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juniaships · 3 years ago

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Odelloyd (Yodel shipping)

Since @minecraftninjerkid expressed interest I wrote a particularly long post about Odette and Lloyd Garmadon's relationship. It's basically set in my AU of the while Ninjago canon. It's pretty angsty in some parts, and honestly I love this couple because it's a story of two individuals who learn to trust and like TALK with each other and work out their issues together! Plus I feel like if Lloyd needed another love interest within canon it should be someone who can match his energy, a strong young lady who works side by side with him!

Harumi is still the princess but now she has a LADY IN WAITING!! YAYAY

Mostly because she needed a morality pet in some way but also a foil to show if Harumi hadn't been so consumed by personal demons

Odette was a homeless orphan living on the streets with her sister; often stealing from food carts to feed themselves

One night Odette made the mistake of stealing from one of the SOG and they catch her and bring her to their base

Instead of being mad Harumi was impressed by her thieving skills and decided to recruit her. Odette didn't want to at first but then she had second thoughts thinking the extra money could help her and baby sis

So Harumi brings her back and manages to convince the Emperor and Empress to hire Odette as a lady in waiting & decoy if Harumi needed to sneak out to do her business Odette is So instead of it being Harumi it's Odette who stays and befriends the ninja

Odette had NO IDEA her friend plotted to blow up the palace - with her still inside - not great thinking there o' Quiet One

She also had no idea how AWESOME Lloyd is on a motorcycle: "Sweet moves grasshopper!"

They stop at several places gathering clues on the location on the final mask leaving a lot of time for Lloyd and odette to bond; for the first time in forever Odette starts to enjoy life again

The Ninja take Odette in and decide to search for the final mask. Odette does what she can to help out (and find info) getting close to them and my OCs

Lloyd even buys her a gift: a lotus shaped hairpin to replace the one she lost in the palace fight

The jungle incident happens; Lloyd and Odette separates for a while and she comes across the real princess who had stalked the group the whole time undercover

But she's afraid that her big secret might come out everywhere she goes she's often looking over her shoulder

Odette starts to really enjoy the Ninja's company and all her perceived notions about them fade; but she still had to find Harumi to try to talk her out of her plot

Odette meets up with Lloyd inside the caves and they look for the final mask. Finally they see it and Lloyd grabs it, happy that they found the masks before the gang did but notices Odette isn't feeling the same

She's tells Harumi that they're all making a HUGE mistake with the Masks; Harumi of course refuses and orders her to stick to the plan or else

He asks her what's wrong and that's when Odette becomes hysterical and begs Lloyd to destroy the mask or run

Lloyd doesn't know whay she's talking about and tries to calm her down suddenly they hear some sarcastic clapping and in steps in Harumi. Dressed in full Royal Garb

Lloyd is confused and doesn't understand looking back and forth between the newly revealed Princess and the one next to him

Harumi reveals that she is - was - the real princess and that Odette was acting as her decoy to spy on the ninja. She hadn't count on Lloyd catching feelings for Odette which made it all the more sweeter

Odette pleas with Lloyd claiming that while she was ordered to spy, her feelings for him and his friends were genuine. Lloyd coldly brushes he brushes her off and calls her a liar and demands Harumi why she planned all this. The Princess explains that the Ninja failed to save her family from the Great Devourer & that it was Lloyd himself who unleashed such monster on the city killing her parents and several civilians

Harumi also revealed that she had the Emperor and Empress assassinated as punishment for their inaction during that event, and subsequent failure in treating her like a person. "They didn't want a daughter they wanted a Princess."

Harumi takes out her knife and begins attacking Lloyd; Odette watches helplessly as they fight and in the ensuing chaos Harumi knicks Lloyd and orders Odette to return to their group

The Ninja wait by the docks and discovers Odette and the real princess together. They're shocked to see two Princesses; the real Harumi admits her plan knowing they wouldn't last for long to do anything to stop her. An Angry Kai yells at Odette for selling them out

Then the monster attack happens because it is drawn to the mask's essence; Lloyd saves Odette from being crushed, she tries to use the brief chance to explain but he still brush her off

The SOG board their ship and leaves; Odette wallows in guilt Harumi snarky asks her if she really thinks the Ninja are her friends. Odette shakes her head no and looks out the window praying for them to be alright

Back at the city the SOG takes Misako (and Cole's gf Rhenée) hostage to draw Lloyd out. Odette is no longer in her casual clothes but in SOG attire; at the ritual she pretends to be clumsy hoping to stall the ritual long enough

Rhenée asks Odette if she's willing to risk her soul for the terrible actions of other, hoping that Odette can make the right choice. This makes her think about her placement in the SOG

Suddenly the ninja crashes the party just in time and battles the gang. Odette frees Rhenee and Misako and allows herself to be apprehended

Outside she's sitting in the police van when Lloyd walks by and she begs him to hear her out. He wants to listen but is furious with her for betraying them and cuts her off

The ninja head to a bar to celebrate their victory; Lloyd has an honest talk with his mother about Harumi and vows to never trust again. Rhenée says that while Odette lied to them she notices that she's very different from the rest of the SOG

At the jailhouse Odette is sobbing at having lost everything - her friends, her life, and maybe even her sister. She takes out the lotus pin and is about to throw it way when she hears some commotion outside. Apparently the ritual brought back a monster. Fearing for her sister's safety she uses the pin to unlock her cell and sneaks out

Lloyd is too occupied with protecting Baby Wu to fight off Harumi; before she knocks him off Odette arrives & saves him and the baby

In the chaos the Monster arrives and tries to crush them all, Odette gives Lloyd enough time to escape but she falls to her supposed death in the process

Once the battle is over the four original ninjas are nowhere to be seen and are presumed dead

They find out Odette disappeared also, and believe her to he dead too

Harumi and her gang express joy at their enemies demise; and the gang no longer recognize Odette as their own seeing her as a traitor. Deep down Harumi feels a tiny bit pain over the loss of her only real friend but quickly sets that aside to prepare one last scheme

Lloyd grieves Odette's loss regretting they never had the chance to really TALK about what happened between them.

Unknown to everyone, the ninja and Odette were transported to the First Realm

Seasons 9&10 ramps up the angst

Cole is the first one who demands to hear her explanation. Odette explains her backstory and says whole none of it justifies her lies she has now become aware of her actions and is willing to help the ninja FOR REAL FOR REAL

The ninja do NOT want Odette anywhere near them after her betrayal and for a while shuns her.

Zane is the second one; his relationship with former merc Jetta he understands a bit what it's like to choose bad things for survive

Jay and Kai takes the longest: Jay because he's paranoid that Odette may just be evil and insane as Harumi; Kai because he is very protective of Lloyd (who he sees as a younger brother, and even had begun to saw Odette as another sister) and furious that she'd hurt him and their whole team like that

This leads to a series of trials for Odette to prove that she's willing to atone; she actually finds the last dragon's nest and vows to protect it

Meanwhile in Ninjago the city started an underground resistance led by Lloyd and Nya; Lloyd took in Odette's sister to take care of her now that she is gone

Odette and the Ninja finds a way out of the first realm and arrives with their new dragons. Odette splits off to confront Harumi and sees her on top of a building...which is about to fall much to her horror

Lloyd witnesses the scene and shouts Odette's name; the building collapses and he sinks to his knees in fear

Everyone watches with baited breath and cheers as they see both girls and the dragon coming out of the smoke alive

Lloyd and Odette apologize to each other then go off with their friends to fight off the Oni invasion

Once everything is over & Harumi decides to turn a new leaf and surrenders, everyone gathers at the monastery to celebrate. Wu invites Odette and her sister a permanent home with them

After s10 they don't get back together that quickly. Lloyd still has trust issues as in canon and Odette feels like shit believing herself to tbe the cause. Lloyd says it's not her fault, he's simply fed up with random villains coming at him for the crime of being the Chosen One.™

Odette isn't exactly let off easy by the public; there's multiple conspiracies about her and stuff and some aren't exatly forgiving her for working with a group that killed the royal family and destroyed the city. In order to redeem herself in the eyes of the public Odette starts training to become a real Ninja, doing little side missions to help people even something as simple as helping little old ladies use an escalator. Lloyd supports her every step of the way, using his popularity "and natural charisma" to dispel any rumors about her.

#oc lore #ninjago #ninjago season 8 #lloyd x oc #lloyd garmadon #oc: odette #candyshipping

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depressed-changeling · 4 years ago

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Alright, while I reblogged shit about the SPN Finale and knew a little of what I was in for, I didn't fucking anticipate exactly how fucking bad it was now that I've seen it.

Yeah, fuck that finale and fuck the writers and the directors for fucking the show up so fucking bad. If not them, then the fucking CW for them pulling their bullshit yet a-fucking again. I don't even blame the actors cause at the end of the day, the actors can't change that much of how the show is going to be. Sometimes a actor or a group of actors stomp their foot on the ground and say "No fuck this and fuck you" and I love that, but it's a very rare thing to happen and if so, often doesn't change much about the show and the direction it's going, just the specific characters. Because ultimately the writers and directors control what happens, or the studio itself kills what creative freedom they have.

I grew up on this show. I started watching it when I was 10 because my dad watching the Evil Santa episode of season 3 and thought, "My kids are gonna fucking love this." And then we all became obsessed with the show, but me especially. Whenever a season would come out on dvd (too poor to afford cable so I missed out on a lot of what was typical of other childhoods), we would buy it as soon as we could afford it and I would obsessively watch it, the commentaries, and all of the special features. Not only that, but I would take notes of every monster and legend and go through mythology books I saved up and bought, and compare and see how accurate it was to actual lore(surprisingly seasons 1-5 is far more accurate to the legends than season 6 onward(I really hate the Changeling episode in particular for how inaccurate it is)), and essentially it became my special interest. Unfortunately, cause Gresham is fucking terrible, everyone decided to spread rumors about me and make my life hell. I've heard every single cussword and insult, but the most common was: demon, whore, witch, and r*tard(I'm Autistic).

Then more tragedies occured in my life. I don't want to be too specific as its personal, and the list of shit that happened in 2010 is way too fucking long (huh it was like my personal mini 2020...) but I'll summarize it: parents split, people died, and the worst kind of real life monster was accepted back into the family. And since then I've just been this numb, empty thing that would randomly explode then go back to feeling nothing. That fucking show honestly made me so happy to watch and kept me barely steady until I was 15, made my first and most important friends, and finally got a support system that would slowly but surely inspired me to heal.

Overall, a lot of my opinions on Supernatural was formed isolated as I never really jumped into the SPN fandom until like 5 or 4 years ago when it all really died down, and didn't really interact with any other fan. But I did read about destial, and I 100% agree that Dean would have ended up with Cas if Cas was instead casted with an actress instead of Misha Collins, and that the way the show continuely handles the Dean Winchester and Castiel friendship and dynamic is 100% queer baiting. (Personally, I think of the relationship as Cas being in love with Dean as a bi-ace, and I always headcanoned Dean as an bi-aromantic/demiaromantic and that if he ever did actually fall in love, it was gonna be Cas(the way Dean acts with his love interests that are women have always struck me as more of a performance. Like Dean certainly cared about Lisa and Anna (I refuse to count Amara), but not loved. It seemed more like he felt a very strong platonic liking to them, and though of it as love and did what he thought was the right response))). Hell, even my dad agrees that if Cas was played by an actress, he would be Dean's love interest.

SPOILER ALERT

I fucking hate how the finale essentially just shat allover the show, and especially fucked over the character Cas at the end by baiting him and Dean being endgame, and then not having him in the finale two episodes and never mentioning his confession. Not to mention the shitty fucking way they seemed to have dropped the ball in the consume department, the fucking laughable inappropriate death for Dean, abandonment of Jack(he could have been there at the fucking funeral at least), the way they don't kill Chuck to make sure there is no fucking way he starts to fuck shit up again, and how they just glossed over the fact that Dean could have visited his parents but chose to drive instead.

Especially when **SPOILER ALERT** Bobby and Dean are drinking beer, and Bobby is explaining how Jack fixed heaven before leaving. Dean praises it, and then Bobby responds with: "And Cas did too."

So Jack did grab Cas and got him out of the Empty? And decided not to go visit Dean? Dean didn't even try looking for him? Cas is in heaven right now? Or is it because of the fact that heaven runs of different time that the drive seemed to last forty years Earth time? Also I thought people look as they did when they died? You mean you can pick out how you want to look for eternity? And no one chose whay they looked like when they were in their 20s? What about the dog? So many questions.

Honestly the urge to completely rewrite the show, especially in a lore accurate way snd fix the shit that I hate is super strong right now.

#spn finale #spn #spoilers #supernatural #supernatural finale #supernatural spoilers #spn spoilers #just making sure i have all the tags people use to block tags #i know no one wants to see the drama anymore #just getting my thoughts out

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growingingreenwood · 5 years ago

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Hey so I know I generally try to be the mysterious positive person who just talks about how much they love you and your work (it’s still all amazing btw 💖💖💖) and threatens to fight anyone who talks bad about you but right now I really need you to be my Tolkien mom?? I just feel really alone and like I’m not enough and I need validation. Sorry if I’m being selfish or greedy -🏳️‍🌈

Oh my poor little dear, I am so sorry that your are struggling with these feelings. Its definitely a very difficult rut to try and pull yourself out of, but you reached out for some help which is hard and im very proud of you!!!!

My love, you are never alone. Even though it may feel like it. I guarantee that there are those in your life that would help you if they knew how/that you needed it. Depending one why you feel alone, might I suggest looking online for others who have experienced similar things as you? That was a massive comfort to me when my skin condition was at its worst and I felt like nobody in my life could ever really understand how I felt and how it affected me, so I found a support group to join on facebook and that really helped. If you are feeling as if you dont have many IRL people around to connect with, try seeing if there are any fun classes to take at local community centers! Like painting, writing or dance classes to help you meet some new people and get you out of the house!! Google your hometown to see if they have anything interesting events happening during the weekends!!

I’m a firm believer in the fact that there is almost nothing a human can do that can affect their worth, not in my eyes anyways. I dont really care whay mistakes you’ve made, as long as you continue to do your best towards correcting them (or yourself) then you are priceless in my books. Don’t be so hard on yourself, my love, the world is good enough at that already. Remember the good qualities about yourself and how much value and joy they add to the lives of those around you. (For instance, you sending me love and support randomly!!! It always brightens my day!!) For every ‘bad thing’ there is about you, there are at least three good qualities. But it sort of seems to me like the good qualities are way better at playing hide and go seek with you than the bad stuff. Remember that.

You are a beatful shining star in an otherwise dim universe, and I’m sorry you’ve forgotten that, but it’s okay because I am here to remind you. You are more unique then all the fingerprints in the world combined and you need to celebrate that everyday, because you really deserve it.

I hope you feel better soon dear, I love you. Remember to stay safe and healthy, get some sunshine and indulge in your favorite snacks and activities to help keep yourself going through these hard times!! It will be okay, I promise, it always is.

#answered asks #haleigh speaks #tolkien mom #support #peptalk #moral support

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tamaki-amajiki-is-my-baby · 5 years ago

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Shigadabi Headcanons

(This is a l o n g b o i)

- Dabi is that annoying ass bf who uses corny lines just to piss Tomura off.

“What're u lookin at”

“Somethin handsome”

“>:(”

- Tomura's really ticklish. He just doesn't know what's going on.

- He's also really touchy

Not just cuz he's a touchy guy n really touch starved, but because he knows it actually makes Tomura feel more safe.

If Dabi just gets close and takes his shirt sleeve into his hand while they're crossing the street, it makes Tomura feel much more safe.

Tomura doesn't really trust himself despite what he tries to make himself think.

He doesn't like holding hands though. Even with gloves on.

We'll get into that one later on

- the nicest Shigaraki is is probably when a co-op game is going exactly how he wants it to, when he's drunk, or when he's exhausted.

But the second he dies it's game over for Dabi's eardrums too.

- Dabi finds it funny how Shigaraki's personality changes after a few drinks.

To document it, he says “this is your last one” every time Tomura yells him to get him another one and then writes down Tomura's response.

It usually goes something like

“I hate you”

“that ain't fuckin' fair”

“Noooo :((((”

“Meanie >:(”

- Tomura gets real cuddly when he's asleep.

You can't be not moving within an arm's length if you don't want him to grab you.

If you're standing by the couch, he'll try n grab your shirttail or sleeve or something like that.

He'll lean on you and you're stuck then, he'll grab on and not let go if you try to move.

This goes for anyone, even outside of the LoV if it so happens.

Dabi loves this n toltally takes a bunch of pictures and makes Toga send him the ones she takes.

Tomura's favorite cuddle position is either being a smol spoon or laying ontop of Dabi, with Dabi's arm around him.

Everything just to be close and to feel safe, because Shigaraki hates to sleep, and he feels vulnerable.

Dabi thinks that's because of AfO and wonders if Tomura would be that cuddly all the time if he grew up with someone else, he was doing it unconsciously.

- speaking of sleep habits, Shigaraki sleeps with a blanket.

Not with naps, those're fine. He can get through an hour and a half or so.

But he actually can't get to sleep, real sleep, without his blanket.

It's just small and blue with lil white and light yellow bunnies on it, he's had it since he was real little.

The only time he won't really sleep without it is if he has at least three stuffed animals around him. No less.

He's exhausted and none of this can be provided? He's not having a good sleep and he's barely comfortable.

- it's so fascinating to Dabi what having a bad childhood can do to you.

He thought that his was the worst until he learnt of Tomura because, unlike Tomura, Dabi actually /had/ a childhood. He was quickly tossed to the side after his father learned his qhirk hurt him but he still grew to be about 15 in that household, with three younger siblings to give a bunch of love and support to, of whom also give a lot back. They went to the park, to the movies, school. They were neglected but that meant Dabi could sneak them out to have some fun.

Tomura didn't have anything after he got his quirk. He killed his entire family then was wandering the streets for who knows how long. Who knows what he whitnessed and went through in that time. Then who knows what happened after he was picked up by AfO. That scar on his finger posed quite a few questions.

Dabi had a childhood still, even if a good amount was taken. Shigaraki's was ripped away from him and he didn't get more than 4 years of it, maybe a bit less.

That's why he acted so childish all the time.

- Dogs are probably the things Tomura hates the least.

If he sees a smol doggo on the side of the road he will want to pet it and he will do anything it takes to achieve his goal. He'll usually pull his sleeve down over his hand if it's long enough, or just use the knuckle of his pointer finger.

But if he sees a corgi he'll probably cry.

It's not the biggest c r y, but like he's reminded of the dog he had when he was little and he can't handle being reminded of that experience.

Big doggos scare him.

- Dabi has considered taking him to a shelter, just so he can inteact. They'll adopt if they want, but Shigaraki mostly just enjoys going so he van have a fun time with the doggos.

- Tomura has a habit of getting lost while they're in a group.

Are they in the mall and pass by a GameStop? Tomura's gonna turn into that store, you can't stop him.

He always turns into arcades and play parks too.

Dabi never let's him though.

C'mon man let the kid have some fun >:(

- despite what you nay think, Dabi has a bunch of chapsticks on him at all times and he throws them at Tomura whenever he picks at his lips.

The further into the day it gets, the more he picks, the more force behind the blows.

- Dabi has a rainbow blanket tha the often uses to, as Tomura puts it, assault Shigaraki.

He'll throw it at him then kiss him when he pulls the blanket down, sling it over him with both ends in his hand so he can pull Tomura close n kiss him.

Gay shit like that.

- Dabi's more open about it — their relationship and his sexuality — than Tomura. He doesn't care. He'll say it if someone's looking at them weird or just looking at Tomura (bcus Dabi thinks it's bcos he's hot even though that's not why people are looking at him. Dabi he looks like a hobo calm down)

Tomura, though, doesn't say anything. Even if people ask. He's not exactly self-conscious or nervous or anything, he's just not one of those 'outwardly gay' people. Example, the op.

- Dabi does a lot of things to Tomura when he's asleep, since he's a deep sleeper.

Examples:

Cut his nails

Put ChapStick on

Brush his hair

And many more that Tomura will not do by himself.

- Okay so I saved this one for last because it's a long one.

We were at about 975 words before this one, and the toltal word count now that I've finished is about 1719, so this is a long boi.

Tomura doesn't like his hands getting anywhere near Dabi.

He isn't as cautious around anyone else and he really wasn't round Dabi till he realized how gay he was.

As most people know already, when Tomura's Quirk manifested, he killed everyone in his family present at the time. Maybe one or two was an accident, but he was so young and he most likely panicked and got scared. He did all of that with his hands, he caused so much destruction with his hands.

My headcanon is thay it manifested while he was lovin his corgi dog with his sister across the room. Of course, that's going to cause them both to scream and she ran over. Tomura probably didn't even know what had happened, how it happened, or how he'd caused it at that point, so he tried to grab onto her. That didn't work very well.

Screams alerted most in the house and Shigaraki, well, Shimura in this case, fit it together that it was his hands that caused it.

He couldn't understand what was happening or the true weight of the situation but he knew he was in some huge trouble.

Tenko didn't look back, just trying to shut up and do anything he could.

He didn't even have time to grab anything from his home, once everything had been done. The rush of adrenaline, fear, and panic were keeping him doing what he was doing but now that he was really understanding whay was going on, what he'd just done, what'd just happened, why it looked like he'd just dipped his arms and chest and face in paint.

And he ran.

He hated his Quirk for a while before he was groomed to realize he could use it for reasons not so hurtful to him. Before that, though, he tried on multiple occasions after learning how his Quirk really worked to slice his finger off.

He got the idea back when he found a documentary on the ‘Shimura Family Massacre.’ All he got from AfO was some 'reassuring words' and a hand on his shoulder.

He got to the bone one time, because AfO wasn't home to stop him, but he didn't have a good enough knife to get through it and all the really good and sharp Japanese knives were hidden and/or out of his reach.

Shigaraki shut himself off. When he slowly started letting himself feel emotions again, in the form of gaming and things of that nature, he still didn't let himself get close to anyone. Sure it happened unconsciously, he didn't realize the dependence or care for AfO until he was ripped away.

He didn't realize the little care that started to build up among the league either.

But Dabi was the one to really break that one, he blew it out of the fucking park, and Tomura feels... Really scared around him.

He's scared to love and get attached because he's sared that something like the massacre in his home will happen again.

He doesn't want to hurt Dabi.

It took him a really long time to even get that close to him.

When he really got into a relationship with Dabi was when he started wearing his gloves again. They're the ones digital artists use.

Tomura is really touch starved and is glad Dabi can provide hugs n cuddles n shit.

It took Tomura an even longer time to start hugging or snuggling back, but he'd still rip his hand away whenever Dabi tried to hold it — even if he was wearing gloves.

But he is slowly getting better at it.

Dabi linked their pinky fingers when they were at a bus stop (he fuggin held on so tight so Tomura wouldn't jerk away).

Tomura looked up at him and gave him the most fearful look, and it fucking shattered Dabi's heart.

He didn't let it show though, he just smiled a little and said “See? It's okay.”

They've been getting better bit by bit since then.

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scotthogsett · 5 years ago

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Content strategy

My lecturer Chris told me to look into an author called Kristina Halvorson, she wrote a book called Content Strategy for the web it is co-written by Melissa Rach.

Less is more and what content is there?

In this part of the book Kristina talks about how less content is more and that making sure the content does either one or both of these, Supports a key business objective or fulfil your users needs. This is saying that just because you flood a user inbox with information instead of taking the time and think about what the user is looking for and providing that content.

Kristina mentions something interesting, “We seem to think that our content will magically continue to maintain itself, without care and feeding.” I think that this point leads to what we’ve been learning about in class, content auditing, it makes sense that it is necessary that a company or any content provider would need a content audit to make sure that everything a website says is relevant and it is up to date. If this isn’t the case users can feel that the website isn’t reliable and then question if the rest of the content is up to date, I think that this is the right way to do it even though there might not be a lot of content being produced the content that is will be necessary and relevant.

In another chapter the book talks about how to take action and improve the content or the strategy of the content.

1. Ask your boss what part of the website drives them craziest and then talk about how best to approach improving it. not overly relevant to me at this time but I think that it is important to not be afraid to ask a higher up about the content they think is under power and strategise what way it can be approved.

2. Start asking specific questions about content - it’s purpose, the people who own it, and so on. I suppose when you understand why a website has certain content, it can be really help to know why did they choose that content? whay was it worded/presented in that way? and how has it effected the user that is taking it in? if you understand this then it can help me with the content I produce and making sure I don’t waste my time producing content that the user isn’t going to like.

3. Educate yourself. Read articles. participate in group forumns, listen to podcasts to better arm yourself with the right ammunition when your ideas come under fire. This reminds me of a quote I read a while a go “know your s**t”. Not everybody is going to like your idea but it’s just their opinion, if I can articulate what I am trying to convey with a certain design choice and how it will end up helping the overall design.

4. Take colleagues to coffee or lunch. Ask questions and listen carefully. even if you disagree with their choices listen, compromise and learn from the experience.

Analysis

Kristina says in the book “Before jumping into strategy, take the time to ask pertinent, important questions about all the factors that impact your content’s creation, maintenance and ongoing success“ I think that this is a really good point because it is important to not only do self analysis but also competitor analysis, how does there content effect their audience and can I have the same effect or can I do it in a different way.

Analysis finds unrealised challenges, risks and opportunities. You can unearth things that you didn’t realise was going to be a thing that could be an issue doing this analysis could have changes on how you structure and presnt the content you have and changes might have to be made to the content you have. however it is better to know these things now instead of the content not having the desired impact. You could also find something you weren’t expecting that you could capitalise on, something that your competitors haven’t caught onto, if you think about it analysis is full of content but also serves as a content audit that you weren’t aware of.

There are may ways to do a internal analysis as well, just don’t do it yourselve. Interviews, group discussions, questionnaires and surveys are all great ways to get the opinions of your users but instead of them keeping their ‘review’ to themselves they could provide feedback and provide a wealth of information to make the content better for the users it’s for. another tip in the book is that it is important to listen to everyone, don’t just go with the majority there is information t be unearthed from the others as well.

What I though of the book.

I really enjoyed this book, if I writ about everything I took away from this book I would be at my computer for a week, so for people who are reading this I will cap it here and keep the rest of the great insight I got from this book to myself.

#IXD301

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suilinbride · 5 years ago

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For shufflemancy I would appreciate some clues or insight into my plans for future employment, possibly self-employment. Thanks!

Hey there!

I hope you didn’t think I forgot about you or anything like that! I apologize for how long it took me to do this reading and to get back to you with it. Things has been so crazy between the moment you asked me for a reading in kind and now.

I had to help my mom to the hospital and we almost lost her at one point.

Thankfully they caught what was wrong in the nick of time and she’s now all but fully healed from the same thing that took the life of her sister almost an exact year prior.

And because of that, I spent a good while taking care of her while she was healing from her health problems.

And I fell sick with something along the way as well.

And in the middle of all of that, my brothers and I started working on tearing down and rebuilding bathroom as the tiling was coming a part before our eyes, the shower was falling a part, and it turned out that the wood in that part of the house was rotten almost down to the foundation.

So as you can tell, I’ve been super busy.

And, somewhere along the way, my computer sent the original version of your reading that I had finished and half typed straight into oblivion. So I had to start from scratch all over again.

I was also doing the same kind of reading for someone else at the same time, shufflemancy I mean, so I was going back and forth doing bits and pieces of each of your readings as I found time between all of the recent chaos and crises. Well when I was well enough anyway.

Honestly, I’m not quite happy with how this reading turned out. It’s not my best work I can say that for sure and I was struggling with parts of it. I apologize about that.

I’ll also go ahead and apologize in advance if Tumblr smashes all the paragraphs together. It tends to do that to any of my posts when I’m answering asks. I can fix it if I answer them and post them publically but I’m unable to do that privately.

I know this reading is rough. I only have wordpad to work with until I can get my hands on a much better word processor.

Anyway, regarding any insights or clues about any future occupational oppertunities, be they working for someone else or instead working for yourself, I listened for and received the following songs for you:

“Talking to God,” by Hurt. “What a Shame,” by Shinedown. “Polly,” by Nirvana. “Phase,” by Breaking Benjamin.

“Natural Life,” by Breaking Benjamin. “Intro,” by Staind. “Live you Life,” Tantric. “Gasoline,“by Audioslave.

I divided the songs I received for you for your reading into two groups, with the first group of four songs dealing more with possibly being employed by someone else, while the second group of four songs deals more with the possibility of you being self employed, as it were.

For the first song of the first grouping of four songs I received for you, I listened for and received the song “Talking to God,” by Hurt.

An interesting note regarding this song in the context of your reading, I received this song twice, with this song coming up as the first song for the series of readings I did for you, the first one my computer sent to oblivion while I wasn’t paying attention, while the second time was when I listened for the songs for this second attempt at doing a reading for you.

While this song is generally about family abuse or at least family neglect, specifically in the form of a religiously obsessed mother neglecting or abusing her son or daughter, prefering to pay more attention to and invest more time and energy to her obsession of deity and faith then to her child, I feel very strongly that this song has a different meaning when applied to the context of your inquiry.

This song tells me that there is a business, non profit organization or foundation, or something along those kind of things, that fronts for a really good cause. Maybe they stand for enviromental or social rights, or maybe they claim that the business donates a certain amount of their profits to some kind of fundraser or similar cause. And while they are sincere and honest about what they are doing and why they are doing it in the first place, their obsession of holding themselves as a business or organization becomes an obsession. They cristialize their obsession into a self righteous furor.

Regardless of whatever form this may take, it tends to neglect or even outright abuse the people working for them. Maybe they over work their employess and volenteers to the point of exhaustion and illness, maybe they harass and haze their members of employees for not being perfect in how they act as repersenting then. Maybe they even go so far as to humiliate and ruin the lives of people who work for them for not fulfilling or measuring up to their more than impossible standards.

The fact that this song came up as the first song for the being employed by someone or something else portion of this reading tells me that this is something that is more likely than not to show up and rear it’s ugly head for you.

I don’t know if you already have a new job in line or in mind or you are looking still but there’s this one possibility, regardless of if you are currently aware of it or not, that is waiting for you and will most likely show up either as the first option or will appear as the easiest and best option to take in whatever catagory of job you are looking to work for.

Be careful, because they’ll play a good game with a good face and will be all nice and supporting and helpful at first, but will revert to this ugly and toxic side of their true nature the moment you don’t step completely in line with what they say and think and believe, or you try to express yourself even just a little bit differently, or if you try to call out any thing you see happening that turns out to be problematic. At best, they will ignore you and your attempts, or worst they will make your life a living hell.

"Mother is busy, she won’t even miss meAnd so busy praying and wouldn’t see me waitingI hate all your reasons they just point to JesusYou can’t be awakened if you’re not mistakenAnd i hate your voice and that fucked up noiseAnd your cliches and the things that you’d say to meWhere they burned me then, it still seers todayEmbedded in a memory that won’t change

How can you talk to God [3x]When you won’t talk to me? [repeat]

So i begged you just for a wordThat through the day you might have heard and…She wouldn’t listen to my wordsAlways i’ll remember some good times,Some winters in times when i wasn’t too dirty for mud.

When you’d hit your boys in that fucked up voiceOn your black days, oh! the things that you’d sayTo me when they burned me, yeah they burned meOh they burned me, yeah they burned me

So how can you talk to God [3x]When you won’t talk to me?

I know every little wordOf all the things that I have heardSo how can you talk to GodWhen you won’t talk to me?When he won’t talk to meSomeday you will be better than me [2x]But you won’t talk to me.”

Next, I received the song “What A Shame,” by Shinedown.

“Two packs of cigarettes a dayThe strongest whiskeyKentucky can makeThat’s a recipe to put a vagabondOn his hands and kneesI watched it all up close,I knew him more than mostI saw a side of him he never showedFull of sympathy for a world thatWouldn’t let him be

That’s the man he was,Have you heard enough?

There’s a hard life for every silver spoonThere’s a touch of grey for every shadeOf blueThat’s the way that I see lifeIf there was nothing wrong,Then there’d be nothing rightAnd for this working man they say couldBarely standThere’s gotta be a better place to landSome kind of remedy for a world thatWouldn’t let him be

That’s the man he was,Have you heard enough?

God forgive the hands that laid you downThey never knew how much a broken heart can break the sound and change the seasonNow the leaves are falling faster,Happily ever afterYou gave me hope through your endeavorsAnd now you will live forever

[Chorus]What a shame, what a shame,To judge a life that you can’t changeThe choir sings, the church bells ringSo, won’t you give this man his wings?What a shame to have to beg you toSee we’re not all the sameWhat a shame, what a shame‘Cause we’re not all the sameWhat a shame, what a shame‘Cause we’re not all the same

There are a couple of whays I can read this song with the context of how the reading is unfolding for your situation.

On one hand, it could be that one of, if not the main focus, of the business or organization that is wanting to hire you deals with people in poverty situations, people who are homeless.

On the other hand, it could be the man being talked about in this song is what happens to people who cross, step out of line, or who gets on the wrong side of the business or organization.

I feel like it’s a bit of both, though more of the second possibility than the first.

The sense I’m getting is that the business or organization most likely to want to hire you and most likely for you to cross paths with, helps people who are suffering from terrible situations like homelessness but I feel like that it’s a side effect of their main support or humanitarian efforts. Sort of. But I also feel like that this is the fate of those who end up facing the ugliest side of this buisness or organization and what happens to them afterward. The feeling is a very twisted and hypocritical in it’s essence.

Next, the third of the four songs I received for the first grouping of songs for your reading, I received the song "Polly,” by Nirvana.

“Polly wants a crackerI think I should get off her firstI think she wants some waterTo put out the blow torch

Isn’t me,Have some seedLet me clip,Dirty wingsLet me take a ride,Hurt yourselfWant some help,Help myselfGot some rope,Have been toldPromise you,Have been trueLet me take a ride,Hurt yourselfWant some help,Help myself

Polly wants a crackerMaybe she would like more foodShe asks me to untie herA chase would be nice for a few

Polly said

Polly says her back hurtsShe’s just as bored as meShe caught me off my guardIt amazes me, the will of instinct

This song is about a girl being kidnapped, tortured, and raped and is based on a true story, though the girl this song was written about thankfully was able to escape the monster who had captured and violated her and the bastard was arrested and jailed. The singer and songwriter of Nirvana added an even more sickening twist to the song, as he had the girl in his song, not the real life girl this song was based on, trick her captor and raper into allowing her to escape by pretending to enjoy what he was doing to her. Also, this song was written as if in the perspective of the disgusting monster doing the vicious and atrocious act.

In regards to your situation, I believe that this business or organization knows fully well exactly what they are doing to people, despite the good they claim they aim to do, and don’t care about what harm they cause people in the process.

I also get the sense that is hired by them will have to do some fast talking and clever moving and acting to escape any harm they might cause them if they say or do anything the business or organization doesn’t approve of or agree with.

Finally, for the forth and final song for the first grouping of songs I received for you, I received the song “Phase,” by Breaking Benjamin.

This song is very much about shrugging off a brief or short period of time that worked well enough while it lasted but didn’t fulfil, help, satsify, or allow you to succeed in the end. It’s the kind of thing that worked only enough to keep you going at that point in time but you need to let it go, shrugg it off, to move onto something that is bigger, better, will make you happier, fulfill you more, and allow you to succeed.

I feel like this song is saying that if you end up getting hired by this business or organization, it was because it was the best of the few options you had or have at the time, but will only last you long enough until you can find or get to the place where you want and need to go and be to be fulfilled and succeed in a more long term kind of way.

“The light is dead in your eyeSo I’ll keep living my lifeI only wanted to tryTo find my way back insideMy imitation of lifeMy litigation of lifeIt’s something easy to findInside the shade of your eye

[Chorus]Out of the ground I rise to graceNobody knows it’s just a phaseHelp me I’m out of breath againNobody knows somewhere to make it go away

Phase [x4]I find it hard to decideThe way to make up your mindYour lips are better than mineSo you can kiss this goodbyeMy imitation of lifeMy litigation of lifeIt’s something easy to findInside the shade of your eye

[Chorus]It’s just a phaseAnd I can’t waitPhase [x3]I know [x3]It’s just a fucking phase

It’s just a fucking phaseI’m drained time to fake and delayWatch the penny dropLet it go up and in dropThen watch it rollLet’s all mourn tillI survive inside you”

Wow, that first half of your reading was pretty rough. It looks like the most likely place that will hire you in this present period of time moving towards the near future will more likely than not be filled with a landmine infested field of problems. If you do end up getting hired by them however, do what you can to take care of yourself long enough to transition to to a business, organization, or career situation that will be better for you more so in the long term and thus last a lot longer and be far more sustaining than the business or organization you might end up dealing with and working for in the mean time.

Okay, time for the second grouping of songs focusing more on the possibility of you working for yourself instead.

For the first song in the second grouping of four songs, I listened to and received the song “Natural Life,” by Breaking Benjamin.

An interesting thing of note, this song is not only created and performed by the same band that created and performed the last song from the first grouping of songs for the first half of your reading, but it’s also from the same exact album, which is Saturate.

I tend to look at songs that come up in a shufflemancy reading that were created and performed by the same artist or band, especially so if they appear on the same album as one another. To me this adds an extra layer of meaning and possibility of one song influencing the other.

To me the ordeal of having to work for this possible business or organization riddled with issues and toxic problemsis a step to lead you where you want and need to to go and be. I feel like there’s a particular line of work that is the career for you, maybe even ties into a bit of life work, and if you aren’t able to get into it right away at this point of time, you’ll be able to walk away from the festering mess as a stepping stone to this instead.

As for the song in of itself, I feel like there is a particular line of work that you want to do, need to do, or should do. It’s something connected directly to your nature as a person and it’s something that that you can do while being self employed.

It will take a great amount of work and effort, along with sacrifices needing to be made in your life to be able to do this kind of work and flurish and thrive with and from it, but it will be vastly rewarding for you if you are able to get to doing it, get to the point where you can set it up, dive right in, and make it your own thing.

hold stillall of my lifeall of my timeI don’t wanna come back around tonightand all that I needis serenityI don’t wanna feel your new disease

[chorus:]the natural lifeyou’re born, you diethe natural lifeyou’re wrong, you’re rightthe natural lifeyou’re born, you diethe natural life’s a lie

“all of my liesswallow your prideI don’t wanna come back around tonightand all that I needis serenityI don’t wanna feel your new disease

[chorus]

rightyou’re rightI can never lielet me gotry to find a homeI can’t waittry to stay awakedead insidebothered by the lieyou’re right

[chorus]

a lie”

Next, as the second of the four songs from the second grouping of songs I received for you, I received the song “Intro,” by Staind.

In order to be able to let go of any destractions, make the needed sacrifices, and put in the work to get this particular self employed career up and running from the ground up, you are going to need to rely on the important, precious, and vital people in your life - be they family or friends. With their support you will be able to make this possibility a reality. Keeping them in mind as you plot and plan and establish this career on your own terms will allow you to be far more successful than if you had no support from any family or friends at all.

“thank you to the people in my lifefor putting up with meand thank you for the time you sacrificedall on account of me

[chorus]

for all the times i didn’t saythe times i didn’t sayfor all the times i didn’t saythe times i didn’t say

fuck you to the jaded and the fakelike to see what you would dofuck you and the judgements you makewe’re not all perfect just like you,like you, like you

[chorus]

all the times i didn’t say [x2]thank you to the people in my life for putting up with me”

Next, with the third song from the second grouping of four songs, I received the song “Life Your Life (Down),” by Tantric.

I said earlier in this half of the reading that some sacrifices would needed to be made in order to make this self made career happen and be successful at it.

There are things in your life, some minor, maybe some major, probably some people that have been holding you back from seeing this entire thing take root, take place, grow and flurish. They are the things in your life you will most likely need to let go in order to put all of your heart, your might, your essence into this career ahead of you.

“If you live your lifeIf you live your life this wayIt’s gonna change [Repeat]

Time and time again I cannotFind the reason why my life is all rightBut I just can’t stop the pain

Look into your heartLook into your mindLook into your soulLet it goAnd you don’t know what to say

Run away run awayWith the painThat I told you once I could not spareIts only satisfaction nowThis time of the year

Run away run awayWith the painThat I told you once I could not spareIts only satisfaction was fear

If you live your lifeIf you live your life this wayIt’s gonna change [Repeat]

Always breaking offI would forget it awayTrying to run from myselfAnd at the same time fade away

Never bothered toNever bothered youNever bothered meWhen I leftAnd I said what I had to say

Run away run awayWith the painThat I told you once I could not spareIts only satisfaction nowThis time of the year

Run away run awayWith the painThat I told you once I could not spareIts only satisfaction was fear

I told you before I opened you upAnd then youShut me down [Repeat]

If you live your lifeIf you live your life this wayIt’s gonna change [Repeat x5]”

Finally, for the last song for this second grouping of songs for the second half of your reading, I received the song “Gasoline,” by Audioslave.

The effort and energy required for you to set this up and get it running will be immense. It has the potential to be one of the most intense and hardest things you ever do. Be careful, pace yourself so that you don’t end up harming yourself and burning out in the process. Otherwise you will most likely say “fuck it,” and attempt to let it go, give it up, and walk away from all the intensity of what must be done and given to go into creating this career.

“House is hauntedI just want to go for a rideOut and onBefore I set this room alightLeft alone forever and for crimes unclearWith my patience goneSomeone take me far from here. Yeah

Burning that gasoline, yeahBurning that gasoline

New day yawning, another day of solitaireHouse is honest, clearly more than I can bearDrag me off, before I set my world on fireOut and gone the sun will never set tonight. Yeah

Burning that gasoline, yeahBurning that gasoline

No what for’s, only a canOf red says danger on itI have found another way

Burning that gasoline, yeahBurning that gasolineBurning it all away, burning it all away”

It sounds like the route you would most likely need to take in order to become self employed would be a long and hard road that would be rewarding in the end.

With both halves of the reading now finished, I decided to listen for two more songs to see which route is the most likely of the two for you to take in this point in time or coming up in the near future.

For the first song regarding if becoming employed for someone else would be more likely than becoming self employed, I listened for and received the song “With You,” by Linkin Park.

Becoming employed by someone else, specifically by the business or organization that has so many problems with it lurking deep down inside, is a very likely possibility at this point in time. Not only that, but I feel like going into it, you could or will realize that you are so close to realizing your desires, your wishes, your dreams, but you must put up with the toxic and problematic insanity long enough to become a little bit stable to get you to the point where you feel like you can let go of this business or organization and finally stop away and move on to where you should be.

“[Mike Shinoda:]I woke up in a dream todayTo the cold of the static and put my cold feet on the floorForgot all about yesterdayRemembering I’m pretending to be where I’m not anymoreA little taste of hypocrisy

And I’m left in the wake of the mistake, slow to reactAnd even though you’re so close to meYou’re still so distant and I can’t bring you back

[Chester Bennington:]It’s true the way I feelWas promised by your faceThe sound of your voicePainted on my memoriesEven if you’re not with me

[(Chester Bennington) Mike Shinoda:](I’m with you)YouNow I see keeping everything inside(with you)YouNow I see even when I close my eyes

[Mike Shinoda:]I hit you and you hit me backWe fall to the floor, the rest of the day stands stillFine line between this and thatWhen things go wrong I pretend that the past isn’t real

Now I’m trapped in this memoryAnd I’m left in the wake of the mistake, slow to reactSo even though you’re close to meYou’re still so distant and I can’t bring you back

[Chester Bennington:]It’s true the way I feelWas promised by your faceThe sound of your voicePainted on my memoriesEven if you’re not with me

[(Chester Bennington) Mike Shinoda:](I’m with you)YouNow I see keeping everything inside(with you)YouNow I see even when I close my eyes(with you)YouNow I see keeping everything inside(with you)YouNow I see even when I close my eyes

[Chester Bennington:]No, no matter how far we’ve comeI can’t wait to see tomorrowNo matter how far we’ve comeI, I can’t wait to see tomorrow

[(Chester Bennington) Mike Shinoda:](with you)YouNow I see keeping everything inside(with you)YouNow I see even when I close my eyes(with you)YouNow I see keeping everything inside(with you)YouNow I see even when I close my eyes”

For the second song in regards to the possibility of you being able to take the great risk of stepping out into the world being self employed, I listened for and received the song “My Sacrifice,” by Creed.

While this path is possible as well, I feel like it’s much riskier for you at this point in time. You’ll more likely than not need to make a further sacrifice up front and right away in order to be able to make it happen, without knowing if it will work out in the end or not because you jumped into it right away.

The key to success lies in relying on and trusting fully into someone. Some person who has your back that will help you get things started and help you along the long and rough road ahead.

“Hello my friend, we meet againIt’s been awhile, where should we begin?Feels like foreverWithin my heart are memoriesOf perfect love that you gave to meOh, I remember

When you are with me, I’m freeI’m careless, I believeAbove all the others we’ll flyThis brings tears to my eyesMy sacrifice

We’ve seen our share of ups and downsOh how quickly life can turn aroundIn an instantIt feels so good to reuniteWithin yourself and within your mindLet’s find peace there

When you are with me, I’m freeI’m careless, I believeAbove all the others we’ll flyThis brings tears to my eyesMy sacrifice

I just want to say hello againI just want to say hello again

When you are with me I’m freeI’m careless, I believeAbove all the others we’ll flyThis brings tears to my eyesCause when you are with me I am freeI’m careless, I believeAbove all the others we’ll flyThis brings tears to my eyesMy sacrifice, My sacrifice

I just want to say hello againI just want to say hello again

My sacrifice."

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maryisis · 5 years ago

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My 10 day Egypt Journey

Traveling to Egypt was a dream come true for me. I have been fascinated by ancient Egypt since I was a young girl and this fascination led into my adult years with more in depth studies into the awesome ancient sites. When the opportunity came to me to travel with a small group of 6 other highly intentional people with similar interests, I made it happen- in spite of the not so great financial situation I was in- and I am SO gratefulfor the support I received to help make it happen for me. In this blog I will share about the amazing places I visited in a VERY full 10 days and I will offer my own reflections about the experiences as well as some travel tip/advice for anyone else interested in making this “pilgrimage.” I say pilgrimage because we were venturing with intentions for connecting to the energies of the places, feeling a remembrance in our souls for these ancient lands. I will first say that having a guide for our trip was *essential*- it just wold not have been possible- A guide is needed for many reasons. Egypt is not the easiest place to navigate and travel solo- to have a guide that knows the language, culture and how to negotiate with officials in absolutely necessary. Our guide was so wonderful, just reach out if you are interested in hiring him! So let’s get started!

My journey began actually in the country of Turkey. This was also a dream come true- literally. I have had a number of dreams related to Turkey- involving certain names and places and also a deep sense of remembrance. So if you want to skip straight to Egypt scroll down a little bit.

(*Travel side note: I had frequent flyer miles through United Airlines that would cover most of my travels but for some reason I didn’t have a enough for round trip to Cairo and back. So I figured out a way to utilize my miles to take me to Izmir, Turkey and then from Frankfurt, Germany all the way home and so all I had to to do was buy 2 connecting flights: from Izmir to Cairo and from Cairo to Frankfurt- which cost around $550 for both, yet allowed me two extra little adventures with some dear friends living in this places- Plus- WHAY NOT since I’m going all the way out there~.)

TURKEY~ I arrived in Izmir, a city of over 4 miliion, to open the arms of my auntie Julianne, who now lives there as music teacher at an international school. She absolutely loves it there and I can see why. She lives in a very bustling part of the city called Alcancak and has a cute apartment that has a rooftop-soon to be garden- that overlooks the city. Below on the narrow streets are many restaurants and clubs with delicious Aegean/Mediterranean/Middle eastern foods and music. As well as being a teacher, she sings in a band, and most of her friends there are musicians. The very first night after getting in we went out to see one of her friend’s bands and met up with her other good friend, Mira, who had just gotten into town from Lebanon. I won’t go too into detail of my İzmir adventures but just provide some highlights: exploring the old and colorful places of Izmir, visiting a coastal village & getting to swim in the Aegean sea (literal dream come true) at a lovely beach and also going to visit the ancient city of Ephesus (Efes). (See photos below) I would absolutely love to return to Turkey to explore more of this country that has very ancient roots- of which I am quite fascinated by what is known of Anatolian and Thracian cultures. And the site of Göbekli Tepe dates back perhaps over 10,000 years ago, and is evidence of an advanced civilization- an inconvenient anomaly for many historians. One of the aspects I love most about traveling is connecting with other human beings on the way. The language barrier doesn’t even really exist, especially with “google translator!.”

Ok! now let’s get on with the Egypt journey shall we?!

DAY 1- arrival in Egypt~

I arrived in Cairo around 10:30 pm and was greeted by someone holding a sign with my name on it when I got off the plane, who quickly escorted me through customs and helped me through purchasing the Visa on arrival (which was $25). That was all very helpful. I’ll just tell you right now that to have an organizer for our group made our travels SO easeful and smooth and I highly recommend it, ESPECIALLY if you want to travel with a small group of friends. AND if you would like me to connect you with our amazing organizer and/or guide reach out and let me know. I was then greeted at the baggage claim area by our official organizer, Ihab, who informed me of the current wild weather conditions that turned Cairo into a chaotic traffic jam with floods and accidents. He showed me to my private vehicle and driver that would take me to my hotel- The Mena House (the historic hotel that is located right next to the great pyramids of Giza). What would have been a 30 minute drive was more like and hour and a half with all the crazy traffic. I counted about 8 big accidents with car pile-ups and gratefully I arrived to the hotel safely and was shown to my room to rest. I remember getting my first glimpse of silouettes of the pyramids while approaching the hotel and it sent electricity through my body. I was really here! My room mate Tara arrived around 2 am along with the rest of the gang. And we were up early for breakfast to begin our first day!

DAY 2- GIZA / SAKKARA / DAHSHUR - (accomodations at the Marriot Mena House- Cairo’s oldest hotel, situated right next to the pyramids!)

After our breakfast we were off on our first adventure, to drive about 40 km south of Cairo into the desert to the pyramid complex of Dahshur- the largest of which is known as the “bent pyramid.”The real name of this pyramid is “Sneferu is shining in the south” (or “Sneferu is shining”) because it was covered in a polished Tura limestone. It is not exactly known why there was the “bend” in angle of the pyramid. These are some of the oldest pyramids in Egypt, dating back to around 2600 BC. We were able to go inside of the smaller pyramid located behind the “bent” pyramid, which is thought by some to be the pyramid for the pharoah’s wife, although it may have been for more ritual purposes that for an actual burial. Even being inside this small pyramid was impressive in its construction. (good preparation for the following day). It only reopened to the public in July of 2019, having been closed since 1965. I was also able to go inside of the Red Pyramid, which was the first “true” smooth sided pyramid ever built. That is the one seen in the photo above and below, followed by photos of the “Bent” pyramid and its smaller nearby “satellite” pyramid, which we went into. Notice the puddles from the rain!! We felt blessed from the rains, which cleared the air and kept the dust down in the desert!

Seen above is a large altar structure that is on the east side of Sneferu’s “bent” pyramid. It is what is left of the the temple from this pyramid.

We then headed north to Sakkara, to Kind Djoser’s “step pyramid.” This pyramid is actually the oldest pyramid of all. It is believed to have been designed by high priest Imhotep for Pharaoh Djoser. Imhotep is believed to have been Djoser’s chief officials and is a very important person of ancient Egypt. He was eventually deified as the god of medicine and healing, possibly 2000 years following his death. His name translates to “the one who comes in peace.” Although the tomb of Imhotep has not yet been found, it is thought is may lie somewhere in Sakkara. This “step pyramid” of Djoser will be soon opened to the public, and we were blessed to have gotten a small peek at the entrance/bottom of the stairs leading into the pyramid.

After this exploration and feeling a new and growing fascination with Imhotep, we had the opportunity to visit a tomb that was over 5000 years old. Again, we were there all by ourselves and it was really incredible, the amount of artistry that went into this tomb- with multiple rooms, all with intricately carved and painted walls. Afterwards we went to the town of Sakkara to have lunch and then to a place where beautiful rugs are handmade of wool, cotton and silk. I was walking aroung this place with stars in my eyes...and yes I did purchase that special Isis rug!! Side note: When got to Sakkara step pyramid, it was right around lunch time and there was hardly anyone there because of that, which was quite nice to enjoy this place without the hordes of tourists. It pays to have a good and knowledgeable guide.

We finally headed back to our hotel to rest for the following big day.....

DAY 3- We arose very early, to depart around 4:30 am, to the Great Sphinx. The hotel was very close by so it didn’t take long before we were at the gates, and getting through security to be able to have a private two hours with the Sphinx. We arrived and walked quietly under the stars and magical waning crescent moon, to the paws of the Sphinx where we assembled into a circle and Tara led our first group ritual there. We received an anointing and a very special ormus tincture and each had the opportunity to speak our magical words of intention for what we wish to resurrect in our being. As the ritual was completed the first light began to show on the eastern horizon. All was quiet and peaceful until the first rays of light shone upon us all, sealing in the magical essence of which we all imbibed. We walked in wonder around this ancient monument that was carved from the bedrock of this land, perhaps over 10,500 years ago. I could only imagine what life was like on the earth then and how humanity lived. To think that this structure was created that long ago, challenges the the linear technological advancement of humanity and that we are currently the most advanced civilization. What this monument possibly signifies is the last/previous golden age that existed on earth, in which lived people that were highly advanced, with great knowledge of our place in the cosmos. Some may even postulate with good reason that our ancient origins lie somewhere else, not on this earth and that humans received (and possible still do receive) extra-terrestrial technological guidance. The third photo down is a photo I took from between the paws of the great Sphinx, and you can clearly see the constellation of “Orion’s belt,” which is thought by many progressive historians, such as Robert Bauval, to be related to the layout the the three great pyramids on the Giza plateau.

After this magical experience we departed and drove out onto the Giza plateau for a great overview of the pyramids, in the early morning light. It was again, a great time to be there, as it was before anyone was up- no tourists and vendors trying to sell you stuff. It was quiet and peaceful.

Seen above, is a photo of myself with the powerful, beautiful women I was blessed to travel with. Alia: a soon to be mother and awesome music producer and DJ, Kanna: a fully embodied ceremonial healing arts practitioner, Maya: an accomplished life coach & mystery school high priestess and Tara, a songstress, Vedic astrologer and visionary entrepreneur...

In the later afternoon we prepared to visit and enter the great pyramid of Khufu (also known by his Greek name Cheops). He was the successor to his father, King Sneferu. These massive pyramids are made mostly of very large limestone blocks. Within “Khufu’s pyramid” there are 3 chambers, which are made of a dark granite that came from over 500 miles away. The pyramids used to be covered in a smooth white casing of limestone mortar, which must have been quite a sight! The original entrance to this great pyramid is on the north side, about 59 feet above ground level. However, it may have never really been an “entrance” as it was all entirely covered up and it wasn’t until 820 AD, when the Arab Caliph Abdullah Al Manum, in a pursuit of finding tomb treasures busted his way through the pyramid making a tunnel until he accidentally “found” the original tunnel “entrance” and then also discovered the other shaft tunnels leading to the different chambers. Even though this pyramid has been regarded at King Khufu’s tomb, no treasure and no mummies were ever found. Being inside this pyramid I marveled at the advanced architectural engineering required to achieve such exquisite and perfect construction.

Our group had an exclusive, private 2 hours in this great pyramid. We entered at sunset from this roughly hewn tunnel below and to the right of the true and original entrance. Once through that we reached the original shaft which went downward until it met another shaft leading upwards (the shaft does continue going down to a lower chamber which we did not go to). It was quite the climb up the steep, narrow and remarkably high shaft (see photo). The first and middle chamber that you reach would be the Queen’s chamber, however we kept going up to go to the King’s chamber first. Finally we were at the top of the shaft and then had to hunch over low to get through a short distance of perfectly rectangular tunnel and then we entered the King’s chamber, a box like room containing an empty and partially broken granite sarcophagus. I was in awe. The acoustics in the room were amazing, every sound echoing and resonating and then perfectly resolving to silence. We assembled into our guided formation and began our ritual, guided by Alia and Shane. I won’t go into too much detail about it but I will share that we each had the opportunity to give/receive healing hands and toning, each taking our turns to lay down in the middle. A few of us, including myself, took the opportunity to lay within the sarcophagus for a some moments. My intention was to let die any aspects in my psyche that impede my evolution and highest purpose...and to resurrect myself newly empowered.

Most of our time was in the King’s chamber, but we also got to go inside the Queen’s chamber, which was smaller and differently shaped, more chapel like. Upon exiting it was rather surreal, there were many people waiting to get inside- it was a whole film crew, and one guy dressed as Napolean Bonaparte- to play out the tale of his time alone in the great pyramid. Thankfully our trusty guides prevented this film crew from barging in and disturbing our time, which they were definitely ready to do!

Day4-The next morning we were up bright and early and off to the airport to take a short flight 425 miles south to Aswan where we would be boarding on the Mayfair Nile cruise. Our group just happened to be the first people on board the ship so we had a wonderful relaxing time dropping in and relaxing. Then that afternoon we went to Philae, Temple of Isis. We took a quick shuttle to a little dock and then a motor boat ride to the “island” of Philae, where the temple is. This island is actually located in the reservoir of Aswan’s low dam, which was constructed in 1902. This caused the waters to rise and the Temple of Isis, in its original location, began to get inundated with the rising waters. In 1970 the it was decided that the temple would be moved to higher land so that it could be preserved for future generations. This process took 10 years and was finally re-opened in 1980. Its incredible to think that this entire temple was moved stone by stone. The temple is very beautiful and the energy is enhanced by the surrounding water. This area is/was held very sacred by the ancient Egyptians and Nubians. Just across the waters you can see where the temple once was, on a cataract of the Nile River. This area is also believed to be the burial place of Osiris. The temple’s construction began sometime around 350 BCE, yet evidence suggests that temples honoring Isis existed in this area as early as the 6th century BCE.

After walking around the temple complex and learning about it all from our guide I found a place where I would lead our group’s ritual. I chose a small side room that had at one time been either a healing room. I felt that in this small room we would be undisturbed and (hopefully) be unnoticed by the guards, as any form of meditation or ritual is forbidden in Egypt’s ancient sites. Without going into too much of detail of the ritual, I will just say that we each had the opportunity to speak our words of power and healing, with the intention of infusing our every cell of our body with this healing light, calling upon Isis to hear our prayers. Each prayer was sealed with a self anointing of the “sacred communion” blend I brought with me. Fortunately we were able to complete our ritual before the tourist police showed up. We dispersed and still had more time to wander in wonder and revel in the healing energies before departing back to the Mayfair cruise.

Not too surprised that a new song came through that evening on the boat! We had a lovely group dinner back on the ship that night. Every dinner we took the opportunity to check in with each other, and we each had the opportunity to share our feelings/thoughts about the guided intentional inquiries. This definitely helped to keep a conscious and ceremonial container for our group as well as maintaining a sense of harmony and understanding of each other.

Day5-The following day after breakfast we were off early to the Kom Ombo temple, which we were able to walk to from the boat from its new “parked” location. Kom Ombo is a unique temple because it is a double temple, in honor of two different gods: Sobek, the crocodile creation god and Horus, the falcon headed God. These two gods are thought to actually be rivals. The temple has a clear central meridian line that runs through it. It is thought that this temple was once a pilgrimage site for healing and perhaps childbirth as there are sections of this temple dedicated to Hathor (Goddess of fertility and motherhood) and Khonsu (Goddess of the moon). There are fascinating heiroglyphs of women giving birth and of “two spirit” individuals. In the far back walls there are very unique hieroglyphs: very first known representations of precise surgical tools. Some of these tools include suction caps, scalpels, bone saws, dental tools, medicine bottles, forceps, birthing chairs and forceps! After we took as much time as we could feeling the vibes of this interesting temple we did a quick walk through of the crocodile mummy museum close by, before heading back on the ship.

When we got back on the ship we had lunch and it was quite the spread! Very elaborately carved vegetables and delectable platters of food! (see photos below) The ship took off further down the nile and stopped again where we got off again, this time in Edfu. To get to the temple of Edfu, known as the “Horus temple,” we took 10 minute ride in little horse drawn carriages! That was rather fun, and if my mind remembers correctly, I think it was my first time being in a horse drawn carriage! This temple is a very well preserved temple of the ancient world, perhaps due to the fact that until the late 1700′s it was buried in the drifting desert sands and silt from the Nile River. Excavation projects to uncover this temple began in the 1860′s. What is unique about this temple is it’s art, depicting the epic battle between Horus and Set (Osiris’s brother) as well as many different chamber rooms to many different gods. The central chamber to Horus / “holy of holies” holds a black granite shrine where the golden statue of Horus once stood. In front of that is a replica of the wooden barque (the original can be seen at the Louvre in Paris), which would have held the golden statue of Hathor on festivals and during processions. This temple had a lot to see in each room, it was quite astounding. What was hard to ignore however was how many of the faces of the gods and goddess where chipped away, from when Christianity was on the rise and all things deemed “pagan” were promoted to be destroyed.

After an enchanting time at this temple we headed back on our horse chariots back to the ship and then cruised down through the night to Luxor!

Day 6- In the morning, We left the boat and embarked on an all day journey out into the desert to Dendara and Abydos- first to the Temple of Hathor and then to the Temple of Osiris- both absolutely stunning in beauty and energy.

Hathor is the Goddess of Beauty, Healing, Joy, Music, Femininity, Fertility and motherhood. She is the cow headed goddess and consort to Horus. This temple is considered one of the most beautiful temples, because of its detailed art that covers its walls and high columns. What was especially impressive was the prevalence zodiac art on the high ceilings. This was a place of healing also, and the tempe had its own large water reservoir next to it. There was a lot to see here, with many rooms and interesting and mysterious art depictions. Again we were blessed to experience this temple at a very quiet time, with not too many tourists. We had a beautiful ritual in a private back temple building, in which we were given the key to enter the locked door and we sat inside for an undisturbed time. I feel like we were in a building that was once for the temple priestesses to prepare for rituals in the main temple, almost like an ancient “green room.” As you will see, many of the faces of Hathor on the large pillars were etched out and destroyed, but I did find some intact ones in the excavated pieces that lie in front of the temple. (see photos) Also seen at this temple is the god Bes, ancient Egyptian god of childbirth, fertility, sexuality, humor, and war, but served primarily as a protector god of pregnant women and children. He is regularly depicted as a dwarf with large ears, long-haired and bearded, with prominent genitals, and bow-legged.

After our beautiful, enjoyable (and very hot) time in Dendara, we continued on our long drive to Abydos to the temple of Seti (temple of Osiris). This is a place of great interest, as the Temple of Seti is thought have been added on to more ancient Osireon which lies behind it. There are various reasons for this theory. The Osireon was built at a much lower level that the temple of Seti and is constructed with MASSIVE blocks of stone. The whole appearance of it is actually very similar to the valley temple that lies in front of the great Sphinx. There are little to no heiroglyphs on the structures, the only markings that can be found interestingly are two flower of life painted symbols- which are very faint and hard to see, especially since there was no access to go into the actual temple area itself, we could only stand out on the perimeters. Also there is water present at the base of this ancient temple, due to its closeness to the water table. It is thought that is temple was where the sacred rites of Osiris were practiced and that it was a place of healing and magic. Once again, our time at this site was blessed, we had it to ourselves! It was very quiet, in an almost eerie way. It was also very dark, and a very masculine energy, a stark contrast from Dendara. There were many bats prevalent here too. As you’ll see in the art, Osiris is depicted commonly a green color, since he is the God of the underworld as well as Resurrection. What color do you turn after you die? In the last photos you can see the Osireion, which is notably very different looking. Look how massive those blocks of stone are!

It was a long drive back to the Mayfair and I enjoyed the drive, watching all the scenery and waving at kids in cars and on the street. I also sang some songs, and led a little sing along in the bus.

That our guide Yasser (above) listening intently. :)

Day 7- Valley of the Kings/Queens. We checked out of the Mayfair Cruise on this day and checked into the Sonesta St. George Hotel, in Luxor, which is situated on the Nile. It was a really nice hotel. After we were checked in we headed out on our big day to the Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Queen Hatchepsut. The Valley of the Kings is a vast necropolis located on the west side of the Nile in the stunning limestone and sedimentary rock high cliffed mountains. There are 60 known tombs in the Valley of the Kings. what is incredible to consider is that they were put there for the purpose of never being found and disturbed! The monumental amount of work and detail goes into the building of these tombs left me feeling speechless. They are all located deep in the earth, and are ornately decorated along their walls. Most of the tombs were raided early on, yet even with what is left is awe-inspiring. The one very famous tomb is of “King Tut,” which was the one that had been found more recently than the others, and was still intact- All of the incredible treasures are now Cairo’s museum, so we didn’t even bother to go to the actual tomb, since it was empty and apparently the walls are pretty bare. One of most impressive of the tombs we did go into was of Ramses the 4 and 6th.

After exploring deep into about four of these massive tombs, we headed to Queen Hatchepsut’s temple and mortuary complex around in the next valley over. I am rather fascinated by this Queen, who was one two women who were pharoahs. She ruled possibly 20 years and was a well loved Queen who accomplished a lot for the benefit of her people. Although this is her mortuary temple, she was not buried here- she was buried in the Valley of the Kings. During the winter solstice, sunlight is able to penetrate the inside of the inner chapel, falling first on the chapel’s rear wall, and then moving across slowly to illuminate a large statue of Osiris. There is also an additional light box that allows a square of light to follow the temple’s central axis. As it travels along the axis, it first illuminates a statue of the god Amen-Ra, then a kneeling statue of King Thutmose III (her husband), and then finally a statue of Hapi the Nile god.I enjoyed this temple immensely, especially the portion dedicated to Hathor on the upper left side. Afterwards we went to the artisan village where people carve alabaster jars, statues and all sorts of things. Then we had a delicious Egyptian lunch overlooking the Nile river, with Luxor temple just on the other side. Then we went back to the nice hotel and chilled out, it was a beautiful sunset!

Day 8- Karnak and Luxor- Luxor is the arabic name meaning many palaces, and it used to be called Thebes by the Greek. It was at one time the most important political and religious center of Egypt. Luxor and Karnak temples are actually connected by a 1.7 mile avenue of Sphinxs, and there is a massive restoration project underway right now to clear this avenue to make it traversable again. Luxor was where the rise of the creator sun god Amun made the rise. Amun is depicted as a ram headed god. The worship of this almighty Amun which later became Amun-Ra, became a widespread yet it wasn’t until the rule of pharaoh Akhenaten that some major shifts started happening. He made some really big changes by banning polytheistic religion and instating a monotheistic religion of the worship of Aten. He had a new city built, Akhetaten, and abandoned Thebes as his capital. He also ordered the destruction of many polytheistic statue sites. When Akhenaten died in 1336 BCE, his son Tutankhaten (”King Tut”) took the throne, changed his name to Tutankhamun (1336-1327 BCE), and moved the capital of Egypt back to Thebes. He reinstated the old Egyptian religion and opened all the temples. Being so very young, he was likely advised by his councillors to bring back the old ways to bring back the balance, the ma’at, which was ancient Egypt’s most important principle.

Karnak is the largest religious temple complex in the world, covering 247 acres, its a massive site with lots to see, with its giant obelisks (made of one single piece of granite!), over 130 huge pillars. Two hours was not really enough. It was built as a site for the worship of Amun but there are other temple on the site as well to the ancient mother earth goddess Mut, and to falcon god Montu. Much of our time was at the small side temple to ancient creator, craftsman and healer god Ptah and his consort Sekhmet, the lion headed goddess of War, divine retribution and also healing. She is one of the most ancient and most fierce goddess that is called upon in times of war and in times of transformation Sekhmet was mentioned a number of times in the spells of The Book of the Dead as both a creative and destructive force, but above all, she is the protector of Maat (balance or justice) named “The One Who Loves Ma’at and Who Detests Evil.” We had a powerful group ritual, privately within this room with Sekhmet, (once again, we were given the key to the locked room) and we amazingly had around 30 minutes, completely undisturbed, with which our guide exclaimed afterwards, “that just doesn’t happen! You are very blessed!” I made a vow that day to let go of my tendency to fear and worry, and I layed it all down at the feet of Sekhmet. I could feel the burden of suffering that was lifted from that willingness to just let it go. Another area I enjoyed exploring is the far eastern portion of the temple, behind the sanctuary of Amun, known as the botanical gardens, which was built by Thutmoses III (husband of Queen Hatchepsut). It was an area open to the sky with low walls uniquely decorated with carvings of plants and animals.

After visiting Karnak we went to a special Egyptian perfumery run by a man who has been working with the sacred essential oils since his youth. He was an intuitive fellow that could easily read peoples energy and suggest what oils would be most beneficial for them. We got an in depth talk from him about the oils and the ancient Egyptian roots of perfumery and then of course we all ended up purchasing some. Since I was the very last person to decide on which oil I wanted ( I wanted them all!!) I finally narrowed it down to Jasmine, which is supposed to be good for the solar plexus- but I was lucky enough to have gotten gifted a $50 bottle of the rose oil too (which of course I had really wanted!).

That evening, after a beautiful sunset, Tara and I marveled at the view from our hotel balcony of the new waxing moon low in the sky, with Venus, Mercury and Jupiter all visible! We went to the temple of Luxor to walk within its grandeur under the stars. This temple is also called “the temple of Man” as its massive layout, as seen from above, models the human body with its perfect geometry. Our last ritual was successfully carried out in the very back of the temple, which would be like the “crown chakra” of the body After the ritual was sealed we had time to wander and marvel at the massive palace like Luxor temple and soak up the energy of this living temple. An interesting detail inside this temple is a mosque that was built later, within the temple. I visited this mosque the next day and ushered in by an enthusiastic person and was shown the interior and how within the mosque walls are the giant pillars of Luxor temple with their ancient hieroglyphs. Inside the mosque are a couple old tombs of Sufi saints as well as rooms for worship.

The following day we had a good amount to time to relax before heading back to the Aswan airport to fly back to Cairo. After arriving in Cairo we had a lengthy drive to get to the Four Seasons hotel, through crazy Cairo traffic. But we were stoked when we arrived! That was most definitely the nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed in! Wow. We had a fun group dinner together in the Lebanese restaurant there, it was delicious!! Oh how I LOVE middle eastern food! The following day (Halloween!) we went to the Egyptian museum of Cairo, which houses many amazing treasures: countless statues, old relics, ancient jewelry and most impressive : the contents of King Tutankhamen’s tomb. It was there that we could also look upon his golden throne and many of his personal objects and most prized: the amazing gold mask that had been on his mummy- made of solid gold and inlay of lapis lazuli, obsidian, and quartz. It is around 2 feet long and weighs 25 pounds. What I found most impressive were his number of actual sarcophagi, I think there were like 5 giant golden boxes, one which fit into another. Also what was amazing to see was the stone box that held King Tut’s canopic jars- the jars that held his vital organs for the afterlife!!! After asking my guide Yasser, “Why is it that this King’s tomb was so extravagant?” and he answered- “They all were most likely like this, its just that his tomb was the only one found intact, and was not yet robbed.” This made me wonder- what has happened to all those stolen tomb treasures- treasures that were never intended to be touched or taken by anyone.

After the museum we went to the Grand Bazaar of Cairo and had some shopping time. I didn’t do too much of that since I didn’t really have money to spend by this point! It was sure fun to look though! I didn’t have too much energy to haggle over prices, and I realized that really does suck my energy. Also, many of the store owners call out at you, asking questions like “where are you from?” in hopes to capture your attention. But most of the time they are really just trying to get you to come into their stores. A common tradition of hospitality is also offering you tea when you are in their store. I drank my fair share of tea, let me tell you ( in Turkey too)!

After the shopping bonanza we went for our last lunch together at a lovely place that overlooked a big garden area. There were many people there enjoying the day, especially many young school children, maybe on outings with their classes? I was actually starting to feel a little sad, knowing this was the end of our trip, but feeling very grateful too!

I departed early the next morning, back to the airport. I had three more nights in Germany, getting to visit with my dear old friend Aurora and her sweet family. What a contrast that was all of the sudden being in the clear cool air and magical forests! It was the perfect transition to returning home, where it was even colder! Well, its been a relaxing and reflective last few days integrating this big journey! Thanks for reading and following along! I am ever grateful for the support I received from loved ones to make this dream a reality! Would I go back? YES. If fact, I can recommend our amazing guide Yasser Al-Wahab, to anyone interested in making this sacred pilgrimage to Egypt, you would be in expert hands!

And here’s a few refreshing pics of Germany below!

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