#i am aware i have a few Christian followers just be aware this is my experience with religion and i do not hate you

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Thank U

Warnings: non/dubcon, mentions of crime, violenc, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale version)

Summary: you try to thank the vigilante who saved your life.

In the same universe as Home Sweet Home

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

‘To Batman’ 

No, that sounds ridiculous. All of this is just absurd. You don’t really think this will go anywhere but you just need to get the thoughts out. After a sleepless night, you need to put it somewhere before it boils over inside of you. 

You need to thank the man who saved you. If that’s what he is. He seems inhuman with all that he does for Gotham. 

‘My hero’ 

Ugh. New page. 

‘Hi. 

You don’t know me, but you saved my life. I know I’m not the only one and I hope I’m not the only one to say thanks. That’s what this is. I know it isn’t much but I’m not sure how else to do this. 

If you don’t remember me, that’s okay. I was walking home and there was a man following me. Then two. Then three. Then you were there. 

And just as quick, you were gone and so were they. I didn’t get the chance to thank you but I got home safe. Because of you. 

Batman. My hero. 

I owe you my life. 

Stay safe. 

Just another Gotham citizen.’ 

You reread the letter and cringe. What are you doing? You’re crazy. Is this pick-me energy? 

Ugh. You just can’t get over it. Your heart races every time the scene plays out in your head. Those men, their footfalls echoing yours, getting closer and closer, penning you in as they came at you from all sides. 

Your shoulders rose as you shrunk down and braced yourself for a heedless fight. Then the sudden flapping, the crash and crunch of violence, the shadows at battle against the brick wall as you stood by helplessly. Then the silence and his grizzled command. 

‘Go home.’ 

You ran all the way there. You didn’t look back or stop. And you didn’t sleep. You couldn’t. The dregs of adrenaline are still in you. 

Fatigue finally sets in as the sun rises. You fold up the letter and slide it into and envelope. You don’t expect this to go well. You don’t know what you’re doing. 

You’re in the same clothes as the night before. You feel like you’ve been frozen. That night fogs around you like a cloud. So close... it could’ve been so much worse. You could have been another news story. Another body in and alley. 

You walk down to the precinct. You stare at the doors for a while before you make yourself enter. The last time you went there, the only time, they wouldn’t even file a report about the man who sleeps outside your apartment door. He went away though... just a few days later. 

You go up to the counter. 

“Hi, erm, I need to get this to Commissioner Gordon.” You say. 

The uniformed officer doesn’t look up. He laughs.  

“It’s just a letter,” you plead. 

“Girl, you’re wasting everyone’s time right now,” the man doesn’t look away from the computer screen. 

“Please,” you hold the envelope through the little gap under the thick plastic window. 

“What’s this? A love letter?” He scoffs. 

“Joe, don’t be a dick,” another officer approaches and takes the letter. “I’ll give it to him.” 

“Oh, thank you so much,” you preen. 

“Don’t know if he’ll read it,” he mutters. 

“He just needs to look on the outside,” you point. 

He flips the envelope and reads your writing; ‘Batman, c/o Commissioner Gordon’. He tilts his head as he looks up at you. He shrugs. 

“Whatever, it’s a reason to stretch my legs,” he wiggles the letter between his fingers. “Have a good day, ma’am.” 

“Thanks, officer.” 

You turn and scurry out of the precinct. You don’t think the caped crusader will ever see that letter but at least you tried. It might not help you sleep at night, but it will be one less thing keeping you awake. 

[literaryvein-reblogs]

even more "troublesome" words

barbaric, barbarous

Barbaric - properly used, emphasizes crudity and a lack of civilizing influence.

A sharpened stick might be considered a barbaric implement of war.

Barbarous - stresses cruelty and harshness and usually contains at least a hint of moral condemnation, as in “barbarous ignorance” and “barbarous treatment.”

B.C.

Always goes after the year (e.g., 42 B.C.)

Usually set in small caps

Some texts employ B.C.E. (for “Before Christian Era” or “Before Common Era”) as a more secular alternative

besides

Means also or in addition to, not alternatively

Partridge cites this incorrect use: “The wound must have been made by something besides the handle of the gearlever.” Make it “other than.”

between you and I

The rule is that the object of a preposition should always be in the accusative.

More simply, we don’t say “between you and I” for the same reason that we don’t say “give that book to I” or “as Tom was saying to she only yesterday.”

A similar gaffe is seen here:

“He leaves behind 79 astronauts, many young enough to be the children of he and the others” (Daily Mail). Make it “of him.”

can, may

Can - applies to what is possible

May - applies to what is permissible

You can drive your car the wrong way down a one-way street, but you may not.

Despite the simplicity of the rule, errors are common, even among experts.

Here is William Safire writing in the New York Times on the pronunciation of junta: “The worst mistake is to mix languages. You cannot say joonta’ and you cannot say ‘hunta.’ ” But you can and quite easily. What Mr. Safire meant was that you may not or should not or ought not.

cardinal numbers, ordinal numbers

Cardinal numbers - denote size but not rank: one, two, three, etc.

Ordinal numbers - that denote position: first, second, third, etc.

cement, concrete

The two are not interchangeable

Cement - a constituent...

of concrete, which also contains sand, gravel, and crushed rock.

centrifugal, centripetal force

Centrifugal force - pulls away from

Centripetal force - draws toward

climactic, climatic, climacteric

Climactic - appearing at a climax (“the climactic scene in a movie”);

Climatic - having to do with climate and weather (“the climatic conditions of the Brazilian rain forest”);

Climacteric - a noun signifying a time of important change and is most commonly applied to the menopause.

condone

The word does not mean to approve or endorse, senses that are often attached to it.

It means to pardon, forgive, overlook.

You can condone an action without supporting it.

connote, denote

Denote - to convey information.

Connote - describes additional aspects that follow from what is denoted.

My frown as I approach the house might denote to an interested onlooker that I am unhappy, but connote that I have just spotted the large new dent on the rear passenger door of the family car.

contagious, infectious

Diseases spread by contact are contagious.

Those spread by air and water are infectious.

Used figuratively (“contagious laughter,” “infectious enthusiasm”), either is fine.

contemptible, contemptuous

Contemptible - deserving contempt.

Contemptuous - bestowing it.

A contemptible offer may receive a contemptuous response.

continual, continuous

Continual - things that happen repeatedly but not constantly.

Continuous - an uninterrupted sequence.

However, few readers will be aware of this distinction, and the writer who requires absolute clarity will generally be better advised:

to use incessant or uninterrupted for continuous and

intermittent for continual.

criteria, criterion

‘The sole criteria now is personal merit,’ an immigration official said” (Independent).

She should have said criterion.

Remember: one criterion, two criteria.

Source More: On Grammar & Vocabulary

[vamptarot]

What Is Tarot?

— an educational post

— ⭑.ᐟ I am aware many people have made posts like this before, however I still felt like creating my own take on it. What inspired me was a post where someone stated that tarot is fictional. Which is incredibly incorrect. Being misinformed is of course, fine, but they said it with such utmost arrogance and confidence that it annoyed me a little. If you are misinformed, not even educated on tarot as a whole, what gives you the right to be a tarot reader? You cannot guide people if you, yourself are wrong and have incorrect information and assumptions. That is what I would have liked to tell them, but unfortunately due to my then circumstances I did not. I also would like to follow the word of God, and He says to act with love, not hatred. So, instead of calling them out and possibly causing an unnecessary argument, I have decided to educate those who might be curious or confused about what tarot actually is as a whole. It’s your choice if you read this or not. I also won’t go into themes of religion, this will strictly be focused on tarot. I just wanted to share what’s on my mind. not proof read.

what is tarot?

Actually, my dearest, tarot was created in the 1430s - 1450s and was first called tarocchi. It’s a game similar to bridge.

They were created in Northern Italy, Milan. Although at the time it was a game, it was still considered a luxury. The cards were hand painted for wealthy people, not necessarily due to them finding joy in it, but rather to reflect their status. It was a symbol of being wealthy.

Although nowadays the standard of a tarot deck is 78 cards it started off with 56 cards, from which the fool was the odd one out, a wild card. - If you have a hard time understanding, think of the joker card from solitaire. -

It was only used as a form of divination at the beginning of the 18th century, aka the 1700s.

Now, there are several reasons whys this has happened, but I will try my best to explain it to you in simple terms. - Although I won’t be able to go into every detail as these topics are very complex and have a rich history behind them, so please keep that in mind. -

In the early 1700s French occultists made claims about their meaning and history. They were confident in their skills, abilities and knowledge. Due to them grabbing people’s attention this led to people making custom cards for the usage of cartomancy.

At these times Romani and Sinti people were heavily discriminated against. They weren’t allowed to settle, work, buy a house and were banned from most public spaces including ones where one can buy food and such. All because they originated from India. So, as a means to keep alive they turned to earning money with divination, creating opportunities for themselves in order to live.

Another reason for tarot in a form of divination becoming popular is due to conservative Christian’s spreading the misinformation of it being related to Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition. Of course, that is not true, never was and never will be. However, they are said to have some parallels. That is as far as it goes though.

Now, you could be thinking to yourself, ‘if it was a game, then it’s not a real divination.’ You are wrong! Let me explain to you why!

Remember how I mentioned that originally it had 56 cards and was named tarocchi? It also originated in the 15th century. The tarot you know of today began in the 18th century, got popular in the 19th century. There is roughly about 300 years between the two events and tarot has evolved for 100 years. So one can argue they are completely different things. Even if they are not, that’s alright.

Objects created for non divination usage can still be used for divination despite the creator’s intent. I will present you with a few examples of this fact.

Some people use their passed on pet’s bones as a form of osteomancy. You throw em, if they touch it’s a yes, if they don’t it’s a no. Sounds pretty messed up, right? For some people at least, can’t guarantee everyone thinks the same. Regardless, that was a living being, a beloved pet. Yet, you can use it’s bones in order to practice spirituality.

If you watch youtube pick a cards this will be easier to understand, regardless, charms can be used as a form of divination. You draw different categories on a paper, throw charms at them, whatever it falls on will have a meaning to your question. Money charms on ‘future spouse’? They might as well be wealthy, or at least good with their money.

Or, if that’s not good enough think about witchcraft. You think every single little thing used for spells, jars, hexes and so on was created for the sole purpose of witchcraft? It wasn’t. Yet it works because it’s intentional, because the person doing them has talent for it, because they were gifted.

how do readers read tarot cards?

I will be honest with you, not all readers are gifted with being able to do so, but they sure believe they do. - Am I saying this out of pettiness? Perhaps, let me be. -

So, if you feel like something is off such as beating around the bush, being too nice, being too mean and so on please trust your gut. Not telling you to be mean to people or accuse them unprovoked, that’s something an @sshole does, and I know you are not one. - Watch out for AI readings though, they suck. -

Moving on, I would like to say that every single tarot reader reads their cards differently. Some only do by visuals, some only does so by meaning, some do by both!

Alongside this, every reader shuffles differently. Some let the cards fall out, some take whatever is on top, some take whatever is standing out of the deck, some let them fall and then organise them neatly.

There is many ways to do this. I personally let them fall out and consider both visuals and meanings simply because I believe that is the right thing to do. - One time, during a love reading they fell out in a heart. I thought that’s cute. - At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter much. I have had several friends with different methods than me give me really good and accurate readings. - Just be catious of people who spread it out and then pick the cards out themselves. -

The most important part is being gifted with claircognizance, or in other words having hella good intuition. - or “6th sense”, whatever you wanna call it. - I believe every reliable and accurate reader is gifted with this, regardless of them being aware or not. You can’t read tarot if you don’t understand what spirit is trying to tell you, let that be your own guides or anyone else’s. Perhaps even your tarot deck.

Often times though, this is not the only thing readers rely on. For instance, I have clairaudience, clairvoyance and clairtypity. I can hear, see and feel what you would during whatever situation I read for you. This is not unique to me at all, every reader has at least one of these, and usually several. I even saw people with clairgustance and clairalience! They can taste and smell what you would! Isn’t that awesome?~ I personally think it’s fascinating, it’s not something that I have ever experienced. It’s cool that there are people out there who can do this.

So, tarot readers read your situation with the help of your spirit guides and their own spiritual gifts that they carry within themselves. As for habits and methods, it varies from person to person.

That is a reason why so many different tarot decks exist! Different people are called to different things. - Plus it’s cool -

how do tarot readings work?

This is the main reason why this post was made.. let’s get into it.

You already know how readers guide you, so I will tell you how do the readings themselves work. What else are they based on. Honestly, the best way I will be able to tell this to you is with examples, so that’s what I will do. Maybe someone else can tell you in a much more detailed and specific manner, but I am not them.

Tarot always reads your current energy. You can look into the past with it, but regardless it reads your current state of mind, thoughts, views, feelings and behaviours.

If you read a pick a card or personal reading that is based on the future - ex.; future spouse - then it will still read on your current energy.

For example let’s say you ask ‘when will I meet my future spouse?’ but you stay inside all day, then it will obviously be a few years or so. However, if the next day you decide to go out more or just put yourself out there in the world more and actually commit to it this can reduce to months.

If it’s a reading on your past then the cards will pick up on what still impacts you, whether you are aware of it or not. Let’s say you ask about your first kiss, how will it be like? Your cards could say that it won’t be as romantic as you think because this and that situation still impacts you.

I sincerely hope that you get the point, as I did my best to explain it.

Yet, there is still a question, ‘if someone is talented, why did that one reading turn out inaccurate?’ well because things change my dear.

If you were to ask me now about the appearance of your future spouse I could say they have brown hair and be correct, but they could go ahead and dye it red 15 minutes after I said that.

Things change constantly all the time and there is nothing we can do about it. That’s just life. It’s hard to hear, it’s hard to swallow, but it’s something we have to accept at some point in time. We can control some things, but not everything.

Change is inevitable.

There is good sides of it, and there is bad. You just gotta live and let others do the same.

Now, for pick a cards it’s slightly different. Maybe, genuinely, something is just not meant for you and you are just meant to ignore that. Maybe it’s for the blond teen in Canada who is asking about that one cute boy in her class. If you read a pick a card reading that is accurate but there is that one thing that doesn’t make sense, consider that means something to someone else. It’s not a personal reading.

That is why disclaimers like ‘take it with a grain of salt’ and ‘leave what doesn’t resonate’ exist. Yes, some people take advantage of it and that’s bad, but they were created with a good reason.

end note.

That is all I wanted to say, I believe. Although I made this post to get something bothersome off my mind I sincerely wish that someone out there has found it useful. My goal was truly to educate so if you know who the OP of the claim was just ignore them. Hating on people for enjoyment is not only immature but is going to have a negative effect on your body, mind and soul. Which I would not like. Please take care of yourselves! Thank you for reading.

[iwamaye2]

Chapter 2: Racing Hearts

Welcome back!!! thank you for the ongoing support it means the world to me! I am so glad y'all are loving the story as much as I love writing it. Once again my requests are open so feel free to submit them if you'd like. 18+ Content warnings is as follows: Romantic and Intimate Scenes, Parental Conflict, and Professional Rivalry.

The soft morning light filtered through the curtains of Toto's penthouse hotel room, casting a warm glow over the rumpled sheets. You stirred, your body nestled against Toto's, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his chest beneath your cheek. The events of the previous night played back in your mind - a whirlwind of passion and connection that left you feeling closer to him than ever before.

Toto's arm tightened around you as he began to wake up, his eyes slowly opening to meet yours. A sleepy smile spread across his face, and your's as well. "Good morning, beautiful," he murmured, his voice deep and husky from sleep. "Good morning," you replied, reaching up to brush a lock of hair from his forehead. "Last night was..." "Unforgettable," Toto finished, leaning in to kiss you softly. You said "I wish we could stay like this forever."You sighed deeply, knowing that the real world still awaited you both. "We have to get back to the paddock soon. But we can savor this moment a little longer Schatlzi." Toto also started tracing lazy patterns on your bare back. "Just a few more minutes," you agreed, Toto also pulling you closer. "I don't want to let you go libeling." Toto said. For a while, you layed there in each other's arms, the outside world long forgotten. But eventually, reality intruded, and you both reluctantly began to get ready for the day.

As you dressed, you shared a few stolen kisses and lingering touches, each one a promise of the moments you would steal away together sometime in the future. With a final kiss, you left the sanctuary of Toto's room discreetly, while heading back to your own team's hotel inconspiculesspley. The next upcoming race weekend loomed ahead, filled with the possibility of more challenges and opportunities, but you felt a renewed sense of determination. Whatever obstacles that were sure to lay ahead, you were ready to face them with Toto by your side.

The Monaco Grand Prix was always a spectacle of glamour and fierce competition, but this year it felt even more charged. You navigated the paddock, trying to focus on your work despite the swirling emotions inside you. Being so close to Toto and keeping a your relationship a secret was becoming increasingly challenging. As the race weekend unfolded, Toto found himself constantly aware of your presence. He admired your professionalism and how seamlessly you handled the pressures of the paddock. Yet, every stolen glance and subtle touch you gave him made his desire to be open about your forbidden romantic relationship stronger.

During a late - night strategy meeting, you and Toto found a rare moment alone. The teams participating had then dispersed after, leaving the two of you alone, and surrounded by data screens, and racing simulations. "I can't stop thinking about you Toto," you admitted, your voice soft and filled with emotion." Toto smiled, feeling the same pull. "Me too Mien Libeling," but we have to be careful; your father is already seeming to grow more suspicious." "You sighed softly," Toto running a hand through his hair. "I know, but hiding like this is killing me. I want to be able to hold your hand in public, to kiss you without having to constantly look over my shoulder." Toto reached out, holding your hand gently. "Well'll find a way Schatlzi. We just need to be patient a little while longer."

The next morning, as you reviewed the latest telemetry data, your father, Christian, approached you with a stern expression deeply visible on his face. "I've noticed you spending a lot of time in the Mercedes garage lately," he said, not bothering to try and hide his suspicion. You tried to keep your voice steady. "I'm just doing my job, Dad. Analyzing our competition. Just like you asked." Christians eye's narrowed. "Just remember where your loyalties lie. Toto Wolff is not someone who should be trusted." You nodded, feeling the weight of his words. "I know, Dad. I won't let you down, I promise." But as your father walked away, you couldn't help but feel the tension between your professional duties and your personal desires.

Later that evening, you and Toto managed to slip away quietly from the paddock to the quiet seclusion of your hotel room. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation as you both took a moment to breathe, away from the prying eyes and the relentless pace of the race weekend. Toto pulled you into his arms, his touch sending a shiver down your spine. "Finally, some peace," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. You looked up at him, your heart racing. "Ive missed this. Missed you." His lips meet yours in a kiss that started gentle but quickly turned passionate. The tension and longing of the past few days melted away as you lost yourselves in each other. Toto's hands roamed your body, pulling you closer, deepening the connection you already shared. Breaking the kiss, he rested his forehead against yours. "I don't want to hide anymore either." "Me neither," you whispered, your breath mingling with his. "But like you said Toto we have to be careful. For now." Toto nodded, you both trying to understand the delicate balance you both had to maintain. "We'll find a way. Together." Toto spoke. The night was a blur of whispered words and shared touches, each moment reinforcing the bond between you. In the quiet of your hotel room, away from the chaos of the race, you found solace in each other, your love a sanctuary amidst the chaos of the impending storm.

The following day, back in the paddock, you and Toto were able to steal a brief, passionate kiss in a quiet corner, the intensity of your feelings undeniable. The world outside faded away, leaving just the two of you in the stolen moment. As you pulled away, your heart still pounding, you whispered "We have to be careful." "I know Libeling," Toto replied, his eyes dark with emotion. "But you're worth the risk."

Reflecting on your relationship, you couldn't help but smile. Despite the challenges and the secrecy, your feelings for Toto only grew stronger. You knew the road ahead wouldn't be easy, but you were ready to face whatever came your way, as long as you had him by your side. Your father Christian, on the other hand, seemed determined to interfere. He couldn't understand your feelings for Toto a man older than him, and triple your age, and was deeply intent on keeping you focused on your work and away from the man he considered his biggest rival and enemy.

"Don't let him distract you," Your father would say, his voice firm. "Stay focused on the team, on the race." You nodded, outwardly agreeing, but your heart was already set on Toto. No matter how hard your father tried to sway you, your feelings were already unshakeable. You were in love, and nothing, not even the fierce rivalry between Red Bull and Mercedes or Toto Wolff and Christian Horner, could ever change that.

[youcouldmakealife]

Do you ever mix up names? I love your stories, but I am shit at names and as your pantheon/league grows I find myself increasingly turned around by all the north american dude names (first, last, AND hockey nicknames!!!). I can usually keep track of the on-going series names and names that are less common in North America (Kiro, Sven), but if I'm reading, say, an ask or rereading I usually have remind myself who is who first.

I don't mix them up between themselves and other characters in either a similar name way (James vs Jake, say) or roles (mixing up say, Wheels and Craney and Matty).

(This got so long and off topic, why does this always happen)

What I do mix up is sort of more of a...muscle memory thing, maybe? I'm writing the word, say, gorgeous, and I have to delete georgieous first, because my fingers apparently have become a phone's autocorrect function. I actually did write James as Jake a few times when I was deep deep in editing BTT, but again, it was just sort of like...an autofill error between my brain and my fingers.

The names themselves I'm pretty good with, though I do worry about whether I'll continue to be as a) the pantheon continues to expand (I love this by the way, and now I'm probably going to spend the rest of my evening mentally assigning characters places in the pantheon) and b) I get older. And both things seem pretty inevitable to me.

Unfortunately, the two things I appear to have in common with Leo Tolstoy are brevity and 'these people have three names, and I'm going to use them all interchangeably'. (ie Vinny is Thomas to himself, but Vinny to literally everybody else including me. And sometimes Tommy but only to Anton and his parents and only sometimes. Anton's alternately Anton, Petrov, Tony to Vinny and teammates, or Antosha to his family.)

I'd honestly apologise for it but it's one of those things that's really inextricable from the sort of...falling into a perspective way that I write, the same way I write in American English for American characters and Canadian English for Canadians, or use Christian (and specifically Catholic) references in Robbie or Georgie's POVs but never, say, Mike's or David's, unless we count Mike's very liberal usage of the word goddamn (and it's lowercase with him, but it'd be Goddamn to Robbie.)

And the different vocabularies extends to names. Like William Dineen is William to Robbie, he specifically asked to be called that when he was a teenager who wanted to feel more adult, and Robbie respected that then and continues to now. Georgie respected it in another way -- he was Willy to him, and now he uses Will, which William is fine with, but only with immediate family.

But in the text itself Georgie would never use William, because it'd feel distant to him, and Robbie would never use Will because he'd consider that disrespectful after William specifically requested to be called that, and me choosing one or the other wouldn't be in character, so he's Will and he's William, but never Willy (that's Tate Williams).

I make this all sound like a much more conscious process than it is. A lot of this stuff I've only figured out via metacognition of my writing process, which is, by necessity, done in hindsight.

My original answer to questions like 'why did you do _____ that way?' is invariably '*shrug* felt right', and people tend to find that...unsatisfying, so I often investigate further, and the answer becomes 'felt right because of <this reason I was in no way consciously aware of during the writing process>'. As I've said to my poor beleaguered editor, a lot of my writing process is 'just vibes'. I follow good vibes. Bad vibes tell me something's not working, and I adjust accordingly. I think a lot (I cannot tell you how many times I've been accused of overthinking things), but when it comes to writing, most of it's happening beyond my own perception, so instead it feels more like gut instinct. (which is, indeed, what gut instinct often boils down to: pattern recognition going on beneath one's conscious awareness)

[seokstrivia]

Written In Pages

Summary: Sometimes, it’s for the best, 

Work!AU | KHH M.List | Word count: 2.4K

Boss Christian Yu x Writer Reader - angst, old feelings, exes, new love vs old love, drama(?)

After slamming your laptop shut for the umpteenth time, you groaned in irritation and took the last sip of your wine.

Your dream job was to write articles for a magazine, specifically inspiring stories about everyday life situations. You disliked writing about new cafes and hotspots to visit in Seoul, South Korea on a hot summer day. Your boss, Christian Yu, was someone you despised.

You let out a sigh as you leaned back on your couch, feeling exhausted from working for long hours and staring at a bright screen. Despite the fatigue, you were able to enjoy the peacefulness of your apartment which was quietly enveloped by the sound of light rain tapping against the tall windows that offered a view of the brightly lit city at night. The cityscape was a sight to behold, with buildings and cars stretching out as far as the eye could see, and you found it captivating.

It felt surreal.

You struggled with the idea of writing this article for a while, but now, as it is almost 3 am, you just want to finish it and move on, without having to worry about it anymore.

You worked tirelessly on your article all night, only the clicking of your keyboard keeping you company. As the sky began to lighten just before 5 am, you finally completed your 12th and hopefully final draft. After sending it to your boss, you collapsed into your bed, exhausted.

—>

“Wow, you look like shit.”

“Shut up, Dabin,” you scowled while you pointed a pen at him, almost as if threatening to hurt him if he said another word. “I was up late working on an article.”

“Again?”

As you nodded your head, a yawn escaped your lips, but Dabin didn't seem too impressed. He was aware of your writing skills, and he knew that Ian, his best friend, also recognized your talent. Despite this, Ian never allowed you to demonstrate your best writing abilities.

It annoyed him.

“Do you want me to speak to...“

“No,” you cut him off knowing exactly what he was going to ask. It was his favourite question. “It’s fine.”

Dabin suspiciously leaned over you, face a lot closer than you were comfortable with, and stared into your eyes as if they had a different answer to the one you’d given him.

It made you laugh.

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” you genuinely smiled as you pushed his face away from yours.

The two of you discussed where to go for lunch and what you were in the mood for, which varied daily.

“Y/N, can I see you in my office?”

The sudden voice behind you caused you to drop the smile on your face. You quickly locked eyes with Dabin before shifting to see your boss standing behind you.

Ian didn't give you time to respond to his question since he was already on his way back to his office. His strides were long and swift as you hurriedly followed behind.

A sigh escaped your lips as you thought about all the terrible things he might say about the draft you sent just a few hours ago.

Christian's office exuded a sense of sophistication and elegance with its predominantly black theme. The black furniture and décor complemented the black walls, creating a sleek and modern atmosphere. The aesthetic aligned perfectly with Christian's personal style, which is characterized by his sharp black suits, crisp white shirts, and multiple decorated tattoos. Overall, the office was a reflection of Christian's impeccable taste and attention to detail.

There’s no denying that he was a handsome man. 

“Do you enjoy working here?”

His voice was firm and almost intimidating, but it was nothing that you weren't accustomed to.

“Ye—“

“Answer me honestly,” he interrupted.

An exasperated sigh escaped your lips as he once again failed to listen.

It was annoying. 

You gazed out of the window, avoiding eye contact as the rain poured heavily over the city. It was ironic that you had just written an article on what to do on a hot summer day.

“Y/N—“

"Ian," you sighed, interrupting him as he had interrupted you earlier. "I don't hate working here, and I want you to know that. I genuinely enjoy the people and the work that I do. But it feels like you never give me a fair chance to show you how good I am, or how much I love being here."

As you stood up, your eyes met Christian's dark and mysterious ones. You never really understood him, as he always kept his distance. Even when you were dating, he never let you get too close.

His eyes reminded you of the heartbreak you felt when he told you he needed to focus on work and being a boss. There was no sadness or remorse in his expression. He was emotionless.

You subconsciously took a step back as he took one towards you, both caught off guard. You were afraid of falling for him again, especially after the pain he had caused you.

“I think maybe I should find another company to write for.”

“No.”

“Ian—“

“Y/N,” his voice was stern. Cold. “I said no.”

A deep chuckle reverberated in his office. You stepped back and crossed your arms, "It's not up to you. I can do what I want."

He knew you were right, but he didn't want you to leave. He had already given you up once.

Here's a clearer version of the text:

"Will you stay if I let you write your own story?" he asked, trying to offer a bribe.

"Why?" you questioned him, catching him off guard. He had hoped that you would just say yes and leave it at that.

There was an uncomfortable silence as he stood his ground, looking at you intently, but he didn't offer an explanation.

He was being stubborn.

After a while, you looked away from him and said, "I'll stay. See you around, Mr. Yu."

Christian watched as you left his office. He let you walk away.

Again.

—>

It was another late night in the office. Ian had finally given you the green light to write your own story - something exciting, new, and inspiring. However, you were struggling to come up with an idea. You didn't have any unique experiences to discuss, except for your own heartache and the pain you had gone through, along with the emotions you had felt.

It had been more than a year since Ian had broken up with you. Now, you were in a much better place emotionally, and seeing him around the office didn't hurt as much as it did when the wound was still fresh.

Your experience of getting over a breakup could serve as a source of inspiration for many individuals out there who may be going through the same thing. You could write about how you coped with the situation and be honest in your narrative. The idea is to make your readers relate to you and feel that they are not alone in the world and that going through a breakup is a common experience that everyone faces at least once in their lifetime.

As you were lost in thought, a voice interrupted you, asking "How are you getting on?"

You glanced up to see Dabin holding a box of fried chicken and a pack of four beers. You couldn't help but smile as your stomach growled in hunger. You were grateful for your best friend's arrival.

"Thank god for you," you exclaimed, feeling much better now. "I'm starving."

The two of you were quick to get settled into the couches in the staff room; away from computers and cubicles and depressing grey walls.

"This is delicious," you moaned as you took another bite.

Dabin laughed in return, "I'm glad I can help during times like this."

Dabin was a really good friend.

"So, how's your writing coming along?" He asked.

"Fine."

Nodding his head, he asked, "what's it about?"

You took a sip of your drink before turning to face Dabin. It was obvious what he was doing.

"You can let Ian know the article's content will be revealed in my final draft, okay?"

"How did you know I was asking for him?"

You lay back on the couch, sighing as your eyes stared at the plain white ceiling. Dabin followed suit, resting his shoulder neatly against yours.

It was quiet.

There was nobody else in the building except for the two of you. Normally, nobody stayed back late. However, you enjoyed staying late because of the peaceful and quiet atmosphere. The lights would turn off automatically on a timer, leaving you with a breath-taking view of Seoul from above.

Being on the top floor definitely had its perks.

"He didn't want to end things with you, but he had no choice. He misses you," Dabin finally spoke.

You avoided eye contact and stated, "Everyone has a choice."

You were in a three-year relationship with Ian before he broke up with you. As time went on, your love for him grew stronger and you were convinced that he was the one.

But no.

On a frigid winter night, he arrived at your doorstep and broke up with you. Declaring that his work was his priority and that he wanted to become a boss his father could be proud of.

So, he married his job instead.

It was a horrible experience that left you feeling utterly shattered. A heavy weight seemed to sit on your chest, and no matter what you did, you couldn't shake off the feeling. You cried yourself to sleep that night, and dealing with the aftermath was so difficult that you had to take a month off work. Seeing him again was too much to bear after feeling so broken.

"I thought he was the one, Dabin," you expressed. "But after he broke up with me, I realized that I didn't really know him. He never let me get close to him, and he never opened up to me. I was blindly in love."

Dabin looked at you with sad eyes; it was the first time you had openly talked about your breakup.

->

Saturdays were your favourite day of the week. You could sleep in as long as your stomach allowed before getting too hungry. You didn't have anything on your to-do list. It was a day just for you to relax, unwind, and not think about anything or anyone for that matter.

However, on this particular Saturday, instead of being awakened by hunger, you were awakened by the doorbell.

You were confused as to who was turning up at your apartment this early on a Saturday. You quickly got out of bed, grabbed your slippers and dressing gown and headed to the door.

You didn't think to look through the peephole before opening the door.

"Hey."

His voice was deep.

"What are you doing here?" You blurted out before thinking.

Ian.

He ran his hand through his hair.

Then sighed. Deeply.

"Can we talk?"

You stared at him, completely gobsmacked. What the hell was he doing here?

"Ian, please go home," you declared, your voice quavering. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

He didn't allow you to close the door as he barged in and let it slam shut behind him.

"Please," he begged.

You witnessed an unusual display of emotion in his gaze, something completely foreign to you in all the time you'd known him.

This was new, and you were in shock. It was so unlike him to do this.

"There's nothing to talk about," you declared, finally breaking the silence.

Ian sighed again, except this time, he sounded annoyed, "just give me five minutes of your time. Please."

Upon not wanting to argue, you silently nodded and sat on your couch, wondering what he wanted to discuss.

"Dabin spoke to me," he began. "He told me about how I made you feel."

"Okay? And?"

"Do you hate me?"

You scoffed. Was he serious? This is what he wanted to ask you?

"No, Ian. I don't hate you," you said honestly. "But I don't like you either."

He rolled his eyes, and you smiled smugly.

"Ian, please get to the point," you stated, your annoyance palpable. He was ruining your favourite day of the week.

"If I proposed, would you have married me?" Ian asked as he sat next to you on the couch.

The shock in your eyes didn't go unnoticed.

You let out a nervous chuckle and moved away from him. He was sitting too close to you, which made you feel uneasy. It had been a year since the two of you had been this close to each other, and you didn't like it.

"Ian, we're not a good match-"

"But would you have said yes?"

As you felt your heart beating harder against your chest, you began to feel nauseous and the sensation of wanting to throw up arose.

Why was he asking you this all of a sudden?

"Y/N, would you have said-"

"Shut up!" you snapped, taking a few steps back as you stood up. "You always have to have your own way, win arguments- even need to get the last word in. God forbid anyone says anything to you."

You were pacing the room, but he was listening for once.

He was actually listening.

"We were together for three years, I loved you unconditionally and fell more in love with you every day. It wasn't until you broke up with me that I realised I'd been dating a fucking rock."

"Y/N, I'm so sorry" he apologised as he stood up.

"Save it," you sighed.

His eyes searched yours, seeking answers, searching for any sign of love.

"I would have said yes. Of course, I would've" you told him honestly. His lips curved into a smile, but faltered when you added, "but not now."

He didn't say anything except, 'sorry' before leaving, making sure to slam the door shut behind him. Except this time, he was the one who was walking away and you were the one who let him.

That night you decided to quit your job, there was no way that it was healthy for either of you to go on like this.

He didn't question it this time or stop you, he didn't even look at you. Your words had hurt him just like he'd hurt you. This wasn't what you wanted, but realistically what else could you do?

It just wasn't written in pages for you two to be together.

And maybe, that was okay.

->

A/N Pls go easy on me with this, its my first time writing since being on my long ass hiatus, but I hope you still enjoyed <3 xoxo

[dear-ao3]

Re your RB cursed second seat post, just wanted to add a few things and make a couple of corrections because this stuff really does add to the uh... flavour

First, while I know it's not entirely relevant, the whole Racing Point driver swap was SO MUCH more dramatic because Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon are like. Besties. Like BFF friends forever since childhood. Poor son of mechanic and rolling in cash son of billionaire true friendship story. Esteban was fired in favour of his best friend, by his BEST FRIEND'S DAD. PEAK drama. They're still besties, bee tee dubs, because Esteban only makes enemies with his teammates.

F1 Invisible Moustache Twirling Supervillain Christian Horner also has a history of 'we're fully supportive [x driver] to be the best they can be and have no intention of changing our driver line up' and then oops, sorry. We lied. Like... five minutes later. Happened to Gasly, happened to Albon, and the former is currently where we're at with Checo. Christian has admitted that they were too hasty with Albon but oh dear how sad too bad boy's thriving now oopsie doopsie.

Also not forgetting that while Daniel was twiddling his thumbs waiting for his metacarpal to heal, Liam Lawson, the AT and RB reserve, got the highest placing position for the Alpha Tauri team this season (up until Mexico, anyway) while driving in Daniel's seat, and also threw himself into the RB second driver conversation.

And a couple of minor corrections:

DR didn't just leave RB because of the unreliability, it was more about being pushed aside for Golden Child Max Verstappen (affectionate, maybe slightly derogatory), which of course he knows all about because DR did the same thing to Vettel back in 2014. Who also had experience in that field because you could argue the cursed seat actually started with Mark Webber vs Seb Vettel back in like... 2010

Honda has been in F1 before. They sold to Brawn GP for the princely sum of one euro symbolic cash when they were going under, because Ross Brawn knew they'd built a MEGA car and couldn't bear to see them not run it for the 2009 season. Brawn GP won that year, it was Jenson Button's one and only championship win.

F1 drivers can't really go back to F2. If you've won it before, you can't compete again, but it's a feeder series so there's no way some ex-f1 driver is ever gonna be in F2 (or any of the lower formulas) because it's specifically for young talent. IDK maybe you meant Formula E? They also often go to WEC or IndyCar. Even rallying.

RB didn't give Checo another car at Suzuka he went out in the same car after they fixed it up enough for it to drive around one lap. Worth noting he was like 32 laps behind by this point (IDR the exact number but it was LORGE). spare cars haven't been a thing in F1 since 2008

Finally, the Fernando and Charles rumours are so fucking funny ain't no way either of them are gonna go to RB only to be a second to Max. I can see Carlos doing it though, trying for the grand return a-la DR. He's just Like ThatTM (affectionate, again also slightly derogatory). They've also been hardcore courting Lando Norris, who's way too smart and aware of his mental health to put himself into that depression spiral.

ANYWAY this isn't intended to be a big GOTCHA i just wanted to, as I said, add some extra flavour because F1 is so much more insane than anyone who doesn't follow it can POSSIBLY comprehend. Thanks for the post, I love seeing people explain the bonkers bullshittery.

yes yes thank you for pointing out all my mistakes and all that i j ew i was going to be getting Peer Reviewed (again, tumblr deleted my damn post so the first version was more accurate but i was pissed and i was also 1am so…) but yes. i am also new here in terms of the f1 drama. but yes it’s totally positively bonkers do you guys See now why fandom people are attracted to it???

[exxhaustedhope]

You can stop posting about how evil men are. Terfs aren’t going to invite you to their club if you’re Christian. Being a pick-me for them is just sad.

I’m guessing you’re referring to a few days ago when I made some posts about acknowledging women’s pain and suffering.

1) You should not use a dehumanizing term for a group of people just because you dislike them.

2) Enlighten me how any of what I have written indicates that I’m a pick-me. While you’re at it, enlighten me why I’ve garnered praise and never gotten disapproving asks on my old blog (with far more followers, was around for years) when I discussed men’s issues, but on this new one with only a few followers, I’ve gotten four passive-aggressive asks within days from my single-digit-note posts about how I’m frustrated that men have set a global standard of oppressing women and that Christians usually don’t acknowledge it.

Please do tell, anon.

I am well aware radical feminists do not care to speak with Christians. That’s fine, they have no such obligation. I wrote my thoughts and frustrations down because I wanted to express them somewhere where I hoped someone could talk with me about them with an open mind and heart. And some lovely women have privately spoken with and uplifted me while I was drowning in anger and despair.

I hope you move past whatever is bothering you so much. If you want to have an honest discussion we can; there’s no need to send passive-aggressive anonymous asks, or at least this one if you didn’t send the others. If you don’t want that, I suggest you stop looking at my blog. May God bless you.

If you’re a man who’s simply bitter that I no longer have wool over my eyes, I hope God changes you for the better. Work on recovering from that porn addiction and stop finding pleasure in women’s pain.

[thegodthief]

Sometimes the ritual is well documented in great detail beforehand. Sometimes it reveals itself as the time approaches.

Today is All Hallows' Eve. And while I'm not Christian anymore, this day holds weight on me. Some old, some recent, some picked up, some forced down.

My observance tonight is a private and personal one. But because reasons, there is a public component. This thread is part of that.

~ ~ ~

The original plan was the same as all the other observances before: A dark room, a glass of absinthe, silence.

I have the absinthe. I have the glass. I will have the dark room later. And noise-cancelling headphones will give me the silence I need. The day began with the calm that comes from knowing all my needs have already been met.

And then on the commute to work, as traffic does what it always does and I have space for idle thought, comes a reminder that I have black chime candles and a small black ceramic bowl that I have used as a candleholder before.

I pushed back against the thought. Since these observances began in 2019, I have never used candles. It has never been a requirement. The whole point of the matter is to be as devoid of pomp and circumstance as possible. To be fully exposed and unable to hide behind trivial procedure and distracting adornments.

But the thought became an image that slipped beside the awareness of the vehicles around me. The table, set with a glass of prepared absinthe, illuminated only by the light of the black candle standing free in the black ceramic bowl.

Okay, I conceded, that is a small candle with a burn time equal to the time I had set aside for tonight's ritual. Let it begin with the lighting of the candle as witness.

The thought stopped intruding and settled comfortably against my internal list of requirements for the night.

~ ~ ~

The commute continues and drags in more opportunity for reflection and planning. I will have to give an accounting tonight for how I spent the past six months. I have not done much. I have done some things but it does not feel like those things have been anything worthy of bragging about.

I kept myself alive when I didn't want to.

I sorted through the physical debris of other people's regrets.

I got the tattoo I have always wanted to get.

But what have I done as a witch? ...

I am afraid that what little I have will be taken from me for lack of use.

<<Then keep me, Master.>>

"Adiutor." My familiar. My secretary. My gift from Malphas who went silent months ago after some things shifted in my life. I had heard her voice only once recently, but my failure to follow through led to her continued silence. To be honest, I thought she was already gone.

But here was her tell, warming with attention.

<<This time, let me have a place at the table.>>

The image of the table slipped between barely moving cars to rest in my mind's eye. Except now the table held more than just a glass of absinthe and a balanced candle. Now the table was covered with a black cloth. At the back of the cloth was the candle and bowl. In the middle of the cloth was the glass of absinthe. To the side of the cloth was Adiutor's casket, unshrouded and exposed to the dark of the night.

Ya know... why not. "Okay." I was alone in the car so no one heard my response of acceptance of Adiutor's suggestion. Since she came into my life, she has accompanied my spirit for each witch-night since. So, why not have her physically present for once.

~ ~ ~

The traffic eased and all the vehicles began to pick up speed. In a few minutes, we were all ignoring the speed limit according to each driver's comfort levels. As I passed a certain landmark, I gestured a greeting. They don't speak to me anymore, but we both knew that the window for doing so was brief and fleeting anyway. But I know they're there and I will always greet them even if nothing happens after.

<<Master.>>

"Yes, Adiutor?"

<<When you place my casket upon the table, place [these things] atop it as well.>>

I furrowed my brow. "Why?" This smelled like aesthetic. Those things had never been requested nor required before. Why this time?

<<[These things] resonate with you. They will help you keep your footing.>>

"If they will help me keep my footing, then why are they to be placed atop your casket?"

<<Because my casket is also a footing-stone.>>

I didn't like the sound of that even though Adiutor has proven herself to be a sound anchor and guide for me since I received her. Something about it pricked at my pride. For all that I have gone through, for all the places that I have been, for all the means that I have been taken to and fro, why in any hell would I need to watch my footing, now?

And then I recalled what has happened in the literal year since the last All Hallows' Eve. The injuries and the wounds. The incident that should have killed me and the regret that followed surviving it. The betrayal of what I had faith in and the hollowing that almost devoured me.

I have been through a lot of shit.

And I'm tired.

But I'm still here.

I don't think I'm still here because I want to still be here. I'm not sure of that, even with the good things that have happened to me recently. I don't know if I go over yonder, if I won't find my way back if I don't have some sort of beacon or anchor to pull on.

"Okay. I'll put [those things] on your casket tonight."

~ ~ ~

The commute, unusually thick and slower than usual for this time of day, proves once again that it doesn't take much to throw itineraries off schedule. I am not far from my workplace, but sitting here in the middle of the freeway, I might as well be on the moon.

Isn't it a new moon? Spoopy.

<<Master.>>

Hearing her initiating voice a third time in under an hour made me suspect everything that had happened during the drive thus far. The first time I heard her voice, I confirmed it was her with a certain tell, but had neglected to verify her presence the second time. This time, I did not respond but pulled on the link that was established when I created her physical form.

The tell responded as clearly and as loudly as the day I completed her form. My familiar was calling for me. The least I could do was answer.

"Adiutor. You have my attention."

<<Master, with my casket on the left side of the table, that will create an imbalance. Place your obsidian mirror on its stand on the right side of the table.>>

If my eyebrow could raise any higher, it would get stuck in my hairline. Having something for the aesthetic is one thing, but the obsidian mirror is kept covered on purpose. It is the gate by which she entered her physical form. And it is the gate by which certain things have been expelled. The whole point of the ritual is surrender. This, I have learned the hard way.

I would have to trust whatever seizes me tonight, to keep that gate under control as well.

There is no promise that either of the two entities that I am hoping to invoke will be the one that snatches me. This too, I have learned the hard way.

"And which way should it be facing, Adiutor?"

<<It should be placed so that you see the candle in reflection, Master.>>

"... So, on the one night that I should be taking it careful, I'm to go full on, it seems."

<<Correct, Master.>>

"... Very well. I will place the obsidian mirror as such."

The traffic unclogs itself and the sprint for the off-ramp begins. I am too focused on getting into position for leaving the freeway to get into a discussion with a spirit about the dangers of leaving open portals unattended.

But once I get settled at work, I am seized by an irresistible urge to document what has happened thus far, even though technically nothing has happened. Perhaps it is the writer's impulse to record what I can because once the absinthe kicks in, there is no telling what I am going to remember, much less be permitted to record any of it for the public eye.

~ ~ ~

As I post this, it is the afternoon of All Hallows' Eve. I still have the rest of the workday to complete. Then a commute home. And then the true preparations can begin.

[pwecie]

The Republic of Latvia, Sky: Children of the Light, and the Power of Signs

Yeah, so, that was an out-of-pocket title. Anyway, hi! I’m Pwecie, it is currently 2:52 AM, and for the past 24 hours, this has been my life. Now, those who know me… and also those who don’t, all probably saw the title and are probably thinking “Pwe, did you fucking snort Focalin?” And the answer to that is, no, not yet.

Anyway, a little while back, I made this post to my alt blog:

To which my dear friend @unhonestlymirror saw the designs of the characters I drew and said:

To which I pretty much replied, “No shit Sherlock! Get the goddamn game!” (Lighthearted)

But then it got me thinking. Are these similarities surface-level, or is there something fundamentally similar about the clothing of the inhabitants of the kingdom, and a real-life place here on earth? So my ass did what anybody with autism would do and kept thinking about it ever since. What I found was honestly exciting and a little terrifying. What I mean is, I don’t know if the devs actually took inspiration from Baltic/Latvian tribes and history or if this is the BIGGEST fucking coincidence in the history of game design, but here’s what I discovered.

As many players both new and old have noticed, the clothing in sky more-or-less follows a general design motif in which most of the outfits have at least one common pattern out of 3: stripes, triangles, and a diamond, sometimes encased in two half-diamonds.

Much like the residents of Sky, Latvians have these design motifs, but they are much more numerous and intricate because, unlike Sky, reality doesn’t run on the hardware of a mobile device and is therefore not limited by data.

As you may have guessed, these designs, commonly known as “signs” each have their own distinctive meaning. Shit can range from the moon, to pagan deities, snakes, tons of shit. But for the sake of simplicity, we’re just going to be focusing on a few basic signs. To start, let's go with the repeating triangle symbol on the clothing of many of the residents of Sky

Dievs, also known as “God” represents the primary Baltic pagan deity of the same name and somehow the Christian God because of crusades and shit adding to the meaning. It is also important to mention that Dievs is the pagan Baltic god of many things, but most importantly in this case, the sky, light, prosperity, ruler of gods, and the creator of the universe.

Alternatively, there is another similar sign, this one being a row of triangles all connected at the corner with no bottom.

This is Māra’s water sign. It represents "The changeable, unsettled. Fleeting time. Ascendancy. Protector of life."

Light, rebirth, transience, life, and ascension are all central themes within Sky's story long before the player even started their journey. There are murals of this higher power made of light, either in the form of stars or the aquatic-looking light creatures that inhabit the land.

For those who know, there is a creature seen at the end of the game and throughout sky's concept development called "Megabird". It is a giant bird in space made of creatures of light and people who have ascended to the great beyond.

Considering that Megabird along with a lit candle and the literal fucking solar system is the last thing we see before we are reborn at the end of the game, being sent down to the earth as a ball of light in a shooting star, leads me to believe that the triangle symbol on the clothing of the people of Sky, players and NPCs alike, represent this abstract, non-humanoid, possibly non-sentient and non-self-aware power that rebirths souls and encompasses basically everything that is, that will be, and everything that has come before.

There is also another sign known as Māra’s earth sign, which is just a straight line.

The website describes it as "The material world. The land. The dark and unknown. Femininity and security." Aside from the fact that majority of Sky's playerbase is female, Sky has major themes of the consequences of pollution, the desire for power, and the fact that the semi-abstract physical representation of darkness serves as the main antagonist. This sign is commonly paired with an inverted Dievs in Latvian culture, representing the mirror of Dievs. I'm just going to assume that means darkness and/or the earth. However, I don't think that the people of sky would worship the thing that literally likely killed everyone and turned them into spirits, and the triangles are not upside-down, so I'm going to argue that, in my personal interpretation, the triangles above the earth sign in sky means the connection between the land and the sky as the entire game takes place within the clouds on a crap ton of floating islands. These two designs being on top of one another likely represents the cycle as a whole. Life, death, rebirth, repeat.

And now, the player's chest diamond. Known as Saule or Sun in English, represents "Harmony, health, corpulence. Unity, safety, light. The eternal. Returning, repeating."

Many people, mostly spirits, have a lone diamond upon head accessories, or on their clothing.

It is also visible in gravestones, weapons (namely shields), and infrastructure.

For the lone diamond, I think it's very straightforward. This symbol within sky represents either the kingdom itself, or safety. It is used in buildings that provide protection and shelter, shields that are scattered throughout the Golden Wasteland, and the final eternity: death. But what's with the two sideways triangles on the edge of the player's diamond? The most similar thing I found, and the comparison that makes the most sense is Krupītis (toad), described as "The subconscious, intuition. Strength. Knowledge and wisdom. Linked to Aizsaule ("beyond the sun"), mythical habitation of ghosts."

It's a stretch, but another theme of sky is growth. Each realm literally represents a different age in one's life from birth all the way to death. Along the way, we free spirits by literally witnessing their memories. We do so by using our light that is stored in the center of our chest, right where the symbol is. We also use this light to fight off the darkness by melting dark plants. We grow, we get stronger, and then we die. I think it's a combination of this and Saule. All the same concepts apply, even if it is a bit of a stretch design-wise.

Every time I play Sky, I'm always amazed by how much there is to be discovered, especially when the developers decided to keep the lore intentionally open-ended. Maybe they did take inspiration from Latvia and Baltic culture, or maybe this is just a big coincidence. I've been playing video games for my entire life and I can wholeheartedly say that there are very few that come close to the amount of time and care that ThatGameCompany puts into their work. I'm still playing even after 5 whole years and finding new stuff to this day. I highly recommend anybody who reads this post and has not played Sky yet to give it a try. Maybe you'll find something that reminds you of your world, too.

[justbagworm]

I Have A Thought About Chess

In chess, both sides have the same pieces - the King, Queen, two Bishops, two Rooks, two Knights, and eight Pawns. The King and Queen are next to each other in the middle back, the Bishops flanking them, the Knights next to the Bishops, and the Rooks on the corners, with the Pawns on the front lines. Additionally, in chess the white side always moves first.

Now, before someone says 'the curtains are just blue,' I am AWARE that there is no real philosophy behind the placement of certain pieces on a chessboard, this is FOR FUN! (Also, 'the curtains are just blue' is actually a phrase taken out of context from a larger work, and when you use that phrase to demerit discussion of implied themes, you're using it the opposite of the way the larger work was intended.)

That said, my brain looks at a chessboard and immediately thinks that chess is a representation of conflict between two warring theocratic states that are actually schismic branches of the same religion.

HEAR ME OUT!

I mentioned the positioning of the pieces on a chessboard up top. Harkening back to all of six seconds ago, we know that the most important pieces are the King and Queen, which are the titles awarded to the rulers of a monarchy. Thus, the two sides in chess are two separate kingdoms.

Relevant to this, Bishops are directly adjacent to the King and Queen pieces. This puts them in a position of advisory. When combined with the fact that they are called Bishops rather than Advisors or even Generals, this choice hints to me that the kingdoms in chess take major cues from the religious bodies within them. The Bishops have the ears of the King and Queen, and thus can steer the choices of the nation in a way which fits their religious views. Hence, these kingdoms are theocracies.

Now, that establishes that the two kingdoms in chess are both theocracies. Why would I posit that they are actually part of the same original religion, though? Well, that's simple. Both the white and black pieces have the exact same hierarchy, as well as identical designs!

Now, obviously the real reason for this is a need for uniformity in gameplay, so no one gets confused. It does lend an interesting skew to my theorizing, though, because in order to have the exact same structure of government throughout, they would either have to come from the same origins, or one would have to be significantly younger and be copying its governmental structure from the older kingdom. Given that both kingdoms have equal military powers, I find it unlikely that one is that much younger than the other.

Hence, I posit that both kingdoms split off from a larger religious body due to ideological differences, forming groups that follow roughly the same tenets, but with enough radical differences to incite war. It's possible that one kingdom actually represents the original religion, and the other represents a fragment, but again I feel that their equal military power makes this unlikely.

To emphasize my point about splinter religions, I will mention the Catholic Church. The original Catholic Church is probably dead, and if not it's essentially lying in a gutter somewhere, wheezing. Yes, the institution of the Catholic Church still exists, as the continuation of the Papacy will prove, but it has fundamentally shifted away from many of the values it originally proclaimed. This new Catholic Church is still a powerful religious entity, but I honestly doubt that anyone alive today still follows exactly the same kind of Catholicism as the Knights Templar.

In any case, both the Catholic Church at its inception and the Catholic Church today share one thing in common; a propensity for shedding more splinters than a log mill. To name just a few: Roman Catholicism, Christianity, the Baptist Church, Born Again Christianity, and Evangelism. Every single one of those religions has some latent tie to Catholicism, some more obvious than others, and yet they frequently clash in terms of ideology and practices. If they each existed in a theocratic kingdom trying to assert themselves as the one true religion, then outsiders would be easily able to find practices and hierarchies that mimic each other.

In terms of chess, I think the similarities of the two sides are very much an exaggerated version of this, but then again Evangelicals and Baptists both have pastors, so...

Thus, I have outlined why I think chess is actually a metaphor for conflict between splinter religions. However, I would like to take it one step further. I think I can hazard a guess as to why these two particular splinters clash so badly in the first place!

It all has to do with the second thing I mentioned at the start - in chess, white always goes first. Some people believe that white going first establishes them as the protagonists of the game, but I would posit the opposite - I view the white kingdom in chess as the invading forces of a radical splinter religion, invading the relatively pacifistic black kingdom. I would guess that the white kingdom is operating under some kind of manifest destiny clause, while the black kingdom practices non-aggression. The black kingdom will move to defend itself, but not to provoke the white kingdom.

This, I feel, is similar to the motivation which drove westward expansion in the United States - hence why I used the phrase 'manifest destiny'. This belief that the white kingdom is destined and ordained to spread into the territory of the black kingdom may very well be the ideological belief which led the founders of the white kingdom to break away from their original religious body. In fact, this belief surfacing within that body may have created enough unrest that the black kingdom broke away to form a diametrically opposed kingdom based on relative pacifism and defense, thus creating the incisive conflict that drives chess as a game. That, however, is speculation.

Thus, my master-class on 'how to read far too deeply into a board game that doesn't even have characters' has come to an end, and I will repeat: I KNOW that the curtains are just blue, but I do this FOR FUN!

[gryficowa]

Islamophobia in Poland is disgusting, many Muslims live in Poland, yes, they are Tatars, but also immigrants and it is sick that people still justify their discrimination with their "Fear", I am more scared by those who are full of hatred, not those here they want to live

Yes, I will not stop publicizing it, people like him threaten the lives of Poles only because of their faith and origin, Tatars live here, they are Muslims

People like him persecute not only Muslims, but also Jews and Roma (But it's probably also because he's afraid of them, right?)

White supermacy has reached this country and it's sad because this country was characterized by diversity and now they want to erase it...

And then you see how Poles believe in Islamophobic propaganda, even though they should be aware that it is a lie, it's sad

Muslims in Poland have done nothing wrong, and yet there is a campaign against them, because in the USA they do something, in Poland they are the bad guys, September 11 took place in the USA, not in Poland, so why should Polish Muslims be held responsible for it?

Why did this Islamophobic shit get here? Why is white supermacy destroying our culture by feeding us the lie that those who are not like us should die or be persecuted? This country fell apart and lost all identity, i.e. diversity, because Poles believed that Poland was only for Poles, although it was never only for Poles

Poland was never purely Poland, it was home to many nationalities and that was beautiful, so why did it become what it is now?

Yes, it depresses me, because it is becoming a second USA, where only white Christians were considered residents and the rest were considered intruders, even though it was a lie, I don't want Poland to follow the US path, I want Poland to be what it was, a home for everyone, but it is just an empty dream that for Poles seems stupid and too left-wing...

This country can no longer be saved, it has lost its identity and unity, and this was beautiful in the history of Poland, no matter who you were, you were one of us, now it is gone, a million racist comments to non-white people who live in Poland and say our language, this is not Poland, this is a not funny joke

The Third Reich and the Polish People's Republic turned this country into rot, so what if Poland came back on the map if it was not the same Poland before it disappeared from the map? Kashubia is one of the few remnants of this, but the rot is slowly creeping in here, I'm seriously afraid that this country will no longer be home to those who have always lived here, real Poland is diverse, and not only Poles with the syndrome of a typical American who loves his country too much

Yes, this is what I feel towards this country, my profession, I have identity with the Kashubians, but the question is for how long...

[mmelanch0ly]

Hi, hello I have never posted about this anywhere due to me feeling so crazy about this. My family makes jokes all the time saying how there isn't anything or I'm just anxious ect. Ever since I was little, I have always been terrified of my great grandmother's basement. Now I know what you are thinking, "Wow, you're not original with this. Everyone has been scared of a basement at least once in their life." Please hear me out on this though.

Tw for those who are any bit sensitive at all to anything like death or religions

Ever since I was young enough to start having memories, I can remember having these dreams about our property. For more info, our whole family lives on one big property along with woods and a large field for farming. The dreams would be normal, but for some reason, we would have native Americans on our property just come to pray in our woods. They would stand at the edge of the property line and mumble something in what I think is Cherokee (my mother is half-Cherokee, not that it matters cause she technically never lived on or near the property other than for a few months when I was around 8) which is the only native American culture I am aware of being in this area. The ones that spoke english would tell me "It's cursed" or others would say "they stole it from us!" I think they meant they cursed the land someone from my family stole. The dreams repeat but each time they get more extreme. The dreams started taking more of a turn from the praying when I started having dreams of the basement. The all seemed to be terrified of me or any family member that came out of the basement, they would even urge you to quickly come with them. Remember, all of this is a dream. I have never met a fully on Cherokee Indian other than my mother and her mother (you couldn't tell seeing how we are as white as can be, having also a lot of German and Irish in us).

Then the dreams would have people start being dead. Some of the Native Americans would be found dead in our basement, like one being hung from her neck under the basement stairs. I remember that one the most because she looked most like me. I remember just waking up screaming and gasping for air too after that dream.

In the more recent dreams, the entire tribe that prayed on the property line are dead. The dreams will start off as your normal dreams, but as soon as I start walking to my dad's house at night (in the dream, we aren't at the real events yet), I hear someone yell something about dancing at night. If I turn around I will see a contorted woman twitching her way at me dancing. She rises from the ground near the basement. She will do a weird dance where she just follows me and catches me no matter how fast I run to my father's house. They keep repeating! Anytime I have a dream now that starts on that property, I am chased by her in the night of the dream. I don't know who she is or what she is. I learned about the moon eyed people, I haven't done much research currently on them so I will update after I have on them specifically, but from the brief description I got that is almost exact to her. She is terrifying to me and my hands shake even just thinking about her for some reason.

My family, especially my dad's family that owns the property, are VERY religious. They are Christian and their domination is Baptist like most of the South is. Anytime you mention to them there might be something evil all they do is say, "Darling, just say 'I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!' if you feel scared. Besides, there isn't anything wrong. Your grandparents are good honest people." The only person who even agreed with something weird was only saying that because my old stepfather helped with the basement at one point and she hates him.

These are also the type of people who think it is funny to scare you. They will pick on you about it. For example, I am terrified of spiders due to something that happened when I was little and my step-brother throws them on me to watch me scream. So one day, they got tired of me saying I was scared of the basement and made me go down there for 5 minutes. I didn't last 2.

Now, this is one of the only many events I have evidence of. I felt like something was wrong, so before I even got to the bottom of the steps I pulled out my phone to record. I went around touring the basement with my camera. After a bit, I do feel a bit at ease but can't shake the feeling of someone staring me down. Suddenly as I am coming to the end of the tour and going to relax for a moment, something suddenly being thrown against a wall of a room I was looking at. I tried my best not to show obvious fear cause I have heard that can fuel it. I as calmly as I could got my ass up the steps.

Days later I did sadly have to go back down there. I was crying the whole time. I just couldn't stop as soon as I opened that door. I don't know if it was from fear or just me being lazy and mad someone made me get out of bed for something I hate. I was sent down there to get a bag for a present, but while I was down there decided to check what was thrown. There was a lamp that fell over and was on the other side of the room from where it was placed. This lamp was not a circular shape or in any bit a round shape. It is a rectangle. It couldn't have fallen and rolled, even if it did fall how did it fall? Why did it fall? It could have only fell if someone physically threw it or hit it hard. Also, wasn't one of those big lamps it was one we use for camping.

Last time I went down alone, I decided I should try religion. Maybe that would put my mind at ease. I started reciting parts of the bible I knew off the top of my head, but I was quickly silenced by my throat suddenly feeling like someone was grabbing it from the inside if that makes any sense at all. I couldn't breathe or even speak. It only stopped when I got out of the basement. I do have an inhaler for asthma, but that wasn't my normal asthma.

Everytime I am down there, someone or something is watching me. I don't know how to tell. I can't even show my family the video of the lamp incident because I know they would dismiss it or get mad I filmed their messy basement. I don't know where or who to go to about this cause the only people who ever believe me are people who aren't related to my family.

Also, I have no idea if this is even remotely relevant but I am very sensitive to energy and can see stuff that most do. The simplest way I feel I can explain is by saying I am a medium. This post is all over the place I am so sorry! I just get excited or hopeful that someone may read this or listen. If any of you know how to deal with this or at least help me with my family please comment! I may post the video here later if anyone is even interested in this.

Reasons I think it's targeting me:

1. It knows I know its there

2. I am the youngest by blood of my family

3. I am very anxious and have been diagnosed with depression from a young age so I am the most vulnerable. Melancholy and Eeyore have been my childhood nicknames given by by family.

4. I do have a hard time with religion. So much has been tried to be forced on me that I just slowly drifted away over time.

Thank you for reading if you have, please comment if you have any advice or at least like so I know someone is reading.

[outsidereveries]

so I got two questions for you, when you do tarot have you ever dreamt of idols? other tarot readers seem to have such bizzare dreams of idols and their groups and I had only one memorable dream of skz but I do not think I am connected to them in anyway, as I dont do tarot its jsut an interesting subject I like, not even in the 5D but the dream reminded me of their song megaverse so my second question is about that.

do you or anyone know where skz got the songtitle megaverse from? it interests me bc I wonder recently if there is megaverse outside this planet. Or why we only stuck on this planet in this life if we dont like it why is this all we have to experience? nothing too fun no super powers nothing ordinary except for all the shit in the media and on our phones.

I also once had dream of skz some time ago and it was like they had some type of super powers could run faster and there was something on their arms too, an arm strap with lots of buttons it was such a bizzarre dream bc I dont and rarely dream of idols I specifically remember seeing felix and bangchan then I woke up and was like what the hell. I'm mainly just a listener rather than a follower so again I dont particularly feel deeply obsessed with this group.

I think that could have been the 5d, what do you think? some tarot readers even have more interesting dreams of say jungkook with his fs and so on. I feel like theres so much we dont know or wont ever know but like ordinary life is too plain and boring but I wouldnt want a life of wealth either bc I shouldnt need money or education to decide how I spend rest of my life. outside of tarot what else do you tend to believe in to do with the universe or past vs present and so on?

to be honest, i extemely rarely dream about idols (more rarely than "seldom"). last time it happened was 3-4 years ago with loona, maybe heejin, i believe so? even if i dreamt about someone in the industry recently, i probably won't remember, tarot doesn't influence me to this extent. i usually dream about my future or how i had my day no matter if it's about from a few days ago or literally yesterday. only now i started to dream about my twin flame? and even so it happens from time to time and not occasionally (i've "learned" he tried to get into my dreams but i didn't let his soul to do that���)

in this case since i can dream about how my day went, i usually dream about other public people, i.e. local politicians but i believe it's pretty much up to there, it's not anything special to me tbh, it's just oridinary things inside of me.

i have no clue from where skz have come from the title megaverse from their rockstar b-side but i've had wonders in the past about these questions you have too. it got away bc i usually believe in this stuff, but i can feel that the question that's more interesting to think is why the 5d universe is sort of taboo? i mean, we're in a century that the spirituality, related to the energies is "trending", why it's still a taboo?

i recently have dreamt of having superpowers too but it was related to me unlocking the rest of my chakras (i've had my third eye open but the rest were not as open as now tbh😭) and instead of skz, i got them but remembering the rest of my dream, it explains why and it's personal stuff

the 5d is more than the dreams we have, but they can be the start of entering into the 5d universe tbh, so.. yeah; if you are obsessed over someone and their future life ofc you'll start to dream about it, but i am also aware that it's not the only case you'll dream about someone famous😭

about my religion though, i'm baptized (orthodox christian, to be exact), but i haven't always fully believe in the religion like some people do. to me there's the difference between the believers in a religion and doing whatever you feel it's right and the obsessed christians who follow everything like it's a must as it's pretty much unhealthy to me. i don't even want to think about religion cults.

nowadays i really feel i am more believing into the orthodox christian religion than i usually felt in the past but also tuning myself with my awareness of the universe, spirituality and etc. and etc. as it works out for me the best and i believe it should work like that for anything else as the religions shouldn't be usually believed strictly imho but my beliefs might be like they're now possibly bc of the tf journey i'm in so it might be unsuprising at all if i have to be extremely honest

[faggylilpunk]

Finnaly made a tumbler! Anyway, haiii! :3 i am albert, i am a punk dragon dino!

What to expect:

very leftist ideologies

Politics

16+ posts

A lot of photos of me and cass

Talk of crimes (anything serious will have a tw and be tagged appropriately)

Furry & therian content (tho less common)

Punk diy stuff (i plan to make some tutorials for a lot of the diy stuff I've made<3)

F-slur/T-slur (I am reclaiming them but will have them tagged as #f-slur and #t-slur if they bother you ofc! Not changing my @ tho, it kinda means something to me qwq)

I may post words like slut, whore, and other degrading terms, they will be tagged as said word (ex: #slut) so you can blacklist the tag ^^

I may talk about themes of self harm, violence, abuse, or explicit substances, all of which will also be tagged! (Ex: #selfharm #tw:selfharm) but i will also have a more descriptive trigger warning for heavy subjects like self harm, sa, abuse ect. If you dont wanna fully blacklist the tag ^^

Some of my patches will have things that fall under these^ o will likely not go through the effort of censoring and i might not tagg it unless it's fairly close up so if it really bothers you just block me ^^ no harsh feelings

This isn't a 18+ blog, nsfw pfps will be blocked to keep ppl safe, my cusion follows me

Do not interact if:

Nsfw pfp

Anyone else, feel free to argue and talk shit, i will put nazis, pedos, fascist, zionists, zoos, racists, and who tf else i hate in thier place or just block ya after trying lol

About me:

trans masc/enby person (gender bxy)

therian/otherkin identifying with a dinosaur-esk dragoniod (yes, I'm aware I am human -_-)

I am a plushum, meaning I have romantic and/or sexual attraction, twords plushies. I consider my bunny plush one of my partners bc i love them very much

Furry

Pansexual and arojump (under the aromantic spectrum)

I am diagnosed with autism, adhd, dyslexia and dysgraphia

Self diagnosed and peer reviewed with social anxiety, gender dysphoria (duh), bipolar disorder (not sure which one yet tbh but it's exstreamly obvious to my bipolar partner lol) and potentially dyscalcula but im not fully sure so take with a grain of salt

Mutual/social anarchist, i really wanna be able to set up a free market where I live one day

I am very vulture culture, frequently bring home dead animals to burry for respect and bones

Very left leaning if it isnt obvious enough

I've been called the f-slur & t-slur a few times. Now i call myself that because what ya gonna do if I already call myself those oh so scary words?

Im atheist and dont believe in any form of life after death but like I support yall having freedom of religion, pagens, Christians, Muslims, Satanists, like go for it, I just simply cant understand the idea of a greater purpose

I grew up where slurs were used casually. I have racist redneck family. Thankfully, I grew up to realize wtf is actually wrong with that side of my family ?-? You can break out of shitty thinking, there is no excuse for racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, ect. Like get a life

I try my best to support, but we can only walk places, and we frequently eat outta dumpsters

More will be added as i think of stuff

[wearytaco]

Visited by Papa Legba?

So I want to preface this with I am a white (trans) man, I do not practice any sect of voodoo and am aware of the sensitivity around voodoo with people of other cultures, etc. While I grew up Christian I am not any longer and never was associated with Catholicism, I have no particular spirituality but follow closer to New Age than any specific type. And I am confused. I also want to clarify when I say "see" and "hear" in the following text, I mean in my minds-eye, not with my physical eyes/ears.

So a few years back I was visited by a spirit I later googled to be Papa Legba based on colors and vague attributes like cane and hat and such. I don't recall if I was high, meditating, dreaming, or just in a trance state. It was literally years ago. When I learned it was Papa Legba, I got really confused and decided to file it away as a one off and didn't touch it again because I have heard that there is a lot of cultural sensitivity around other cultures engaging in voodoo (idk if that's wholeheartedly true, but I didn't see a need for me to be involved for something that seemed like a one time shenanigan).

Skip ahead to a few months ago and I moved to Botswana, Africa. I recall I was attempting to look into the original religion of the area before colonization and learned about Orishas and Yoruba. I never actually got around to reading the books I downloaded, which I will be rectifying soon.

Recently I saw a video (yeah just a TikTok) about Eshu. The video strangely caught my attention and I ended up actually watching like the whole 3 minutes lol. It was mentioned Eshu was connected with the Orishas/Yoruba. Which reminded me I still have yet to read those books.

Two days ago I had a (sober) trance like experience, which I haven't had in quite a while. First there was this spirit that came. She was speaking with me, she had long dreaded like hair with beads and shells, she was wearing a white dress which almost resembled a dress slip, and she didn't seem good nor evil just neutral maybe leaning chaotic but not a proper chaotic neutral vibe. She also told me she was Haitian, which I found really strange being in Botswana. I don't recall everything we spoke of, but she mentioned she is living in the house with me, calling it "our house". While I don't see her having any ill intentions to me, I do very much get the vibe that if there was something happening to me she would end that threat. I haven't felt her here before, but I also haven't exactly been paying attention to the spirit world lately due to other distractions that have recently left my life.

While speaking with her behind me I heard the name "Eshu" being repeated over and over and over again, getting louder, but never like aggressive. Just something I couldn't keep ignoring.

I turned to look behind me towards my room and when I turned back she was gone. Cliche, in my opinion...

So I went towards my room and then felt the strange urge to use some of my spit to write "Eshu" on the wall of my room. After I had a spirit I hadn't seen in years appeared in the doorway of my room. But when he was trying to speak to me it sounded like he was being drowned out by static. It was like when you are almost on the right radio station so you can hear the song, but you can't hear the lyrics only the static. I tried asking his name because I couldn't remember it as it had been years. At first I heard "Papa" and then after another 5 or so minutes I heard "Legba" (but I legitimately thought I made Legba up and didn't believe that is what I was hearing.) It was so hard to communicate with him and all I recalled was his connection to voodoo.

Strangely, when he disappeared behind me yet again, but not in a doorway, instead near my window, I felt a spirit that called themselves Eshu. I suddenly got really sleepy. Things were clearer, but I was basically told to go to sleep by the spirit and he would give me a message in my dreams. (I remember when I first woke up going, "oh. That was the message" but then I went back to sleep and I have absolutely no idea what I was dreaming of). Before I fell asleep I looked up "Papa Legba" and realized that was his name, and then.... I saw another name in Africa, I believe it said in Nigeria and other countries, he is called Eshu. I am both floored, and really confused. Especially since it felt like two different spirits?

And then last night I felt incredibly nauseous and that was hardly able to stand up right (I am on a medicine for a few weeks now and that unfortunately is a side effect). I got the same urge to write Eshu on the wall in spit, and again at the doorway Papa Legba appeared. But this time clear and not speaking through static. However, I was mostly bent over or on my knees for s lot of the conversation due to the horrid wave of nausea I was experiencing. He offered me a deal of sorts. He asked what I wanted more or less, like we kind of just had a conversation about things I have been wanting (such as confidence, spiritual connection, sexual liberation, things I just wish I could improve upon myself). And then he asked for spit and I was about to give it to him without any thought but then I realized that may be the "handshake" so to say. So I stopped and asked why. He basically confirmed it was an offering. I asked what he wants in return if he's offering to help me with these things. He didn't really have an answer. But he did say he wants me to tell someone something. And I told him I would likely forget what he asked of me (which I have forgotten what he told me to say as predicted lmfao). And a few hours go by and ... Well I know making deals is always risky business but let's just leave it at yeah I ended up making the deal and gave him spit (I just don't understand the spit thing?? I read he likes tobacco, alcohol, and candy??) but it never truly felt like a trick. I know from briefly reading he can be considered a trickster in some circles, and I'm absolutely sure he has his own agenda. But it never felt like he wants any harm to me. In fact it truly felt like the opposite. Maybe I'm just absolutely naive. Very possible. But... I can't explain it. Anyways, after he left the woman appeared again but this time she was behind the static. I know she was saying something but I couldn't hear her not really see her in my minds-eye, but physically I felt I was closer to actually seeing her for a first. I tried for a while but then I apologized and had to walk away from her and go to bed where I felt the sleepy urge and "there will be a message" feeling again. I am truly at a loss from this experience, and since I do not engage in voodoo nor know anyone who does I can't even come close to understanding this situation. And I don't want to enter a spirituality/religion that is culturally defined where I may not be welcomed, either. Honestly I don't have much interest in voodoo other than general curiousity but I have that for most religions and spiritualities. I really would like some guidance. Please?