. Katolis and Duren should, by all manner, have the most because they're close to the Border and therefore magical ingredients. We know that all the Pentarchy monarchies have mages working at court in later seasons / supplementary material (Neolandia has Tressal, Evenere has an unnamed High Mage, Aanya in S7 reveals she has mages, and Katolis has had a High Mage for presumably 300ish years) besides Del Bar. But Claudia never mentions going anywhere to buy supplies and we don't see the threat of dark mages in any of the towns the kids stumble through in S1 (Ellis') or S2 (the port town, the dragon town which is just hours away from the border); Lujanne never mentions scaring mages away in particular, and despite Viren's magic being very useful in a lot of circumstances in Katolis' immediate history, his daughter is the only other mage adjacent person at court. There's no mention of mage schools or groups of mages work together; Aanya's mages might be a newer thing since her mothers didn't rely on theirs, or they were relying on the crystals > the kind of mage that would know how to rejuvenate the land.

What this can tell us is that there just aren't a lot of dark mages in the Pentarchy. On the one hand this makes sense — the training takes time and expertise to learn, access to numerous tomes and ingredients (as discussed above. On the other hand, it indicates that if dark magic was regulated and became more widespread, there would need to be an increase in mages to fulfil the needs of the people relying on them.

This is more speculation based territory, admittedly, but does make sense. The more useful and reliable a thing is, the more it will be used and relied upon for whatever ends it's effective for. If we took Claudia's basic healing spell that involves only grasshopper goop + flowers (presumably just Pentarchy land ingredients) and treat it as a fail safe for... body aches or a consequence of hard labour (something that'd be useful for a farmer, say), then yeah, people would have reason to want it and pay mages for their services. The more common it became, the more mages you would need, not necessarily just from a geographical standpoint, but from an individualized one

As this is where we get into the bigger issue that the sustainability argument doesn't address (or at least, doesn't address as much: dark magic doesn't just have the potential to hurt the environment/ecosystems and survival of magical species. It also takes an immense toll on the caster's body.

S5 confirms that first time dark magic uses causes the nightmare coma, but this is already indicated in S2, so I'm counting it here. What this means is that dark magic has a very high entry cost. Regardless of whether the spell is big or small (i.e. Callum's first foray was very simple and should've been non-taxing) can send you into a dream coma you may not ever wake up from. It would also mean needing someone to look after your body in a safe and secure care unit of sorts (again, maybe a centre) so you don't accidentally die while passed out (pulling a bit more from scenarios presented in 5x02, admittedly, but still).

But okay, you survive the nightmare coma, and then you can do dark magic whenever you want provided you have the right ingredients for your spells. Great. Each spell that you do throughout your life gradually alters your appearance and breaks your body down steadily from the inside... even if you're using dark magic for good reasons, and while impacted by the scope of the spell, there are no spells that do not affect your body at all.

So there's two options for widespread usage: dark mages are willing, due to pay maybe, to routinely chip away at their bodies for other people's woes and worries (although that may preclude the farmer example from before, as the agricultural class maybe won't be able to afford it?) OR dark mages with expertise rent other dark-magic-coma survivors out with pay (likely those too desperate to choose otherwise) and give them the spells/ingredients to use, but do not do the spell themselves in order to preserve their own body. (This not a new thought, either; more on the cult implications of that here & here.)

Another alternative could be — if we draw from S6 — that mushroom salves made by Earthblood elves can help stave off dark magic corruption, but we don't know if that can apply to regular user dark magic corruption in addition to what we see in canon (dark magic corruption not from usage, but from primal corruption and exposure outside of usage). A dark mage could also pick other routes (purification under the Sun Forge if they ever have a great orb again, or the star ritual) but the former is very painful and the latter is a 1-use-only.

If we're generous and go with the Earth salve one, though, that requires regular usage and upkeep while also not exacerbating the corruption. It also requires rest. This means that you could push a mage to their breaking point and then work them back down, but that'd require a large and experienced workforce to 1) replace them during the recovery period, 2) take care of them during the recovery period, and 3) transporting the goods from Xadia to the Pentarchy and/or tending to an easily accessible batch being farmed within the human lands.

All of this to say — given the toll it takes on a dark mage's body, that alone is an understandable reason as to why there aren't a ton of dark mages and most people aren't willing to take that task on vs primal magic, which while the path there can be gruelling, does not negatively affect you once you're there or for repeated spell use.

TLDR; while there could be ways — if we went the logistical > the thematic route that TDP evidently prefers — to create sustainable sources for dark magic ingredients within the human lands only (and with a ton of other caveats and political maneuvering), these sources would not adequately address the practical barriers to entry that dark magic creates in terms of repeated harm to the caster's body, and the people who would likely be pushed into the roles of the caster. Even a world built to function with dark magic as a core integrated/accepted part of it would not be free of problems, and would create some deeply interesting and/or horrific circumstances to explore. Yet again, no matter which way you slice it: dark magic encourages human and Xadian trafficking all around like crazy.

[windvexer]

Hi Chicken, has there ever been a time when a spirit took on a random appearance for you - whether through dreams, manifestation, or something else - but the spirit themselves didn't choose the said appearance? For example, the same guardian spirit may appear one way in dreams and another way when conscious? As in cases when they aren't intentionally changing their appearance (or using glamor)? Hope this makes sense.

I don't know if I've had this direct experience. Here are some things I believe about the appearances of spirits:

Many spirits do not have a single discrete form the way physical beings do. A "raven familiar" may primarily take the shape of a bird, but perhaps can also take the form of a person, of a chimera, or of a mist or smoke (that is, inorganic things).

Spirits can choose to present a shape to you, but I believe that whether or not a person can perceive any given form has to do with their own abilities and the strength of that connection. Depending on the practitioner, it may be easier for them to see/project forms that are not necessarily inherent to the spirit.

Therefore, I believe it is possible that a spirit can have many forms, some of which may be easier to reveal under certain circumstances (perhaps dreams versus astral travel), but I also believe that as practitioners we may project appearances that spirits can then 'puppet' or walk into, like one of those FNAF costumes.

This is just complete UPG but here is the model I use that explains such things for me:

Beaming information directly into someone's head is difficult, especially complex information like the detailed appearance of a spiritual form. (Obelon the Fox-Man's true form, a red fox with the head of a man and his tail is a whole snake)

In many cases, it's easier for something already in a person's mind to be called forth and activated. This can result in simple mashups, constrained by your mental models of how things fit together. (Obelon initially appears as a vulpix with a lizard tail)

In cases where a near approximation exists in a practitioner's mind, that may be 'called up' like a thoughtform that the spirit can use for communication, like providing a fish with a robot aquarium suit they can pilot on dry land. (I watch a lot of desert conservation videos so it's easy for Obelon to appear to me as an endangered San Joaquin Kit Fox)

Practitioners can greatly facilitate Seeing spirits in dreams, travel, and trance experiences if they actively work with the spirit to create a detailed understanding of its appearance; once their form is in your thoughts (thoughtform, even) it becomes much easier for them to consistently appear to you that way. (Making a mood board with Obelon of composite images that correctly show his form, so I can imprint it clearly in my mind and replace the simplified vulpix)

Practitioners of skill, those talented in psychism, those who undertake rituals of connection, and those who fortuitously connect during moments of power may more or less easily receive clear and accurate visions of the appearance of their spirits.

If connection is difficult, and no strong thoughtform of the spirit is available, random mashup appearances are possible and can over time become associated with that spirit, thus becoming a self-fulfilling form. (In a dream Obelon appeared as a ginger woman. I learned it was him and now sometimes I dream of him in that form)

Because ability to for the practitioner to connect differs between waking state, dreams, and altered state of consciousness, it is reasonable for me to see how a spirit could more easily be perceived as their true form while you're in a state of connection you have practice in, yet appears randomly or disjointedly while trying to contact you in a state of connection you have less experience in/control over.

Ultimately the ability for the spirit to appear as they are to a practitioner lies at the intersection of the practitioner and spirit's abilities to connect with each other. A part of this includes the practitioner's own skills in areas of trance, psychism, dreamwork, and so on. Another part of this includes the spirit's focus and insistence on appearing accurately.

Even a powerful or correctly-connected spirit may decline to force their true appearance into a practitioner's awareness. In my experience, some spirits will very much care to be perceived as their true or chosen form; others will not care.

Many spirits have multiple forms or can choose any (or nearly any) form.

Making it a project to understand and build a mental model of a spirit's form is both an act of respect and a genuine sorcerous act to deepen connection and facilitate acts of communication.

Therefore, when having trouble seeing or identifying any particular spirit and you cannot yet figure out how they are 'supposed' to look, it's possible to immediately solve the problem by simply choosing a respectful form for them and assigning it to them, letting them take this thoughtform as their own skin as they choose (perhaps providing a selection of 2 or 3). Once the spirit has this skin to pilot, communication may improve by leaps and bounds, opening the doorway to actually figuring out their appearance.

(A decent way to 'blind' build a thoughtform is to apply correspondences of the spirit. Maybe you know they are a water spirit so you choose forms of a blue fish, a blue-tailed mermaid, and a blue-skinned person to provide them with and see which they prefer. This would be a better selection than three humans who are all different shades of blue).

[Anon, I hope this helped - not sure if it actually answered your question]

[fluideli123]

Okay so there's this Sonic Plurality meme going around

[IMAGE ID: Shadow and Sonic are standing side by side. Shadow says, "I have multiple personality disorder." and Sonic responds with, "Dayum!! Any of them freaky???" /END ID]

I'd seen it a few times across platforms but during one I stumbled upon an interesting response:

[IMAGE ID: I don't see anything to enjoy about this actually? Like I'm so confused. There have been no hints in the games and/or shows for Shadow to have DID (and losing memory is not the same at all, on the one hand it's trying to find out who you were, and on the other hand with DID it's literally different people living in the same body), so this is at best just something random that isn't funny, and at worst a poor attempt at a joke which both mocks people with such a serious condition and mischaracterizes Shadow. Then, the joke could reside in Sonic's answer, but considering the severity of DID, it would be pretty weird. And that's not even taking in account just how far from canon that answer is. I don't get it. I'm pretty sure there could have been many other explicit jokes to make that would have actually been funny, whereas this is just poorly thought-out. Plainly spoken, if Insta had a dislike button, you can pretty much guess what I'd use it for /END ID]

I will not be diving into the cesspool that could be created by creating a post in response to the claim that "this meme mocks DID people." So, instead I'm going to give my thoughts on the claim that thinking Shadow has characteristics of DID is mischaracterizing him might actually be an interpretation and not entirely a fact!

First of all, as stated by this person, Plurality is, in fact--in the most plainest and broadest of terms--multiple people living in one body! Shadow is partially alien since Dr. Robotnik used Black Doom's DNA to create Shadow The Hedgehog in a lab. Black Doom is part of an alien race in which one of their abilities is a collective hive mind!

A hive mind is, "a unified consciousness or intelligence formed by a number of alien individuals, the resulting consciousness typically exerting control over its constituent members." To simplify it means that a bunch of beings share one single consciousness, mind, and it can be shared between members in differing ways.

This is a characteristic of plurality! A lot of plural systems share a consciousness, thoughts, emotions, and ways of living. In some systems there are also "leaders" or types of headmates who are the main head of the collective. This would reflect Black Doom and his position of power within the hive mind and how it affects Shadow.

Outside of the similarities between the two there is also the biological aspect of plurality in play here. Shadow most likely has the genes for hive-mindedness, meaning he has the ability to share a mind with others, AKA a possibility for natural-born plurality. Which, differs from experience to experience!

Secondly, Shadow went through extreme trauma during his time on the ARK and on Earth. Disordered Plurality and Truamagenic Plurality share characteristics for their plurality being affected or formed by trauma within or outside the system. It is possible that he could have formed a type of plurality just from that experience alone, especially in combination of his natural alien genes. In a sense, he was never meant to be alone within his own mind.

Thirdly, he is a creature of chaos energy which is different and works in a hell of a lot of ways across media. So let's make a list real quick:

Chaos Emerald Energy

Manifest peoples' thoughts as power

Appliable to all living things

Can be channeled as a tangible energy

Feelings unleash energy and interact with the wielder differently

Can bend and affect reality (slowing time, warping, reshaping, travel through time and dimensions)

Temporarily enhance a user's innate talents

Channeled into Chaos Powers

Super transformations

2. Chaos energy (Archie)

Natural Liquid Chaos energy

Ability to track chaos energy

3. Chaos energy (Pre-Super Genesis Wave)

Derived from Chaos Force

Shadow and Knuckles are the only two known to harness Raw Chaos Energy

There is a possibility to harness even greater amounts of it

4. Chaos energy (Sonic X)

Emerald Chaos energy is needed to create rings

In summary, Shadow being a being made of literal chaos energy in such amounts can mean he has the possibility of each and every one of these known Chaos Energy Abilities.

Plurality can involve the formation and creation of headmates or introjects, a kind of headmate formed from something or somewhere else than within the system. Having the possible ability to interact with reality, harness raw chaos energy that others cannot, and create things based on feelings mixed with alien genes and trauma would be a pretty incredible mix for plurality. Not only that but, as you can see, it heavily ties to his own history and biology to be plural in some form or another.

Plus, is it really far off if Shadow had headmates? Many people theorize that he may not be the original after he met android versions of himself or a clone (I can never remember). Plus, his differences between Sonic Adventure, Shadow the Hedgehog, and other games (if we're to place them all within the same timeline) would explain why he acts, thinks, or shows different characteristics that some people believe "do not line up."

All in all, Plural Shadow truthers deserve to have fun and anyone who does or doesn't enjoy the meme that started this post is valid to have their own opinion. Just as it is to have different interpretations about Shadow and his form(s) of plurality!!!

[mariacallous]

Last month, the Trump administration placed a $1 spending limit on most government-issued credit cards that federal employees use to cover travel and work expenses. The impacts are already widely felt.

At the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, scientists aren’t able to order equipment used to repair ships and radars. At the Food and Drug Administration, laboratories are experiencing delays in ordering basic supplies. At the National Park Service, employees are canceling trips to oversee crucial maintenance work. And at the Department of Agriculture and the Federal Aviation Administration, employees worry that mission-critical projects could be stalled. In many cases, employees are already unable to carry out the basic functions of their job.

“The longer this disruption lasts, the more the system will break,” says a USDA official who was granted anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak to the media about the looming crisis.

A researcher at the National Institutes of Health who tests new vaccines and treatments in rodents says he has had to put experiments on hold; his lab is not able to get certain necessary materials, such as antibodies, which are needed to assess immune response. “We have animals here that are aging that will pretty soon be too old to work with,” says the researcher, who requested anonymity as they aren’t authorized to speak publicly about the agency. Young mice and rats that are 6 to 8 weeks old are typically used for drug and vaccine studies, but some of the animals in their lab have now aged out of that window and may have to be euthanized.

They say NIH workers have been using internal listservs to ask for reagents and lab equipment from other buildings or institutions to try to compensate for shortages, but they’re not always able to track down what they need. The NIH is made up of 27 institutes and centers, and its Bethesda, Maryland, campus is spread across more than 75 buildings. “Sometimes you need something that's really niche, and you're just not going to find it from someone else on campus,” they say.

The change comes as Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency continues to hunt for alleged examples of waste across the federal government. Late last month, DOGE announced that it was working to “simplify” the government’s largest credit card program, which issues GSA SmartPay travel and purchase cards for federal employees. Last Wednesday, the agency claimed 24,000 cards had been deactivated.

The credit card program allows federal workers to bypass the typical procurement process required to buy goods and services. A 2002 report from the Department of Commerce said that, “by avoiding the formal procurement process, GSA estimates the annual savings to be $1.2 billion.” It also enables federal employees to avoid paying sales tax on expenses that the government is exempt from.

At the FDA, labs that analyze samples to ensure that food, drugs, medical devices, and cosmetics are safe and meet regulatory standards are already facing shortages. "While we are always acutely aware of when Congress’ funding is going to run out, we are able to order supplies to keep things going in the lab. This abrupt ending felt like the rug was being pulled out from under us," says an employee at the FDA who requested anonymity because they aren't authorized to speak with the media.

The employee recently placed an order for pipette tips, an essential laboratory supply, but found that order was put on hold. "Now we are running out, asking colleagues at other offices to share what they might not be using,” they told WIRED.

In addition, workers say FDA labs now have to go through a lengthy process to order liquid nitrogen, which is used to keep ultra-cold freezers running. These freezers preserve samples of cells and other biological material that reflect years, and sometimes decades, of research. Delays in getting liquid nitrogen tanks could destroy that material. Previously, new tanks could usually be acquired the same day as putting in a request. Now, it takes a week or so to receive a tank after initiating a request.

An employee at the Environmental Protection Agency says her facility is not able to place regular orders of liquid nitrogen at the moment. “We have dozens of these freezers full of important environmental samples that are imminently at risk of being lost because we can no longer get our regular shipments of liquid nitrogen,” says the employee, who requested anonymity. These samples are used as part of research on detection and remediation methods for chemicals such as PFAS, which are found in many products and break down very slowly over time.

“Scientists are being forced to jerry-rig the connection points on these freezers to accept pressures of liquid nitrogen they were not designed to handle,” the employee says. “Divisions are resorting to bartering with each other to obtain needed items.”

The FDA and EPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from WIRED.

The credit card freeze also means that federal researchers who were working on scientific manuscripts can’t pay journal fees, meaning they can’t submit their work to certain journals for publication.

An employee at a federal forensics lab told WIRED that spending limits mean the lab is no longer able to pay to ship evidence back to agents, effectively halting its ability to do casework. Before a case goes to trial, defendants have the right to access and review evidence that the prosecution intends to use against them, which includes access to the evidence in their case. Defendants are able to send that evidence to an outside lab for analysis if they choose. “Cases can’t progress until we return the evidence,” says the forensics lab worker, who asked to remain anonymous. “I basically can’t do my job right now.”

NIH employees were told that travel cards could not be used at all for 30 days, forcing scientists to cancel plans to attend a major infectious disease conference next week. USDA employees at the Pest Identification Technology Laboratory have stockpiled reagents used for molecular tests in advance of the spending limits, according to the USDA official.

FAA employees who travel to work on and test aviation systems worry the credit card freeze will prevent them from completing their projects. “We are allowed to use our personal cards in emergencies but none of us trust them to pay us back now,” says one employee.

The impacts have hit the National Park Service as well. One employee was poised to go on a trip to oversee road maintenance at a national monument when the change went into effect on February 20. “Unless I want to pay for it myself, I can’t go. I can’t pay for my hotel, my rental car, fuel for the car. Now I can’t carry out the mission,” the employee says. “Today, instead of focusing on other work, I’m focused on three different contingencies on how to handle this. Do I go? Do I call my engineering team and tell them to reschedule? And if so, when? The project is on an indefinite hold.”

A memo written to staff at the National Park Service specified that “all travel that is NOT related to national security, public safety, or immigration enforcement should be canceled if it begins on Wednesday, February 26, through the end of March 2025.” A long-term decision on the travel policy, it said, will come “at a later date.” Some NPS staffers were able to travel in February despite not getting official clearance. They have now been told no travel will be allowed in March. To date, roughly 75 trips have been canceled or rescheduled, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The National Park Service did not respond to a request for comment from WIRED.

Some government employees say they were given a warning prior to the change being announced on February 20. “We went out and bought cases and cases of toilet paper the night before,” another current employee at the National Park Service says. “There’s a general acknowledgement that things are going to break.”

That employee works in the Pacific West Region, which manages federal land in California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Nevada, as well as parks in Arizona, Montana, Guam, and American Samoa. While the GSA did allow for the possibility of exceptions to the clamp-down, the employee claims there are only four purchase cards with spending limits above $1 available for the entire region.

Some of these parks pay for services like internet and wireless on purchase cards—leaving staffers wondering if their work devices could soon be cut off. “Before someone can fix a bathroom a work order has to be issued,” the current employee explains. “That happens electronically. Like any business, we rely on email, Teams, and chat to get things done.”

The spending limits reflect Musk’s belief in zero-based budgeting. After he purchased Twitter, he slashed the budget to zero and forced employees to justify every expense. He also froze people’s corporate credit cards.

“With the Twitter pausing of payments, at some point we were in a meeting at 1 am on a Saturday, and it was like, ‘Hey, let's turn the credit cards off to see what bounces, and what happens,’" explained angel investor Jason Calacanis on the All In podcast in February. (Calacanis was part of Musk’s transition team at Twitter.) “And of course, we started getting calls ... The people who come first, they're probably the ones who are in on the biggest grift.”

Employees see it a different way. “There are so many controls in place to make sure fraud doesn’t happen,” alleges the current NPS staffer. “I honestly believe the only fraud occurring is being committed by Musk, [Russell] Vought, and [Donald] Trump.”

[thefallenangelsgang]

I'm losing my fucking mind

Or: I just saw Lord of the Rings the Musical at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and my brain chemistry has irreversibly changed

I'm too genuinely scrambled at the moment from travel to make a solid post (I am multiple states away from Illinois and I hate city driving) but I cannot shake the life-changing experience that was.

SPOILERS AHEAD

(Spoiler free tldr: story is changed sometimes severely to make a sub-3hr runtime or to simplify, but the message doesn't get completely lost. Tolkien fan approved)

First issue I can see everyone having is how much the story changes because it does change a lot. Rohan and Gondor being merged is probably the most glaring. I think it works because the show is more focused on the Hobbits (specifically Frodo and Sam). Personally I can look past it. My one issue is the missing Sam monologues (mount doom is a rather swift sequence, I'd have liked to see Sam give his devotion speech and his speech about the shire while waiting to die) those would have made insane songs but alas. The ending still was a gut punch though so it's more a personal preference thing.

First thing that blew me away was the technical aspect. The lighting and set design was GORGEOUS and EVOCATIVE. There were multiple times lighting alone drew me to tears.

The puppetry is immaculate. The nazgul chase is singularly some of the most beautiful choreo I've seen and I'm a slut for puppetry

The cast play all of the instruments live on stage, sometimes while doing choreography (nothing will prepare you to see Legolas holding a fucking trumpet or Boromir strapped into a goddamn accordion)

The costuming is more accurate to the original editions' illustrations which I found endlessly charming. One difference is, for safety (probably OSHA), all the hobbits (and Gollum) wear Sandals. This is never discussed. I love that.

BOROMIR IS KILLED BY HIS OWN SWORD WHICH I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW PERFECT THAT IS NARRATIVELY

GOLLUM PLAYED BY TONY BOZZUTO IS NEARLY INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM ANDY SERKIS

(I am not joking about this. Somehow he has mastered Andy's physicality and voice work. It truly was a sight to behold.)

Saruman/Elrond's actor (dressed as a hobbit) was hanging out in our section during preshow and was having a grand old time.

Bilbo and Frodo were in the main audience bothering people. Frodo was playing a stick and ring game and got absolutely shown up by some 10 year old he invited to play.

The Entmoot took literally 2 minutes (the way I had to stop from HOWLING at that)

I was SOBBING at the end, like actually.

Somehow this production managed to keenly make me feel the ending of Frodo leaving for the Grey Havens more than the movies did. The Irony of Frodo leaving being both a hopeful prayer that there is a place where people bound with trauma and wounds too deep to heal can live in peace without pain and also a grim acceptance that sometimes people cannot recover was STARK

Frodo and Sam really push the narrative of this show up until the end and it hits HARD. God bless this cast with steady work, they all deserve it.

[heyhihellosworld]

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞

Charles Leclerc x reader

Word count: 2.7k

Summary: Sending your boyfriend alone with his friends to Ibiza shouldn't be a problem, right?

Warnings: Angst, mentions of cheating, slightly toxic relationship (or maybe a lot)

Notes: Angst is all I can write right now so here is some for you all. I just wanted to clear everything up with the pictures as well. I did not intent to include the girls in the story. The girls mentioned in the story is made up people but since it's so much easier to find pictures with them and Charles I chose to have the pictures. This is a bit messy but I tried

Summer break was made for relaxation, made to spend time with family and friends, made for rest. It was suposed to be a break from the hectic reality, a break from all the different surroundings and traveling. A break from formula one.

However summer break didn't feel like any of those things for you. No it was nothing that at all. All it was was hurt, stress and heartbreak. Anger and betrayal, no time to rest and no relaxation.

A fucking mess was what it was.

Charle's eyes were wide blown, like he were a kid caught doing something he shouldn't and it was pretty accurate, he had been caught

"Don't look at me like that" you spat at him, feeling anger brewing in your veins after you'd found him stood on your doorstep, begging you to talk, fucking talk

You didn't need to talk you needed to scream, punch or at least kick something. Your anger needed to get an outlap from your body, trapped in your clenched fists.

His adorably sad face made your frustrations hit the roof.

You stood far away as he stepped into your condo, only in your pj's as it was too fucking early in the morning.

Your whole body hurt as he did those small things he always did at your house, like taking off his shoes and neatly putting them to the right of your door and changing the date on the small date-decoration you had on the hallwaybench. Something so domestic didn't feel right anymore, he had betrayed the right.

You had been with him for a year by now, a year of exciting travels, experiences, love and adoration. He had been your closest person for a long time, having had you under his wing and you genuienly thought he would be the one to the end. The one you'd end up marry and have a family with, the one to the end.

But oh how things can turn

"You're really about to let him go with his friends to Ibiza just like that?"

You shrugged at Carmen who stood over you on the sofa, her hands on her hips looking like a scolding parent. Her face was showed suprise, eyebrows raised and mouth in tight line.

"I don't know what I can do about it, he wants to go, I can't" you simplified, met with her shaking of the head. Letting you know she didn't think this was a good idea, didn't approve of it.

"What? You don't trust him?" you asked, looking her in the eyes, a rush of concern errupting in your body. "Do you?" she countered seriously

You sat up, shrugging your shoulders again, an unsettling feeling in your body "I don't know, I mean I really should, we've been together for a year"

"That's not a yes sweetie"

You groaned, throwing you head back "Ugh I don't know, I still can't get Ana out of my head you know"

"I know and I can't either, that's why I'm sceptical" "Well fine but that was a a year ago, straight in the start in our relationship, I wanna think he wouldn't do anything like it again" you spoke

"Okay, okay, it's your relationship" Carmen nodded, finally sitting down next to you in the sofa. "I don't wanna worry you y/n, all is that I care about you and that I want you to be happy and he just.. he screwed up once so I can't trust him"

The sigh that left your mouth was heavy, you knew she was right but you didn't want to admit it. You had been together for long, trying to push the warning signals to the ground, maybe it was time to see them for real.

"Well what to do, let's hope he dosen't screw this up" you sighed, dusting the dirt of your pants before standing up, looking at your friend who stroppily looked back at you "Again" she snarled

Wagsgossip

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Wagsgossip Charles Leclerc seen with multiply different women, women who is clearly not his girlfriend Y/n.

Charles Leclerc reportedly left to Ibiza with some friends and co-drivers on the grid this monday. Leclercs girlfriend Y/n, who he has been dating for around a year was not with the group to Ibiza despite the fact that many of the other guys have their missus with them. Rumours about the pair has been spread over the course of the last few weeks regarding a possible break up but nothing has been official if that's the case.

Pictures have been spread all over internet of Leclerc now cozying up to multitude different girls, wonder how this will reach Y/n

What do you think of this?

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f1lovees OMG what is he DOING?!

justanInchident No Leclec, no

charcharles finally

f1111 He fumbled

chacha Please tell me this isn't true

Carmen was at the door before you even had the time to gather your head around the articles that traveled all over the internet. You'd felt it coming, felt it since he took the step onto that fucking plane, you knew this was it. You should have known better, he was who he was, like he was, he was an ass.

Charles were sweet and loving, soft and calm. He was fun to be around and when things were good between you he was someone you could picture forever with. The only thing was that when he fumbled, he fumbled hard.

The first weeks into your relationship one of those situations had accured, he had seen this girl, behind your back a bit into your relationship. You should have put the breaks in then, but you hadn't. Forgiven and forgotten you'd said.

Now you regretted that.

You should have ended it before it even started after that fuck-up but you didn't, too smitten by his adorable smile and light mood. You got to pay the price.

And you did because now you stood here like an idiot.

-

Carmen stormed into your apartment, steam practically brewing from her ears as she let out a shout of frustration. "I told you! I told you you couldn't trust the fucker!"

You huffed, not knowing what to say or do, it wasn't rage, not sadness, no all you felt were emptiness, maybe a tad of embarrassment.

"He is such an idiot! I can't believe him!"

"Carmen calm down, it's fine. I guess"

"It's not fucking fine! Come on Y/n! He cheated on you! He made a complete fool out of you!" she spoke, her eyes so wide you worried they were gonna pop out of her skull.

Like on cue George stormed into your small condo, seemingly out of breath and clutching his stomach. "Shit, I'm so sorry Y/n, I tried to make her give you some space but she ran... fast"

You couldn't help but let out a small giggle at your friends. It felt weird in your body, not knowing what was going on, knowing your relationship would end. You didn't know how to react.

George sat down next to you in the sofa, taking your computer who sat next to you with the articles open. "I can't actually believe it" George muttered to himself as he scrolled to the hundred different articles and pictures that was circling around.

"I'm sorry but why aren't you more upset?!" Carmen spoke harshly, George shooting her a disaproving look "I mean, I am upset but it just feels like... I knew I had it coming"

"What?" Geogre echeod Carmen "I don't know, it just feels like our whole relationship is built on false hope, on false trust. Like since our rocky beginning I knew deep down something like this would get the best of us. I knew he would fuck up again and since the idea of Ibiza came up I don't know... I just felt it coming"

"Are you not mad at all?" George asked shocked but you laughed coldly at his question

"Of course I'm fucking pissed. Lets face it, the man tricked me into false hopes and false trust. He made me feel loved and comfortable only to go and jump the closest girl the second I'm not there. He made me look like a fucking fool in front of the media, not once, not twice but for all this year. Fucking hell, I can't believe I've actually been this blind, stupid love eyes" you grumbled, facinated by your own realization

"Finally" carmen sighed out, looking at you with a soft smile.

"So, what are you gonna do about it? Has he even contacted you about it?" George asked, propping his elbows on his knees, leant forward in the sofa. "No, he hasn't. He's probably to gushed with some chick down in Ibiza to even see all the notifications and articles. But when he do, well then he's gonna hear it all" Just as on cue your phone started ringing, the tone making you flinch up from the sofa. You didn't touch it, just stared at the phone which showed you Charles contact.

The ringing stopped, replaced by a never ending buzz as he sent you message after message and Carmen sighed

"Do you want us to stay?"

You shook your head "No, it's fine, thank you though, for coming so soon" you smiled, hugging both of them before walking them out the door.

When the door locked it felt like someone poured a bucket with ice-cold water over your head. Fuck.

This was the reality, this was actually happening. A sick feeling settled to your stomach, how could he do this? Why would he do this? Everything had been great, hadn't it?

You swallowed thickly before walking back to the sofa, settling in it, your knees to your chest as you put on the tv, hoping the sounds would distractract your wandering mind.

Soon enough you couldn't ignore your phone anymore, the never ending buzzing and ringinging on boardeline to drive you crazy.

"Yes Charles?" You spat down the phone, drowned by a hundred words at once. He shouted down everything he could down the phone and you could only make out certain words from the blur.

"We are not talking about this on the phone" you cut him off firmly. "Fuck, okay but I'm not home in another few hours, please stay there, I can explain"

"Just stop talking until you're here" you muttered, clicking him off and throwing your phone to the other end of the sofa.

The night was chilly, cold and lonely. Despite your gut feeling, despite his fuck-ups you loved the guy and had done for a long while so to sit here facing the truth that he apparently didn't, or at least didn't care enough to treat you with respect was though, harsh and heartbreaking. To think of everything you'd done for him, all the travels and extra work to get school done whilst supporting him. All the sacrafices and this was how he treated you. It was unfair.

Charles were on your step the first thing the morning after, not reading the situation at all because you were tired. Hadn't slept a wink and not in the mood for an altercation before coffee and breakfast.

But Charles were Charles after all. Storming into your condo and sitting firmly in your sofa like he was protesting before you could.

- "Well then, say what you need to say and then get the fuck out" you spat, the early morning not helping your hurt feelings as you opted to sit in the armchair, far away from him, arms folded over your chest.

He looked nervous as hell but he should be, he fucked up after all and this time it was all on him.

"Well... I just.. I'm really sorry, I-I didn't mean to-to"

"To fucking what Charles? You didn't mean to fuck her or you didn't mean to hurt me?"

"Well, both"

"Ah, how classic, is that all you have to say? You didn't mean too?"

Charles took a deep breath, swallowing all the words, accepting his fate because you were right, he'd fucked up big time, so big this was unfixable regardless of how much he wanted it to be fixable.

"Come on then, defend yourself, say what you needed to say so badly.

Charles bit his bottom lip, something you found annoying at the moment, but used to find so hot. His eyes fleeted around the floor, not daring to meet yours.

"I don't know what to say... I fucked up, okay! I did and I don't know what to say about it, It was a mistake but it happened!" You saw red at his raised voice, his voice accusing like you were the one causing problems, like it was your fault because you didn't forgive him and it made you furious.

"Lower your fucking voice" you growled at him, pinning him with your eyes as you spoke slowly but firmly. "You did fuck up, so bad, to the point were there are no return. I said that, but still you wanted to talk to me and explain. I'm giving you the opportuinty to talk so explain, nicely or leave me the fuck alone"

Another sigh left his mouth as he lowered his gaze again, having the heart to atleast look sheepish. He knew you, he loved you, knew you would never forgive him for this, loved you for that, for having that respect for yourself.

"I just wanna know why, Charles. Why did you cheat? What am I lacking? What needed to change? Was it me? Us? Or are you just an selfish fucking bastard, have you been using me this whole time? Talking me into this. Fuck I should have listened to my gut with Ana"

Charles shook his head quickly, his eyes so big he could be misstaken for an alien. "No, no I haven't used you! I just... I don't know, okay! I can't explain it, you weren't there and my mind didn't work right and it happened. I love you, I really do and I haven't lied-" "Don't fucking say you love me!" you spat at him, standing up, over this conversation since he clearly had nothing of value to say.

"But I do! I really do!" he promsied "Fuck off Charles! If you loved me you wouldn't have treated me like this, you wouldn't have held me in this relationship, built my hopes nor let me make the sacrifices I have done for you, for us! You wouldn't have talked to the media about me like I was worth nothing and you for sure wouldn't have cheated on me, multiply times!" you close to shouted, arms out from your sides in defeat.

"I don't know what you thought to achieve coming here today Charles, talk me into another chance? I don't know, I don't care but this is over" Charles met your glossy eyes, his own glazing over as his head dropped. "I am sorry" he whispered, standing up from the couch and walking towards you. If you had the energy you would move away but you felt drained, drained from all energy and all emotions.

His lips met your temple, forehead resting against the side of your head for a moment before he whispered "I'm sorry" and leaving.

Leaving you and your relationship behind.

yourusename

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yourusername Life lately 😋

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Y/nstaan You go girl

F1worlds Y/n in her revenge era 😮‍💨

waags Love her sm, she deserves better

carmenmundt Lovee it!

georgerussell63 Y/nnnn

pierregasly 😮‍💨😮‍💨