#but the more she uses it the less effective it gets

[wanderingwolfwitcher]

"We'll limit the deaths of the innocents as much as possible... though I already know some at least will suffer and die. They always do, get caught up in these things they have nothing to do with. You know that better than most, from first hand experience... on the giving and receiving ends alike. Maybe we'll be fortunate for a change and there won't be any innocents on this island. We won't have to hold back against this Cult of Cthulhu."

Eskel's low, grim tone suggested to Sabrina as he finished his weapon and equipment checks, before rising up again to his feet, looking around the cavern and back to where they had come from. Making his way back to the mouth of the cavern, he began to ward it up with a variety of protective Signs and magical traps, taking no chances with the enemy they face, the unknowns at play. He would have to use every trick in the book to survive this island, he was certain. It was a good thing the particular book he lived by was a thicker tome even than the Necronomicon... a tome he would take over the latter any day. His knowledge was not a destroyer of worlds, but a salvation of them... even if on a far less grand scale. At the same time, she lay down magical traps of her own to supplement his defenses, even with the strain of magical usage undoubtedly taking its toll on her. She cast her illusions as well to hide not only her traps, but his... a wise precaution, given the cult's abilities and knowledge... undoubtedly of a magical nature. He would have to set up some conventional traps as well, when they moved further inland... he had spotted forest areas on the island coming in... he was as at home in a forest as he was on a mountain... not that he wasn't used to caverns as well. Most of the time it had been up to him to clear the monsters and beasts settling in them, including the Kikimores of the abandoned mine near Kaer Morhen.

As it stood, for all their differences, the two of them worked well together with their arcane powers, what they knew, and their present surroundings, making the most of each. When the rain soaked Witcher and Sorceress alike had finished, satisfied, they returned to the warmth of the blazing fire Scorpion stood near, settling in his spot and making sure she got something to drink in her, before he started to prepare their supper. He didn't expect she would be able to keep much down at the moment, still recovering from the effect of the Star-Spawn's presence, but she would need all the energy and rest she could get before they headed inland for answers. He couldn't deny the mystery of it all, horrifying as he knew its root to be, was no less tempting to him than the knowledge had been to her. A case to record in the records of Kaer Morhen, if they survived to make it back to the keep. At her unexpected grateful words, his viper eyes turned the crimson haired Sorceress beauty's way again silently for a moment. It seemed under risk of death, along with magical duress and the eldritch unknown, she was able to open up to him more. Share vulnerability she couldn't most of the time, even behind doors under ideal conditions. Reaching over when she sat close beside him, he took a hand of hers into his own, squeezing it with a nod, and continuing to hold it as his deep, calm voice returned to her again languidly. Looking between her and the blazing fire before them, drawing in a breath of the salty but warm air, smirking faintly.

"You're welcome, red. It's what I do best, remember? The hand destiny dealt me. Cleaning up the messes of others. Hopefully, when we're done with this, and survive, you start listening to the occult expert you've known for decades, for a change. Don't go chasing blindly after things you don't understand. Won't always be there to bail you out... already brought you back once. Likely that is also a reason these cosmic horrors can reach you more easily, in addition to all that exposure to the Necronomicon. You've been on the other side. Alive again or not, you've been touched by death, and what lies beyond. Many of these eldritch beings are already dead, yet still they dream, and affect reality from the void. There is no safe way to access power such as theirs... by its very nature."

@fallesto

Sabrina nodded slowly, her eyes on the flickering fire. It was a small comfort, a semblance of home amidst the alienness of this place. She watched as Eskel began to check his weapons and gear, his movements methodical and precise. It was a ritual she knew well, one that Witchers often performed before rest. She knew that despite his casual tone, he was preparing for the worst. She took a deep breath, feeling the weight of all that has happened pressing against her, and followed his lead. She began to check her own gear, her hands shaking slightly with the adrenaline still pumping through her veins. The warmth of the fire began to seep into her bones, and she felt the first tendrils of exhaustion coil around her. As she wished for anything else other than this, but this was the mess that they are in, there was nothing else to be done. As she looked and with a final look around the cavern, she stood, her shoes scraping against the cold, damp stone. She focused her mind and called upon her magical abilities, the air around her shimmering briefly with an arcane energy. She placed her hands on the cavern walls, whispering ancient incantations that only a few remaining mages knew. The rock began to pulse under her palms, the dampness retreating as the magic took hold. Slowly, she etched symbols into the stone, each one a ward that would alert them to any approaching danger. She was careful to hide the glowing marks with a thin veil of illusion, so they would not be easily spotted.

“It will do for the time being, we can rest here and when we have some sleep, we can begin, monsters will be here, maybe innocent people as well, hard to say, getting here was a problem, getting away will be another problem as well, but that comes after we do everything we need to be done.”

Next, she gathered rocks and branches from outside, using her magic to weave them into a series of clever traps. Each one was designed to be triggered by the subtlest of movements, yet strong enough to deter or even harm anyone who stumbled upon them. She placed these around the perimeter of their makeshift camp, each one a silent sentinel waiting to protect them from the shadows. As she worked, the rain grew heavier, soaking her hair and clothes, but she didn't notice, lost in the rhythm of her craft. She looked, and would see that Eskel watched her with a mix of admiration and concern. Her determination was unyielding, but he could see the toll the day's events were taking on her. She knew that rest was crucial, yet the urgency of their situation allowed for little. When she finished, she was handed her a flask of water. She took a grateful sip, the comfort spreading through her chilled body as she would move and sit right down beside him.

“Thank you for everything, I mean that, no doubt if it was just myself, I would have failed or just walked away from this.”

[melanchoire]

i love your writings smmm ughhhhh😩 wish u wrote anythinggg on njz minji 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 like imagine minji giving you a head and eating u outtttttt for her own pleasure through overstimulating u..💔💔 clit slaps😵‍💫 and then guiding u to fuck her with pretty 9 inch strap on and provocatively sucking your strap😭 minji degrading u and calling a slut😩 and cuddles in the end with now cutest bear min

i absolutely NEED to write more for minji because she is so boyfriend and handsome and EVERYTHING anon if you have more ideas for minji my inbox is always open 👀

cw: cunnilingus, degradation, edging, fingering, hair pulling, use of strap on.

minji looks like she gives you the best heads 😵‍💫 yes, she has such beautiful and kissable plump lips, but they look even better when they wrap around your clit and suck on it 🥰

have you seen those boyfriends who usually wear a hair tie from their girlfriends on their wrist to show that they’re in a relationship? well, from the outside it may look like minji is using one of your hair ties as a bracelet and showing that she is not available because she already has a girlfriend that she loves too much, but really, it’s mostly because she wants to be prepared in advance if the situation arises where she finds a moment to tie up her hair and start eating you 😭 and she looks so attractive when she has her hair tied up in a messy bun… she would tie her hair in front of you in the most sensual and slow way because she knows the effect it has on you, or other times she likes it when you’re the one who ties her hair while she is eating you 🫠

the feeling of your hands in her hair makes her sooo wet that she could cum just from the feeling of your fingers in her locks, one of the reasons why she sometimes prefers to have her hair down while she devours you. maybe it can be annoying because the strands tend to fall on her face, but she loves it when your hands run through her hair and pull on her soft locks, feeling much better than when her hair is tied up

minji has big, somewhat masculine hands that she makes the most of when you give her the chance to use them. it doesn’t matter if you have plushy thighs or slimmer ones, she can make her whole hand surround your whole thigh and always applying a pressure that leaves a mark of her fingers that will be there for days 😵‍💫 she uses this to her advantage to completely open your thighs to the point your legs are spread obscenely wide or push your thighs up until your knees are pressed against your chest and she commands you to hold them in that position

but just as her hands please, they also punishes! so imagine how a slap in the pussy feels from someone with big ass hands 😥 it would all start with you moving your hips, maybe up to fuck her face or trying to push your cunt away from her mouth by pushing them down into the mattress. minji would try to brush it off at first, pausing for a moment to furrow her thick eyebrows and gives a glance from beneath her eyelashes. she would let it go if it weren’t for the fact that you repeat the same mistake, and given her short temper, she suddenly moves away from between your legs and her palm lands on your pussy, giving you a sharp slap that makes you scream and your pussy turns a little red :( there are times when minji has less patience and gives you three or even five slaps in a row, pissed off on the outside but inside she is enjoying watching your pussy get swollen and get a reddish color 😣 she is so mean… but she can’t help but make you moan or cry

THE STRAP PART. you’re used to the fact that if you’re the one using it, she is on top or, as in most cases, that she is the one fucking you, but your girlfriend has needs too and you’re willing to fulfill them! even if you know it won’t end well

omg i know she gives the best head of her life to the strap, saying “we can’t use it dry, right?” looking up at you from below as she gets on her knees 🫠 and minji sucks the cock like it’s real?? first teasing and kissing the head to tease, but a few seconds later she already has more than half of the strap in her mouth while one of her hands caresses the base as if it were real… you can’t feel anything, of course, but the image of her so into her task and committed to fulfilling it that sometimes makes you wish you had a real cock just to experience this every chance you get

you worry about her because the choking noises are so obscene and she is drooling so much on the strap that her drool starts to drip down her chin 😭 but if you try to move away, her hands will go to the back of your thighs and use them to push your body towards hers, causing the tip of your cock to hit the back of her throat and her nose to now be against your tummy…

and degrades you while you fuck her even if you’re giving her a fuck that will leave her in bed the whole next day. she knows how to contain her moans, suppressing them by biting the lower lip and covering them with shaky laughter. she doesn’t want to give you the satisfaction of knowing that you’re making her feel good, but not before making fun of you a little

“c’mon babe. fuck me properly.”

“is that all you got? aww sweetie… it seems that even after so much time in a relationship, you still don’t know how to please a girl.”

your energy may be starting to run out and you’re starting to feel tired, but that’s no excuse to give up just yet! you still have one task left to do: make minji cum

but you end up being so submissive and pathetic 😭 hugging her waist tightly and starting to fuck her at a speed that makes the bed creak beneath you two 😋 minji at this point doesn’t feel like joking around anymore because she feels so overwhelmed, so she wraps her legs around your waist and pushes your face into the crook of her neck, muffling your whimpers and moans because you were starting to get frustrated but feeling needy too :( pleasing minji always ends up causing this because her teasing always makes you so wet

and when you collapse on the bed after she cums on your strap she is the one who takes care of the aftercare because you always end up lifeless on the bed 😞 but kisses and cuddles with min are >>>

[juniperpyre]

misconceptions about real world history and how they affect interpretations of wizarding world history

misconception of magic and witchcraft in western europe pre-modern era

application in HP world building a: inconsistencies in the text b: what this means for magical history (feat: Ur-Fascism by Umberto Eco)

1: misconceptions of magic and witchcraft in western europe

there's a huge cultural misunderstanding of how western europe thought about "magic" and "witchcraft" pre-modern era, including the function of the witch trials. laws against magic were specific, and usually involved the practicer causing certain harm or worshipping pagan gods.

folk magic was practiced across cultures and across the centuries by the lower classes. ritualized chanting, amulets, prayers to saints, rituals of protection (sometimes from witchcraft), and medicine all contained elements of knowledge beyond the observable.

most people would have considered something condemnable and witchcraft if the power came from the Devil. other practices that we lump into that specific version of witchcraft would have been miracles, or cunning, or maybe a prayer answered.

it went against church doctrine to believe magic existed in any form for much of this time, but we know that doesn't mean it wasn't still part of the cultures.

the witch trials, which peaked in the early modern era, were simply targeting women. there was a rise in unmarried women, women were marrying older, and nunneries were being shut down due to the protestant reformation. i've spoken before about how the conception of what a woman is was changing rapidly in the early modern era.

2: application in HP worldbuilding

a: inconsistencies in the text

this is why i get irritated when i see people take the persecution of magical folk as presented in HP text at face value. there is no historical basis for this until the early modern witch trials, which is stated in the text to not have a big impact on magical folk's safety.

to quote a history of magic:

"Non-magic people (more commonly known as Muggles) were particularly afraid of magic in medieval times, but not very good at recognising it. On the rare occasion that they did catch a real witch or wizard, burning had no effect whatsoever. The witch or wizard would perform a basic Flame-Freezing Charm and then pretend to shriek with pain while enjoying a gentle, tickling sensation. Indeed, Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be caught no less than forty-seven times in various disguises."

so, which is it? Muggle suddenly turned on magical folk and scared them into hiding with their persecution, or they were no real threat. we know jkr just needed a reason for the magical world to be secret, but for those of us who choose to take this way too seriously, this is an inconsistency.

b: what this means for magical history

an inconsistency that reminds me of two components of fascism as described by Umberto Eco. one is "obsession with a plot", an obsessive fear that some outside enemy is trying to harm your group, and two, the creation of enemies who were "at the same time too strong and too weak".

not to say the WW is fascist. i think this comparison makes it clear that the mythology around magical history is a way to maintain power and control over the population. the mythology creates a justification for the SoS and later the development of pureblood supremacy, which i view as a form of nationalism.

i don't think we really know what happened to cause the SoS. i suspect it was due to the witch trials, sure, but also because of the same anxieties and upheavals that caused the witch trials. like all things, it was fucking complicated.

we have pureblood propaganda in the supplementary text in the form of the sacred 28. this was published anonymously in the 1930s. no sources. meaningless. who was included and who was excluded was arbitrary. i don't think it's a stretch to say there is more historical myth-making going on in the text. we'll never know bc jkr hates history and is horrible at writing it!

overall, headcanon what you want, world build what you want, but it is useful to identify authoritarian and propagandist elements in the text you're analyzing. people seem to fall for the WW in-universe propaganda often, in pursuit of making blood supremacists more sympathetic. i'd rather we not.

[musubiki]

does coco ever bring up the kidnapping to tease taffy?

I DIDNT THINK ABOUT THAT BUT IT WOULD BE AMAZING IF SHE DID!!!!!!!!!!! taffy says anything along the lines of "dont do that" and she goes "or what? gonna kidnap me?"

(bonus points for the rare times where taffy doesnt back down and gives her A Look™️ and says "Maybe." and cocos brain short circuits for a second)

[hpetrr]

brainstorming:

while writing this, i thought about how her trigger has a lot of regret baked into it, and tried to make statements of what the source of the distress would be in the second trigger scenario

base of first trigger : "If I knew more, I could have saved him"

first idea: "if i knew what they were going through exactly, i could have saved them"

remove migraines, strengthen the connection her shard makes with the other agents, so she can get way more information and faster but it becomes more based on the perception and interpretation of other people and less about her perception on the world. it becomes more useful to read people than read things, so no one can keep anything from her, but she gets worse with tech i think. this makes people less comfortable with her basically mind reading them so even when she's trying to help, it would have negative emotional consequences to the closest to her. I was thinking like, when trying to get someone's combination on a padlock, instead of getting clues from the wear on the object, she would ask the owner what the combination is and instantly get it from their mind. it would make sense to stop the migraines as it would require less processing power on the brain, and less factchequing.

second idea: "if they knew what i knew, they wouldn't have made that mistake"

the information overload would bleed through, making selected targets in range receive any information she wants, and the agent would use the brains of nearby parahumans (not sure if better with non parahumans or not, selected or not) to help with processing, effectively pushing the migraines for power overuse onto other people and reducing their brain capacity if not enough for migraines(thinking sighmurg scream like distracting them) .

other ideas:

3 power stays the same, and the migraines work like idea 2

4 first idea but who she asks the questions from gets the backlash of her power use

could have variations if she can or cannot choose who suffers her consequences

as a fanfic writer and reader, as much as i love torturing lisa like an ant under a microscope or some shit there's literally nothing i could ever do that would be crueler than what happened canonically.

[cloudbends]

IM ACTUALLY IN TEARS . WERE GETTING THERE

[unopenablebox]

ugh i'm trying not to be a dick to my mom, who suffers enough. but i cannot believe she's decided to go in on "desecrating flags is a bad look for anyone" re: the student protests like a) that's obviously not the principle you're actually using to decide who and what to criticize here b) it's not desecrating a flag to take it down and replace it with another flag c) every time my parents say shit like this it makes me feel like maybe i alone retain memories of my family's beliefs and experiences during the bush administration, which is bad because i was like six at the time

[gibbearish]

am finally back home and can say without a doubt that i am just fundamentally not built for long distance travel however the train was much nicer than planes

[fungi-maestro]

The Question #5 (1987)

[sysig]

I’ve been had!

They are just little guys

[unrealworld-of-mugenri]

Up and up she goes with a newly shining Grimoire. The sounds from bellow are already motivating her to keep flying fast on the ascent to the top. A fairy with no good knowledge of magic has even less of an idea than Patchouli on it's effectiveness.

So they have to fly like a complete fool upwards. Rushing forwards an almost missing those very signs being shown around the great darkness. Most fairies would've done the same likely-and just go on and rush headfirst into a set of attacks and get shot down. The postal fairy though, wasn't quite like the others. In at least the time here fighting against the mass of shadow possessed yosei has sharpened instincts and sight against the incoming squadron.

This was gonna be annoying for sure. A set of blasts could at least slow her down as she tried to get up-and that's not something she should risk with a potential time limit downstairs. And there's also the outnumbering factor here too. It might be a bit risky without patchy, even if they do feel stronger for some reason.

No. This was the time to not leave anything to chance. That's why she fishes something from under her hat. What was it? A magazine. Not the kind you read but the one you can use to riddle with lead! Luckily the land and mansion had a few fairies interested as well in guns to have a little lying around. And now she slides the load into the pistol and clock it in.

Armed and ready, she takes a moment to aim before firing her more physical shot at a shadow fairy. It's time to lock in and fight as she kept flying!

Ah good. She's got one of those things. The fairy can focus instead on the door and the crowd outside. Who knows what a bunch of fairies can do with a door! They need to keep that gun pointed. Even more so due to the sudden creaks in the floor. Now that's a-

A...

an sign that it's not just a bunch of other fairies to worry about. The noises put her immediately on edge as the pride is swept aside like it should. If it was fairies that didn't want to fly for some reason then the noise would be far more massed. No. Her shot didn't knock her out, only put the maid down for a precious few seconds.

It got her shivering as the steps went on. Can she really face someone like that? Which can take a good hit despite being weakened? Getting back up without a long rest?! Doubt began to grip her more than anything. But she still held the gun to the best of her ability. Raised and readied for if the door broke down.

However her vigil is short lived. A book came with an direct order from her superior. Though she felt like that as a fairy serving someone it should be her holding people back to buy time, this was a direct order. And one from the woman that lead her here in the first place. If this was her plan she'd just have to follow it.

She takes up the hopefully light or still levitating tomb and with a great thrust of her wings moved to start ascending to the top as fast as she can safely go.

[musubiki]

hello! quick question, i know this is very soon after you posted the comic of young lime trying to bully mochi, and i’m sorry if a question like this has been asked before, but when mochi sees the candy bits and is able to recognize what spells they could be used in and the effects they have, is that from studying magic a lot or is it like a natural identification ability/instinct that she has? thank you!! i hope you have a good day :)

oh thats a great question actually!!!! it comes from studying!!!!

as a kid she was already trying to be a very diligent witch-to-be!! she would spend a lot of time with her mom while she was making spells, so between reading a lot of spellbooks + hanging out when her mom was making potions + wanting to be like her mom, shes good at spotting things that could be used in spells even from an early age!!

(that being said, as a kid she still messed up a lot on the right ingredients. shed bring home random items and be like "I got us spell ingredients!!" and tiramisu would be like "Oh!! Thanks sweetie!!" and didnt have the heart to tell her that whatever she brought home was some useless piece of grass or something jkldj)

[ketchuppee]

During the 2008 recession, my aunt lost her job. Her, her partner, and my three cousins moved across the country to stay with us while they got back on their feet. My house turned from a family of four to a family of nine overnight, complete with three dogs and five cats between us.

It took a few years for them to get a place of their own, but after a few rentals and apartments, they now own a split level ranch in a town nearby. I’ve lost track of how many coworkers and friends have stayed with them when they were in a tight spot. A mother and son getting out of an abusive relationship, a divorcee trying to stay local for his kids while they work out a custody agreement, you name it. My aunt and uncle knew first hand what that kindness meant, and always find space for someone who needed it, the way my parents had for them.

That same aunt and uncle visited me in [redacted] city last year. They are prolific drinkers, so we spent most of the day bar hopping. As we wandered the city, any time we passed a homeless person, my uncle would pull out a fresh cigarette and ask them if they had a light. Regardless of if they had a lighter on hand or not, he offered them a few bucks in exchange, which he explained to me after was because he felt it would be easier for them to accept in exchange for a service, no matter how small.

I work for a company that produces a lot of fabric waste. Every few weeks, I bring two big black trash bags full of discarded material over to a woman who works down the hall. She distributes them to local churches, quilting clubs, and teachers who can use them for crafts. She’s currently in the process of working with our building to set up a recycling program for the smaller pieces of fabric that are harder to find use for.

One of my best friends gives monthly donations to four or five local organizations. She’s fortunate enough to have a tech job that gives her a good salary, and she knows that a recurring donation is more valuable to a non-profit because they can rely on that money month after month, and can plan ways to stretch that dollar for maximum impact. One of those organizations is a native plant trust, and once she’s out of her apartment complex and in a home with a yard, she has plans to convert it into a haven of local flora.

My partner works for a company that is working to help regulate crypto and hold the current bad actors in the space accountable for their actions. We unfortunately live in a time where technology develops far too fast for bureaucracy to keep up with, but just because people use a technology for ill gain doesn’t mean the technology itself is bad. The blockchain is something that she finds fascinating and powerful, and she is using her degree and her expertise to turn it into a tool for good.

I knew someone who always had a bag of treats in their purse, on the odd chance they came across a stray cat or dog, they had something to offer them.

I follow artists who post about every local election they know of, because they know their platform gives them more reach than the average person, and that they can leverage that platform to encourage people to vote in elections that get less attention, but in many ways have more impact on the direction our country is going to go.

All of this to say, there’s more than one way to do good in the world. Social media leads us to believe that the loudest, the most vocal, the most prolific poster is the most virtuous, but they are only a piece of the puzzle. (And if virtue for virtues sake is your end goal, you’ve already lost, but that’s a different post). Community is built of people leveraging their privileges to help those without them. We need people doing all of those things and more, because no individual can or should do all of it. You would be stretched too thin, your efforts valiant, but less effective in your ambition.

None of this is to encourage inaction. Identify your unique strengths, skills, and privileges, and put them to use. Determine what causes are important to you, and commit to doing what you can to help them. Collective action is how change is made, but don’t forget that we need diversity in actions taken.

[loveallmymoots]

Kelsea Palm was feeling out of sorts as the presidential election was approaching. So, she did what many Americans do when they’re feeling anxious: She went shopping.

The Wheaton College senior and her friend hit shops in Massachusetts the weekend before Election Day, and while Palm prides herself on shopping responsibly, she wound up impulse-buying a purse to ease her stress.

“It was a new thing that made us feel like we had some sort of control over our lives. We can vote, but what else can we do? We can get a bag that’ll make us happy,” she told CNN.

Palm is among the increasing number of consumers who cope with feelings of anxiety by “doom spending.”

Doom spending, or the practice of spending money to soothe fears about broader issues like politics or the economy, shows up everywhere from YouTube and TikTok videos to Reddit to personal finance discussions and data in surveys.

Gen Z and millennial consumers are also more likely to say it is better to treat themselves now rather than hold off for a future “that feels like it could change at any moment,” according to an Axios Vibes survey in June conducted by The Harris Poll.

While this kind of catharsis might work to temporarily allay worries, experts say doom spending poses a danger to consumers’ long-term financial health.

“We’re not always rational when it comes to our emotions, when it comes to our money,” said Courtney Alev, consumer financial advocate at Credit Karma. “It’s really easy to bury our heads in the sand and look for those quick dopamine hits when we’re feeling anxious or stressed.”

Why are we doom spending?

Alev says a third of Americans across all generations have a hard time rationalizing saving money due to feelings of uncertainty about current and future affairs, and a persistent sense of economic pessimism is partly to blame.

The economy President-elect Donald Trump is set to inherit is strong on paper, with a low unemployment rate and a projected economic growth rate better than other G7 economies.

Inflation has largely been tamed, too. But a lower rate of inflation doesn’t mean everyone is feeling its effects – and it doesn’t mean prices have come down. Only 37% of Americans said they approved of the economy, according to a CNN poll published in February.

Frustration surrounding the economy also played a major role in Trump’s victory as voters repeatedly cited it as their top issue, with 54% saying they trusted Trump to handle it better than his opponent Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a Gallup survey published in October.

Grocery costs and housing prices — two cornerstones of most consumers’ budgets — also continue to remain high, which translate into a less-than-rosy perception of economy.

Customers shop in the deli meat aisle of a grocery store on October 17 in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

That financial gloom is powering doom spending and, in turn, driving up credit card debt. An August survey by Bankrate showed that half of American cardholders carry credit card debt from month-to-month, spurred on by sky-high interest rates before the Federal Reserve cut rates in September and again this week.

And, in the third quarter this year, credit card delinquencies surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the first time, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

Beyond the economy, experts say that internet habits play a significant role in driving doom spending, especially for younger consumers.

More than half of Americans say they feel like they are constantly receiving bad news online, and it’s affecting how they spend their money, Bankrate data shows.

“What you’re following and the messages that you are receiving online can make you feel worse, increase your anxiety, and make things feel more dire than they are,” said Aja Evans, a financial therapist and author of “Feel Good Finance.”

She says “information overload” from online media paired with influencer culture and product advertisements can make consumers feel more tempted to open their wallets.

“When you’re in the midst of scrolling, you might think: ‘You know what? Things are just really bad. I’m going to feel better if I purchase,’” Evans said.

How does the election factor in?

While the results of the election have already been decided, news about it hasn’t stopped.

“We expect a lot of young Americans to spend much of this next week online, scrolling social media, as they continue to digest election-focused content. Doing so could lead to even more charged feelings and drive further spending,” Alev said.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party Wednesday, November 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Jeff Roberson/AP

Republican economic sentiment rose and Democratic economic sentiment fell when Trump first took office in 2017 and subsequently flipped during the Biden administration.

But Alev says that she anticipates a pop in spending whether Americans feel positively or negatively about the outcome of the election.

“Those who are upset with the results may spend to make themselves feel better, and those happy with the results may spend because it feels like a reward,” she said.

How do you curb doom spending?

Evans says the first step is self-awareness. Understanding your beliefs surrounding money and where they stem from can help you be more conscious of how you react to certain events and how they affect your spending habits.

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She also emphasized the importance of unplugging and taking a step back from a pervasive internet culture.

“You literally need to go outside sometimes. Be in nature and just remind yourself that there is a world beyond the screen,” she said.

From there, she says that consumers can take steps to prevent destructive financial behaviors by engaging in other coping strategies to take their minds off their worries.

That might be as simple as going for a walk or calling a friend, or it might be something more active, like signing up for a class.

“If you can afford to spend, go ahead. But if you find yourself consistently putting yourself over your budget or feeling uncomfortable, then that’s the time to shift your behavior,” she said. “Recognize that you can get that dopamine hit from somewhere outside spending.”

CNN - doomspending after the election

[sophiamcdougall]

You're a reasonably informed person on the internet. You've experienced things like no longer being able to get files off an old storage device, media you've downloaded suddenly going poof, sites and forums with troves full of people's thoughts and ideas vanishing forever. You've heard of cybercrime. You've read articles about lost media. You have at least a basic understanding that digital data is vulnerable, is what I'm saying. I'm guessing that you're also aware that history is, you know... important? And that it's an ongoing study, requiring ... data about how people live? And that it's not just about stanning celebrities that happen to be dead? Congratulations, you are significantly better-informed than the British government! So they're currently like "Oh hai can we destroy all these historical documents pls? To save money? Because we'll digitise them first so it's fine! That'll be easy, cheap and reliable -- right? These wills from the 1850s will totally be fine for another 170 years as a PNG or whatever, yeah? We didn't need to do an impact assesment about this because it's clearly win-win! We'd keep the physical wills of Famous People™ though because Famous People™ actually matter, unlike you plebs. We don't think there are any equalities implications about this, either! Also the only examples of Famous People™ we can think of are all white and rich, only one is a woman and she got famous because of the guy she married. Kisses!"

Yes, this is the same Government that's like "Oh no removing a statue of slave trader is erasing history :(" You have, however, until 23 February 2024 to politely inquire of them what the fuck they are smoking. And they will have to publish a summary of the responses they receive. And it will look kind of bad if the feedback is well-argued, informative and overwhelmingly negative and they go ahead and do it anyway. I currently edit documents including responses to consultations like (but significantly less insane) than this one. Responses do actually matter. I would particularly encourage British people/people based in the UK to do this, but as far as I can see it doesn't say you have to be either. If you are, say, a historian or an archivist, or someone who specialises in digital data do say so and draw on your expertise in your answers. This isn't a question of filling out a form. You have to manually compose an email answering the 12 questions in the consultation paper at the link above. I'll put my own answers under the fold. Note -- I never know if I'm being too rude in these sorts of things. You probably shouldn't be ruder than I have been.

Please do not copy and paste any of this: that would defeat the purpose. This isn't a petition, they need to see a range of individual responses. But it may give you a jumping-off point.

Question 1: Should the current law providing for the inspection of wills be preserved?

Yes. Our ability to understand our shared past is a fundamental aspect of our heritage. It is not possible for any authority to know in advance what future insights they are supporting or impeding by their treatment of material evidence. Safeguarding the historical record for future generations should be considered an extremely important duty.

Question 2: Are there any reforms you would suggest to the current law enabling wills to be inspected?

No.

Question 3: Are there any reasons why the High Court should store original paper will documents on a permanent basis, as opposed to just retaining a digitised copy of that material?

Yes. I am amazed that the recent cyber attack on the British Library, which has effectively paralysed it completely, not been sufficient to answer this question for you.  I also refer you to the fate of the Domesday Project. Digital storage is useful and can help more people access information; however, it is also inherently fragile. Malice, accident, or eventual inevitable obsolescence not merely might occur, but absolutely should be expected. It is ludicrously naive and reflects a truly unpardonable ignorance to assume that information preserved only in digital form is somehow inviolable and safe, or that a physical document once digitised, never need be digitised again..At absolute minimum, it should be understood as certain that at least some of any digital-only archive will eventually be permanently lost. It is not remotely implausible that all of it would be. Preserving the physical documents provides a crucial failsafe. It also allows any errors in reproduction -- also inevitable-- to be, eventually, seen and corrected. Note that maintaining, upgrading and replacing digital infrastructure is not free, easy or reliable. Over the long term, risks to the data concerned can only accumulate.

"Unlike the methods for preserving analog documents that have been honed over millennia, there is no deep precedence to look to regarding the management of digital records. As such, the processing, long-term storage, and distribution potential of archival digital data are highly unresolved issues. [..] the more digital data is migrated, translated, and re-compressed into new formats, the more room there is for information to be lost, be it at the microbit-level of preservation. Any failure to contend with the instability of digital storage mediums, hardware obsolescence, and software obsolescence thus meets a terminal end—the definitive loss of information. The common belief that digital data is safe so long as it is backed up according to the 3-2-1 rule (3 copies on 2 different formats with 1 copy saved off site) belies the fact that it is fundamentally unclear how long digital information can or will remain intact. What is certain is that its unique vulnerabilities do become more pertinent with age."  -- James Boyda, On Loss in the 21st Century: Digital Decay and the Archive, Introduction.

Question 4: Do you agree that after a certain time original paper documents (from 1858 onwards) may be destroyed (other than for famous individuals)? Are there any alternatives, involving the public or private sector, you can suggest to their being destroyed?

Absolutely not. And I would have hoped we were past the "great man" theory of history. Firstly, you do not know which figures will still be considered "famous" in the future and which currently obscure individuals may deserve and eventually receive greater attention. I note that of the three figures you mention here as notable enough to have their wills preserved, all are white, the majority are male (the one woman having achieved fame through marriage) and all were wealthy at the time of their death. Any such approach will certainly cull evidence of the lives of women, people of colour and the poor from the historical record, and send a clear message about whose lives you consider worth remembering.

Secondly, the famous and successsful are only a small part of our history. Understanding the realities that shaped our past and continue to mould our present requires evidence of the lives of so-called "ordinary people"!

Did you even speak to any historians before coming up with this idea?

Entrusting the documents to the private sector would be similarly disastrous. What happens when a private company goes bust or decides that preserving this material is no longer profitable? What reasonable person, confronted with our crumbling privatised water infrastructure, would willingly consign any part of our heritage to a similar fate?

Question 5: Do you agree that there is equivalence between paper and digital copies of wills so that the ECA 2000 can be used?

No. And it raises serious questions about the skill and knowledge base within HMCTS and the government that the very basic concepts of data loss and the digital dark age appear to be unknown to you. I also refer you to the Domesday Project.

Question 6: Are there any other matters directly related to the retention of digital or paper wills that are not covered by the proposed exercise of the powers in the ECA 2000 that you consider are necessary?

Destroying the physical documents will always be an unforgivable dereliction of legal and moral duty.

Question 7: If the Government pursues preserving permanently only a digital copy of a will document, should it seek to reform the primary legislation by introducing a Bill or do so under the ECA 2000?

Destroying the physical documents will always be an unforgivable dereliction of legal and moral duty.

Question 8: If the Government moves to digital only copies of original will documents, what do you think the retention period for the original paper wills should be? Please give reasons and state what you believe the minimum retention period should be and whether you consider the Government’s suggestion of 25 years to be reasonable.

There is no good version of this plan. The physical documents should be preserved.

Question 9: Do you agree with the principle that wills of famous people should be preserved in the original paper form for historic interest?

This question betrays deep ignorance of what "historic interest" actually is. The study of history is not simply glorified celebrity gossip. If anything, the physical wills of currently famous people could be considered more expendable as it is likely that their contents are so widely diffused as to be relatively "safe", whereas the wills of so-called "ordinary people" will, especially in aggregate, provide insights that have not yet been explored.

Question 10: Do you have any initial suggestions on the criteria which should be adopted for identifying famous/historic figures whose original paper will document should be preserved permanently?

Abandon this entire lamentable plan. As previously discussed, you do not and cannot know who will be considered "famous" in the future, and fame is a profoundly flawed criterion of historical significance.

Question 11: Do you agree that the Probate Registries should only permanently retain wills and codicils from the documents submitted in support of a probate application? Please explain, if setting out the case for retention of any other documents.

No, all the documents should be preserved indefinitely.

Question 12: Do you agree that we have correctly identified the range and extent of the equalities impacts under each of these proposals set out in this consultation? Please give reasons and supply evidence of further equalities impacts as appropriate.

No. You appear to have neglected equalities impacts entirely. As discussed, in your drive to prioritise "famous people", your plan will certainly prioritise the white, wealthy and mostly the male, as your "Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin and Princess Diana" examples amply indicate. This plan will create a two-tier system where evidence of the lives of the privileged is carefully preserved while information regarding people of colour, women, the working class and other disadvantaged groups is disproportionately abandoned to digital decay and eventual loss. Current and future historians from, or specialising in the history of minority groups will be especially impoverished by this.  

[ambrosiagourmet]

Every time I revisit chapter 86 and the events right after the group talks Marcille down, I'm always struck by this bit here:

In particular, how similar it is to this:

The Winged Lion ate the same desire in both of them, more or less (I'm sure there are some nuances in both flavor and intent, but they are clearly similar things here). The Lion basically used this technique to kill Thistle, and for Marcille it was... not insignificant, but something she and her friends overcame without even fully realizing it was an obstacle.

I feel like this is another small piece of the story that shows how important support and love are - in navigating mental illness, in dealing with abuse or addiction, or in working through any other similar struggle that can be read into the Lion and his eating of desires.

It almost feels like Marcille was able to borrow the desires of her friends. She loves them and she trusts them, so even when she didn't have a desire to free herself from the Lion, the care they had for her well being still mattered to her.

It's the same thing later, with her hair.

She isn't able to notice the way her messy hair is making things harder, let alone do anything about it. But when Chilchuck points it out and then braids it back for her...

It's better. She likes it, things are easier now. Even though it isn't a desire she can feel for herself, it's not something that doesn't effect her. And because her friends care - because they know her well enough to notice the difference - she is given the chance to have a preference and to ask for their help.

We can obviously see some parallel ideas here with Mithrun and Kabru as well, but I'd also like to point out that Thistle gets this grace, too. Thistle, who had no one to help him up once he lost his will to resist, or to encourage him to find new desires once the Lion ate them all.

Thistle says he doesn't need anything, anymore...

But he is given an apology anyways.

It is not a kindness he desires. It is not a kindness he is able to ask for.

But it is a kindness that helps. It is a kindness that matters.