#and otherwise has very life-affirming messages

[fictionadventurer]

It turns out that Meet John Doe is the same story as Mockingjay. If Mockingjay were about Gale recruiting Katniss to be mockingjay using a dead Peeta's speeches to inspire people.

In related news, I now really wish I could discuss Capra movies with Suzanne Collins.

[imagining-in-the-margins]

🌈CM Pride Challenge🏳️‍⚧️

The following are prompts including LGBTQA+ PRIDE! Reader, Original Character, Character/Character ships, Gen/Platonic fics are allowed!Please check out the Rules below the Keep Reading.

This event is over (Masterlist of Fics here), but you are welcome to use any of these prompts. If you would like to be added to the existing Masterlist of entries, please check out the Rules below!

General Prompts 🏳️‍🌈

Coming out is so much harder the second time

Describe Character’s first kiss with the same gender

Describe Character(s) spending a day at a Pride parade

The team realizes that A&B were more than roommates

Penelope goes a little overboard on rainbow decorations at Characters’ wedding

Character's marriage mutually comes to an end when they come out... now what?

Character comes out at the same time they announce their new relationship to the team

Character A fears it’s too late for them to live authentically, and B assures them that’s not true

Character A gifts B something colored like their pride flag because “the colors reminded me of you”

Child realizes that not every kid has two moms/two dads and they have a lot of questions about it

Queer characters have a hard time deciding what their child should call them and come up with fun ideas

Character A goes to a LGBT bar with B as a wingperson (or maybe they want them, themselves?)

Anything else you can think of!

More prompts (transgender, assorted, dialogue) below!

Transgender Prompts 🏳️‍⚧️

Character A helps B get their first tailored dress/suit

Character A helps B shave and/or put on makeup

The couple is looking for gender neutral nicknames

Character A buys B specialty gender affirming lingerie

Character is casually referred to with an appropriately gendered nickname for the first time

Characters are renewing their vows and redoing their wedding photos following a coming out

Character A walks in on B wearing a new gender-affirming outfit and surprises them with an enthusiastic compliment

The team throws Character an impromptu first birthday party following their coming out (how did they get a banner so fast?!)

Character A buys B a gender affirming but stereotypical gift (sports jersey, neon pink purse, etc.) that they would otherwise hate (but find absolutely hilarious)

Specific Prompts 💝

[Bisexual] Character gets irritated when people reduce their sexuality to their current partner

[Bisexual] Character A is in a M/F relationship with B and worries that their queer identity will become invisible dating them

[Asexual] Characters explore different forms of non-sexual intimacy

[Asexual] Characters are both asexual but too nervous to tell one another. They awkwardly attempt to have sex but end up laughing at how ridiculous they feel.

Dialogue Prompts 💐

“Are they… flirting?” “Big time.”

“I got to fall in love with you twice.”

“To be seen is to be loved." "I see you.”

“Be gay, do crimes.” “Aren’t you a cop?”

“There is no heterosexual explanation for that.”

“Life is very different once you find your people.”

“Cardinals and hydrangeas can change. Why not you?”

“You're still the person I love. Nothing will change that.”

“We both wear pants. Makes it easier to kick your ass.”

“It’s never felt like this before. I've never felt like this before.”

“I guess it makes sense now why it never worked out with my exes.”

Am I allowed to look at her like that? Could it be wrong when she's just so nice to look at? ("She" by Dodie)

“You can kiss a hundred boys in bars, shoot another shot, try to stop the feeling ... Well, good luck, babe. You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling.” ("Good Luck, Babe!" by Chappell Roan)

Rules ❤️🧡💚💙💜🖤🤎

The fic can be a Reader insert, an Original Character, a character/character ship, a platonic ship, or a Gen fic. It can feature any Criminal Minds character. AUs and crossovers are more than welcome.

Tag me in the fic, or send the link to me in a Direct Message. It can be already written, or you can write it for the challenge - I’m collecting both! You can also tag it “#mentioningmargins” which is a tag I track.

The fic can be any genre, but ONLY send me smut if your bio states you are 18+. I DO NOT WANT smut written by minors. Ever. At all. I will check.Platonic ships and pure, fluffy fics are 100% allowed.

Please include Content Warnings and a one-sentence Summary of the fic in your post.

Have fun!

🌈Happy writing! 🏳️‍⚧️

[iwannakisskissyoureyesagain]

will solace headcanon time i love my boy

- casual stoner. when he gets breaks from the infirmary, he and drew get weed from behind the dionysus cabin and smoke together. they like to do it on the big house porch because dionysus couldn’t care less—the only reason he doesn’t do it with them is because he’s not sure if it goes against his punishment from zeus—or behind the apollo cabin when chiron’s around. piper has a cart and the two of them take hits from it and talk shit whenever she comes to visit. he doesn’t really smoke around nico though, just because he’s said he doesn’t like the smell (nico doesn’t really care otherwise, since it helps with will’s anxiety), and definitely not around percy because of everything that happened with gabe

- he’s started talking to dionysus about his anxiety, imposter syndrome, and seasonal depression. dionysus wants to talk to him about testing him for mild ocd

- his hair looks like a renaissance painting of patroclus, just blond

- loves his friends so much. he’s their biggest supporter in the entire world and if they didn’t all live at camp, he’d probably try to convince them to all live in a giant house together

- he’s very casually affectionate. he says i love you a lot, but he always means it. hugs and kisses his friends on the cheek. physical touch is his giving love language (he always makes sure he has consent, first, obviously)

- his receiving love language, however, are words of affirmation. he needs to verbally hear that he’s doing a good job—as a friend, as a boyfriend, as a healer, as a son, just in life

- he’s trained himself to be a light sleeper after years of working in the infirmary and becoming head counselor. sometimes his body just wakes himself up in the middle of the night and he has to sit in the infirmary until he’s positive that everything and everyone is fine and he’s literally the only one awake

- similarly, he has a crazy sixth sense of knowing when his stop is if he ever dozes off on public transport, and always wakes up two stops before. he thinks it stems from spending his a lot of his formative years traveling around with his mom while she toured, constantly waking up in new cities

- he iris messages his mom every night and tells her every single detail of his day

- being both a true crime junkie and a medic at a demigod camp, gore has absolutely no affect on him. this boy delivered a baby and has reattached countless limbs; he falls asleep listening to podcasts where twenty-something women talk about serial killers so notorious they have to give a content warning. a Saw trap isn’t going to faze him

- he met maren morris when he was younger and his mom opened for her. he got her signature and is still planning on getting it tattooed, he just hasn’t had a chance

- he has a very high pain tolerance and has a lot of stick-n-pokes, some of which he did himself, including a wonky-looking star that he let nico do and woobeewoo from Adventure Time

- his favorite music artists include kasey musgraves, taylor swift, leith ross, baby fisher, gracie abrams, fiona apple, fleetwood mac, dolly parton, carrie underwood, and troye sivan

- “ribs” by lorde makes him cry

- so does “the bug collector” by haley heynderickx

- he’s terrified of spiders

- he cries when anything at all happens to a dog in a movie. he watched All Dogs Go to Heaven with nico and was a such disaster by the time the credits rolled that the two of them had to sit there for half an hour until he calmed down. he has a core memory of watching Bolt with his mom when he was little and sobbing into her arms at the end. his siblings have expressly forbidden him from ever watching A Dog’s Purpose, for fear that it would literally send him into a deep depression

- kayla literally bought him cargo pants because she was so sick of him wearing shorts in the middle of winter. he’ll never admit it, but they’re his favorite pants he owns

- his fictional crushes are rodrick heffley, both marceline and marshall lee, jennifer check, edward cullen, alice cullen, ella of frell, prince char, nefara de nile, and jade west

- his mom took him to to see a free, outdoors production of Romeo and Juliet when he was twelve and he really liked it. he hates reading, and the combination of dyslexia and shakespeare is interesting to say the least, but he woke up one night missing his mom a lot, and found a copy of the play on one of his siblings’ nightstands, and decided to try reading it for nostalgia’s sake. that lasted about ten minutes. kayla woke up at the crack of dawn to go practice archery alone and found him in the empty infirmary, where he went so he wouldn’t wake anyone up with his glowing, sound asleep in a chair with the book still open in his lap

- it’s easy to forget he’s from texas when you hear his voice after years of living at camp, but a soft southern drawl slips out when he says certain words, and especially when he sings

- his favorite taylor swift eras are debut, fearless, and lover

- he knows how to shoot a gun and has insane aim, much better than when he shoots a bow and arrow. because of this, he feels very strongly about mandating gun laws and safety regulations because he knows firsthand just how dangerous they are. nico has no idea and will’s just waiting for the moment he can surprise him with it

- he has perfect pitch and lowkey doesn’t even realize it

- his handwriting is so atrocious he can’t even read it himself. one time he enlisted nico to take notes for him in the infirmary, but nico’s cursive was almost harder to read than will’s chicken-scratches

- caffeine has almost no affect on him, except maybe spiking his anxiety, but he’s gaslit himself into thinking it keeps him alert

- he’s extremely empathetic, just knows how to put on a brave face

- he has literally no idea how to ask for help. my boy is so used to taking care of everyone that people have to literally beg him to let them help him with work or console him

- he desperately wants a cat

[thespirtualist25]

How can you use opportunities and your strengths 🧿

This is a general guidance, only take what resonates to you and leave the rest.

To book a personal reading - check my pinned post and i also do reiki healing sessions.

Pile - 1 . You guys can manifest easily, also get worn out mentally. You might encounter mean people at work area which drains you. I am don't worry and work hard. The hard work will pay off, the lesson is of confidence that is attached to your career life right now. Spirit channel solutions through your logic. Your work can be very hectic, underpaid and not in good working conditions. I also see few of you are being called you follow your soul purpose - this message is for specific people if you feel something when you read this line then the message is for you. Your strength are you can read people well, easily analyse what will happen, you are not scared to put your full efforts. What you need to keep in mind is - try not letting others take away credit of your work. Someone who can be your friend is a fox and not your friend. More like not loyal I got a lot of gossips too. That friend just use you for favours. I also feel you are quite ambitious. You can manifest your dreams easily. The career field relates to - travel, water, writing, poetry, printing, research, history & monuments can be good for you. Later on you will be getting more clarity on what you find happiness in doing. Some of you can be pilot too, will have to disconnect from some of the people in your life and will be forming new relationships. Your current relationship might not work out - if your partner has a lot of ego. I do see you need to see how people treat you. You are really missing the point on how and why people treat you. That's a gist of how they feed off your energy. Next 12 months are essential for your career. Create vision board , save money and manifest. Your manifestation will come true in upcoming 2-3 years.

Pile - 2. Love is entering in your life in the next 10 to 11 months you will be in a committed relationship. This person will be older than you and for some of you this will be your future spouse ( spirit strictly said some of you not all) . The person can be Taurus, Aquarius and libra. Some of them can have scorpio in major placements. Your connection with the divine is very strong. Your partner can be met through your professional network and at workplace or while travelling. You will travel a lot with this person. The person is practical af and will keep on your feet. So next year January you can expect to meet them I know late. As per your career you guys are used to Underestimating your potential. And you need to get clarity in terms of your goals. Your career can be slightly different from your plans. However your plans will help you keep the foot forward. I do see you need to stop beating around the bush and I also feel some of you need to speak positive affirmations, eat home cooked food, get positivity to make your subconscious mind as such. You are hesitant to align with your goals. You can be very artistic and creative , imaginative and dreamy and also innovative. This is your strength. You get the best ideas in solitude and work best while being calm. You have to stop being indecisive and take your own decisions. Upcoming months along with this can be hard emotionally so you might need a practical advice. Go out to clear your mind and have your own me time. Don't make promises you can't fulfill. Your will power and understanding is your strength. For career you have to be ready to put action and mentally stop self sabotaging. So that you clear the illusions you have created.

Pile - 3. Stop questioning yourself, you do question yourself a lot. You might feel and tell yourself you will always be stuck in the same situation. You have to prioritise your wants. I do feel you are getting a lot more prosperity. Also you need to fear less otherwise you will lose motivation to pursue your goals or others can take advantage of the situation. Your aggression will be very powerful for you. Take physical action don't delay this is the message I get. The world needs your idea. Your future is secure although you are in an insecure position. Some promotions are coming for a few of you. Don't trust people easily with your emotions. I can also feel the spiritual awakening is around the corner for most of you especially males. It could be male in your family so do support them I got this message. Stop fearing failure you are creating more blockages then are there. Wear black tourmaline this will help you at work. And also some people have hidden intentions at work don't trust or help everyone who approaches you - this particular message is not for all but for some of you. Try to work on your emotions so you don't falsely blame yourself.

[waltzingwithyourenemyattheball]

PICK A CARD: FROM THE DEPTH'S OF YOUR HEART'S DESIRES

Left: 111 ; Right: 333

Disclaimer: 🪈 Take what resonates and leave the rest. 🪈 Personal readings are paid only 🪈 Disclaimer in pinned comment applies here 🪈 No one is allowed to copy my work under any circumstances

🥥 111 🥥

Your deepest desire is the freedom to be you. You are tired and done and oh so very exhausted by all the rules and all the games of this world. You want to go back to the place you call home, you yearn for it, and yet you feel you don’t know what home is. You want love and care. I see someone on the bed, legs to their chest, their eyes shut of even admitting what they want, because they feel so vulnerable. It’s like they feel they will be rejectedif they show who they really are, and all they want is an open field to run in, looking breathtakingly happy. It has been a while hasn’t it, where you felt genuinely happy in the present, where thoughts of distress weren’t creeping up on you for attention. YOU FEEL DIFFERENT BECAUSE YOU ARE DIFFERENT. You are simply here to be you, by your presence alone you are lifting the earth. All you need to be is your truest, most authentic self. It will take some effort mind you, a lot of unlearning tp do, it might feel wrong even to go against what you have been taught, to take the burden of. But in the end, your freedom awaits where you feel caged no more. YOU ARE A HUMAN BEING, NOT A HUMAN DOING, so be simply be. ALSO, YOUR SPEECH IS OF IMMENSE IMPORTANCE, you speak your world into being. SERIOUSLY. AFFIRMATIONS AND SPEECH ARE MORE IMPORTANT FOR YOU THAN ANYONE. Speak what you want to come true. Some of you need to release control, surrender to the flow and will of the universe, and slowly you wi;; become the most authentic self, ask the strength and the heart of the universe to help you on top of your own will power, and YOU WILL GAIN FREEDOM, TRUE FREEDOM, that can never be taken away, so relax.  COMMENT ‘authentic’ to claim. Thank you for letting me read for you, I am glad to be of service. 🌙There are more messages for you, for a personal reading DM on Tumblr or Instagram @eltarot1111 🌙

🥀333🥀

AHH MY CREATOR PILE. Before any other messages someone needs to hear this: do as much you plan, and plan as much you do, let there be balance in you doing. This is your key to success, do as much as you plan and promise, if you feel you can’t deliver, then don’t promise, you feel a lack of faith in yourself and your have issues with self trust. 

Life hasn’t been easy for you and to deal with them, you have had some coping mechanisms, some healthy some not so much. Some of you are addicted to something, a pattern of sorts, I am getting Charles Bukowiski vibes. Some of you drink heavily. YOU ARE ANGRY, at the world, yourself. You want love but you don’t want to ask as it makes you seem weak, and you HATE LOOKING WEAK. You are being told to channel all this energy into your next creative project or the current one. ASK YOURSELF: WHAT WANTS TO BE BIRTHED THROUGH ME. SIT WITH IT. The answer will come to you, don’t chase the answer, just be. Some of you have these issues because you are compulsively controlling, and have problem relishing control. Your trust was broken as a child, and hence the need to control otherwise you feel that things won’t go the way you want to because others are not worth trusting. You require inner child healing for receiving love as well.

Comment ‘trust’ to claim.  Thank you for letting me read for you, I am glad to be of service

🌙Honestly, there are more messages you should hear, for a personal reading DM on Tumblr or Instagram at @eltarot1111🌙

-

EL TAROT.

[sorryyourenglishteachersucked]

What "you are not immune to propaganda" means:

Propaganda works by tampering with your internal template for how you view the world

When propaganda takes a form you don't expect, it can get into your head very easily

Propaganda typically utilizes emotional manipulation to make you feel like you're learning something and/or preparing to protect something, to prevent you from questioning the actual content of its message

Some propaganda, especially that made to induce you into conspiracy thought, even uses literal hypnotic techniques* to prompt you to question what you already know, so even if you know that the idea presented is wrong, if you don't recognize the strategies in play and why the arguments are hollow at best, it may still affect you; if you want to study that variety, you need to go in prepared and likely do a "mental detox" afterward

No matter how hard you try to build your defenses, everyone has things that they don't know that they don't know and manipulative techniques they won't immediately recognize, and it's very easy for misinformation to take hold around those things, thus, true and complete immunity is impossible

What "you are not immune to propaganda" DOESN'T mean:

Propaganda is so unavoidably effective on everyone that your only hope for not getting almost literally mind controlled is to never even look at it, and you must shun anyone who does, regardless of their reason or takeaway, because it's only a matter of time before they turn into a monster if they're not secretly one already

* Note that it's important to recognize that hypnosis is not as effective as it's made out to be in media! Many techniques - especially the most dramatic and showy ones - don't work unless they're used on an active cooperative participant, and even the ones used in propaganda for use on unknowing targets, such as rapid-fire repetition of thought-terminating cliches, can be resisted effectively once they're recognized for what they are. There is no such thing as a YouTube video that will make a normal, otherwise well-adjusted person suddenly turn violent in a zombie-like trance. There are many videos that prompt you to focus on rapidly meandering appeals to emotion, particularly fear, in such a way as to render you more open to suggestion in spite of your preexisting knowledge. The idea is to make you feel intelligent, affirmed, and comfortable enough to relax and believe you are special in seeing an obvious "plot hole" in reality, to convince you more subtly to accept contradictory and/or blatantly implausible details at face value.

You are not immune to propaganda, but there are also many, many ways any specific piece WILL fail on many people, from being recognized and called for what it is, to failing to convince a person to connect its ideas to any real-life people or issues. In fact, convincing yourself that propaganda is this terrible magical mind-control ray that's just impossible to resist only serves to make you more vulnerable, because then a lot of propaganda...suddenly no longer fits your mental profile for What Propaganda Looks Like.

The closest possible thing to immunity to propaganda is learning the tricks, not blind avoidance of anything with arguably questionable themes or aggressive paranoid readings; the latter is how you get takes like "the Jewish take on redemption and forgiveness is ACTUALLY fascist apologia".

[ellejos]

I’m very lazy and I feel like I can’t do anything to get my dream life with how lazy I am do you have any advice, tips or tricks for people like me 😭

dear anon, I was thinking about your message on my morning walk.

Laziness, by definition, is the quality of not being willing to work or use any effort. Matter of factly it is a question of will power.

First of all: get your mindset right. Develop habits and routines otherwise you will stay in the circle of laziness. I recommend reading and/or listening to books or podcasts that deal with that topic and offer you motivation and advice. For example:

The Power of Habit

Atomic Habits

Willpower Instinct

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Discipline Equals Freedom

No Excuses

Secondly: as cliché as it sounds, but you are your own worst enemy. You need to set yourself boundaries to achieve what you dream of. Nothing comes from nothing and as long as you aren't sitting down and do what needs to be done, your dream life will stay a fantasy. No one else is keeping you from achieving stuff apart from yourself. If other people aren't supporting you, you can leave them, but you can't leave yourself, can you? Try to think of yourself as a loved one. Try to think of yourself as a child you have to take care of and provide for. Wouldn't you want for the people you cherish the best life possible? So here are some tips and tricks:

Create a Vision Board:

A vision board helps you to identify and clarify your goals and dreams. They are a visual affirmation of keeping goals active and believable in our daily lives. A vision board will show you, what you truly desire in your life and what you are missing right now.

2. Manifestation:

Manifesting is about turning your dreams into reality but do remember, manifestation is a process and it does not happen overnight. Creating a vision board first helps you to understand what goals and dreams you want to achieve and it is also a form of manifestation. Ask for what you want and set your mind to it. Manifest daily! You need to feel your goals, dreams and desires to actually become the person that has them. Practice thankfulness for anything you receive and check your energy. Let go of negativity and limiting beliefs. And most important: if you are clear about your desires: take action.

3. Talk to yourself gentle:

Don't be too harsh on yourself. Don't punish yourself into things. Rather, love yourself into it. Tell yourself three positive things about yourself after you had a bad thought about yourself. Try to exchange the negativity you're giving yourself with something positive.

4. Sit down, babe:

and get working. No one will actually do the work for you. So if you're not doing it, no one is. You don't need to work 24/7h, especially if it's hard for you to get yourself to do things. Try small achievements in the beginning and increase them regularly. Habits and routines need their time to implement. It's okay to have a low day or a rest day, but don't keep on disappointing yourself - you wouldn't do that to a loved one either.

Bisous!

[miniscrew-anon]

Texting HC for the boys

Wind - Uses discord way more than text. Commonly mutes chats. He gets a million discord messages from different groups and he can't be bothered to listen to every time someone complains about the mountain of dishes he left in the sink. If you really want to reach Wind you have to jump on discord or go to his room.

Twilight - Doesn’t like to send more than one message in a row because someone called him desperate one (1) time in high school and he never recovered. So instead he’ll send you a whole paragraph and agonize if he forgot to mention something. Everyone’s told him its fine to send literally a million texts in a row but Twi can’t get over it.

Warriors - Will 🙌 ironically 😎 text 📲 like ❤️ this 👏. But only when he wants to be annoying. Otherwise he’s fine and he can use emojis like hieroglyphics if he wants and he’s able to make himself very clear with just an eggplant emoji and a raised brow emoji.

Wild - Commonly texts the wrong chat and confuses the hell out of people. Accidentally forgets his phone in the other room and doesn’t see people’s messages until its several hours too late btu still texts them back like “oops sorry just saw this man” as if they didn’t know. Uses emojis liberally and goes on tangents and makes everyone forget what they were talking about. The people love hearing from him, but its hard to stay on topic when Wild is in the group chat.

Champion - Full words, no abbreviations. Will straight up send you an “acknowledged” instead of an “ok” to let you know he read your message. Never uses emojis. Ever. The one time Warriors did convince Champ to send a thumbs up emoji to Sky instead of “affirmative”, Sky almost broke down the dormitory door because he thought Champion had gotten kidnapped and was sending a coded cry for help.

Legend - Spams the fuck out of everyones phone when he’s pissed, which is a lot of the time. Doens’t give a shit what group text he’s in he’ll fucking send you an essay one sentance at a time cursing Sky out for eating the last of his goddamn breadpudding.

Hyrule - Never responds on time. He’s always busy and in a rush so when he reads a text and it doesn’t say something like “help i got shanked and now my liver is flopping around on the ground like a beached fish” then he’ll promptly forget what he just read. At the end of the day he might flip through his messages to check what he missed but normally he relies on Legend to fill him in on anything important.

Sky - Forgets which group chats hold which roommates so he’s the guy who will start a new chat every time he has a question. Has basically every permutation of group chats possible and yet will still find a way to make more. And he gives them names like “get milk” and “hairdryer?” so you never know whos in the group chat at a glance. It’s impossible to find anything. Plus, he sends texts half-asleep that mean nothing when he gets woken up too early.

Four - His texts are inconsistent as hell. Sometimes its emoji hell, sometimes it’s MLA essay format. But two things are always consistent: you can always detect the sarcasm and he’ll turn on his read receipts just to let you know he left you on read.

Time - Texts in full sentences but overall is a normal texter. But he types with his pointer finger with two hands so his real crime is being old.

Dark - When he got put away texting was in its infancy so he texts like “G8 C u L8r” and “ur 2 much”. The first time he texts Time after he gets out Time feels his soul vaporized by the blast from the past. Thankfully it only takes Dark one text to Shadow before the boy is physically showing up outside Dark's door to bring him into this century.

Shadow - Spams dumbass videos and memes like his life depends on it. His job is a lot of waiting around so he’s got time to kill and you Will receive messages from him at 39 mph (memes per hour).

[sleetsong]

  ---; 𝐀 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲

                      𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐒

There are five love languages that translates to people your feelings towards them, whether it be romantic, platonic for familial. 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐆𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬,  𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡. While some are more craved for then others, they all are needed in order to obtain and maintain long lasting relationships. 

𝐆𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠

This is the number one way Ami shows her love. She does not expect the kindness to be returned for the value of seeing the person's face when receiving the gift is enough for the reward system in her brain to react. Ami finds enjoyment in curating gifts that are specific to whomever she is giving it to. For birthdays, holidays or just as a way to say 'thank you for being here' Ami lets the unsuspecting person tell her what they want with the context clues of their lives. Colors, words, accents and anything else that tells the quiet stories of people and their lives. For her, there is something magical about finding or making something that is specific to a person. It shows that person that you are present in their life, in every conversation whether they are aware of not. That their life is meaningful including the parts that don't get enough sunlight. This is the way Ami pens her messages of love to people.          - ❝𝐼 𝑙𝑜��𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝘩𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝘩𝑜����, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑠𝘩𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑. 𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙. 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑢𝑙. 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑡.❞

𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬

This act is almost tied with gift giving but comes in second place. However, there is nothing secondary about it. If asked to do a task if it means to help someone in needs, Ami does not hesitate to drop what she is doing to lend aid. This involves a level of trust that must exist between all parties involves and she sees a beauty in knowing that she is trusted with someone's needs, their care, their heart. For in trusting someone, you are offering your heart to them as well. You are showing that you need for help that might not be showcased to others. In offering that vulnerability, you are entrusting that the person will not damage it. Ami finds this act of love endearing because it calls on the recipient to let go of control and believe in the person they are giving it to. She doesn't take that strength for granted and instead nurtures it by offering her own heart in return.                       - ❝𝐼 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑒. 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑡. 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑐𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑠𝘩 𝑖𝑡. 𝐼 𝑐𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑠𝘩 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑖𝑡𝘩 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑎𝑚.❞

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

For a person who self-esteem is on display for the world to see by her own folly (albeit for her own good), the meaningful words of others do often times manage to banish away the demon know as self doubt. This is ranked in the middle for Ami for she is a firm believer in actions speak louder than words even could. An only child from a broken family, Ami learned very young that words can be thrown around haphazardly without a care for the people who they are being said to. She knows now that they were meant to soft the blow up of her family life but has made everlasting damage to her psyche. Ami needs things to be hammered home to her; she will not believe the statement otherwise. Any one can say the words and give false meaning behind them but very few can put for the real, raw emotion that is needed to get through to her. Ami has been shown that nothing lasts forever; that vows taken can mean the world one day, and mean nothing the next. While sweet nothings are nice in theory, if your heart is closed off they will wither and die with the changing season. Words of affirmation will only stick with Ami with persistence and patience; knowing that this is not a refelction of the person and their inability to get through but just shows that pieces of a broken girl who desperate to believe it but can't bring herself to hear it. - ❝𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝘩𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑒𝑑, 𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑦 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠. 𝑇𝘩𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑤𝘩𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑞𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑.❞

𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞

Time in the end, is all we have to speak of everything we have done in this world. Yet, it means so little to those who have wrapped their identity in their loneiless. Ami thrives in her solutide not because she wanted to, but because he had to. With both her mother and father having professional lives that took them away most of the time, Ami had to learn to be comfortable in the silence. It was always there. It asked for nothing but her company and in it, she found a safety the world couldn't provide her. A invasion of that without her consent feels violent to her and can cause Ami to lash out and act coldly towards those who know not the reason for her outburst. While she doesn't outright rejects nor detests sharing space with others, it is not something she outwardly advertises. Yet, the more time spent in the company of others, the less appealing the silence is. It is terrifying. It is becoming a want she doesn't understand and knows not what to do with it. A break in a pattern she formed to find solace in the loneliness she feels. To know that you can be safe with others outside of the bubble almost seems imagery.  -  ❝𝐼 𝘩𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠. 𝐼 𝘩𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠. 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠. 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑏𝑒 𝑡𝘩𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝘩𝑒𝑛 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑛𝑜 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒?❞

𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡

Human beings connect first by touch. When we are born, we have placed upon our mother's chest for the warmth and first initial contact. We drink from her breast for noursment, she cradles us when we cry and and as we grow, we learn the ways touch conveys words, emotions, intent, and thought processes. Many things that lack the word equvalinet can be spoke throught the language of touch. Yet, that such a concept is seen as foreign and invasive to someone who is touch starved. While she does not doubt that her mother and father do love her, their way of showing such emotion is abstract and vauge at best. Dissection is needed in order to impterpret the emotion behind sticky notes and chicken scratch letters. Ami can recall the last time her mother has hugged her, down to the date and time and if asked about it, while her lips might mouth something akin to it was lovely, her eyes show an encased sadness of being able to recall the last time she felt physical touch. While her friends sometimes do make it a point to touch and hug her if need be, Ami will tense in their embrace. Skin crawls and the need to crawl out of her skin becomes more than she can be. Yet, she witstand it and stays in their embrace; she thinks that exspoure would help such actions not feel so awkward. So invasive. So....there are no words to give it. It hurts. It confuses. It leaves her open to whatever may be. And maybe...that is a good thing. For the lack of it will only make it worse in the long run. It is needed. It is wanted and the realization of knowing that, breaks her heart. - ❝𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝘩𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝘩𝑦 𝑖𝑡 𝘩𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑠 𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢, 𝑏𝑢�� 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜. 𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜. 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡𝘩 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝘩𝑎𝑛 𝐼 𝘩𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛.❞

[dropout-if]

hiiii! If youre still answering for the asks; ❤️🌟 🎵 📸 for everyone? have a nice day/night! 🫶

Hi!! Hope you have a nice day/night too^^

❤️ RED HEART - their love language(s)?

Jade/Jean- Receiving: Physical touch. Giving: Quality time. Organizing their partner's schedule in their stead, leaving behind little notes (very ooc messages they would never dare to say out loud). Taking their partner out. Anywhere.

Uma- Receiving: Quality time. Giving: Physical touch. Holding hands, hugging, stolen kisses. Drawing their partner and for their partner

Statler- Receiving: Words of affirmation. Giving: Acts of service. Remembering each and every appointment, going out of their way to ease whatever burden their partner has.

Wanda- Receiving: Quality time. Giving: Words of affirmation. The most shameless declarations of love and affection. Late night confessions, sharing secrets with her partner. Impromptu dates.

Kai- Receiving: Physical touch. Giving: Gifts. Very casual and poorly thought tokens of affection, small trinkets: t-shirts, bracelets, etc. Photographs themselves and their s/o together.

Travis- Receiving: Acts of service. Giving: Quality time. Seeing his partner after hours, walking them home, making as much time as possible to text his s/o, taking them to secret and private places.

🌟 GLOWING STAR - what do they think about when they look at the night sky? is there someone they want to star gaze with?

Jade/Jean- thinks about the future, and the path ahead. When that eventually turns into a repetition, J contemplates their past decisions and whether they've made the right choices. The beauty of it would go over their head, so they'd want to watch it with someone who could appreciate it for them. Or just MC.

Uma- loves stargazing and getting lost in the beauty of the night sky. They'd like to value the moment for what it is, and would be very inspired. Uma likes stargazing by themself, but they also like having a friend with them, especially MC and Travis after rekindling their relationship.

Statler- their mind is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Statler reflects on everything and anything, they tend to overthink so they prefer to avoid quiet moments. They'd love to share the moment with someone who could keep their mind occupied, atm Noir and later on MC.

Wanda- loves nature and stars and sees the night sky as a canvas for adventure and excitement. She may think about new experiences and opportunities. It's a moment Wanda would like to share with Gabi.

Kai- Liv has dragged then once or twice to stargaze. When in idleness, Kai tends to get swallowed by their own mind. They like thinking of the world, of themself and the people around them. It doesn't mix well with Liv, who can't shut up lol. Kai would want to share the moment with someone silently.

Travis- often dislikes idle moments, so Travis would try very hard to make the moment purposeful. He'd contemplate strategies, plans, and ways to overcome challenges. He'd like the moment to be his, or otherwise with someone who could appreciate the quietness.

🎵 MUSIC NOTE - what is their playlist like? their favourite artists? do you associate a particular song with them?

Jade/Jean- they have a few playlists: one for writing (movie ost), one for the gym (basically very 80s and very motivational) and one with their favorite songs. J leans to relaxing music, especially old classics. Their favorites are Frank Sinatra and Elvis Costello.

I mostly associate them with any Taylor Swift breakup song lol (The Story of Us and Back to December mostly).

Uma- has a few playlists with hours and hours of music, though they always end up listening to the same one regardless of the situation. Uma loves alternative and indie music. Their favorites are Garbage and The Cure.

I associate with Billy Idol's Dancing with Myself idk why. Vibes^^

Statler- has many playlists that remind them of people and important moments in their life. They rotate depending on their mood. They're mostly pop and pop rock. Statler loves Taylor Swift and Mitski.

I'll Cover You (Reprise) from Rent often makes me think of them.

Wanda- has a single playlist filled with all kinds of music. It's honestly a big mess. Wanda can't really commit to a favorite artist, she likes almost all kinds of music.

Vivir Así Es Morir de Amor (Nathy Peluso's version) I've been holding back from mentioning songs in Spanish but I can't resist with Wanda.

Kai- doesn't bother with a playlist, they just like tons of songs and listen to that. It's not as messy as Wanda's because Kai tends to be very picky when it comes to basically everything. They love punk, punk rock and grunge. Their favorites include The Clash and The Gits.

I've always associated Doja Cat with Kai fsr (especially Streets).

Travis- prefers saving playlists instead of creating his own. Travis is really into dad rock😭 it's what he mostly listens to. Also has a lofi playlist for work. Travis'favorites are Pink Floyd and The Velvet Underground.

Mitski's Working for The Knife is pretty Travis-coded.

📸 CAMERA - do they enjoy having their picture taken? what's their go-to pose? do they like taking photos? what do they take photos of?

Jade/Jean- isn't the most enthusiastic about having their picture taken, but they'd likely prefer a confident and composed pose (a coy smile and a relaxed posture). J isn't really into taking photos, though they sometimes like photographing Downtown Heights. They also appreciate capturing meaningful moments, like family gatherings or achievements.

Uma- is quite comfortable in front of the camera. Uma is a bit awkward when it comes to posing, they prefer to be photographed painting or tattooing. They enjoy taking photos of nature, their artwork/work, or candid shots of friends.

Statler- is very photogenic and doesn't mind having their picture taken. They would choose a warm and inviting pose, possibly with an arm around a friend or loved one. Statler likes taking photos of friends, their partner, and family to preserve memories.

Wanda- loves being the center of attention in photos. Her go-to pose is something fun, spontaneous, and flirtatious. Wanda enjoys photography and frequently takes selfies and candid shots with friends.

Kai- isn't particularly interested in having their picture taken, but when they do, their pose could be casual and nonchalant. Kai loves loves loves photography no matter the subject. They are especially fond of artsy and experimental pics.

Travis- hates having his picture taken. If he does pose, it's be something composed and serious. Travis enjoys taking photos as a way to document information or for practical purposes rather than for personal enjoyment.

[quornesha]

Pileated Woodpecker Prophecy And Symbolism

The Following Channel is from higher powers, Divine, the ancestral plane and is prophetic through Quornesha S. Lemon|

Whether the Pileated Woodpecker appears in dreams, visions, waking life or synchronicities, it is a sign and message that steady work is coming to you. A period of waiting is now coming to an end. A soul has transitioned properly. The baton is being passed to you. You are very sensitive to spirit. You are the mediator between worlds/realms/portals. You are set to be very successful and a past missed opportunity will be retrieved. You will be in total paradise. You will see the blessings of Abraham released upon your life. Your prayers are fervent.

The Pileated woodpecker is a sign that you are taring down walls and breaking through. Your prayers/affirmations/healing/ are working and you will begin to see the results. You are feeling the physical remnants of things shifting, this can be in the form of headaches and other physical ailments. This too shall pass. You are receiving new abilities and powers. With all power, comes the burden of responsibility. Walk in your divinity as divine dwells within you, through you and around you. You will have destiny helpers beside you and real friendships will come to forefront of your life. Supportive people on every side. You are a deity in human form. You are finally finding your footing. People are starting to see the beauty within you and externally as well. You will begin to step out in new garments. both literally and spiritually. You will laugh again, you will smile again and you will prosper. An idea will be successful, a business will thrive. Your hard work is about to pay off. Seeds you’ve sown for years are all about to sprout up at once. Groundbreaking blessings are coming to you. You will witness the gracious hand of God/Divine. You will have authority over many realms, and things will bow to your command. Your prophetic side/gift is blossoming. Your voice is powerful.

You will see the goodness of all the greatness that you are within. You are getting ready to live like a King/Queen. You’ve gained some strength as of lately and your ancestors are working alongside you. The roads are open and you can rest assured that obstacles are removed. You have paid your dues to any imbalances to karmic challenges and now, you can move on. Your calling is becoming a pertinent focal point. You may have a need to include Iron in your diet as of late when you see this bird. Or there may be a deficiency of it, or you may work with iron/your hands. As this bird is associated with air, metal, and fire elements.

It is a prophecy that you are about to build a home that is better than the one in which you dwell if it is your own home you wish to change. If you work in real estate or design you are about to see recognition for your work in building or designing homes. You will receive report of things being expedited. The Pileated woodpecker is a sign of the open heaven over your life and that your ancestors are diligently at work on your behalf. Things are going to start going in the direction you want, desire and need them to go. People will honor you in your lifetime.

This message isn't, obviously resonant with all whose paths it crosses, as perhaps you may encounter someone of this vernacular, mastery or skill. Therefore, it is a sign from the universe that you're meant to work with such a person. 

Need further clarity or your own queries answered? Book your own reading as my schedule is full and I do not guarantee a reply on social media regarding this post.

If this is not you, then it is time to get clear to rejoin your tribe or the rest of the world of infinite beings. It's time to bring your light to the forefront. However, if you aren't able to invoke, heal or otherwise on your own, call on the assistance of shamans, healers, intuitive people, etc. to assist you. This synchronicity can possibly have specific meanings for you, it's time to get insight. 

The Gift that Quornesha Has can never be duplicated, She is a Shaman, Writer, Healer,  And Teacher with incredible prophetic/healing gifts. Please do not infringe upon her rights as the author. You are not permitted to reuse, nor are you to sale as you wish. This information has been made available to you for the purpose of introduction and demonstration. All rights reserved. If you'd like to use this in a magazine, online publication, or other, please ask for permission first. Legal actions will be taken if you proceed to impose. Be blessed, bless others and be at peace on your journey. What you do is coming back on you. Make sure that it is good, and all is well within you, through you and around you.  The source sees all and knows what you think it does not. image credit

In Loving Memory of Henry Lee Silas Sr, Quornesha’s father 3/9/1954-7/17/2024

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

Before anything else you have to know I am absolutely smitten with your fics- I love to be dramatic but I am 100% dead serious when I say I have cried real tears, gasped out loud, thrown my phone so I could pace, full on out loud cackled, and ETC to your fics. (Also they are as sweet as they are hot. Jesus CHRIST HELLO heart boner and other boners thank u) I called my cat sweet pea the other day and had to stop and laugh because HEY I know exactly where that came from. STEDELE?? GODDD. They are so special to me. You live in my head rent FREE and I’m so so grateful you’re here and you share what you write/your thoughts and metas with us. 🖤🖤🖤🖤

ALSO. I don’t know if this is weird?? (And if it is I’m sorry in advance and absolutely feel free to delete) I’m also very grateful for your fics because I’m working through some major gender fuckery right now and they honestly make me feel so much better about my body. The way you write Ed’s (and Stede’s too actually, now that I think about it.) relationship to gender and sex and the way they experience that with each other has made a couple things click for me that I don’t think I would have gotten right now otherwise. So thank you!! I look forward to every fic!! :^)

Oogh tldr they are in insanely in love and they lovingly, tenderly, life changingly fuck nasty about it and you get it. 1 MILLION KUDOS 🖤

Ahhh you wrote me a lovely letter!!

I am genuinely so, so flattered that you like my fics! When I first started posting them, I wasn't sure what I was hoping for, and writing fics can sometimes feel like just screaming into a void - but holy shit do comments and messages like this just make my entire month. Knowing that people read my little fics and like them is just...incredible, genuinely, and I'm so thankful that you shared. It means so much to know they mean something to you.

This is the second time someone's told me my fics helped them figure out some gender stuff about themselves, and I'm just so happy and grateful that they helped you! Writing Ed and Stede's relationships with gender, sex, gender expression, and sexuality and how they support each other has been so healing and affirming for me, so I'm so happy it's been good for you, too. It means a lot.

Thank you so much for giving my fics a shot. <3

[layanasstories]

Cause of pain

Part 18

She wants to open the door to the bathroom when I stop her and open the bedroom door. "Easier to talk here.". She nods and follows me into the room. Then she takes a seat on the bed and as soon as I sit down next to her she takes my hands in hers "It's him isn't it?". Tears spring to her eyes, which only makes me realise more that Jake is right. She needs to know the real truth. "No, it's not him. Although that's not what I told the FBI." I give her a nervous smile. The relief in her is obvious, but I also see the questions bubbling up immediately. "I'm going to tell you. Only on one very clear condition.". She nods in agreement. "What I am going to tell you is more than a secret, it's a life or death situation for real. And that after today we can and must never speak about it again. Do you understand?" I make her clear. "Yes. I understand that.". To confirm, I ask again "Sure it's clear?". "Yes, crystal." She replies.

"Good, because first of all, your brother is alive and safe." I gently squeeze her hand, her eyes getting big and mostly relieved. "And secondly, he's here." I wait to speak for a moment until she makes the connection. "No!" The single word contained everything I too felt when I made the conclusion, angry and happy at the same time. "I know." I tell her to reassure her. "Believe me when I tell you, he is lucky that I love him otherwise I would have personally killed him.".

I continue the explanation "The body found is Mark Dewinter. And Jake his only option to go unnoticed. What exactly happened to Mark in the mine we may never know, but it did help Jake.". I don't want to tell her that her brother had committed murder, unintentional or not. She nods, understanding what I just told her. "At first I thought it was Jake too. I had gone to the mine, as a last chance to hear from him. That, I had let him know.". Now somewhat confused, she asks a question "Did you have contact with him then?". "No, but I sent him many messages. Hoping for any sign of life at all. I thought I was going crazy. And this was my last attempt.".

"Oh, I see. Go on." Affirming that my explanation was understandable. "Jake has taken over Mark's identity, that's obvious. And I have declared Jake dead, so to speak. Because the FBI now thinks the body belongs to their wanted hacker. Jake cemented his new identity shut, as far as he could, on his part. And with my statement and identification of the body, the circle is now complete." I sigh deeply as I think back to this afternoon and the warning I had given Alan. "What is it?" She asks. "There are now four people who know about this. And we need to keep it that way. Nobody else can know, not even your sister." I answer her and again my thoughts wander and this time to the things I still have to do. "Four? Who is the fourth person?" Puzzled, she tries to think of who it could be, when I tell her "Alan. He knows about it and is complicit in it.".

"Yes, that makes sense." She sighs deeply, and she remains silent. I give her time to process what she has just heard. And then she starts talking again "Do you think I can talk to Jake about it?". "If it's just the two of you, I think you can." I answer her. Relieved, she breathes "And now? No one else should know about this, I get that. But what will happen next?". "That's a difficult thing. I have a funeral to arrange for Jake. At least, that's what everyone else must think." I rub my eyes for a moment as I answer her. "Okay, I can help with that. And also with informing the others from the group. Jake is dead, and we need to give him a dignified farewell." She nods as if it's all settled and okay. "Thank you Lilly. I wouldn't know how to do it alone. Or who I can talk to about it, besides Jake or Alan." I put my arms around her to give her a hug. "We can do this. Just like we did once before." She says confidently.

[fishtomale]

hey, I would love to have a civil but challenging conversation with a progressive Christian (Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, or otherwise) regarding your faith and politics and how those interact. just a heads-up i will only engage in conversation with you if you are LGBT-affirming, posture yourself as being anti-imperialism, you have a good understanding of the basics of what you believe, are strictly opposed to antisemitism, and are strictly critical of ideas like pre-destination and Calvinist ideals. there is a good chance I will open this invitation to those of other faiths at other points, but because I have more knowledge and interest in this area as of current I an only pursuing self-identified progressive Christians for this conversation. if you private message me and are not bigoted or are clearly making an effort to not be bigoted I will not mock or expose you, mostly just ask questions about your thoughts, experiences, and beliefs.

as a short background on myself I was raised as a Christian, mostly charismatic Evangelical Protestant but with some Catholic influences. I am a white gentile and a part of the LGBT community. Mental illness has interacted with my faith in the past. I was extremely religious most of my life. currently I am a mostly casual Hellenistic Pagan and Witch. I am a vaguely leftist Communist who is very convicted in that area. I am also an adult.

if you’re chill having an in depth conversation with me on this subject (regardless of whether we are following each other or not) send me a direct message, thanks

edit: I have absolutely no interest in pursuing the Christian faith ever again and even implications that it would benefit me or others to convert will lead to immediate blocking and public shaming

[titoist]

i think something incredibly cruel, but ultimately distinctive of childlike love & affection, of aimless puppy loves & infatuations which hopefully only constitute the early period of one's life, & recognizable in manifestations of the ideal of a sort of "cloying e-dating" (for lack of a less viscerally unpleasant term) is… a manner of excessive affection which either one or both sides take on as a behavior to 'fall back on' - not that i am saying that it's embarrassing or bad to love fully, & to do so loudly. but, i think it works something like: being met with an absence of experience, one's first instincts are to reaffirm without cessation the one thing they do know about their emotional bond - that it is love, or that it at least feels that way. so, every other message becomes a warm compliment, sappy gushing, maudlin fantasizing, a reaffirmation to both yourself and the other that you both feel in love, struck by a sort of fear that one of you might somehow forget - but… in doing so, there is no more communication. your bond becomes a love-shape sustained purely by its connection to a long lineage of love-shapes, which, in turn, lost all their relation to love in prior generations. in short: you lose sight of the other person, & love recedes only into a behavioral image of itself. you simply repeat the affection, like a sort of ideological catechism, until… not even i know! but at a point you do not even recall the original reasons for said affection existing. it just does, almost of it's own accord. it exists on account of it existing. not that i think warm compliments, or sappy gushing, or maudlin fantasizing are necessarily leading one down this path - in fact, i think it is very beautiful to not shirk even one bit of yourself. but the result remains the same.

it's something i feel i've struggled with, anyhow. my way of affection is outward & passionate to the point of going mad, but merely because the expression of why i love another person would otherwise feel completely insufficient, bathetic, untrue to my humanity, as a testament to the incommunicability of qualia through language. if i lost sight of why i loved another, there would be nothing to express, and it would stop. of course one has to eventually simply settle into a kind of quiet contentedness where you know for a fact both of you are aware of your love for one another, where there's no reason to affirm it so fervently. my meaning is not that it should simply acclimate into a sort of technical routine, where one has to suppress & dilute the intensity of their feelings, or anything… but that it should be a completely spontaneous expression of admiration one holds for all parts of another, both individual & holistic, the qualities which are harder to wave away with a tepid "love you" message or a heart emoticon, that can't be gleamed simply from going through the motions of what one feels couples ought to do.

the person you really particularly especially love should not be the compartmentalized manifestation of love in your life, but an extension of a general reality that it is rewarding to love people. i think. ideally. though when i truly love another person, my passion is such that i do truly want to become one with them, intertwine & conjoin, become greater than the sum of our parts, filled with the sense that they are realer to me than anyone or anything else - so it's not as if i'm an ideal model image of such an idea, either. if love feels like it is playing out in the shape of any prefabricated structure for itself, or in the shape of any sort of narrative ("finally being loved," for instance), rather than being a completely extemporaneous ongoing expression of the people involved, it is probably not real, i think. or at least, what is there that is real is being smothered under the structures & has perhaps never even been glimpsed.

[vincentcheungteam]

Most Christians believe that Jesus is no better than a cow

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? (Hebrews 10:1-2)

~ ~ ~

…the same can be said about someone who teaches the Substitute view of the atonement. Does he believe that the blood of Christ destroyed the consciousness of sin? Most Evangelicals insist that Christians should maintain a constant consciousness of sin. This is supposed to exhibit humility and repentance. But according to the letter to the Hebrews, this would make the blood of Christ no better than the blood of bulls and goats. Thus most Christians believe that Jesus is no better than a cow, or they do not believe he is their substitute. In addition, the same biblical texts that refer to Christ’s bearing of our sins are used interchangeably by Scripture itself to refer to Christ’s bearing of our sicknesses, and even the mere anticipation of this substitution produced tangible and miraculous effects in this life, as we see in Matthew 8. Does the person who teaches the Substitute view also acknowledge that we can be free from demons and diseases in this life by faith? Does he teach this, so that as he speaks demons cry out and flee, and those who listen are healed in their bodies? Are people saved from crippling depression and suicidal thoughts by what he teaches? Does he teach that Christ has endured the consequences of sin, so that we are saved from tragedies, accidents, plagues and wars, and all the things listed in texts like Deuteronomy 28 and Psalm 91? If not, then he does not believe in Christ the Substitute. It is also another instance of false piety and religious posturing. His doctrine is weaker than those who lived under Deuteronomy 28 and Psalm 91, those who merely anticipated the atonement.

~ ~ ~

Much of evangelical preaching gives voice to Satan the accuser. It claims to emphasize repentance, contrary to a false gospel that merely affirms the unbelievers in their sin. However, if you preach repentance according to the gospel, you would also preach the results that follow from this repentance. This is not a repentance that leads to more condemnation, more self-abasement, and more groveling. One who truly repents and turns to Christ receives forgiveness, cleansing, righteousness, and the confidence to march straight to the throne of grace to obtain grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). The Bible says that if the blood of animals had been effective, then the worshipers would have had no more consciousness of sin (Hebrews 10:2). However, much of evangelical preaching represents the Christian message as one that demands and continues the consciousness of sin. It follows that it is a false gospel that portrays the blood of Christ as no better than the blood of animals. It has no right to complain about a lenient and affirming gospel, when it only caters to another kind of itching ears — the itching ears of religious masochism. It claims to restore the gospel, but it attempts to silence the gospel.

~ ~ ~

The gospel requires us to not merely affirm the gifts of the Spirit in our doctrine, but to aggressively teach and exercise them. Even after this, very much unbelief could remain beyond the category of spiritual gifts. For example, even after a person has been convinced about the gift of healing, and even after he has witnessed it or even performed healing by such a gift, he might still remain unconvinced that healing has been secured for the present time by the atonement, and that it is promised to faith, and it is to be received apart from any gift. This truth is even more basic to the gospel than the spiritual gifts, but it is denied even more than the spiritual gifts, and even by those who operate in the spiritual gifts. Then, it is evident that Christians have not attained to the point where they can pray with confidence, “Give us this day our daily bread.” And they outright reject the teaching of Jesus, that if we would seek first the kingdom of God, then “all these things” the pagans seek will be added to us.

Remember that these were teachings that were given even before Jesus ascended to the cross and then to heaven, and before he poured out the Holy Spirit to empower his people. This is how far the church has fallen. Christians still do not believe what Jesus expected his pre-crucifixion followers to believe. And yet many of these people are obsessed with technical points of Christian theology and philosophy, deeming themselves faithful and strong in apologetics and such things. As for the teachings about those who are “in Christ,” what about the doctrine that we are the righteousness of God in him? Sin consciousness pervades their doctrine and their religion, but the writer of Hebrews says that those who have been cleansed should no longer have a consciousness of sin. To keep preaching and even insisting on a consciousness of sin is not humility, but it is to relegate the blood of Christ to the level of the blood of bulls and goats. It is easy to find among them tomes of hundreds of pages about repentance, depression, and melancholy, but we cannot find one that talks much about our standing as the righteousness of God, that as Paul said, we shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. If this is not a denial of the gospel, what does it take? And they are the ones who condemn people.

Published by Vincent Cheung, February 4, 2024