#because we all have our own experiences and little tricks that help us and that's important to recognize

[uncanny-tranny]

How do you stop caring about what transphobes think? I've never encountered any kind of transphobia irl (other than the typical misgendering and occasional ignorant comment) but every time I see hateful posts online I get scared. Are they going to come after me, next?

Honestly, it comes with experience, I think. I know it's scary, you're right, and there's no reason to be ashamed of being scared.

However, if what you want is to make your online experiences positive, you have to prioritize yourself. I used to be one of those people who almost bragged about "never blocking people," and now I have a block list a mile long because the block function is a tool, not a moral indication of being a Good Internet Person. Blacklist words, block accounts, go on private accounts, unfollow people if they stop sparking joy, and your internet experience will feel less like you're walking a tightrope and more like a positive interaction.

Additionally, I really encourage anybody ymto invest in themselves outside of anything else. What I mean by that is that it is so much easier to devalue trabsphobes when you feel at peace with yourself. Whenever I find myself overwhelmed by transphobia or whatever, the first thing I do is take a step back and do what I can to remove myself from that interaction. I've picked up a ton of hobbies, for instance, that make me feel fulfilled when I engage with them. I'll pluck my bass, or read a non-fictiob book, or play a video game, or play with my cat. Evaluate what in your life makes you feel fulfilled. Experiment with them, and go to them as a way to cleanse your soul. It won't fix everything, yes, but it can help you feel as though you have control, because you do.

Honour the way you feel, anon. You don't need to feel belittled - it sucks to see so much shit. However, you don't need to keep others in mind when you're living. You weren't made to kow tow to every little request.

Basically, my advice is:

Not to entertain people who aren't interested in seeing your humanity

Find a way to fulfill yourself. This could look like a hobby, or a field of study, or anything, so long as it makes you feel fulfilled.

Don't downplay your own emotions. Let yourself be angry, upset, sad, and whatever other emotion you have. Emotions are not bad, there are no such thing as "bad emotions". Give yourself the space to express those emotions in a way that's healthiest to you

This takes time. It's okay to not be at that point where it doesn't affect you strongly. Please reach out to people - friends, family, whomever you feel safe with. Community is important, you are not an island. You aren't alone.

I'm wishing you well, anon. I hope you are treated well

[mrchoppedslefthand]

Homicipher Random Headcanons/Scenarios [NSFW]

Edit:11/07/2024

I desperately needed to post the random head canons and scenarios of our husbands that my brain kept cooking up (+ some from discord friends), so the list is not organized. Also, since we shape shift, I'm going to assume we can choose whenever we have a cock or pussy (because I want to be fucked and do the fucking) Anyways...enjoy the food thought.

Characters: Mr. Crawling, Mr. Chopped Mr. Silvair, Mr. Hood, Mr. Gap, Mr. Machete, Mr. Scarletella

Warnings: mentions of NSFW, mentions of some canon-typical violence, implications of dubcon, mentions of somnophilia, implied cuckold

Mr. Crawling

He can be submissive top. Constantly asking you if you love him during intimacy. He would ask if you enjoy playing with him as you pound yourself onto him. He would be a moaning mess and probably wouldn't know what to do about it as he clumsily places his hands around your waist.

He would definitely eat you out without you asking once intimacy had been initiated.

Afraid of hurting you, he wouldn't be too rough, instead he would be more tender and gentler when it comes to intimacy.

He definitely would love it when you play with his hair, allowing you to braid it or do whatever as long it doesn't involve cutting his precious hair.

He actually gets jealous easily, but he doesn't verbalize it, instead he shows it through his actions.

He is better with his hands, than his cock. So sometimes you prefer that over his cock. His cock is more on the average/smaller side and it's cute.

He definitely has a praise kink.

Mr. Chopped

He lacks a body, so to make up for it he is extremely expressive and open with his feelings. Which makes him a little fun to bully, to see all those cute expressions he could make.

He probably would be very good with his mouth and tongue, let him be your personal rose toy/fleshlight if you will. He can't fight back and have no choice but to whimper about it.

Imagine getting sick and fainting with him nearby, he can't move or do anything but helplessly cry for you to wake up and starts crying out help for Mr. Silvair to come help him and you.

Maybe one day, for a day of tricks and pranks. Mr. Stitch will allow Mr. Chopped a day in his body, so they swap places, stitching Mr. Chopped in place of Mr. Stitch's head. It had been a very long time since Mr. Chopped felt sensations beyond his head, so he happens to be very sensitive and clumsy with his hands. Everywhere you touch overwhelms him, he melts and becomes a moaning mess, but Mr. Chopped isn't the only one feeling all these sensations. Mr. Stitch can still feel it too. He is intrigued by today's type of play.

He definitely would be more on the whiny and needy side when it comes to pleasure, he lacks a body, but he can still feel lust. He can't do anything about it, which makes him extremely needy and extra pouty.

Mr. Silvair

Definitely would have had intimacy with other ghosts/humans before to research the body and performance during mid transformation if it differed.

Imagine one day he finds a mysterious liquid that fell from the 'other world' and feeds it to you, himself and the other ghosts in your crew. Only to find out it was an aphrodisiac. It was the first time he felt such a strong sensation of lust. At first, he mistakes this strong desire to be violence, so he starts to self-inflict wounds onto himself. You attempt to stop him, but soon find yourself to be underneath him as he bites into your neck, drawing blood. Surprised at seeing the often-composed man, turning into a ravage beast. You somehow manage to find something to tie him up and have your way with him.

He probably likes overstimulation on you...but also himself. He would love to research on how much his body can go and handle.

He would actually be a switch, for research purposes. To take and give he'd do anything for research. It had been long long ago since his body used to be human, and he often forgets about his own experiences if he doesn't write them down, but no worries, he has you by his side now to keep remembering.

Mr. Hood

He is quiet but speaks whenever he finds it suited for. But if you need him, he would be happy to talk with you.

He is a bit insecure about his body, he doesn't have arms or hands or even legs, he is an entity of nothing. The clothes are what shape his form, and well maybe he not entirely a entity of nothing. You had a glimpse before, a small glimpse and sensation of a squishy and somewhat slimy part that had belonged to him. You never mentioned though, but if it was you'd love him still anyways.

He realized that some words had been a bit harder for you to keep in mind and remember and so he thought of a special way to get you learning. Learning with what humans call pleasure. He fucks you and asks you what certain things are, and if you get it wrong, he denies you from coming. You have become determined to learn your words properly even more so now. Because if you remember you get rewarded with the most absolute fulfilling fuck of your life.

Since most of his body is invisible or nothing. If you mouth fucked him you would be able to see that real good, it is strangely erotic watching your cock move inside his mouth.

Mr. Gap

When you're sleeping, sometimes he might just cuddle against your leg or lower half. He loves the feeling of warmth, compared to his hollow darkness.

He definitely seems like the type of person to eat you out while you're asleep. Playing around and waiting for you to wake up to watch your reaction. Of course, he would only do this though if he knew you'd allow it. He values consent.

Imagine taking your backpack to school and you have to take out a pencil for a test. When you open your backpack, you realize it is just an empty void and hear a voice asking for your heart in exchange for the pencil. Yeah... you accepted your fate. You just failed your exam...

When you become a moaning mess under him, he can't understand but he knows that from your sweet voice, and moans, that it's a good thing. He knows to keep continuing.

One day Mr. Gap gathers his usual newspapers that fall from the rubble or somehow manages to grab one from the human realm. He notices a magazine that discusses about marriage and giving rings on the fourth finger. Intrigued about this idea, he asks you for your all four of your fingers, but you misunderstand and refuse to give him your fingers. He's sad but soon you later find out that he was asking for your hand in marriage, literally but also figuratively.

Mr. Machete

We would wonder aimlessly for an eternity together searching for his/your home. But eventually our subconscious would recognize each other as home instead.

He would definitely mock and laugh at how fast you would falter/melt under his touch. Calling you "weak" for coming so fast but would give kisses here and there after the mocking.

He'd probably be into throat fucking and laugh at you looking pathetic, he loves reactions that aren't boring, so seeing you choke on his cock seems like a great idea.

He definitely would come inside most of the time.

When he fucks you, his cock would probably bulge out a little from your stomach, fascinated by it he'd roughly press his hand down near that area.

He is our beefy dumb macho, perfect.

If you mouth/fucked him he would tell you he feels nothing, but his eyes would already be red and tearing. He's a pathetic coward.

Mr. Scarletella

He belongs to you, and you belong to him, together forever, in a hellish world. He loves the destruction you bring into his life and does the same for you.

Oh boy, he would absolutely devour you, his queen, in pleasure. Fuck you stupid to the point you're just a blabbering mess, hands on waist, and long fingers in your mouth, as he pounds deeply into you.

He seems like the type of guy to fuck you during your period.

Definitely gets jealous easily and he makes it know when he gets that way.

Imagine your fucked/fucking another ghost and you hear static within the distance, the sound slowly starts to come closer and closer until you hear the static in the room. Your crimson servant arrives and witnesses your fantastic display of intimacy. Jealous, he kills them and becomes extra possessive and quite terrifying, but you love it so much. How he seems so lost and pathetic without you.

You don't know his name, but neither does he know yours. Despite this disconnect, you still manage to give him some sort of other named to be called. It's connected to your name, but he knows it's not all of it, he can't fully whisk you away, but he's okay with that. You are still bound to him for an eternity anyway.

If Mr. Scarletella went back to the human world with you instead, he would appear to be the one most suited for fitting in. Just slack some foundation on his face, make him wear gloves and he would blend in quite well. Well...except for his odd habit of asking every stranger for their name and laughing and giggling crazily each time.

He would have a praise and degradation kink, he's not a whore. He's YOUR whore. He likes being YOURS.

[prokopetz]

One of the more frequent anecdotes you'll hear from Dungeons & Dragons podcasters is that any time they switch to a system other than D&D, even for a one-off arc, they immediately experience a large drop in listenership – sometimes up to eighty percent! – only to see most of those listeners come back once they switch back to D&D.

What's interesting about this is that the greater part of D&D podcast listeners do not play Dungeons & Dragons. They might have a general idea of what the game's rules look like based on what they've been able to passively absorb from listening to the podcast, but they don't have regular groups, they don't own the rulebooks or maintain subscriptions to the e-book service, and many of them have never rolled a d20 in their lives.

How, then, do we account for that sudden drop in listenership? Why does which system a tabletop roleplaying podcast is using matter so much if most listeners neither know nor care about the rules?

The answer is, unfortunately, quite simple.

In many ways, advocacy for indie RPGs has never moved past Ron Edwards' infamous argument that playing Dungeons & Dragons causes actual, physical brain damage. Deep down, a lot of indie RPG advocacy seems to believe there's something sinister in the structure of D&D that's responsible for what they regard as its unaccountable popularity. You can see this in everything from the casual assumption that D&D players aren't "really" having fun (and all that's needed to convert them to other systems is to show them they've been tricked into falsely believing they're enjoying an objectively un-fun activity), to the rambling thinkpieces that talk about getting folks to try other games like they're liberating people from the fucking Matrix.

Yet we come back to the same problem: how can the mechanical structure of D&D be implicated for its culturally dominant position in the minds of those who've never picked up a twenty-sided die?

The truth is that Dungeons & Dragons enjoys cultural dominance, both within the hobby and elsewhere, because it's owned by the same multinational corporation that owns Monopoly and My Little Pony, and benefits from all the marketing strength its owner can bring to bear. The problem, in brief, is brand loyalty. The aforementioned podcasts lose listeners in droves whenever they give a non-D&D system a spin because all most of those departing listeners care about is whether the thing that they're listening to is called "Dungeons & Dragons". The structural particulars of the mechanics are irrelevant.

The bitter pill we've got to swallow as indie RPG authors is that we can't fix brand loyalty in tabletop RPGs by fucking around with the shape of the dice. There are lots of productive causes we can support to help address the problem, but they mostly have do to with intellectual property and antitrust regulations and such, which are areas where our finely honed ability to debate the correct way to pretend to be an elf is of very limited utility.

Like, I enjoy an abstruse argument about the ideology of dice-rolling as much as the next nerd, but let's not fool ourselves that we're speaking truth to power here. The gamer who just wants to roll dice to hit the dragon with their sword is not your enemy.

[dailyadventureprompts]

Monsters Reimagined: Yeenoghu, Demon Lord of Insatiable Hunger

It's been some years since I did my overhaul on the lore of the gnolls and how they embody the weird de/humanization that goes on with various monsters over d&d's history. Ever since I've had more than a few folks write in asking about how I would handle the default Gnoll God Yeenoghu, who exists in a similar state of "Kill everything that ever existed" to Orcus and a good portion of the game's other late game threats, thematically flat and not really useful for building stories around.

For a while I've avoided doing this post because I thought it might skew a little too close to my personal philosophy, and risk going from simply being influenced by my views to an outright soapbox. I personally hold that despite being part of our nature hunger is the source of the majority of human cruelty, and if society and cooperation are the tools we developed to best fight against the threat of famine, it is fear of that famine that allows the powerful to control society and secure their positions of privilege.

I've also dealt with disordered eating in a prior period of my life, alternating between neglecting my body's needs and punishing myself for needing in the first place. I'm well acquainted with hunger and the hollowing effect it can have, though I'd never claim to know it so well as someone who went hungry by anything other than choice and self hatred.

Learning to love food again saved saved my life. The joy of eating, of feeling whole and nourished, yes, but there was also the joy of making: of experimenting, improving, providing, being connected to a great tradition of cultivation which has guided our entire species.

If I was going to talk about an evil god of hunger, I was going to have to touch on all of that, and now that it's out in the open I can continue with a more thematic and narrative discussion on the beast of butchery below the cut.

What's wrong: Going by the default lore, there's not much that really separates Yeenoghu from any other chaotic evil mega-boss. He wants to kill everything in vicious ways, and encourages his followers to do the same. He's there so that the evil clerics can have someone to pray to because the objectively good gods are on the party's side and wouldn't help a bunch of cannibalistic slavers.

This is boring, we've done this song and dance before, and the only reason that there are so many demon lords/evil gods/archdevils like this is because the bioessentialism baked into the older editions of the game's lore was also a theological essentialism, and that every group had to have their own gods which perfectly embodied their ethos and there was no crossover whatsoever, themes be damned.

Normally I'd do a whole section about "what can be salvaged" from an old concept, but we're scraping the bottom of the barrel right from the inset. Likewise my trick of combining multiple bits of underwritten d&d mythology to make a sturdier concept isn't going to work as most of d&d's other gods of hunger or famine are similar levels of paper thin.

How do we fix it: I want Yeenoghu to be the opposite of the path I found myself on, a hunger so great and so painful that it percludes happiness, cooperation, or even rational thought. Hunger not as a sumptuous hedonistic gluttony but a hollowing emptiness that compels violence and desperation. More than just psychopathic slaughter and gore, it is becalmed sailors drinking seawater to quench their thirst, the urban poor mixing sawdust and plaster into their food because their wages are not enough to afford grain.

This is where we get the idea of Yeenoghu as an enemy of society, not because violence is antithical to society ( I think we've learned by now how structured violence can really be) but because society fundamentally breaks down when it can't take care of the people who provide its foundations. Contrast the Beast of Butchery with one of my other favourite villainous famine spirits: Caracalla the grim trader, who embodies scarcity as a form of profit and control in to Yeenoghu's scarcity as suffering.

Into this we can also add the idea of the hungry dead, ghouls yes but also vampires, anything cursed with an eternal existence and appetites it no longer has the ability to sate. A large number of cultures across the world share the idea that the dead cannot rest while they are starving, which is why we leave offerings of food by their graves or pour out a glass to the ones we lost along the way.

On that topic, there's also a scrap of lore involving Doresain god of ghouls, who has been depicted as an on and off servant of Yeenoghu. Since I'm already remaking the mythology, I'd have Doresain act as a sort of saint or herald for the demon lord, the wicked but still partially reasonable entity who can villain monolog before the feral and all consuming demon god shows up.

Summing it all up: Yeenoghu isn't a demon you wittingly worship, it's a demon that claims you, marks you as its mouthpiece and through you seeks to consume more of the world. It gives you just enough strength to keep on living, keep on suffering, keep on filling that hole in your belly and feed it in turn.

The greatest of these mouthpieces is Doresain, an elf of ancient times who's unearthly hungers elevated him to demigod status. Known as the knawbone king, he dwells within a dread domain of the shadowfell, and is sought out only for his ability to intercede with the maw-fiend's rampages.

Signs: Unnaturally persistent hunger pangs, excessive drool and gurgling stomach noises, the growth of extra teeth in the mouth, stomachs splitting open into mouths.

Symbols: An animal with three jaws, a three tailed flail or spiked whip. A crown of knawed bones (Doresain)

Titles: Beast of butchery, the maw fiend, the knawing god

Artist

[deathbxnny]

Would love to entertain your Arcane obsession, unfortunately I've yet to watch the show myself :/

We're basically 5-Star chefs, with how hard we're cooking these 6-course meals 😩🤌. But anyhow, as we talked about, we're gonna need a bit of build up before we get to that. Could make for a good bittersweet or downer ending depending on how you look at it. Arlecchino's fear of abandonment and attempts to avoid that loss are ultimately what cause it, and "Mother's" best choice in their relationship being to ultimately end it being one of the healthiest choices she's made.

Until then however, I got hit with an idea literally just before I went to bed that should suffice in the meantime 😙

(Takes place after

Lyney and Lynette are throwing one of their big magic shows in Fontaine, and because they know she loves their performances (and they probably want her to be able to relax, so that they don't have another one of... those experiences...) decide to invite "Mother" and a bunch of the Hearth kids to attend. Now here's where the twist comes in.

Towards the end up the show, Lyney calls for a volunteer, and the spotlight lands on "Mother" with him having obviously planned this from the start. Now, I personally don't think "Mother" would have stage fright, but she'd definitely have that kind of anxiety that a lot of people who don't often go up on stage generally have. Now for the trick itself? Not quite sure... I'll leave that creative liberty up to you to decide on 👈👈😎

X Anon

The Queen of Hearts. | Arlecchino x Fem!Wife!Reader

Please go to my Genshin Masterlist for the other parts of this series! (I can't link the parts here for some reason.)

I honestly had SO much fun writing this, so I hope you'll like it too, X Anon! And yeahhh... the end of this series will probably be miserable, but we love the pain atp. Also... I added a little twist of my own at the end that I hope you'll enjoy!<3

Content: Angst(?), magic shows, reader doesn't get tortured for our amusement for once... unless?, established romantic relationship with Arlecchino, sfw

Reader is afab and uses she/her pronouns here!

((Not proofread))

When you were a little girl, you were selected by Curcabena herself to take part in a play for the whole house and the rest of the motherland to see. You were hesitant even then to stand on stage, speak loudly enough for everyone to hear you, and then act out a scene that felt eerily familiar to your situation now as a grown woman.

A damsel in distress hidden away by the evil dragon lord that Peruere played the part of, albeit with much less enthusiasm.

You remembered looking down at her form as she fought against the knight that was Clervie, and you couldn't help but think, "I never want to do this ever again." And so you avoided being the center of attention ever since, if not just to escape the amused eyes of the audience that delighted in your plight.

Years later, however, you find yourself breaking this promise, as Lyney excitedly hand picks you for the final act of his magic show. And who were you to ever deny your child's wish?

Stepping on the wooden panels of the grand stage, you find yourself reliving a moment from the past, even if it was just a faded memory. If you focused enough under the blinding lights and blurry forms of the massive crowd before you, you could hear Clervie deliver her dramatic speech to the damsel in distress once she finally beat the dragon. But alas, all you could hear were the curious murmers of the crowd, whilst your son smiled widely at you, happy that you agreed to this. It wasn't a secret that you'd rather stay in the shadows of your house than parade yourself in front of people and therefore this moment was certainly a special one.

"Thank you for volunteering, pretty lady! I promise you will not regret this once the final trick of tonight's show is over!" You chuckled at his attempt to make you two seem like strangers, the slight compliment earning giggles from the other children in the crowd. You were all invited by Lyney and his two siblings for a nice evening in the grand theater for a show, considering your deep love and appreciation for it. And despite your slight nervousness at these unexpected turn of events, you still found yourself looking forward to what the young man had in store.

Pulling a deck of cards out of his hat in a very flashy manner, he gave the audience a sly grin. "This trick will look simple to most, as it involves me guessing her desired card out of this deck... however, there will be a slight twist, of course." Shuffling the cards with skillful grandeur, he walked around your still form, eyes glinting in the lights that began to dim around you. "I will be blindfolded. The cards are for her to choose and put in any order she wants to. After that, I will guess the exact cards she chose, and if I fail even one, I will be at risk to dowsed in water... which would be quite the shame for my brand new suit!"

Ah, so he wanted to end his show in a silly way? It was fitting for the young children that attended and immideatly were on board with the idea by the way they cheered. It may not have been the most impressive trick, but at least they were amused, and that was enough for you to go along with it. If anything, you may get a little laugh out of it yourself.

Whilst Lynette blindfolded her brother and Freminet held out the cards for you to pick, your eyes every so often glided back to the audience in search of your wife who was supposed to attend. You wondered if she was held up by work as usual or if she was just running uncharacteristically late... but you doubted it was either of the two. Deep down, you knew she was watching from the darkness somewhere, never the type to enjoy the attention that her presence got her naturally. And you'd find it noble if it wasn't starting to unnerve you lately.

"Now, young lady, please pick five cards of your choosing and turn them around once you've put them in your wanted order. Once that's done, we will begin." You nod at Lyney's words with a hum before picking out the cards.

2 of spades.

5 of clubs.

4 of clubs.

8 of diamonds.

And finally, the Queen of hearts.

Turning them around, you face the blindfolded Lyney and give his sister a confirming nod. "Very well! I will guess each card as you turn it around. Please confirm every time if I was right or wrong." And so it began. You flipped the first one over. "2 of spades." "Correct." Your hand glided to the next one as the crowd awed in surprise. "5 of clubs." "Correct." You'd definitely have to ask him how this trick worked afterward. You wondered if the nervous Freminet in front of you was perhaps a part of it. "4 of clubs. Ah, maybe I haven't shuffled well enough!" "Correct to both." Giggles rang out, and Lyney chuckled behind you. "8 of diamonds." "Correct." The final one was up next. You were honestly glad to get off this stage soon... until something went wrong. Something that shouldn't have been able to happen under any logical reasoning.

"And finally... The Queen of Hearts!" Everyone held their breathes, especially you. "... Wrong. It's the king of hearts." How was this possible? There was no way for the cards to have been switched whilst you were looking at them. And judging by the look on Freminet's face, this was definitely not planned. "W-what?-" Lyney's confused question was cut off by him being dowsed in buckets of cold water that were hanging up in the stage beforehand. His body shuddered as he near ripped off his blindfold and stared at the card you were holding. He was wrong. Even though there shouldn't have been a way for him to be wrong. Just what was going on? He shared looks with his siblings and you, extremely glad the audience thought it was a part of the show and began applauding with hysterical laughs. He will find the strength to feel humiliated and embarrassed later on.

"What the... I thought you..." "I don't know what's going on either!" Lynette whispered back in a hurry before nudging him to keep up the act. Forcing a smile on his face, he let out a laugh and spread out his arms in defeat. "Ah, even a magician has his shortcomings... but alas, I'm glad you find amusement in my plight!" He called out, and you could only share that sentiment grimly when your eyes finally spied the woman you were looking for this entire time.

There she was, leaning against a wall in the back of the theater. And in her hand, she idly spun a card you could only theorize was the one you had chosen beforehand. Your eyes met, her gaze being so unreadable it frustrated and confused you alike. What was the point of that? Why did she essentially humiliate her own son in front of the entire nation like this? The card of the king crumpled in your iron grip as your mouth pressed into a thin line.

Arlecchino, meanwhile, just held your look before pushing herself off the wall and disappearing into the shadows, your silent anger drowned out by the cheers of the crowd and the ringing in your ears.

The evil dragon lord had struck again, but there was no knight to save you this time.

[indigochromatic]

Some Basic Advice About EMDR for Systems

(drawing on our own experiences, reading about it, and comparing notes with our therapist)

This is mainly aimed at systems who are considering doing EMDR or planning on it, but want to know what the process is like and what to look out for, with some personal experiences sprinkled in.

Under the cut, because I talk a lot:

General Concept

I think the big picture in our experience is that EMDR is/was like…an intensifier for the kind of headspace/internal system interaction processing work that a lot of systems do naturally, at least a little, especially if they have decent internal communication. This has both upsides and downsides/areas to be cautious about.

A lot of EMDR pre-work (often called “resourcing”) is about making sure you have a good toolbox of “mental tricks/techniques” to be able to handle unexpected intense emotions, feelings, and/or imagery etc that often comes up when you get into trying to work with traumatic stuff. This is in my opinion very important, and something your therapist should take at least a few sessions to talk with you about even if you already have good tools for it already, just to make sure they know your strategies and you’re all on the same page. Also super common and normal to spend some time developing extra ones if needed—stuff like “the box” for temporarily containing crisis emotions when needed, having a mental “safe space” that you can come back to, etc. Also, EMDR specifically tends to often be a little rigid/scripted in the types of visualizations and metaphors you’re “supposed” to use, but in my opinion a good therapist should be flexible enough to adapt to equivalent images/techniques you may already have (like, “imagine you’re viewing the traumatic memory on a movie screen, or out the window of a train going through a tunnel” is a common instruction; if, say, your headspace has a lot of fantasy elements and it makes more internal sense to be viewing the memory via…scrying in a dish or something, your therapist should be down with you doing that instead, if you want to).

As for the sessions themselves, a big thing we don’t hear articulated a lot is that, in our experience  and that of some other folks we know, EMDR has a tendency of being…like, sneakily intense: It doesn’t necessarily hit you all at once in the session, which may just feel like “ok, that was Some Therapy Work but I’m chill”, but then over the rest of the day and maybe even the next few days, it’s not uncommon to keep feeling a lot of emotional intensity/vulnerability, having more intense “internal conversations and/or realizations”, etc. For this reason, EMDR is generally supposed to start with a very mild memory-to-process, like 4-5 out of 10 max.

Notes of Caution and Stuff to Keep In Mind

Especially for folks who already heavily dissociate from emotional trauma, it’s super easy to think you’re “going too easy” only to find that the memory has a lot more emotional baggage than you realized—really go easy on yourself when you start, EMDR is like psychology power tools and you absolutely can hurt yourself. (We’ve heard from plenty of systems who had bad therapists who did not adequately support them in doing EMDR, and absolutely fucked them over by starting too big and retraumatizing the hell out of them— this isn’t meant as fear-mongering, especially if you really like and trust your therapist, but just genuine “hey, EMDR can be very volatile stuff, which is part of why it can be so helpful, but also means that it’s important to not skip out on the safety precautions and self-care”.) What this means in practice is often stuff like: (our recommendations at least) - trying to schedule breaks/easy days immediately after - possibly getting someone to drive you home, especially if you know you’re going after a Big Thing, because the dissociation hangover immediately after can be pretty real - start with a memory that feels "too easy", and scale up if a week later it still felt trivial/like you’re fully over it, because it’s way easier to ramp up than try to do damage control.

Our personal experience, in tl:dr form, was that it felt like the core of the technique was really useful for us, and mirrored some of the most useful instances of self-processing we’d had before while also kind of serving as a “shortcut” to it—but, it was pretty intense and we didn’t really like/fit well with the therapists who we were working with at the time, which is why we stopped (didn’t want to keep doing an emotionally intense thing with folks we didn’t trust).

Finally, a bit about EMDR and "maybe I'm plural but I'm not sure, and/or may not have great in-system communication": yeah, this is a case to be especially slow and careful, for all the aforementioned reasons; what my instinct/recommendation would be in those cases is to: 1) make sure you learn a lot of resourcing techniques 2) try to check in with yourself(s) frequently and with compassion/intent-to-collaborate, "ask the inside of your head how it's feeling" and even if you're not sure whether the "reply" was just your own thoughts or a headmate, listen and try to engage with/respect those responses and emotions 3) if you start getting warning signs/back-off signals/sudden intense feelings, listen to them and lighten up, pause the session if you need to, do some self care etc, even (especially) if you don't know why you felt that way and it seems 'odd/random', and really you're super curious about what's going on and just want to figure it out. Like...you and the inside of your head and/or other system members are trying to navigate a complicated D&D maze together, in the dark, and you each only have part of the map--so you have to work together and trust each other, especially listening to warning signals even when your "part of the map" doesn't show anything to worry about there. And the more you work together and trust each other, the better everything gets, including therapy work.

When it's "Death By A Thousand Papercuts"-type Trauma Instead

If you're not sure where to start because there aren't a lot of obvious "Big Bad Memories" that feel like they adequately explain the issues you're having, some recommendations:

-> First, note that "no Big Bad Memories are immediately coming to mind, idk" is super common in systems and also in CPTSD, way more than I think most folks realize, so know that you're not alone and also that it doesn't mean you don't necessarily have stuff deserving of help and support.

-> So yeah, there's kinda two things imo you can try. The first is, if your therapist is on the more flexible side, you can try doing EMDR with either "this specific memory wasn't too bad, but it's representative of an ongoing pattern or theme that wasn't great" (say, loneliness at school or something, and you pick a specific lunchtime memory, which wasn't really That Bad in the moment, but you were kinda sad and/or upset about it and it feels representative of the overall trend you're trying to process/heal). Or you can try just doing the EMDR process on the theme itself, at the abstract level, and see what comes up--again, I'd really recommend starting with a much lower-stakes issue/theme than you think you need, just because it's really easy to underestimate, especially for systems and other folks whose brains dissociate a lot. (And especially if you know your system has episodic amnesia--e.g. event-amnesia/blackout amnesia--as well as emotional amnesia.)

The second is, there are other "more flexible" types of similar somatic therapy techniques (brainspotting is the name of another one, and there's more I can't think of rn) that might fit better instead-- tldr, totally worth asking your therapist about the whole situation, and asking what they'd feel most qualified for/comfortable with, in my opinion. You don't need to be doing Specifically Exactly EMDR to do somatic trauma therapy, even though EMDR is one of the more well-known modalities for it, and finding a version that feels right and not like you're forcing anything is really valuable (and you're not 'being picky' if it takes a while to find one; you're allowed to want to find one that feels right).

[circeyoru]

Here I am back with another question😀

What if we meet Emily/she learns of our existence?

Learning about the extermination alone really shook her up so knowing of our existence will probably be a whole new level of shock.

But then again she was pretty excited to meet the princess of hell. So I wonder how the meeting would go

This is for {Collection of Overlords}, check MASTERLIST for the work

Hi again!!

Short and simple answer is: It wouldn’t be as big of a bad shock to Emily as compared to learning about the exterminations. 

In terms of ‘learns of Collector/Reader’s existence’, I’ll assume that means nearly everything that the hellborns know and keep secret of. The basis of your nickname ‘Collector’ is that you collect souls of the deceased humans sent to Hell. The damned are the ones of little to no importance that you just collect for no reason, Cages are tortured and brainwashed souls that act as your eyes and ears around Hell, and lastly Overlords are ones you watch over and guide to be stronger. Your other alias is the True Ruler of Hell, which obviously means you own Hell and its inhabitants, basically watching over the realm by your standards and everything else. The only thing that’s left out is the whole balance entity thing with Trick.

I imagine Emily meeting us would be something similar to her meeting Charlie but more controlled since you have a more strict and imposing aura around you than Charlie’s approachable sunshine aura, plus your formal attitude. Why? Because from the show, Emily is shown to be protected by Sera ‘for her own good’ so she can focus on being happiness to Heaven and its people/souls. So Emily might not have the chance to meet the higher-ups like Sera does, meeting the highest being from Hell is the first for her and she’s happy to make an impression and gain an experience. 

Emily would be excited and anxious, that’s why I say she’d be more controlled. She has no idea how you would act or why you prefer, if anything she does offended you, it could mean war between the two realms. There’s this pressure that she puts on herself before the meeting so as to prepare herself for every situation. 

On your side, you heard of Emily from Trick since she was their favourite from Heaven. You have a clear picture on Emily as a person or angel. You do see Emily as a niece of sorts since she reminds you of Charlie from Trick’s description of her and the little scenes Trick would show you when they just can’t stop with just talking about her. Needless to say, there’s no hostility or negativity towards Emily from you, nor will there ever be partly because of Trick’s obsession and protectiveness over her.

The meeting is definitely happening after the show and everything. As for why, where, and how, I have no idea because there’s no season 2 yet and I have not planned for them to meet. All these answers and explanations are strictly for this ask. 

In the actual meeting, Emily would be tripping over herself mentally to get herself presentable in front of you to avoid a war and hold in her excitement, since there’s a big difference between you and Charlie. She’ll spat out that she was sorry about the exterminations too, saying she’ll try to do something to stop it all on her side and help Charlie with her hotel project, even telling you about Sir Pentious in Heaven. 

If you weren’t won over by her through Trick’s stories, you are now. She is quite the sweetheart and like the Heaven copy of Charlie. You got her to calm down when you have your hand on her head and patted her head softly. Emily would quiet down and bowed her head unconsciously to let you continue, within moments, her eyes closes and she flies closer to you, then proceeds to hug you. 

Emily quickly realizes what she done and looks up to apologize, but you hugged her back and combed through her comb while shushing her. Your actions make her hug into your tightly and relax herself to the point where even her wings slumped down. 

With time, Emily does learn of your cruelty but there was reason behind it all and she understands that it was rarely ever unprovoked. She also learns of your unique care to Hell and its beings’ freedom that you grant with its boundaries. You don’t hide either side and answer Emily’s questions, you do prefer honest truth instead of a white lie that would paint you in a good light. You never saw a need in such since when have you ever cared for others’ view of you?

The contrast in her expectation and reality makes Emily question things and solidifies that beings from Hell aren’t all evil and bloodthirsty like Heaven depicted. The shocking realization is enough to make her see you as being more genuine than Sera. Scary how you earn others’ favour so easily, right? That’s a charm of yours.

[sterekweek-2024]

Sterek Week 2023 Kick Off!

Somehow it's already that time of year again! Join your admins @halinski, @boymeetswerewolf, @justjimedits and @kcfriedchicken as we prepare for Sterek Week 2023.

As always, we have a variety of themes to inspire you, but this year we have added something new! Going along with each theme will be a selection of bonus content to you to enjoy. Some of it will just be extra themes to think about adding into your posts, some of it will be interactive, and some we will need your help putting together!

Stay tuned for more information around the bonus content in the coming weeks, but for now enjoy your first look at this years themes.

Wednesday, October 25th: "Only Just Begun" What better way to kick off Sterek Week then the theme of beginnings. The beginning of what you ask? Well that part is up to you! Whether it be the beginning of their relationship or the beginning of a new adventure, whatever beginning inspires you is the one we want to hear about!

Thursday, October 26th: "Seasons & Holidays" Christmas? Halloween? Summer? Fall? What time of year speaks to you most? Maybe you have a local holiday that is only celebrated in your hometown? That's what this theme is all about! Throw Stiles and Derek into your favorite tradition and see how it plays out for them!

Friday, October 27th: "Worlds Collide" Barbenheimer anyone?! Show us your best opposites attracts situation and watch the chaos unfold. Or maybe you are more interested in a crossover of some sorts. This is your opportunity to really mix up the Teen Wolf universe!

Saturday, October 28th: "Whole of the Moon" We are in luck! The October full moon will happen on October 28th this year, so of course we had to have a moon based theme! Do you want to explore the full moon traditions of the Hale pack? Or maybe you want to add in the concept of outer space? The whole galaxy is yours to explore!

Sunday, October 29th: "Sacrifice" What is Sterek without one of them trying to sacrifice themselves for each other or the greater good. With the events of the Teen Wolf movie or even the events of Season 3, there are plenty of canon sacrifices to choose from. But maybe you want to branch out! Make up your own reason for the boys to try and sacrifice themselves or maybe go the happier route and explore the idea of them sacrifice sleep for fun or other reasons!

Monday, October 30th: "Myths & Legends, Fairytales & Folklore" We want to hear about Stiles and Derek experience all your local legends! Are they traveling the world because Stiles wants to meet every mythical being there is? Maybe it is a Beauty & the Beast AU or retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. This is your chance to explore all of your favorite stories through the lens of Sterek.

Tuesday, October 31st: "Haunted & Bewitched" It wouldn't be Sterek week without our favorite holiday - Halloween! Is the pack throwing a Halloween party? Maybe Stiles and Derek have little ones of their own to take trick or treating? Or maybe you want to go the complete opposite direction and think about the ghosts and ghoulies that come out to play.

We cannot see what you all come up with! And we are so excited to share this years extra content with you!

-KCFriedchicken, Halinski, JustJim & BoyMeetsWerewolf

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

As we’re facing the next COVID surge (brought on by holiday travel), I thought I might try a different kind of COVID post. You can skip to here for some easy to do tips and tricks you might have missed, or you can read down for my discussion of why this is important.

I have recently been writing and thinking a lot about why so many of my friends and family’s actions on COVID are so different from mine. Namely why so many people I know no longer seem very interested in either preventing themselves from being sick or, importantly, not spreading sickness to anyone else.

In my own case, the experience of staying home to stop the spread in 2020 forced me to strongly reconsider my behavior up to that point. Why had I ever thought it was OK to go to work or ride the subway with the flu, unmasked and taking no precautions, knowing that the flu certainly hospitalizes and kills people each year? Even if the flu was no big deal for my body, my behavior had limited other people—particularly disabled people—from comfortably being in public during flu season. I had knowingly spread around an illness. I radically reconsidered a lot of my behavior, and in particular, 2020 pushed me to focus more specifically on disability justice in my activism. A disability justice framework pushes us beyond thinking about individual access to consider how ableism limits us all from liberation.

Getting back to why this reconsideration didn’t happen on a mass level, understanding disability justice also means understanding that ableism is the current social order. And if it’s the order of the day, like other oppressive ideologies, that means we are all drenched in it and it is impossible to avoid ever doing something ableist. Furthermore, most people are going to act in ableist ways, most of the time. None of this are exempt from this, but not even trying is definitely worse!

I am also well aware that good COVID information is hard to come by, especially if you are not on the regular lookout for it. And if you do go looking for it, it can quickly get overwhelming. So I’d like to offer here a very short, distilled list of things people might have missed since 2020. (I’ve not taken the time to track down citations for all of these things; you’ll have to trust me that I got them from trustworthy sources or you can verify on your own. I’m happy to give more info on any of these too.)

Some of these things are easy enough to do. I’m offering this list because from a “stop the spread” mindset, each specific thing you do is helpful. This list is not meant to be comprehensive, and it’s hopefully not overwhelming. You don’t have to be perfect or avoid COVID 100% of the time or make this part of your identity, but I’d like to ask everyone reading this to take one step up in your mitigations for the holiday season, since this is reliably a time with huge increases in virus transmission. With around a thousand people still dying every week from COVID in the US, you don’t know whose life you may save by being a little more careful.

Masking This is the biggest bang for your buck, precaution-wise. If it’s hard for you to mask all the time in public, consider masking in places that disabled people really can’t avoid, like the pharmacy, the grocery store, and on public transportation.

I’d also suggest that if masks are uncomfortable, try different kinds of masks! The Aura is my favorite mask – it’s tight to my face so my glasses don’t fog and head straps don’t hurt my ears like ear straps do. Wellbefore sells masks in different sizes and colors, and Armbrust has sampler packs. Just try a bunch and see what works for you!

Finally, know that if at all possible, you should wear an N95 or KN95 mask. This is a change since spring 2020 because the current variants of COVID are more contagious.

Mouthwash Washing your mouth out with a mouthwash containing CPC (cetylpyridinium chloride) before or after seeing people, or just regularly, will kill some of the virus in your mouth and keep you below the threshold to get sick and/or shed the virus to others. This is a really easy one; CVS brand mouthwash has CPC.

Sip mask These valves will allow you to drink without breaking the seal of your mask. This is great for airplane travel, crowded conferences, or other risky spaces that you need to be in for an extended amount of time.

Airplane The most dangerous time on an airplane from a virus transmission standpoint is the time sitting on the runway (because of the way they circulate and filter the air onboard). Even if you don’t mask up during the flight, this is the best time to mask. (And if you do mask, this is the worst time to have a snack or drink – try to keep your mask on for all of this period.)

Space out risky or crowded events Don’t go to a wedding and a concert in the same weekend! Illness takes 3-5 days to develop after exposure, so give yourself time to know if you got sick from the last thing before potentially spreading that to the next thing.

Air purifiers work! This is a great one for places that you can’t avoid, like school, work, or daycare. You can make your own Corsi-Rosenthal box, but there’s also a variety of high quality air purifiers you can get for $70-100. You want to make sure it has a HEPA or Merv13+ filter on it, and check how quickly it changes out the air in a room. Since COVID is airborne, there can be COVID in a space even after the person has left it. Setting up air purifiers and/or opening windows until enough air has circulated before you remove your mask is a great way to make a space COVID safer

Test before going to events, even if you don’t feel sick Rapid tests (the kind you’re used to getting from the government and at the drug store) False negatives from these are rampant but a positive test reliably means you have COVID. The accuracy of these tests also increases a LOT if you take two of them 48 hours apart.

Better home tests are now available Metrix and Pluslife are both testers you can buy that offer a similar level of accuracy to a PCR test (that is, very accurate!). These devices are expensive, but so is another COVID infection: think of the missed work, cost of Paxlovid, and potential for Long COVID to keep you down even longer.

It’s a good idea to get an updated vaccine 2x a year too; like the flu shot, these vaccines are updated to try to fend off the particular variants that are circling. Be mindful though that vaccination will not necessarily stop transmission, especially of asymptomatic cases. Handwashing is also good for general prevention, but it doesn’t really stop COVID transmission. In the early days of COVID, researchers guessed that it was spread by physical droplets. That’s why we were instructed to wash our hands and groceries. But now we know that COVID is airborne; it spreads more like cigarette smoke than spit!

Of course, no single thing works perfectly. The best model is still the Swiss cheese model, but that also means each thing you do helps. If you’re reading this, please consider doing *one more thing* to take care of yourselves and others. I love you

[hogwartshotel]

putting on my trauma therapist hat

Full Moon spoilers under the cut.

Okay so if people are mad at Blitzø after that episode, send them here!

I am, in real life, a licensed therapist who works with PTSD, so I feel like I have some hopefully helpful perspective to offer here.

I've started to see a some "I get it, Blitzø has issues, but he fucked that whole thing up", and I want to talk a bit more about how PTSD works. If any of this resonates with you personally, I recommend seeking a therapist who specializes in trauma!

There are five categories in which we expect trauma to effect people's beliefs about themselves, others and the world, long-term: trust, safety, power and control, intimacy, and self-esteem. So let's take a look at those in this scene. They do overlap.

Trust. That heartbreaking line where Stolas says "I didn't realize you thought so lowly of me" is a result of Blitzø expressing that he's never had complete trust in Stolas's intentions. Hard to blame him -- trust is something we first learn in early childhood. Imagine trying to learn trust from someone like Blitzø's dad. People often have difficulty trusting not only others, but also themselves and their own judgment.

Safety. This really ties into power and control below. Imagine that Blitzø's whole personality has come from a desire to keep himself safe -- he's good with guns, he's his own boss, he doesn't have close relationships so he can't be rejected, he puts on an air of over confidence. Having any of that challenged can shake his whole set of beliefs about himself and the world.

Power and control. When something traumatic happens to us, we can often feel ourselves. We often try to limit our experiences to ones we feel we have control over, because our brains convince ourselves this will keep us safe. We've seen Stolas come to realize that their arrangement gives him more power over Blitzø than he's comfortable with. We've also seen Blitzø attempting to exert his own power -- by keeping Stolas at arm's length, by being the one to direct their sexual encounters (not saying that you need to have trauma in order to be dominant), by doing everything he can to keep the sex interesting so that Stolas won't end the deal. Stolas is doing the right thing by giving Blitzø the crystal, but it freaks him the fuck out. He's already figured out how to have power in the situation, and he's been operating under the assumption that Stolas also likes having this power over him (that part is more theoretical, but I see Blitzø as someone who assumes that everyone thinks the way he does about this shit). So having that dynamic suddenly changed makes him panic. It triggers a fear response. He reacts in a way that assumes it's a game or a trick. The idea that someone would willingly give up power sets of alarm bells in his mind.

Intimacy. Obviously, this is a big one in their dynamic, and it's going to tie in a lot to esteem. It is very common for folks with trauma histories to have difficulties forming intimate connections -- if you've read the above stuff about trust, it's probably easy to see why. In his part of the duet, we hear Blitzø acknowledging that the situation is feeling a little complicated, but that he's going to avoid that by focusing on the sex aspect. The idea of emotional intimacy is terrifying to him.

Esteem. Blitzø does not believe that he is capable of being loved, or that anyone who gets to know him will want to stay with him. We see a lot of that in the "bad trip" scene back in season 1. Hearing Stolas express feelings for him is terrifying. I'm not sure exactly what goes through his head, but it might be something like "I'm going to fuck this up," "he's lying," or "he doesn't know what he's talking about."

So. Imagine all of that getting triggered at once. I'm not saying that Blitzø handled it well or that he isn't responsible for his actions, I'm just saying it's really understandable that he didn't handle it perfectly. Quite frankly, I thought it was going to go a lot worse -- he does get angry and say hurtful things, but we immediately see him regret it and reach out to Stolas, and I was expecting him to need a lot longer to stop being angry. I am curious to see if he's going to go to a self-destructive spiral ("I always do this, I fucked it up again, why bother even trying") or if he's going to break the pattern and figure out a way to make it right. Seeing as the next episode is called "apology tour," I'm guessing we're going to see the latter -- but that is honestly huge character growth.

[ahamkara-apologist]

Oh thank god now that Echoes is finally out I can talk about the Faith-Keeper loretab

First off: I'm not really sure who it is exactly, but we've got a Hidden agent listening in on a discussion between Eido and the Spider about Eramis. If I had to guess, this agent is likely Ikora, since Misraaks asked her to look after Eido at the end of the Lost in the Light quest post-FS campaign, but we don't really get any clarification here. In my heart its Ikora, though.

First off: I LOVE the callback to Eido's shitty datapad security from Season of Plunder. Remember when she was recording her audio logs and Eramis just dropped in unexpectedly to talk to her behind Misraaks's back? Looks like she hasn't fixed her security breach well enough to prevent others from doing the same. Which is deeply funny to me- babygirl, your father is a Splicer. His whole entire job is being a top tier hacker!! You need better security than that!!!

Eido babyyyy, I'm not sure why you think you can blackmail a crime lord, but I admire your efforts! I'm not really sure what Spider is doing here, maybe moving closer to her? Either way I love how his whole 'fake caring' shtick got immediately dropped to the side as soon as Eido laughed at him. You're not winning any uncle points here, Spider. The note about Eramis having been given up by everyone around her, however? This is both a good and a bad sign. Good because it means that the forces of Darkness that got her into this whole mess no longer give a fuck about her and aren't there to push her into poor decisions again, bad because Eramis is historically notorious for making terrible decisions when there's nobody around to influence her anyways. Given the fact that she was outright suicidal the last time we checked in on her and that means that we have a limited time frame to get Eido to soften her up before she starts putting her neck on the line again (which has me very nervously side-eyeing Revenant; I don't believe that she would want to join with Fikrul given her prior experiences with the Scorn, but it can also go either way if she's pushed. Eido could convince her to give her assistance to prevent him from spreading Dark Ether...or Fikrul could sway her to look away from what he's doing by promising to bring back Riis with the power of the Echo)

Not gonna lie, my first reaction when I read the 'staccato clicking' noises coming from Eido was 'DID SHE JUST PULL A FUCKING GUN ON HIM??', followed by wondering if she was threatening him in some way- then a friend pointed out she was likely crying, which made me go back to reread and realize that the wheezing noises were coming from her, not Spider (in my defense, he's a wheezy boi). So, yeah, she's crying. Poor sweet girl, I've been there before. I know that Misraaks set Spider on her to try to set her straight (which is deeply funny to me- he must be desperately worried for him to have Spider handle her, of all people), but, well...it's the Spider. He's a crime boss. 'Gentle' isn't in his nature

This does give me great hope for an Eramis redemption arc in the future, though. Compared to everyone else we've faced recently, Eramis hasn't even come close to the level of awful that the Witness has done, and she's outright helped us in several instances. There's no reason why we can't try to form an alliance with her- the main thing stopping us is because Eramis herself doesn't think that she's worthy of redemption. If we can barter with Savathun- whose desires are ultimately selfish even if they were momentarily aligned with our own- then we can certainly assist Eramis, especially if it means getting the remaining Houseless Eliksni off our back and in a safe, guardian-free refuge of their own (WITHOUT being tricked into being pawns of the Witness)

Also- absolutely love Eido's little speech here. Her insistence on clinging to optimism is probably what made Eramis see Eido as the guiding light for the future of the Eliksni people, and in a way, it's perfect to fit the Traveler's motif of forgiveness in the Light. Makes me wonder if the theory that Eido is the Kell of Kells may be hinted at here, since it's Eido alone of all other Eliksni who refuses to give up on a person's ability to change for the better. Even Misraaks can't do that, despite creating House Light and its open-door forgiveness policy.

I TOO WOULD LIKE GREATER CULTURAL CONTEXT ON ELIKSNI NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION. I wonder who EKS-443 is- I would love to harass them for more information on what certain Eliksni vocalizations mean. I'm so starved for more worldbuilding on their biology and cultures, I'm hoping this is a sneak peak into what we might be getting in Revenant.

But also. Uh-oh bestie. The Vanguard should probably keep their claws out of this if they want diplomacy to succeed, because Eramis is not going to be happy if we stick our soft little monkey paws into Eliksni business again. We're going to have to back Eido up but let her do most of the talking/persuading, or shit can go south really fucking quickly- just like trying to pspsps a wary old ally cat into the safety of a home after years of extensive abuse. Waiting with bated breath to see how this turns out!

[animesmolbean]

A World of Pure Imagination

Author's Note: Get ready because this is the longest chapter!

Side note: I saw Wonka at my college theater two nights ago (March 24th. It was my sixth time seeing the movie), and I was so ecstatic to experience it a second time in a theater! It was so much fun watching it with others in my college, they all really enjoyed it too!

Side Note 2: The moment in the GIF when Willy tells Noodle that she did teach him to read was so sweet. He’s so adorable! 🤧♥️

Hope you enjoy this chapter! ♥️

Chapter 13: Operation Change the World

The couple walked all throughout town, talking about what they would do to make sure The Chocolate Cartel and Scrubbit and Bleacher were locked up for good. Willy told Yin about his theory about the rings Slugworth and Noodle owned. Yin told him that he figured out who poisoned the chocolate. Willy told him that he knew because the Chocolate Cartel told him when everyone left after the shop was burned down.

Soon, the sun came up. A new day has started. The two young men were getting closer to the wash house.

"Are you ready to change the world, my dear?" Willy asked Yin.

Yin looked at Willy. "Do you promise it will work?"

"I Pinkie Promise." Willy stuck out his pinky, and Yin did the same, hooking their pinkies together. As they did, Willy frowned a little.

"What's wrong, babe?" Yin asked.

"Oh, Yin, I broke one of our promises. I promised never to leave you alone again. And I did." He whispered.

"Aww, Willy." Yin cooed. "You didn't break your promise. You came back. You came back to me. That's what matters."

Willy still looked a little guilty. "Really?"

"Really really." Yin chuckled.

That brought out a soft laugh from Willy. "I don't deserve you, gumdrop."

Yin blushed lightly at the nickname but smiled. "I don't deserve you, either. You're so amazing."

Willy smiled.

Then, Yin got an idea. "How about we make a promise... together?"

"What would we promise?" Willy asked curiously.

"To love each other always."

Willy chuckled. "We don't have to make a Pinkie Promise for that. I'll always love you."

Yin blushed. "And I'll always love you."

Despite them not needing to make a Pinkie Promise, they did. As they hooked their fingers, Yin brought their hands closer, and he kissed Willy's pinky finger. The chocolatier gasped softly at the intimate action, blushing lightly. But he smiled sweetly and did it back, kissing Yin's pinky.

The couple giggled, and they made their way to enact their plan, still holding pinkies.

(Time skip)

After getting everyone together, Wonka described the plan he came up with while swimming in the cold water after escaping the boat explosion. They were going to use their talents. Noodle, the ingenious orphan, Abucus the Accountant, Piper the Plumber, Lottie the Telephone Exchange Operator, Larry the Man Who Can Speak Underwater, and as Willy lovingly dubbed Yin, His Determined Chocolate Partner. So they could pull off what Wonka called "The Heist of the Century."

Change the world, he said.

As they others walked to start their plan, Noodle and Yin held back momentarily. The pair hugged each other.

"Thank you for coming back for me." Noodle said.

"Of course. I could never leave you. You're my best friend." Yin told her.

Noodle smiled at the sweet boy. "Come on. Let's go help your boyfriend." She teased.

Yin laughed. "He is my boyfriend."

Noodle nodded. "By the way, nice attack on Bleacher. You left a bruise."

Yin chuckled, smirking playfully. "I try."

(Transition)

The game was afoot.

First, they had to go to the cathedral. They had to trick the priest, Father Julius.

As he stopped at the entrance of the cathedral, Noodle, dressed as a beggar, approached him.

"Excuse me, sir, could you spare a piece of chocolate for a straving orphan?"

Father Julius replied, "I'm sorry, my child. I don't have any."

Noodle acted sad, sighing.

He turned secretly, eating a piece. While he wasn't looking, Noodle snuck up behind him. "Then have some acacia mints." She whispered to herself as she slipped the candy into his pocket.

"Yes." She muttered in success.

Meanwhile, at the zoo, the security guard eyed another Big Night Out chocolate, which was delivered with a note.

"Basil Bond, Employee of the Week! That's lovely..." He put the chocolate into his mouth and passed out. Willy, Yin, and Abucus slip into the security lodge and grab some van keys.

Abucus drove the tall and rickety zoo transport van. In the back, Willy and Yin tended to the giraffe.

"Everything alright back there?" Abucus asked the couple.

"Everything's fine, isn't it, Abigail?" Willy asked the giraffe as he petted her to soothe her. Yin giggled when Abigail snorted in response.

They were approaching a low bridge.

"Oh! Tell her she might want to duck." Abucus warned.

"Might want to what?" Willy asked.

"Duck!!" Abucus exclaimed.

Abigail ducked as the tall van just scrapes under the bridge. She came back up with a shake of her head. Yin petted her. "Good girl." He praised.

Abucus parked the van in a deserted alley. Yin slowly guided Abigail to the front of the cathedral.

"All right. You ready, Abigail?"

The giraffe snorted, nudging her snout against Yin's face. Yin chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes." He gave her a scratch underneath her chin. "Now, go get them." He encouraged as he ran back to the van.

"All set." He said as he got back intot he back of the tall van. "Good job, my dear." Willy said, kissing his cheek, making Yin smile.

(Transition)

Everyone went back to the zoo, waiting for Larry to get a call after Lottie directed Julius to the zoo, to do their next part of the plan. Willy, Yin, Noodle, Abucus, and Piper stand around Larry.

He gets the call. "Hello, zoo?"

The rest of the group started to make various animal noises. Piper did an elephant, Abucus did a snake, Noodle did a bird noise. Meanwhile, Yin growled and snarled like a tiger or tried to, as Willy's very accurate impression of a monkey was making him slip a little. He had to resist laughing.

"Quiet down, you animals!" Larry exclaimed. "You too, octopus." He added in his underwater voice. "What? Oh, yeah, I think we did lose a giraffe."

Everyone was still doing their impressions, but more quietly. Yin gave up and was just snickering into his hand.

Okay, geez, I'll send the guys around." Larry hung up. Everyone stopped and looked at Larry. He gave them the okay. Their plan worked.

The wash house workers got into disguises, while the main trio got into the back.

"Nice tiger impression." Willy told Yin, laughing a little.

"Be lucky I wasn't an actual tiger." Yin playfully said, with a gentle smirk.

"Please don't bite me." Willy backed away, but still smiling like an idiot. Yin shrugged. "All right."

The group drove the tall van back to the cathedral. Abucus, Piper and Larry took the tall crate into the cathedral, opening it.

"All clear." Abucus signaled.

The main trio popped out from underneath the hay and got out of the crate. Abucus pulled the lever in the confession stall, activating the elevator. Yin slipped a Big Night Out chocolate on the seat before he got on top of the elevator, followed by Willy and Noodle.

They get down to the bottom, where the crypt is. The Mistress of the Keys looks up, surprised to see the elevator door open with no one inside. She approached it cautiously, only seeing the chocolate with a note.

"With thanks for all your hard work, Father Julius and the Chocolate Cartel." She read. "Oh that's sweet." She eats the chocolate.

Before the trio knew it, she hit the white wine and red wine layers, and she started to sing and dance. The song was one that Yin recognized as the one Cartel would sing to anyone they were bribing people with chocolate. He had to admit, the song was catchy, but for the wrong reasons.

"Wow. She can really move." Willy muttered.

Yin and Noodle gave Willy a side eye look and Yin poked his side.

"Watch it, pretty boy." He warned playfully.

Noodle snickered quietly at Yin's "warning".

Willy only smiled softly. "Don't be jealous, marshmallow. You're the only one for me." He muttered sweetly. Yin smiled shyly.

The Mistress of the Keys hit the whiskey fudge layer and got upset. She called someone on the phone; it turned out to be Basil, the zoo security guard. The trio were surprised.

"What are the chances?" Noodle whispered. Willy and Yin agreed.

After the call, the lady passes out. The coast was clear. Willy slipped out from the gap above, landing on the floor. Yin followed after, then Noodle.

They walk to the vault. Noodle snatched the keys and unlocked the lock. Then, Yin and Willy turned the handle, and the vault door opened, revealing the inside of the vault.

"Cool!" Noodle exclaimed.

"It is, isn't it?" Yin asked.

"Now, we have to find that ledger." Willy said as he placed his cane onto he ground, turning it into a hanger, before hanging his coat and hat on it.

Noodle and Willy started to look around. Yin stayed back. "Hold on. One of us should be back up there. To keep watch."

Willy knew where this was going. "Yin, I can't let you do that." He said worriedly, approaching the boy. Yin cupped Willy's cheek. "I'll be alright. Besides, I can run and get help if something goes wrong. Besides, the Cartel probably thinks I ran away after you "left" last night."

"You do make a clever point there, my dear Yin." Willy agreed. "All right. But please, gumdrop, be careful." He kissed Yin's nose.

Yin chuckled and did it back. "I will. Find that ledger." He said. After that, he pulled away and went back to the elevator and got in. He pushed the button to go up. As it did, he played his hands and feet on the sides and climbed up to the roof of the elevator to hide himself.

As the elevator stopped, it opened, and he hoped no one would investigate it or see his magenta coat peeking out from above as he held himself up.

The elevator door closed after a few agonizing seconds, and he sighed with relief. He climbed down and sat on the seat, waiting to hear anything suspicious.

After a few minutes, he heard Julius talking to someone. His ears pricked up when he heard him name drop Slugworth.

'Oh no.'

Then, he heard many cars approaching as the people in the cathedral were forced to leave. Yin took this opportunity to leave the elevator and blend in with the chaos.

As he neared the entrance, he heard a click behind him.

"Stay where you are."

That voice. That familiar, slimy voice. Yin gulped nervously and turned to see who it was.

"You."

(Transition)

Willy and Noodle searched the vault to find the ledger.

"Anything?" Willy asked.

"Nothing!" Noodle replied.

"Well, keep looking." Willy continued his search.

"It's not in here, Willy."

"Abucus said that it was here."

"Abucus has been in the wash house for the past four years. Maybe all of the scrubbing has gone to his head. Cause all that's down is a bunch of stupid old chocolate!" Noodle chugged a box of 'Slugworth' chocolate at the wall.

When it did, it opened a secret panel. Noodle steps over to it, and in the open panel, was the green ledger.

"Willy, look!"

Willy came over.

"We did it, Noodle. Got them."

Just as they were about to celebrate, a gunshot sounded in the vault. They turn around and see the three chocolatiers standing in the doorway. Slugworth has fired into the air. He slowly stepped forward, his gun raised.

As surprised as the duo were, what made them freeze in horror was the sight of Yin, tied by his wrists with a necktie, being held begrudgingly by Fickelgruber.

"Yin!" They exclaimed in horror.

Slugworth smirked evilly. "Naughty, naughty, Mr. Wonka. You've caused us quite a bit of trouble."

He turned to look at the tied up Yin. "We caught your little partner trying to escape the cathedral. I thought he wouldn't be of any trouble, but he has more drive than we gave him credit for."

Yin struggled in Fickelgruber's arms, but he held him in a tight hold. He looked at his boyfriend and best friend, guilt evident on his face.

"Him and your... urchin."

Willy, despite the situation, stood tall. "But she isn't just an urchin, is she, Mr. Slugworth? You're family."

Noodle and Yin looked at Willy in confusion. "What? What are you talking about, Willy?" Noodle asked.

"You know that ring? The one you got from your parents? Well, Mr. Slugworth has one just like it, don't you, Mr. Slugworth?"

Noodle looked at the ring in surprise.

Slugworth stepped forward. "As a matter of fact, I do. That belonged to my brother. Zebedee."

Noodle looked at Slugworth. "Was he my father?"

"A hopeless romantic is what we was. Fell in love with a common little bookworm, but died before they could marry, leaving me sole heir to the family fortune, or so I thought..."

Slugworth went on to explain that nine months later, a woman came to his door, asking for help for her newborn. That newborn was Noodle. He agreed but instead threw baby Noodle down a laundry chute where Mrs. Scrubbit found her and named her Noodle. She saw the ring, thinking it was an N, but really, it was a Z.

When the mother returned, Slugworth told her she died, making the woman howl in sadness. But, he paid her and escorted her from his property.

As Yin listened, he felt sadness and anger well up in him. Sadness for his best friend. She didn't deserve anything that happened to her. Anger because it was Slugworth who caused her misery. He struggled again, lowly growling, but Fickelgruber held him tigher.

Noodle, with tears in her eyes, asked, "What was her name?"

"Eh?"

"My mom? What was her name?"

Slugworth thought about it. "Ooh. Now let me see, umm... No, I don't think I can remember that. I'm sorry. But you have to understand, she was very poor."

Fickelgruber retched.

"Sorry, Felix." Slugworth said.

Yin scoffed, shaking his head.

"Her name was Dorothy. Dorothy Smith. It says so, right here." Willy read the ledger.

"Dorothy?" Noodle whispered, smiling softly. Yin gasped softly. "Willy.." He whispered.

"Well, what do you know? I guess you did teach me to read, after all."

Noodle smiled at the eccentric chocolatier. Yin smiled as well, happy for his boyfriend.

"Well, this is all very touching, but back to business. We'll take that." He gestured to the ledger.

Fickelgruber roughly pushed Yin onto the ground. The action caused Yin to yelp and land on his hands and knees. Before he could do anything, Prodnose grabbed a hold of his bound hands, holding him in place. Fickelgruber took he ledger from Willy and returned it to the secret compartment.

"How much chocolate have you got at your factory, Fickelgruber?" Arthur asked.

"About eighty thousand gallons." Felix replied.

"Prodnose?"

"And I've got one fifty. Should be just about enough." Gerald replied.

"For what?" Noodle asked.

Slugworth smirked evilly. "Death by chocolate."

Yin's eyes widened in horror. "No!" He exclaimed, trying to escape.

Arthur pointed his gun at Yin. "Silence, brat."

Yin panted softly, seething with anger and desperation.

"Gerald, deal with this urchin." He gestured to Yin.

Gerald dragged the struggling Yin towards the entrance of the vault as Yin watched Willy and Noodle ushered into the chocolate tank. He looked at Gerald as he proceeded to bind Yin's ankles with a few cloth napkins. He could hear the others talking as he spoke to him. He knew negotiating with Prodnose was hard because he was almost as willing as Arthur to rid the competition. He struggled with the man, moving around a lot. Prodnose had to hold his legs down to keep him still.

Once he finished, Yin looked at Gerald and growled at him. Gerald stepped back, scared of Yin. He saw Fickelgruber walk towards the controls of the tank, Prodnose joining him.

"Let them go! You're going to kill them?! Just because Willy can make better chocolate than any of you can in your lives?!" Yin exclaimed in anger.

Arthur closed the tank door and pointed his gun at the young man again. "That man would've put us out of business. We can't have that. So, this is a necessary precaution. We gave him many warnings before but he didn't listen. So, this is the best thing we could do." He said, a sickly smirk on his face.

"You all are monsters."

Arthur only chuckled darkly, and together, the three turned three handles, presumably to release their chocolate to fill the tank.

As they turned to leave, walking past Yin, not caring that they were taking two innocent lives, Yin growled at them.

"Mark my words, you greedy, spiteful slugs, I will make sure you three are held accountable. I don't care how long it takes. You won't get away with this."

Arthur looked at the boy one more time. "Oh, Yin, we already have."

With that, they left.

Yin growled and struggled against his binds. They were really tight. He fiddled with the cloth bindings. He growled and used his teeth to undo the binding around his wrists. Eventually, they came undone, freeing his hands.

With his hands now free, he untied the cloth around his ankles. Once his ankles were free, he got up from the floor and ran towards the chocolate tank, pounding the door.

"Hold on, guys! I'll save you!"

He started to turn the handles, trying to turn off the chocolate. They weren't moving.

"Come on!" He said, his voice shaky.

After a minute, nothing budged. Yin yelled in frustration.

He was not going to give up. He won't lose the people he loves the most. Not again.

"Well, I was certainly not expecting to see Mr. Wonka's partner here."

[travelingmaster-inspirations]

He calls me his little hypno pet...

And to be fair, that’s a pretty accurate description for what I am, but before you go and picture me on all fours mindlessly mewling like a cat in heat or barking like a dog with one of those anal tails sticking out my rear, you should know that ‘pet’ doesn’t refer to that at all. That term simply refers to our dynamic.

Just like any regular pet, he owns me, trains me, plays with me and takes care of all my needs. 

Our relationship started out like any other, however, unlike most, we soon discovered that we both enjoyed power play dynamics and that lead us to very interesting things in the bedroom. I already enjoyed feeling submissive and as we got more comfortable, that feeling only blossomed as he allowed himself to be more and more dominant with me.

In the past, whenever I finally confided in my lover that I loved to be submissive, they always tended to dive into a bondage mentality and to be fair, I loved it. With my Owner though, that wasn’t at all what his first instincts told him to do. Not that he didn’t enjoy his authority in the bedroom, but his true desire turned out to be so different and surprising that I couldn’t help but feel excited when we decided to try it.

Like most of you, the first thing that popped into my mind when he said he wanted to turn me into his pet was an imagine of me on all fours like some sort of animal. I didn’t think that was something I could do for him and he actually laughed when I told him as much. When I asked him what was so funny, he calmly told me that I missed the point.

What he wanted from me wasn’t to make me ACT like an animal, but like a loving pet.

I didn’t understand the difference until he suggested we spent an evening as owner and pet. My sole job for the evening was to question myself before I took any sort of action by asking myself: “What would a pet do in this situation?” 

We agreed that it would start the moment he got home from work so, as I asked myself the question, I realized that a typical pet would be joyous about their owner’s return and happily great them at the door. I felt a little foolish to do it, but I went to him as soon as opened the door and showered him with kisses. Thankfully, my joy was actually very real so it wasn’t hard to play the part.

All evening, I found myself asking that question again and again before I did anything and slowly but surely, I realized that pets acted on emotion and more specifically, they lived IN the moment. I didn’t have hypnosis back then to help me get into that mind set, but I strove to push out any thoughts that didn’t concern the immediate present.

As for my man, he acted out his role perfectly and treated me as if I was his beloved pet. He played with me... Petted me... Snuggled with me... Washed me from head to toe... Dried and combed my hair... Commanded me when he needed me to follow him... Everything he did made me feel like I was his dog or cat without actually being one.

Because even if he acted as if I was his animal companion, he didn’t consider me less of a human and talked with me as if nothing about our night was different. It was a strange thing to experience for sure, but through it I felt cherished and loved in a way I had never felt before with others that dominated me.

I had experienced what being a submissive ‘slave’ was and as we enjoyed a very carnal end to our little experimental evening, I couldn’t help but think that being a pet felt a lot better...

Not that I had bad Doms before, but the power dynamic, which was basically the same, felt completely different.

Since our night had been a positive success, we repeated it a few times and eventually, he told me about his kink for hypnosis. We had long talks about how it could help me get into a better mindset, but also about the different ‘tricks’ he could slowly train into me.

I have to say that I was more than a little skeptical, but thankfully, I was willing to try.

I turned out to be a rather receptive subject and after a few weeks of getting me used to how it felt to be in a trance, he began to help me become the pet we both wanted me to be. Things were slow going at first, but as I got more comfortable and my mind reacted more readily to his different triggers and suggestion, I quickly realized that being hypnotically played with turned me on just as much as it did him. 

Eventually, he told me that if I was willing, he wanted to push things further and use hypnosis to ‘force’ my mind into a pet mind that would feel so natural to me that I wouldn’t need to constantly ask myself ‘what would a pet do?’. It was a big step and after a lot of talks on how that could work, we decided that my collar would act like as the trigger my mind needed to block out the rest of the world and plunge my mind into the present.

It took a LONG while, but little by little, I felt my mind shrink down more and more when ever I wore my special collar. Honestly, it was a little worrisome the first time I completely found myself reduce to a bundle of emotions and wants, but it was also incredibly liberating to just BE in the moment.

When I wear my collar, my whole universe boils down to 2 things: My Owner and my physical needs.

I don’t think about my job, the rent, up coming events or the news. All my mind can focus on is the moment I’m in. I don’t think about how i got there and I certainly don’t think too much about what comes later on. My mind can only remember the last 10 minutes and will only allowed itself to wonder about the next 5. Everything else simply doesn’t exist for me when I’m able to dive down into that state of mind.

Unless I was trained to restrain myself, every single want or desire I have becomes the main motivation of my moment. 

I feel hungry? I go to my Owner and ask him to feed me. 

I feel tired? I go to my Owner and cuddle up to him for a nap.

I feel playful? I go to my Owner and prank him with little things until he turns his attention to me and plays with me.

I feel sad? I go to my Owner for comfort.

I feel aroused? I go to my Owner and mold my body to his until he either orders me to stop or makes use of my heated body.

Sometimes my desires don’t sit well with my Owner and he punishes me when I’m too insistant. Other times, I’m not quite in the mood for his plans, but obeying my Owner as he trains or starts to play with me always ends up changing my mood for the better because he is my Owner and his attention is what I want most out of my simple life.

I’m his cherished pet in every sense of the word except the obvious and truthfully, I’ve never been happier!

[the-hornedwitch]

Cosmic Law: Part One

Yes, while I do walk The Left Hand Path, and I'm quick to turn my nose up at ego center doctrine. Cosmic Law is something I take rather seriously, and its not because 'oh i got to follow the rules' its because once i really started understanding and applying the information given, did i realize how simple my life became. How fulfilling my life became. A while back I gave a speech on The 12 Cosmic Laws. I wasn't to pleased with the format i presented it in. Which was, "spiritual ethics and hygiene". You see over the past six months to a year, I have been drawn into the community more and more. I often try to avoid the 'spiritual' community physically as much as possible, but…. The Higher Ups, know better, and I have a path to walk, I go where they direct me. Anyhow. I gave this speech, because 'something' guided me too. I was something I felt I had to do, and while i was displeased with the format I did it in, it happened as it needed to happen. As always, what I talk about is based in my experiences, my study, and my application. Everyone has their own path to walk, their own choices to make. I do my very best, to adhere to logical reason and thought, that being said, their are things in this world we will never fully understand, being both critical and open minded is a tight rope many can not walk. These 'Laws' originate from ancient wisdom and philosophy, such as , Hermetics, Taoism, and Buddhism. They are more like 'Guidelines'(Cheat codes) for us to navigate this existence. The 12 Universal Laws. (In my words)

Law of Divine Oneness. We all descend from one great being. (Source) It has always been there, before time, was even time. This is the 'true' God. All that is, all that ever was. From Source all Life came into being. One of the funnier ways I like to talk about this is, Universe got board and went. "I want to experience everything, all at ones, simultaneously." BOOM, here we are. YA!!, Every emotion, every pain, every joy. Good times.

The way I apply this law is by, reminding myself, that I am part of source, and so is everyone else. The "Gods" are part of source, all pantheons. They are simply aspects of the Great Divine one, that we can relate to in some way, so we can better understand, and find our way back. While this sounds a little 'Love and Lightish" Being mindful of this Law, can give room for you to grow in the most beautiful way possible. I have learned to see my own Divinity, as well as the Divinity in others. It helps me hold space for others. (Empathy with out Boundaries is self destruction) It helps me not only hold others accountable, but it helps me to hold myself accountable as well. When I stay mindful of this law, and release the ideals of Dogma, I have some wonderful, fulfilling experiences with people who have different views then me, which opens me up to learning and being more compassionate and open to things outside of my control.

Law of Vibration The Universe is in constant motion, and vibrates at its own frequency. Our thoughts, emotions and actions, vibrate at a frequency, and can influence our lives. You often see this Law simplified in that silly way of 'Good Vibes only'. (BTW that's Toxic Positivity) Yes there are lower vibrations such as fear, anger, jealousy, that can cause a lot of strain and difficulty in someone life. The trick is, to honor that vibration, not see it as "good" or "bad" it simply is. Self awareness goes a very long way, Understanding that you move through frequencies' helps you maintain the vibration pattern you desire.

For me, I have to understand the frequency on a certain level, so I can better navigate the affects of it. When certain things occurs in my life, that seem… frustrating or problematic, i have to check in with myself, and sure enough, I'm stressing because I'm resonating in fear. Fear about money, fear about the future. etc.. Which helps me pull myself out of that low vibration, and move to one that aligns with my highest good. You are going to have those moments of low vibrations, it happens, because it is the way the universe works.

Law of Correspondence As Above, So Below, As Within, So Without. I love this one, i really really do. It is one I love to apply to my life, with in my practice, I get some amazing results when I stay mindful of this particular Law.

Basically, Everything is a reflection. What is going on Cosmically, reflects here, For example, Everyone freaks out about Mercury Retrograde. When you hold onto the Vibration that Mercury Retrograde is "Bad" guess what. Your gonna have a bad time. If you Hold onto the vibration of fear, that your Ex's are going to come out of the wood work. Guess what. How you feel/think/perceive, is how your experience will unfold. For example, I for a very long time, thought I was unlovable, This program was installed in early childhood, through various traumatic experiences. Their came a point in my adult life where I became hyper self aware that, that i was allowing this false narrative, run my experience. I continued to look for love and acceptance through unhealthy and ineffective means. When I sat with it, and dove into my subconscious through means of Trance and Hypnosis, I began to slowly break down that false belief. I still have my moments, (Triggered) but if i stay mindful, I can go in and fine tune what needs to be fine tuned. Then as i go through my experience here, i began to notice how enjoyable life is. I start to love myself more, which opens me up to the warmth of others. I am also very aware of my words, and how i speak to myself and others. If you sit and say, 'I'm crazy' "I'm sick" "I cant do this" guess what, your creating that reality.

Law of Attraction This is the one everyone knows. Like Attracts like. This one tends to be associated with Karma in certain ways. (Though Karma is another subject, that deserves its own full on deep dive) Have you started to notice how all these laws kind of mesh together, and correspond in fun ways?

This is a fun one that calls me on my BS a lot. Yes Universe roasts the shit out of me. (Que Lucifers sidelined laughter) I am painfully aware of this Law. The way I apply it to my life is I tend to notice certain patterns in my life. Certain types of people. If i start noticing people coming into my life with certain traits that do not align with the direction i intend to move, I take a moment to access. What parts of me, are bring these behavior's and traits into my life. Oh, guess i got to go digging down into the subconscious again. What ways am i thinking or speaking to myself? If everything feels like 'shit' then what am i sending out? Hey, If i start thinking and saying, "Everything works out for me because I am connoted to my Higher self" then hey, isn't that neat.

Law of Inspired Action Get off your lazy ass and do the thing (my words) You cant just simply wish for something, Yes Intent is everything, and, you have to take the steps need (or towards) what you Desire. If I desire a healthy relationship, yet refuse to do my own inner work, and expect to land the man of my dreams, pffft.

If I want to manifest more abundance, prosperity or financial stability, yet do not take the steps to research or look for the avenue available to me. If i do not accept that i have to let certain behaviors or environments' go, I cant move forward towards what wish to manifest. You have to take that step. you have to have the strength to reach for your Desires.

Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy. Again everything is energy, and in motion. We as conscious beings can affect the flow of energy. Again, Notice how all of these tend to intertwin with one another?

I like to compare this one to Alchemy. You can shift the energy within yourself as well as the energy around you. So, I am very sensitive to… well everything. I feel more than anything, and often times, I will pick up on others emotion's. I often have to play the fun game of "Is this mine?" Which for a long time I was not very good at, I have gotten better. A way I have applied this particular law, has been within my shadow work and Reiki practice. When I attune myself and stay mindful of what i feel around me or within myself, I am able to adjust where it needs to be adjusted. We all get blocked from time to time. Healing isn't leaner, nor is "awakening". One day your great, the next your not so great. Understanding, whose energy you have engaged in, can give you clues to what need to shift or change. Often times i feel people tend to want to change the other person, but, in reality all you can change is yourself and how you show up. This one, helps me honor myself more, and understand how i affect the environment around me.

For the sake of length, I'm cutting off at six, and will go over the other six, at a later time. Thank you for reading, I appreciate it. Safe travels.

Al Images where created by me, Using ChatGBt

[honeybeedewdrops]

The Hustle | B.Bradshaw

Summary: You and Rooster play a little game of Pool and you end up hustling him.

A/N: Your call sign is Hustle because you had tricked many people. This is also gender neutral. Also sorry if the pool is not the right rules or whatever I have never played pool before.

______________________________________________________________

The minute Bradley walked into the Hard Deck he didn’t see any of his friends but he did see you alone at the pool table so he took his chance. A pretty person alone he just couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

You were at the pool table just hitting some balls well attempting to. When he came up to you “you know your supposed to hit the ball right” he chuckles “I know but I just can’t seem to hit it” you say flashing him a smile. “Here let me help you” he comes behind you and positions the stick “it’s like this” and you hit the ball smoothly and the striped ball went in. You squeal “thanks” he shrugs “no problem I’m Bradley” you take his hand “I’m Y/N” for a while you and Bradley play well mostly him showing you how to play.

His friends had walked in a little bit ago and saw you two. They just let it happen knowing exactly what was about to happen. Rooster needed to be knocked down a few pegs in their opinion.

“Here’s an idea how about we play a game you vs me? We can even bet on it” You say “I don’t think so I don’t want to cream you plus I’d feel bad taking your money” “oh come on please. If not money around of drinks” you beg. “Ok fine a round of drinks but only us two” he says “yay” and you two shake. “You break” he says setting it up. This was always one of your favourite parts they always let you break first. You give him a light smirk before breaking you shoot stripes and make it. You look over to Bradley who’s in shock “Lucky shot” you shake your head before making every shot after except for 2 and the eight ball. Bradley was shocked how was this possible “your up pretty boy” he shook walked up to the table and took his turn only making 1 in. You next turn you won “ok pretty boy I’ll take a Y/D” “no beginners luck again” you smirk time to earn some money “ok $50 and a round on you” “your on” and you two shook hands. "You can break first this time" You spot Phoenix in the growing crowd and wink. To which she just rolls her eyes at your antics. She knew from personal experience what was happening.

Rooster did better this round but you still killed him. "Pay up" you say holding your hand out. Rooster grumbled and handed you a $50, "Hey Rooster I see you met Hustle" Phoenix say coming and patting him on the back "Who?" "Hustle they are joining our division" you smirk "yep Y/N "Hustle" Y/LN at your service" "Oh great now I see where the name comes from" Rooster says "don't worry pal she's done it to all of us. Her first victim was Hangman I think he lost like $200" Coyote says coming up behind them joining the conversation. "But about that drink" You say giving Rooster a look "i'm going i'm going" and he leaves to your drink.

"hey Penny" "Rooster hey your usual?" "no not this time just Y/D" "ah got played by Y/N" he makes a face "How'd you know?" "I saw you two playing and that's their usual" he nods pays and hands you your drink. "Thank you kind sir and your tip" you say handing back the $50 "no you won that maybe not fair and square but it's yours" you shake your head "nope I always give the money back" he takes it "thanks" "no problem besides I just like hustling people for their reactions not their money" he nods and walks away to Phoenix. "Hey Hustle you actually buy that one or hustle it out of someone" you smirk "oh Bagman when was the last time I actually paid for my own drink" he smirked "so whose the loser who got played" "well he's not a loser, I think he's kinda cute and he's right over there" you say pointing "oh Bradshaw" and Rooster looked over. "You fell for good ole Hustles trick here" Rooster rolls his eyes not wanting to do this "yeah but sounds like you lost $200 I only lost $50" "go big or go home"

You say stepping in between the two men "ok ladies now there's enough room for all of us. Now come on Bradley you can tell me about your call sign and I promise I won't hustle you" Rooster nods and you two sit down next to Phoenix and Bob.

[archoniluthradanar]

A Halloween Terror Fest with the Volturi masters : a Volturi one-shot

A Halloween Terror Fest with the Volturi masters : a Volturi one-shot

Holidays with the Volturi masters series

Volturi masters x Reader

(remember that in the Summer fun with the Volturi masters series of one-shots, the reader is now mated to Marcus. Also, not all trips with the masters are trouble free)

oooooooooooooooooooo

Aro has called for you to come to the throne room because you're told he has something to ask you. When you get there, you see the three masters, including your mate Marcus, sitting on their thrones. You run up the steps to his side and kiss him, making a facial expression that silently asks him 'What's going on?'. You see him shrug in reply.

"My dear, will you come over here please?" Aro asks of you.

"Yes, Aro. Of course." You walk over to his chair and see he is reading a white card.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asks, holding the card out to you.

You reach out to take the card from Aro. Seeing it is an invitation, you can't help but smile. "This should have come to me, Aro. It's from friends in America. I couldn't very well give them my exact address, so used general delivery. Just call me 'resident'."

"It appears to be an invitation, but to what, my dear?" he asks.

You look down for a moment, trying to figure out how to describe the reason for the invitation. "Aro, there is a holiday in America called Halloween."

Not surprised, the Volturi master explains, "It is celebrated here as well, more in recent decades."

You look askance at Aro. "Do you celebrate Halloween?" you ask, thinking it would be interesting if vampires celebrated the holiday, the day when the lines between the living and the dead blurred. But you believe Aro and the others are not dead.

"Of course not, but it has caught on among humans who look for any excuse for a party. There is generally a festival in the piazza for the children and their families, but why would we attend?"

"Why, indeed." You look down at the Volturi, clarifying. "Aro, this is an adult party with costumes and dancing and food. And a few tricks, I imagine. A friend of mine who has a little money is putting on the party at her modest mansion in California."

"And you would like to go." Aro stares at you, knowing the answer before you can respond.

"Well, yes, since Marcus will soon be changing me, and I'll no longer be able to share my world with you nor will I be able to see my friends."

"Not meant as an insult, I do understand your love for childish doings, dear one."

"Oh, but adults have taken over, and they enjoy their own form of festivities." You give him your version of puppy eyes, and you smile when you see him relent with his typical overdramatic sigh.

"Very well, send a reply to your friends. Tell them we will all be there, along with our mates. Just give the secretary the details and I will see to the jet to get us to America, and a limousine that will await us at the nearest airport..."

"LAX," you pop up. "That's the Los Angeles airport."

"Very well," Aro says.

"And um...you and the wives will need costumes. Couples...costumes."

Aro laughs. "Costumes. It might be fun after all."

"I can show you an online catalogue so you and Caius may choose, with Sulpicia's and Dora's input as well."

The master who sees himself to be in charge waves his hand. "Yes, yes, of course. Now you go with Marcus and make your own choices. Thank you, my dear, for sharing your very human experiences with us." He kisses you on your cheek and sends you off to the secretary in the reception area.

As you leave the room with Marcus at your side, you hear Aro muse aloud to Caius, "What costumes shall we wear?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

In the early morning on the day of the party, you and Marcus meet Aro at the foot of the staircase leading from the tower rooms, and wait for the others to join you.

"Aro, you look fabulous as the Mad Hatter," you tell him while you walk around the vampire leader. "Your face is already suitably pale, and the colour around your eyes is to perfection. The wig is just right, and the costume..."

"Yes, yes, my dear, I look wonderful." He gives you a grin, satisfied, if you are.

"You did watch the videos I saved for you?"

"Of course. I know how to act the part. I will be splendid, you'll see."

Marcus stands behind you, his hands on your waist. You can hear him inhaling your scent, so you lean back against him.

"You look so handsome, my love," you tell him, looking up at him over your shoulder. "We make quite the Roaring Twenties Italian mobster and his moll, don't we."

Unable to help himself, Marcus leans in to kiss your neck, sending goosebumps down your arms. "You are a delightful vision yourself, my heart." After Marcus kisses you, you turn within his embrace and throw your feather boa around him, drawing him even closer.

Just then, Caius comes downstairs with his mate, Athenodora, on his arm.

"Caius, you're going as...vampires? Gothic vampires? Seriously?" you exclaim. You have to admit, the Goth look plays up their natural beauty. Dora looks so different from the woman you know her to be.

"Yes, how do you like it? I thought it would be easier to pretend to be what we are, vampires. We won't have to wear contacts for one thing."

"Well, actually you do look quite attractive." You sigh at the tempting picture Caius makes, but go to his mate, giving her a sisterly hug. "Dora, you look absolutely beautiful, a perfect match for Caius. I see you both found suitable wigs, and the black costumes suit you." Dora is attired in a long black dress, her hair now a burgundy colour. Caius wears a black suit, the jacket long but not quite to his knees. He has donned a black wig as well which you think is perfect.

You peer closer as you admire them, now noticing a strange affectation. "Caius...fangs?"

Pulling them off, he replies, "And here I thought you'd like them. It would have been easier if we had fangs, so we would not have had to glue these on," he groused. "They may last a while since they're made of porcelain, but eventually the venom will make them unwearable." He tucks them into a small box where another pair sits, with a small bottle of dental glue. He then gives Dora a kiss. "Sei una vera bellezza, amore mio."

"Well, you both look perfectly dark and menacing," you say, seeing a cold smile form on Caius' face. At least he's happy with his choice in costume, you think. Has the usually blonde vampire ever been so hot?

You are luckily distracted by Sulpicia descending the stairs. Aro goes to wait at the base of the staircase, holding out his hand for his mate. "You look delightful, my sweet," he says, bending over her extended hand, kissing the top. Then he pulls her close and kisses her naturally red lips.

Sulpicia cups Aro's face with one flawless hand, whispering, "Il mio compagno perfetto."

You wait for the couple to finish greeting each other, then go to her. "Your costume is perfect, Sulpicia. You really look like the Alice of Wonderland of the film, and I adore the stuffed bunny." You smile, rubbing the soft stuffed animal she carries. You give the vampire queen a kiss on each cheek. "Your wig looks marvelous as well, but I love your beautiful brunette hair."

"As do I, dear, but this is just a costume. Doesn't Aro look splendid though." She openly admires her mate, who smiles back at her.

You rarely see Aro and Caius with their mates. It pleases you they actually seem to care about each other. Having no desire to upset either wife over the familiarity their husbands have taken with you, their displays of affection make you feel better.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The flight to Los Angeles is a bit long, but you visit with the wives, play chess with Marcus, and also eat and nap, something the vampires do`n't need to do. On touchdown, a limousine is waiting for you. You look out the window at the passing scenery, missing America. The car reaches the Bel Air area, spotted with mansions that rival the palazzo you now call home.

When you arrive at your friend's house, everyone gets out to be greeted at the double front doors by their hosts.

"Tracy, it's so good to see you," you say with excitement as you hug your friend and her husband, David. You introduce them to your companions, glad it's dark out, but they easily hide behind their costumes.

Once inside, you're shown to a small ballroom where music is playing, courtesy of a DJ. Your friend leads you to the buffet that makes you hungry all over again, but of course, it doesn't appeal to the Volturi. Still, they have already managed to enthrall your friends and their guests with their vampiric allure.

"They are a bit strange, but I like them," she whispers to you.

You laugh, but say, "They're quite influential back home. And I am completely in love with my fiance Marcus."

"Pleased to meet you, Marcus. You must make my friend very happy. I see it on her face. I'm so happy for you both." She gives you another hug, then says, "I had better go greet the new arrivals. Please, enjoy yourselves and as always, my friend, make yourself at home. I have missed you."

You slide an arm around your mate. "She likes you," you say proudly, smiling.

The music infects not only you, but the five Volturi as well. As if free for the first time in a long while, they are enjoying mixing with humans. You hadn't heard one crack or complaint from them, not even Caius. The wives were definitely taking pleasure in being admired by the male humans around them, even dancing with a few they consider worthy. And yet, neither Aro nor Caius appear jealous. You were afraid at first, but everyone is just having fun. You remind yourself to thank them later for their restraint.

The song 'Slept so long' from the film Queen of the Damned comes over the speakers. You didn't think any of the vampires in the room had seen the film. You're surprised the DJ has such a mix of music in his repertoire, but you love it. A slow jazz one song, hard rock the next.

Your feather boa is draped around your neck, your long cigarette holder in your hand. You start to circle Marcus, attempting to show him that you can seduce him with your own form of aliure. You shimmy your hips as you dance, parts of your dress moving with you. You see his eyes darkening and tone back. It would not do to have him take you here on the dance floor.

Later, during a slower dance, Marcus holds you just tightly enough, as you both twirl on the floor. You looked up into his temporarily brown eyes, smiling. Your mate had not left your side all evening, even when you told him he could dance with others.

"Marcus, I noticed the others are dancing and talking with the humans here. Why don't you mingle?"

"I am content to be with you, my heart. There is no other for me." He leaned in to kiss you deeply, making your heart beat faster.

You look across the room to see Caius speaking to a woman while Dora dances with a human male. When you see Caius bare his fake fangs and lean into the woman's neck, you stepped back from Marcus and walked quickly over to the blonde vampire, crying out his name.

"Caius, don't!" By the time you get there, Caius and the woman are staring at you like you're insane.

"Sister, what the hell! I was only teasing with this woman. I wasn't really going to bite her," he hisses.

The woman in Caius' arms laughs nervously. "I had better go find my husband. It was a pleasure to meet you...Dracula." She left quickly, not looking back.

"Dracula, indeed! Sister, you ruined my fun, and almost drew more attention to me than if I had bitten her."

You apologize to him. "I'm sorry, Caius. It just looked like...from over there, it seemed...I'm so sorry. I should trust you more."

Marcus came up behind you, placing his arm around your shoulder. "Is everything all right here?"

"Yes, Marcus, my fault. I guess seeing you all acting so normal around humans, I keep expecting a shoe to fall." You give Caius a kiss on his cheek. "Forgive me?"

"Of course. Just relax. I won't harm any of your friends' guests, I promise." He gives you a smile and wink.

"Thank you, Caius." You hear a loud series of cackles, and turn to see Aro entertaining a small group with his typical humour. He is the Mad Hatter to perfection.

"Marcus, can we get something to drink?" You and your mate head for the bar, where you ask for a glass of wine. Without warning, the lights in the mansion go out. You smile, thinking it's just a prank being played by your hosts.

In the darkened room, Aro and Caius, along with Sulpicia and Dora, flash over to you. "Something is very wrong, my dear. Stay near our mates. Marcus, guard them."

You start to speak, "Aro, what is going on?", but he and Caius are gone, having flashed to the other side of the ballroom, safe with their speed before the humans' eyes become accustomed to the dark.

The party's hostess comes over the loudspeakers and asks everyone to stay in place, that there has probably been a circuit breaker overload due to the amount of power being used. But when you look up at Marcus, he subtly shakes his head. You lean into him, suddenly afraid.

Marcus sniffs the air. "I smell the stench of wolf."

"A werewolf?" you ask, holding onto your mate, your eyes peering blindly into the dark.

Guests are staying close to each other, their voices murmuring in confusion. The doors to the patio fly open when two bodies hurl through them. Caius is in his vampire clothing, now torn but he is minus his cloak, while the werewolf has his hands around the vampire's throat. Aro is close behind, attempting to come between the two battling creatures.

By now, the guests think that this is a show being put on by their hosts, and begin to cheer for one or the other of the combatants. Aro's hat has fallen off his head, hiding his identity. All the group sees is someone in a werewolf costume fighting two men.

"Marcus, is this...real?" you ask, holding onto his arm. The wives are also holding each other's hands, their eyes showing fear for their mates.

"Should we warn our hosts?" You fear Aro and Caius will fail, and the werewolf will look to the guests as victims. Your life with the Volturi has made you aware the world was not what you thought, and the supernatural was real.

"No, it would be best to let them remain in ignorance. Aro and Caius will take care of things." Marcus can see clearly the advantage his brothers have over the single werewolf. The animal is missing an arm, but is still able to inflict damage on his vampire attackers. Growls are heard outside, but you can't tell who is doing the growling.

"Our presence must have drawn it to this place," Marcus says. "Now you see they are real, my love. Caius was nearly destroyed by their kind long ago."

When someone flashes to your side, you think it is Aro or Caius, but your vision clears enough to see it's a stranger's face looking at you. "Marcus?"

Your mate is back at your side, gently pushing you behind him. "Who are you and why are you here?" Marcus demands, knowing this man to be one of them.

The nomad explains, "I am the one the werewolf was hunting. I hid in this place after seeing the lights and crowd, and borrowed this costume."

"Did you kill the owner?" you hiss at the stranger through gritted teeth. You hear no reply. "You should be out there fighting the beast, not our coven members!"

You see your friend coming into the ballroom with several flashlights, handing them out. "Marcus, this needs to end. We can come up with some excuse or sneak out in the dark."

"They've taken the creature outside. It will be destroyed, the evidence gotten rid of." Marcus notices the nomad has vanished and tells you. He hears Aro taking care of him, removing the head easily before tearing his limbs off the torso. They can't light a fire so near the mansion, so instead, make sure the body parts are buried far apart.

"In any case, we have got to get out of here too," you say, while watching your friend.

Now that the "entertainment" is apparently over, the crowd breaks up, many heading for the bar.

You hear Aro talking near you. "The car is waiting out front. We should depart now." No one argues, and all six of you head for the front door before your hosts notice you're leaving.

Once you're in the limousine, you assess the damage. Aro has cracks on his face and arms, while Caius is missing a hand.

"Oh my god, Caius, you're hurt!" you exclaim. You see Dora is already helping him, ripping the sleeve of his costume, letting him bathe the end of the dismembered hand with his own venom where he will press it to his arm, Dora ready to wrap it firmly with the torn fabric.

Knowing his life had almost been lost at the hands of one of these creatures, his courage impresses you, since it was Caius who first threw himself at the creature.

Caius sees the way you look at him. "This is my mission. It never ends, not until every last werewolf is destroyed. The fact I eradicated another one gives me great satisfaction, sister."

"And what about the other vampire, the nomad," you ask.

Aro kisses Sulpicia's hand that has been stroking his face. "That one will be no bother to anyone again."

You're proud of your new brothers for having saved your friends' guests. You see them as heroes, even if they aren't particularly fond of humans.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The private jet takes off from the Los Angeles airport, allowing you to feel relief. You're sure Tracy will wonder where you have gone, but once you're home, you will never need to explain anything to her. You will probably never be returning to America again.

You sit on the long sofa, your mate's arm around you. Marcus smiles when he feels you snuggle into him. You watch as Dora pampers Caius, and Sulpicia is sitting next to Aro, their hands joined. You are tired, but everything worked out, you and your family are safe, and you're on your way home.

"I'm sorry for what happened, Aro...Caius."

"Do not worry, my dear," Aro tells you, feeling like a contented victor. "We have not had such excitement in a very long while. It validates our existence."

"Is my life always going to be this exciting?" you ask Marcus, your breathing more relaxed.

"I think not, but if it keeps you occupied, I will see what I can do."

You smile and sigh, nestling against Marcus, your eyes closing.

Marcus sees your smile and kisses your temple, letting you sleep as the jet heads home for Volterra.

A/N : Thanks for costume ideas from @Sparklybuildingsdesign88 -Marcus and his mate as a Roaring 20s gangster and his moll. And @Kimvolturicullen -Caius and Dora as a vampire and his mate, and Aro and Sulpicia as the Mad Hatter and Alice.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!