#i have so many goals socially but i have no idea how to achieve them

[moths-and-crows]

nobody knows me how i want to be known

[astrolook]

Sun in the houses:

Let's see what happens how sun behaves in all these houses, both positive and negative. Mind you that every planet in any house or sign can exhibit both positive and negative traits and can manifest in a person.

Sun in 1st House: I’m not saying I’m the center of the universe, but... I kinda am. 🌞🌍

You just get leadership. You don’t have to try; it’s in your blood. If afflicted, your leadership style might feel more like "dictatorship." You’re so sure of yourself that others don’t get a chance to voice their opinions.

Your positivity and belief in yourself make others think, “If they can do it, I can too!”. If Sun is afflicted, it can come off as "I'm better than you" rather than "I believe in myself."

You’re the life of the party! Your energy lifts the room and makes everyone feel involved. If afflicted, you might crave attention to the point where you overshadow others.

You set big goals, and you achieve them. There’s no stopping you once your mind is made up. If afflicted, friends and colleagues can feel like you’re so busy chasing success that you forget to check in on them.

Your dad probably instilled in you a sense of pride and self-worth that shaped who you are. If afflicted, your dad could be too demanding or proud of you, it can create some serious pressure. You might feel like you’re living for his approval rather than your own dreams, and that can lead to overcompensating or burning out.

Sun in the 2nd House: Money talks, but my self-worth yells! 💸🌟

You have a strong sense of self-worth, often tied to personal achievements. You know your value. If afflicted, You might tie your entire identity to material success, feeling inadequate or worthless without financial stability or possessions.

You are ambitious, striving to build financial security. Hard work often pays off. If afflicted, your financial instability may lead to insecurity or even an unhealthy obsession with money. You may be overly materialistic.

You’re usually careful with your resources but if afflicted, you could be prone to overspending or hoarding, unable to find a balanced approach to finances.

A father figure can be a source of inspiration and a role model in financial matters and work ethics. If afflicted, it could bring inheritance issues or you may feel that you never live up to his expectations.

Can exhibit workaholic tendencies, sacrificing personal happiness or family life for financial gain or status.

You have the potential to rise above financial challenges, but if afflicted, you could experience deep feelings of insecurity or even shame when you don't meet your own or others’ material expectations, possibly leading to cycles of self-doubt.

You might view love through the lens of material gestures or gifts, making it difficult to connect emotionally or romantically.

Sun in the 3rd House: Your ideas are shining bright, but good luck getting people to stop talking long enough to hear them!

You’re a natural communicator, your words carry weight. If afflicted, you might dominate conversations or struggle with listening, sometimes coming off as self-centered or dismissive of others' perspectives.

Close, possibly authoritative, relationship with siblings; they could be supportive, or you may take on a leadership role in your family. If afflicted, Conflicts with siblings or feeling misunderstood could arise, leading to tension and rivalry, sometimes even to the point of no contact.

Quick-witted and sharp but also can struggle with overthinking, becoming mentally scattered or overwhelmed by too many ideas at once.

You could excel as a teacher or mentor. If afflicted, a tendency to lecture or impose your ideas on others.

Enjoys frequent short trips. On the flip side, Travel may be more about running away from stress or distractions rather than meaningful exploration, leaving you feeling unsettled.

You naturally build connections with people in your immediate environment, making you very social and approachable. If afflicted, can come off as superficial or too eager to network.

You have a great sense of humor and can use wit to win people over in conversations. If afflicted, might use humor as a defense mechanism or to hide insecurities, sometimes crossing boundaries or coming across as insensitive.

Sun in the 4th House: Home is where your heart—and your ego—are, and good luck moving past your childhood room!

You deeply value your home and family, often finding identity in your roots and personal space. Sometimes, it can lead to clinging to the past or feeling stuck in old patterns.

Your self-esteem may become too tied to your home life, making you feel insecure or restless if things at home are unstable.

You may have a strong, nurturing relationship with your mother or a motherly figure, who plays a central role in your life. If afflicted, A dominant or overbearing mother could lead to conflicts or struggles with your own sense of self.

You have a deep appreciation for your heritage and traditions. If afflicted, You may be too focused on the past, unable to move forward or let go of old family patterns or unresolved issues.

You may find comfort and strength in your private life, but sometimes a strong need for privacy might lead to isolation or difficulty expressing yourself outside of your home or family setting.

Sun in the 5th House: You’re not just good at playing games—you’re good at being the star of them!

You have a strong need to express yourself creatively, often excelling in arts, hobbies, or self-expression. If afflicted, Can become too focused on being admired for your creativity, leading to vanity or insecurity when not recognized.

Life is a playground for you; you seek joy, excitement, and adventure in everything you do, but if afflicted, may seek too much pleasure, becoming careless or irresponsible, neglecting other important aspects of life.

You approach romance with confidence and passion but sometimes you might crave validation through romantic relationships, leading to drama or superficial connections.

If you become a parent, you’re likely to take pride in raising children and may have a natural ability to nurture and inspire them. If afflicted, can become overly focused on impressing your children or living through them, putting too much pressure on them or on yourself.

You are willing to take risks for excitement but on the flip side, A penchant for risk-taking could lead to reckless behavior or impulsive decisions, sometimes causing unnecessary harm to yourself or others and regrets.

Sun in the 6th House: You’re the go-to person for work, health, and making sure everything runs smoothly—unless you’re burnt out, of course!

You take pride in your work and have a strong sense of responsibility. You’re highly dedicated and reliable. If afflicted, it could be overburdening yourself with tasks and potentially leading to burnout.

You find fulfillment in helping others and often take on service-oriented roles where you can make a difference. Sometimes, you might feel taken for granted or unappreciated, especially if you put others' needs before your own, leading to frustration.

You are often very conscious of maintaining good health but sometimes you could become obsessed with health routines, leading to anxiety about perfection or overemphasis on minor health concerns.

You feel fulfilled by supporting or mentoring others, often excelling in roles that require service or care. You might struggle with self-worth if your efforts aren't appreciated or recognized, leading to resentment.

You possess strong mental and physical discipline and you may become overly critical of yourself or others if things don’t meet your high standards.

You’re excellent at identifying and solving problems but over-thinking or obsessing over problems can lead to anxiety or difficulty seeing the bigger picture, getting stuck in the minutiae.

Sun in the 7th House: You love being in the spotlight of relationships—just make sure you're not shining too brightly for your partner!

You thrive in close relationships and find your identity through your connections with others. If afflicted, you may become overly dependent on a partner for validation, losing sight of your individuality or putting too much pressure on the relationship.

You may take pride in your role as a partner or spouse and often invest deeply in committed relationships. If afflicted, You could place too much importance on marriage or partnerships, potentially attracting bad partners that are either possessive or just use you.

Your relationship with your father can have a significant impact on your views of partnerships. If your father was distant or authoritative, you may unconsciously seek partners who resemble him, leading to issues with power dynamics or unfulfilled needs.

You excel in negotiating and finding common ground in relationships but you may avoid confrontation or sacrifice your own needs to keep the peace, leading to resentment or unresolved issues.

Sun in the 8th House: You don’t just like to dive deep, you want to see what’s under the surface—and no, we’re not talking about the fridge!

You experience emotions deeply, with a strong ability to connect to others on an intimate level. beware, intense emotions can lead to emotional highs and lows, making it difficult to find balance or feel stable in your personal life.

You are fascinated by the unknown, with a natural curiosity about life’s deeper meanings, psychology, and even the occult. You may become obsessed with uncovering secrets, and sometimes, this can lead to unhealthy fixation or paranoia about what’s hidden.

You’re often able to emerge stronger from crises or difficult experiences but also you may become addicted to chaos or dramatic transformations, seeking out crises for the sense of power or transformation they bring.

You have an innate understanding of life's cyclical nature, and you often feel comfortable with the idea of death, allowing you to live more fully. This connection can turn into a preoccupation with mortality, possibly manifesting as anxiety or unhealthy fears surrounding death or loss.

If afflicted, a troubled relationship with your father, possibly marked by power struggles or emotional distance, could lead to unresolved issues or feelings of inadequacy that carry over into your relationships.

Sun in the 9th House: You're on a never-ending quest for truth, knowledge, and adventure—basically, a cosmic tourist with a PhD!

You are drawn to big ideas, philosophy, spirituality, and have a strong sense of purpose, often inspired by a higher calling or ideal. If the ideal is unattainable or unrealistic, you might feel disillusioned or disconnected from reality, leading to frustration or unrealistic expectations.

Travel, especially abroad, opens your mind and helps you grow as a person. If afflicted, leads to a feeling of being ungrounded or dissatisfied if you're unable to travel or explore as much as you’d like.

You might even study or work abroad. Your family could have mixed races.

You enjoy being a guide, especially when it comes to life’s big questions. If afflicted, can exhibit a tendency to be overly preachy or self-righteous could alienate others.

Sun in the 10th House: The spotlight is yours! You were born to be on stage—just don’t forget to thank your fans (or, you know, your boss)!

You’re highly motivated to achieve your professional goals and to be recognized for your efforts. If afflicted, you may become overly focused on career achievement, neglecting personal life or burning out from putting all your energy into work.

You care deeply about your reputation and public image, working hard to project a successful, competent, and reliable image. If afflicted, an excessive focus on public perception might lead to superficiality, a tendency to prioritize appearances over substance, or anxiety about how others view you.

Your career goals often play a significant role in shaping your sense of self. Achieving professional milestones boosts your confidence and sense of purpose. If your career is the only way you define yourself, failure or setbacks in your work life may cause a loss of self-worth or personal identity.

Your work is a vehicle for self-expression. You want your career to reflect your true talents and individuality. If your work doesn't align with your authentic self, you may feel you're not being true to who you are.

Your father may serve as a strong role model for career success, influencing your own professional aspirations and ambitions. If your relationship with your father was strained or critical, you may feel like you’re constantly trying to meet his expectations or prove yourself, which could cause you to chase success for the wrong reasons.

Sun in the 11th House: You’re the lonely butterfly with a mission— dreaming of changing the world one connection at a time!

You're that introvert in the extroverted setting. You could be surrounded by people all the time and still feel lonely. You prefer a one-to-one connection than a group setting.

You may become disillusioned or frustrated with the slow pace of change or people who don't share your level of commitment to causes, which could make you feel isolated or unsupported.

You likely to adopt kids or maybe you are the adopted kid. There is a possibility of having a step-father or divorced parent.

You're not one to conform easily and prefer to stay true to your unique self, even in social settings. Definitely, not a sheep.

You like to talk with strangers online and loves to spend time online. If afflicted, chronically online.

Sun in the 12th House: The spotlight is on you, but you’re hiding in the shadows—awkwardly shining in silence and doing some serious soul-searching!

You have a deep connection to your subconscious mind, offering insight into hidden aspects of yourself. This connection can bring about significant personal growth and spiritual awakening.

Could have had a relationship or a fling with a professor or teacher of some sort. Or was it just a crush?

You could shine by moving to other countries for studies or even work. You might feel like you don't belong here.

You could be working in a hospital, programmer, researcher, or just any "behind-the-scenes" jobs.

Have a tendency to avoid the spotlight. You might won't even show your face on social media.

Your father could be distant or could be that he is not there for you.

Curious about your birth chart and what it's really saying about you? 🌟 Slide into my DMs for a personalized astrology reading, and let's unlock the secrets of your stars. ✨ Don’t forget to check out my pinned post for pricing details! 🔮 Let’s make those cosmic connections happen! 🌙🌌

[elicathebunny]

FINALLY CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR HIGHEST SELF IN 2024.

You are going to STOP scrolling endlessly for self-help and advice content and you are going to STOP and apply the knowledge you have endlessly gained. Obtaining help and advice knowledge is useless if it goes through one ear and comes straight out the other. STOP becoming addicted to the idea of scrolling and scrolling for your problems yet you already have the resources to fix them. A fool is a person who cannot decide to take action despite having access to the information needed to do so.

BREAKING FREE FROM THE SCROLLING CYCLE

Learning and Applying is one thing, but Learning and Staying Stationary is literally brain rot. You're addicted to the idea of change and the end result, but you never take the steps towards discipline with a personal structure to get that result. You keep looking for quick fixes and easy hacks, but life is not a quick fix and no hack can elevate your life from 0% to 100% without visiting the rest of the numbers first.

TAKE A BREAK FROM SCROLLING

Take time away from your usual scrolling and learn to be on your own. Learn your own ways of self-care, learn what works for you and understand what you need, because nobody is the same. Following a millionaire's morning routine will not make you a millionaire. This routine has worked for someone to feel and be productive in the morning and was probably curated over the years to suit their current lifestyle. So, seeing other people's successes and comparing their working ways to your life is unrealistic if you are not in a position to implement them. Going straight from 0% (Being unproductive and procrastinating) to 100% (Being incredibly Productive and in tune with self) will not be sustainable for someone who has not built the discipline and the inner foundations required for it. STOP seeing information online and taking it without ALTERING anything to your personal situation.

STOP ASKING HOW TO AND JUST DO

"How to lose weight, How to become more social, How to do this and that"

Most of these things you ALREADY know the answer to. Everybody knows that to lose weight, you need to burn more than you consume. There is literally no other way, no magic and no secret hack, just that simple fact. I guarantee you know that to become more social you just have to be social. Learn to be comfortable in social situations which will require inner work, but it's not a difficult concept. Most of us know what we need to do, yet we still try to find quick fixes or another way that same message is presented to us differently. We act as if we are improving and developing on our "improvement" journey yet we are just finding coping ways to feel like we are moving, yet we are still in the exact same place as before. I know you know what to do, I know you have researched what you should do and ways you can do it. So why are you not doing it? Why are you still not where you want to be? If you are not where you want to be, then what you're currently doing needs to change. You cannot do the exact same thing you've been doing for years and expect a different outcome. You need to curate a routine suited to your needs that is realistic and achievable to adopt.

LEARNING TO MOVE ON YOUR OWN, STOP DEPENDING ON OTHERS TO FUEL YOUR SUCCESS JOURNEY LISTEN TO: NOBODY IS COMING TO SAVE YOU BY JULIENHIMSELF Make yourself your safe space, your foundation. When you see yourself in the mirror you should be able to tell yourself "I love you", you should be so sure in what you do that nobody else can contradict what you believe in yourself, this is the end goal of self-improvement. Many of us have put aside our goals because we "are not ready", "people may judge us" or "I need to be/achieve ___ to.." Now don't get me wrong, I'm on this journey with you. I write on this blog to teach my brain how to think in the higher mindset that I'm creating for myself. I too have thoughts like this which is why in 2024 we are going to break out of our old selves to make room for our new selves together. We have to lose ourselves to find ourselves. If you're mood and self-worth are controlled by other people's opinions, then you will never advance further with yourself and will remain stationary. You have to stop allowing other people to determine whether you are allowed to pursue your desires or if you shouldn't because of fear of rejection. Don't take life too seriously, we are only here for so much time. So what if people make fun of you? In a few years will you look back and be proud and fulfilled of your past or feel regret and disappointment? LISTEN TO: WHY YOU CARE SO MUCH BY JULIANHIMSELF + LISTEN TO: HOW TO DETACH BY VICKITA TRIVEDI

The only way to get to 0%-100% is by doing.

Embody your potential

[selenepsyche]

Using the Vertex Persona Chart as a Relocation Chart

In a birth chart, the vertex is a point in the chart that represents fated situations and encounters. Basically, there's no way around it, whether it's a good or bad encounter. No matter what path you are on, you will end up in that situation or meeting that certain someone. I apologize if this sounds scary. This is a very sensitive point and moves fast in a birth chart, so you need your accurate birth time to calculate yours.

Persona charts offer deeper looks into the placements in our birth charts, to get a better understanding of other placements besides the sun. In persona charts, the point or planet is the star and everything else is revolving around it. A vertex persona chart can show you a deeper look of what's fated to occur in your life.

I saw an astrology post on here from a while ago about how you can use your vertex persona chart as a relocation chart and astrocartography chart to see what you are meant to experience in certain locations. Unfortunately, I lost the damn post, but the credit for this idea goes to them. I will tag them when I find it again.

But the idea makes a lot of sense. When I look at mine, I can now see why I was drawn to certain places, why I struggle a bit in my current location, why I have a lot of friends from certain locations, etc.

But first, let me teach you how to generate your vertex persona chart as a birth chart to get your relocation chart and astrocartography chart.

I didn't feel like typing it all out and taking many screenshots, so hopefully this video will help y'all!

A Few Examples

Venus in the 1st House - This location will attract beauty, love, and admiration into your environment. You will embody Venusian qualities more strongly when you move here. Relationships, personal style, and self worth will play a big role in your experience in this location. It can also indicate a boost in attractiveness, social appeal, and a desire to form new connections.

North Node in the 8th House - Your growth in this location is meant to revolve around deep emotional and financial transformations. You will be pushed towards intense experiences that may involve relationships, shared finances, occult studies, or psychological growth. You could meet people who challenge you to face your fears, embrace vulnerability, and evolve spiritually. Inheritances, joint finances, and powerful connections will change your life path.

Jupiter in the 10th House - This location will expand your reputation and career significantly. This will bring major opportunities, status growth, and leadership roles. You will become more well known, respected, and fortunate in your career. You could achieve something big in the public light.

Sun in the 3rd House - Your identity will be tied to learning, networking, speaking, and writing. You will become involved in media, education, or build strong social circles in your local community. You could be active in your immediate environment, commuting and traveling often. This could also indicate a stronger bond with siblings or neighbors in this new location.

Mars in the 11th House - A lot of your energy will be directed towards friendships, social movements, and group projects. You may become involved in activism, networking, and building a strong social presence (could do it online too). There could be conflicts or competitive dynamics within friend groups, but the potential for leadership is big. You may feel driven to pursue big goals through collaborations or technology-related ventures.

Thank you for reading! I will create more parts in the future to do more detailed explanations for placements in the vertex persona chart being used as a relocation chart. In the meantime, if you have questions, feel free to ask of course!

written by: @selenepsyche. do not steal or i'll smite you. entertainment purposes only.

[blossom-sims]

Elemental Legacy Challenge for TS3

Hi all, this is my first Sims 3 legacy challenge I've made myself, it is a result of my boredom on a Saturday evening but it was a lot of fun, so I'll throw this at you ☺

This elemental legacy challenge is for The Sims 3 and spans 9 Generations. It is inspired by the Chinese Zodaic Elements and also inspiration from my favourite JRPG's which utlise a lot of elemental themed magic. It has guided ideas and generational requirements with story themes throughout. Feel free to tag me if you have a go at this ✨

Rules:

I have listed the intended requirements for each generation, move on to the next generation once the requirements are complete or the next heir becomes a young adult

I have listed some guidance on careers, lifetime wishes and traits. I recommend taking 2-3 of the traits listed but they aren't mandatory

You can use money cheats if you wish, I've tried to write the generational order to put you in the desired financial spot for storytelling, but please just have fun with it

Please do alter and play this how you wish & how your stories pan out, the guidance is just there for ideas and isn't meant to limit you

Generation 1 - Earth

Child of earth, you are grounded and resillient. Your goal is to provide your family with solid foundations for the generations to come. You are selfless, stubborn and driven. You know what you want and will work your upmost to achieve it. Your ambitious and frugal nature can get on other's nerves and prompts the question: with so much planning for the future, are you really taking time to enjoy your own life?

Traits: Ambitious, Frugal, Natural Cook, Snob, Workaholic

Job: Medical Career

LTW: World Renowned Surgeon

Requirments:

Begin in a starter house. You should not move lots or houses this Generation and instead add extensions onto your house when needed

Master the cooking and nectar making skills

Fall in love and marry one person in your lifetime

Do not have children until you reach level 8 of your career

Save 20,000 for the next generation

Generation 2 - Water

Child of water, thanks to your parents hardwork, you had a carefree childhood and now plenty of savings behind you. You are a calm free spirit that lets the oceans currents carry you to your next adventure. You are in no rush to settle in one place just yet, why rush when you are having such fun? Your time for settling down will come evetually. Whatever will be will be.

Traits: Adventurous, Loves to swim, Commitment Issues, Easily Impressed, Athletic

LTW: Seaside Saviour/Seasoned Traveler/Deep Sea Diver

Job: Lifeguard

Requirements:

Travel to 3 different destinations

Do not get married and settle down until adulthood

Have at least 3 children with 3 different people you meet in your travels

Master the diving skill

Own a boat or live in a houseboat

Generation 3 - Fire

Child of fire, you are passionate and hot-headed, throwing yourself headfirst into your work and relationships with a grandeur flair. You wear your heart on your sleeve, making many flock to you for friendship or more. Your self-awareness around your temper certainly helps your popularity as you channel your temper into your physical fitness. You certainly aren't burning out anytime soon!

Traits: Social Butterfly, Hot-Headed, Artistic, Loves the Heat, Flirty

LTW: Super Popular

Job: Self-employed Painter

Requirements:

Master the painting and martial arts skills

Have at least 20 friends and maintain friendships until you are an elder or the next generation takes over

Have 3 passionate lovers in your lifetime

Throw a party once per week

Woohoo once per week

Generation 4 - Grass

Child of grass, you just can't get enough of babies, especially your own! Your family and their wellbeing are your whole world. You live to nourish, protect and teach your loved ones. However, you have been told on one or more occasions that you can be overbearing...a helicopter parent perhaps? Don't they know you only want what is best for them?

Traits: Nurturing, Perfectionist, Loves the Outdoors, Family Orientated, Green Thumb,

LTW: Surrounded by Family/The Perfect Garden

Job: Daycare

Requirements:

Have a garden and live off the land, using your grown produce for meals

Max the gardening skill

Fall in love and marry your childhood sweetheart

Have 5 children and a bad relationship with at least one

Teach all of your children their toddler skills

Live within your means in a small-medium house - never have more than 10,000 in household funds

Generation 5 - Ice

Child of ice, your parents doting nature only added onto your pressure. You never felt like you fit in with your family, never felt understood. They were all so extroverted and loud whilst you much preferred your quiet isolation. Perhaps that's why you prefer animals over people. You have a lot of love to give, I can only hope you will find someone to share that with (who is not one of your many pets).

Traits: Shy, Animal Lover, Hates the Outdoors, Savvy Sculptor, Loves the cold

LTW: Descendant of Da Vinci

Jobs: Self employed Sculptor/Painter/Inventor

Requirements:

Have a poor relatioship with your parents and siblings, you will leave your childhood family home as soon as you age into a young adult

Have 3 pets at one time

Only leave your house when necessary

Meet your lover through online dating

Master the sculpting and inventing skills

Have a child through the time machine

Generation 6 - Electricity

Child of electricity, you sure are a shocker! You thrive in the spotlight and want all eyes on you, for better or worse. You would never miss an opportunity to make a good story for the headlines. Rumours have been circulating that your appearances are a rouse: you're broke, narcissistic and even miserable! They're just jealous of your fame and fortune...right?

Traits: Inappropriate, Star Quality, Charismatic, Daredevil, Irresistible

LTW: Superstar Actor/Rock Star/Vocal Legend

Job: Actor/Musician/Singer

Requirements:

Reach Celebrity Level 5

Reach Level 10 of your chosen career

Have 3 negative scandals in your lifetime

Act inappropriately once per week

Live beyond your means - live in a large mansion and keep your household funds below 5,000. Spend any additional income on items, spa treatments and activities

Have a fall from grace and leave your children with nothing

Generation 7 - Metal

Child of metal, you know what it's like to be at rock bottom. Due to your parents neglect and carelessness, you taught yourself all you know to get by and find your next meal, even if you aren't proud of it. You are stubborn, self-reliant and one hell of an evil genius. You won't hit rock bottom again. Ever.

Traits: Evil, Kleptomaniac, Genius, Night Owl, Rebellious

LTW: Become a Master Thief

Job: Criminal Career

Requirements:

As a teen: consistently maintain D's at school, skip school, pull pranks and steal from neighbours

Work for tips as a mixologist in your young adulthood

Master the mixologist skill and learn every drink recipe

Have a found family

Steal an item every week

Never fall below 2,000 simoleons when you are independant. If you do or are about to, start doing whatever is necessary. We will never hit rock bottom

Marry a rich sim, have a child with them and kill your partner off

Generation 8 - Air

Child of air, your life so far has been turbulent and chaotic. Your parents death has scarred you and you have floated through life lost. You try to travel on the right path for your late parent, but you can't help but feel there is more to life than what meets the eye. There are sounds at night that wake you, unexplained foresight into future events and a pull to the paranormal. Perhaps it is time to stop fighting this unknown path and instead let the winds carry you to where you are meant to be.

Traits: Good, Light Sleeper, Unlucky, Over-Emotional, Neurotic

LTW: Master of Mysticism/Paranormal Profiteer

Job: Fortune Teller/Ghost Hunter

Requirements:

Join a base game job in young adulthood. Quit once you reach level 3

Reach level 10 of your chosen career

Donate money to charity every week to honour your late parent

Marry a supernatural or one of your clients

Do one exceptionally good thing in your lifetime (examples include: cure a supernatural, adopt a child, revive a dead sim)

Have a close relationship with your children

Generation 9 - Space

Child of space, you certainly are special. With your parents holding a unique view on the world and the afterlife, you grew up with an open mind and childlike awe of life's wonders and mysteries. Your parents advocated for you to question the world, and question you did! You excelled in your studies and took a particular interest in space. Is it true you become a star if you die?

Traits: Genius, Childish, Athletic, Slob, Ambitious

LTW: Perfect Student

Job: Military

Requirements:

Keep straight A's throughout school

Go to university and achieve a perfect GPA

Master the logic skill

Reach space by becoming an astronaut (Reach level 10 of the military career)

Have an alien baby

[loaisacult]

While I was living my dream life, which I manifested without stooping low to lying to vulnerable people online, something interesting happened. All the individuals who were attacking me ended up being exposed for their lies. The most irritating one of them is currently caught up in a scandal—for sending herself fake success stories about a method she stole from @remcycl333 yes I’m talking to you @luckykiwiii101 and your lying spawn friend like @fairykittiz8 @luvmanifesting and whichever other losers who have spawned from loa cult hell. It’s baffling how many people don’t seem to realize that roughly 80% of the people on this app are dishonest.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—LOA is real. I’m proof of that because I’ve used it to manifest my life without compromising my integrity or wasting time listening to liars pretending to “live in the end.” It’s ridiculous watching people on Tumblr spend every waking hour here, claiming to have faith while we all know they’re fabricating stories, hyping themselves up, and manipulating vulnerable users just for the sake of social media clout. This clout seems to fill the gap they clearly lack in their real lives.

The people I feel for the most are the children. You seem to think that sugar-coating blatant lies will somehow bring your dream reality to you faster. You actually believe that putting known liars on a pedestal will make these false promises more real. But here’s the truth—the only person who can make your dream reality come true is you. How long are you going to keep letting yourself be deceived by attention seekers? How long will you allow these people, who spend every waking hour glued to this app instead of building their own dream lives, to manipulate you? The truth is, most of them don’t even come up with original ideas—they copy from other bloggers and mask it as their own insight.

The LOA community has started to resemble a cult. LOA Tumblr is a cult. Even other platforms, like Reddit, are finally starting to call out this toxic behavior. The danger here goes far beyond just wasting time—it’s emotionally harmful. For the liars in this community who prey on the trust and desperation of others, especially vulnerable children, you’re absolutely disgusting for exploiting them. Faking success or constructing fictional lives just to gain followers or attention is not just insane—it borders on predatory behavior.

It’s disturbing to see people decaying their own morals, lying to inflate their egos, and creating fabricated posts to boost their so-called credibility. These lies add nothing to anyone's progress, least of all your own. If LOA is supposed to be about mindset, faith, and creating a better life, why is so much of this community consumed by deceit and clout chasing? Instead of helping people, you’re leaving them trapped in cycles of false hope.

This behavior not only undermines the real potential of LOA attaching it to lies and manipulation turns it into a circus that discredits the entire practice. The worst part? These lies don’t help you either. If you’re truly living your dream life, why are you still spending every moment on these apps trying to prove something? At some point, everyone needs to step away from the noise and evaluate what’s real and what’s fabricated. It’s time to leave behind liars and focus on building an authentic path to success. That’s where true results come from—not from hollow promises or someone else’s exaggerated stories.

Instead of throwing my life away by engaging with these people, I decided to focus on myself. I stayed truthful, consistent, and aligned with my goals. That’s why I’m thriving, while these others are stuck in a cycle of falsehoods and scandals. If more people would stop chasing empty validation online and put that same energy into bettering themselves, they’d understand that true manifestation starts with authenticity and self-belief. The results I’ve achieved speak for themselves. You don’t have to lie or exploit others to make LOA work—it’s about faith, persistence, and living with integrity.

To those who create and spread false narratives, crafting made-up stories to fuel your own agendas or gain fleeting online attention—do you truly believe this path will lead you closer to your dream life? Hiding behind fake accounts, recycling lies, and passing them off as truth may bring you a sliver of validation, maybe even a moment of fleeting clout, but at what cost? Are a few likes, reblogs, or comments really worth sacrificing your integrity and the chance at something real? Do you even stop to ask yourself what you're actually trying to achieve or why you're choosing deception as your strategy?

The truth is, building a life you’re proud of takes work. It takes effort, persistence, and, most importantly, honesty—with yourself and with others. Passing off fantasies as reality doesn’t just hurt those who might believe the lies; it stunts your own growth. Every moment spent fabricating nonsense is another moment lost to actually working toward something meaningful. You’re investing time in a false reality, and for what—a temporary ego boost? It’s not going to change who you are or what your life looks like beyond the screen. If anything, it only deepens the dissatisfaction you’re already running from.

Look, if your ultimate goal is to monetize the chaos you create, at least follow the steps of others who openly hustle with their scams that turn a dollar—selling courses, guides, or “bull shit advice.” At least then you wouldn’t be hiding entirely behind smoke and mirrors. But even then, is this the legacy you want to leave behind? Surely, there are less degrading and more fulfilling ways to aspire toward success.

Instead of spinning webs of lies, what if you redirected that energy? What if you used your creativity to build something authentic, something that aligns with what you truly want? Write your own story—not a false one meant to mislead others, but the one that reflects real effort and genuine progress. The satisfaction and self-respect that comes from actually doing the work outweighs any shallow validation you might scrape together through hollow tricks.

Ask yourself this—are you chasing validation from strangers at the expense of your own potential? Because the truth is, nobody who matters is impressed by a fabrication. Aim for more. Be better. Stop wasting your time crafting illusions and start doing work that aligns with your Manifestion . You'll find that the authenticity of building something real is far more rewarding than the empty high of a fake, fleeting moment.

If you still want to stay on this app filled with liars I seldomly recommend anyone but I recommend @gorgeouslypink @remcycl333 @heliosoll @charmedreincarnation @angelsinluv @cinefairy @sexyandhedonistic and a few more who left none of these people are active but probably because they’re actually living their fucking my dream lives

[gemliteraturedtooclosetothesun]

Neil Gaiman

I think this is an important lesson on the concept of removing the art from the artist, as many people are already saying to do about Gaiman. “Sure,” they say. “What he did was wrong, and there is no excuse. But his books did nothing wrong.”

I know I’m hardly the first person to make the connection between the character Madoc and Gaiman himself—especially since the Vulture article lays it out very clearly. To those of you who haven’t read the article or Sandman, the character Richard Madoc is a writer who loses inspiration after a successful debut novel and receives a naked woman (Calliope, one of the Nine Muses) as a gift from another author, who he proceeds to rape continuously as ideas flow to him. Madoc collects awards, fans and general fame until Sandman punishes him in a poetically justified manner. This story allegorises the painful experiences of women worldwide who are sucked dry of their energy, souls, lives, ideas, love, identity and used by men who have no care for the impact their actions have on their victims. It was a beautiful and apt depiction of the inhumane act of vampirism and violation and painted such an accurate picture of the many weapons wielded against women that I could not help but believe the author is someone who cares very deeply about women and the downtrodden. Right? Right?

Why is this story particularly important? And why does it lead to a further discussion about separating art and artist? 

Well, anyone with any amount of critical thinking skills can draw a handful of parallels between Madoc and Gaiman. They’re both successful artists, consider themselves feminists and have made announcements to that effect, and ultimately fail to uphold the moral standards of the works they publish. And both of them have thoroughly misled the world at large about their own natures. In fact, according to the Vulture article, people likened Gaiman not to Madoc, but Sandman himself, as they are both considered an “inexhaustible fountain of story”.

So how can I ever hope to separate creation and maker? How can I ever continue to support the works of someone who KNOWS. Because he does. He knows exactly what the impact of his work is, knows enough about the moral pillars of our society to accurately represent the interpersonal complexities of sexism, sexual assault and feminism played out in his works. How can I ever consume more media from a man who has made a mockery of our daily struggles, who reaps the awards and the glory and the money from a parody of the uphill battles every woman fights every day to assert her identity in a world created to pander to everyone else? 

I refuse to read fake feminism from an anti-feminist, refuse to read about the horrors of sexual assault from a sexual assaulter. I refuse to support this man in any endeavours he takes. I own no copies of any of his books and don't intend to get any. I’m not saying to burn your books—they're your property, and you've already gotten them, treat them with respect—but as someone whose most awaited show release since 2022 has been the second season of The Sandman, I don’t think I’ll watch it now, and if I do it’s to support the artists, and I’ll probably pirate it, to be honest. 

All this to say, there is no feasable way to remove the art from the artist. The art is an extension of the artist and even if we remove all economic and social advantages creators get from their content from the equation, we’re left with the stark realisation that when an author has personal morals that inherently clash with his works, it’s because he measured those morals and found them wanting for portrayal, therefore choosing to pretend at being a good person to achieve his goals and sell his trade. And I’m not so deprived of perfectly good literature that I’ll swallow my pride and sense of morality to take in the ironic preaching of a man who doesn’t believe in his own gospel. 

[bemusedlybespectacled]

I volunteer with an organization of very high needs disabled people and I have to say, they delight in using AI to put stories together. It even inspires them to make their own edits and additions, though many struggle with typing or verbal skills. I don't want to tell anyone how to feel but it seems like weird ideological purity policing to exclude them from a social event where they might connect to people and find community.

So my first question is: why AI specifically? Why not literally any other method of writing? If they're capable of doing edits/additions, then why can't they first write the story out using speech-to-text, or an AAC device, or dictate it to someone else, and then edit/add to it later?

Coming up with ideas/a plot is creative and requires skill, but it's a different kind of creativity and skill than actually writing it down/connecting those dots. Like, James Patterson doesn't write most of his books; he writes out long outlines for a ghostwriter to work off of, then makes notes or changes to the draft before sending it back to the ghostwriter. It would be unfair to say that he doesn't have any skills at all, but it would also be unfair to say that he wrote all of his books himself when they were actually mostly written by someone else. A lot of the time, movies will have separate credits for the person who came up with the idea and the person who actually wrote the screenplay, because they are separate things requiring different skills.

NaNoWriMo, as a concept, is about practicing the latter skill. You're presumed to have already learned how to come up with ideas – otherwise, what would you work on for a month? The actual work of crafting enough sentences that your story becomes a full text and not an outline is really fucking hard, and that's why so many writers get stalled at the ideas stage and never actually write anything. If you don't have those skills to start, that's okay, because most people don't! The whole point is to practice them over the month! And even if you never hit 50k (I haven't!), you can at least say that you practiced that skill. Even if you only wrote ten words a day because that's literally the most you can do, writing ten words every day for thirty days is still a huge accomplishment!

To use the marathon metaphor from the originating post: both driving a car and running a marathon are skills, but they are not the same skill. If you can't run a marathon – if you are just trying to get to the point where you can walk briskly for five miles without tasting blood when you breathe – reaching that goal is still an accomplishment, even if you're not full on running a marathon. If you are just starting to learn how to drive without having a panic attack, being able to do that is also an accomplishment, even if it's not the same thing as winning the Indy500. Modest goals are still goals and achieving them is a thing to be celebrated.

But I don't think it's ideological purity to say that there's a difference between achieving a very modest goal because the "full thing" is just not feasible for whatever reason, and achieving a totally different goal entirely. "I finally drove to the store and back all by myself!" is genuinely great, but not something you'd necessarily work on in your running group.

[eclipsellium]

Why I hate the pomodoro method.

You’ve probably seen someone suggest the Pomodoro method before— you do short sprints (typically 25 mins) followed up by a quick break (typically 5 mins).

I don’t like it, and I will never go back to using it. Don’t get me wrong, it can work really well! My sibling only gets anything done if they use this method, so there is something good about it. However, I’m going to talk about the downsides and what else to do instead of this method.

1. It focuses on time spent rather than results.

Many tasks are quite flexible in how long we take to complete them. Take walking home for example. When I am in a rush to school, it takes about 20 mins uphill, but my legs cramp really bad. When I’m just listening to my music and vibing, it takes about 30 mins downhill.

It's a similar idea for studying. Apply pressure on your learning and assignments, and they get completed faster. Too much pressure, you get exhausted or can’t think straight. (HINT: Procrastination). Too little pressure, and it takes forever to get anything done.

Different results require different amounts of time and pressure.

Trying to strive for a specific time frame undermines what your true goal is: to get some something done. The repetitive cycle assumes a “one size fits all” but that is rarely ever the case. Saying “I studied for two hours today” means nothing compared to “I wrote my essay, read a research paper, and annotated my notes from yesterday.”

2. It discourages focus and flow.

When I was trying out the method, I kept trying to find the ideal time for work and for breaks. The problem is it's never the same. Some days, you are more mentally exhausted and need longer and more breaks, otherwise you are just going to be miserable.

As it is, the five-minute break isn’t long enough to go on a short walk, take a dedicated snack, or fully disconnect. It’s a waste of time that taunts you with distractions that aren’t conducive to a good work environment.

The opposite is also true. Good days can be rare, so when you get into the zone, there’s no reason to come out of it for anything other than a natural transition. A ticking timer to your productivity doesn’t help, and breaking up that “flow state” isn’t maximizing your time or your efforts.

I also haven’t heard many people mention stamina. If you are in school and taking tests, you realize they are typically around the same length (90 - 120 mins where I am). The pomodoro method contradicts this. For a lot of people, focusing and doing your best on a test for such a long period of time can be difficult.

Oh, but that’s just life.

Maybe a part of it is, but you can take steps to improve your stamina during test taking. Spending upwards of two hours studying or taking practice tests, especially leading up to huge exams, can make the test fly by. Simulating test conditions is also a great way to study or increase pressure, which is what long term study periods achieve. Taking longer study periods also relates back to breaks. With the same amount of break time, you consolidate it into a greater block. You can grab a snack, watch an episode of your favorite show, take a walk outside, or do your hair. All fun stuff you can’t do with pomodoro.

3. It brings technology back into the equation.

If you’re using pomodoro method, most likely, its on your computer or your phone. Which means you have to have a device in reach and visible (for work on paper) or be constantly switching tabs (for work online).

Distractions are a huge part of this modern age, which means that you could inadvertently be teasing your mind with a computer game or social media or whatever you enjoy. Even if you don’t give in, you *are* losing focus.

Forget the clocks, forget the devices, forget the notifications. It’s so much easier to be productive if you have nothing else to do and no distractions to take you away from something that, at the heart of it, you enjoy. Because if you hate studying, why are you still reading this??????

This is really long so I’ll make another post about different study methods next week.

[sunderingstars]

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✩ ‧₊˚ ⌞ EIDOLON NAMES AS NARRATIVES ⌝

analysis masterlist

— fandom: honkai star rail

— type: analysis, general

— word count: 1.1k

— overview: (as of 2.3) a look into the potential narrative meaning of eidolons and their various titles. meant to be a companion piece to my eidolon art analysis & sampo eidolon analysis (as well as any other characters i do down the line!)

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As of now, I have four main ideas as to what eidolons mean:

— Linear Development: Tracking from a character's past (or backstory) through the present and sometimes into the future.

— Birth and Rebirth: Following linear development until a "rebirth" moment at E6.

— Cycles of Day/Night: Progressing through different time frames as the character goes about their day.

— Least Vulnerable to Most Vulnerable: Showing the character at their least vulnerable (E1) before bringing them through eidolons where they get progressively "weaker," eventually ending up at their E6 where they are the most vulnerable.

Side Note: While there are characters whose eidolons seem to center around specific fighting styles or moves (i.e. Seele, Yanqing, etc.), there can still be a narrative interpreted from them — i.e. following the linear moves of their weapon as they fight.

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First, I’ll start with the most straightforward — linear development.

When looking through different eidolon sets, I noticed that many of them contained references that lined up with the character’s backstory and development, usually tracking from the “beginning” of their story to the “future,” where they are now, or where they might be going.

As of the time of writing this (2.1), Aventurine is the latest character, so let’s use him as an example:

Here is my interpretation of E1-E6:

— “Prisoner’s Dilemma” (E1) signals his time in slavery as he tried to figure out how to escape.

— “Bounded Rationality” (E2) describes him operating in these confines to achieve a goal.

— “Droprate Maxing” (E3) refers to his deal with the IPC and him trying to max out his success in joining them.

— “Unexpected Hanging Paradox” (E4) has to do with the new paradox he finds himself in which is how the IPC is yet another cage.

— “Ambiguity Aversion” (E5) leads us into Penacony and his inner self-reflection on why he seems so confident in gambling everything he has.

— “Stag Hunt Game” (E6) describes Aventurine going forward with his mission deeper into Penacony’s depths (with Stag Hunt Game referencing a conflict between safety and social cooperation). For me, this tracks fairly neatly through the stages of his life, eventually ending up at where we know him today.

Similarly, eidolon sets like Welt’s and Clara’s speak to a narrative development as well. Himeko’s is the most obvious, I think, as it literally starts with “Childhood” and ends with “Trailblaze!”:

This is one of the main features I’ve seen within eidolon sets, with some tracking more neatly than others.

Additionally, I’ve seen a few that continue this development but seem to hit a “rebirth” moment at E6, like with Lynx (which also ties into the idea of a day/night cycle):

Here, we can see different times of day progressing normally, except instead of ending at “night” it ends at “dawn."

Similarly, Blade’s E6 literally has the word “reborn” in it after progressing linearly from E1-E5:

My conclusion from this is that this is specific to certain characters like Blade where “rebirth” is technically a part of his linear progression, or Lynx who spends lots of time in the wilderness.

As for the day/night cycle, Lynx and Guinaifen are the best examples I’ve found.

Guinaifen especially seems to have her eidolons as a microcosm of her typical day, tracking from eating breakfast to brushing her teeth to performing various acts for entertainment:

However, I also believe this to be dependent on Lynx and Guinaifen’s specific character traits, like Lynx operating off of a wilderness survival timeframe and Guinaifen having a regimented life because of social media.

Lastly, it is possible that eidolons are also meant to show a character’s progression from least to most vulnerable (with E6 literally being the most vulnerable physically as there are no clothes on the character).

I find Pela and Herta to be the most interesting in this regard, as they both have E6s that very much remind me of “vulnerability” for different reasons.

For Pela, her E1 starts with “Victory Report,” an act that often shows strength and confidence, yet her E6 ends with “Feeble Pursuit,” something much more vulnerable. Additionally, her eidolons track from “adamant” to “suppressive” to “analysis” to “jeopardy,” which seems to hint at a slow loss of control before reaching “feeble pursuit:"

On the other side, Herta’s eidolons start with her in a position of authority and security — being able to kick someone while they’re down — but end in the idea that “No One Can Betray Me."

Her eidolons seem to go from a genuine position of safety to a delusional self-confidence, the kind that often leaves people extremely vulnerable; when you assume no one can betray you, that ego can blind you and make you more susceptible to the thing you don’t believe will happen.

We can also see this confidence build from objective strength to hyperbolic self-confidence through the transition from action “Keep the Ball Rolling” and “Hit Where It Hurts” to cussing big (which can often be seen as a cover-up for inadequacies):

Again, I find these highly dependent on the characters’ personalities, but it is an interesting trend regardless.

Overall, most eidolon sets seem to follow some sort of narrative, whether that be one interspersed with day/night cycles, vulnerability cycles, birth and rebirth, or just plain backstory-to-present references.

I’m sure there can be more interpretations sourced from these (especially the sets in other languages like Ratio’s and Kafka’s) but these are the personal conclusions I’ve reached!

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જ⁀➴ if you’ve read to the end, thank you for listening to my nerdy rambling! i’ll be posting an in-depth analysis of sampo’s eidolons soon, so if anyone is interested please keep a look out for that!

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© analysis by sunderingstars. do not copy, repost, translate, modify, or claim my work as your own.

[unrelentingforse]

arcane is a political statement (ACT 1 S2 SPOILERS)

whether you like it or not - reality DOES AFFECT THE ART. the art depicts the reality. i will not debate this.

coming back to arcane - it is political. the whole story is based on the oppression of the poor and the corruption of the rich. many times it showed that the whole system is flawed. that it exploits vulnerable people despite their social and political status.

we've seen this with jayce and mel, caitlyn and ambessa, zaunites and shimmer, jinx and silco. all of them were manipulated to achieve certain goals by those who hold the real power. and the results are atrocious.

jayce has expelled the founder of piltover from the council and created hextech weapons, caitlyn has started a war against zaunites, zaunites have become disabled and addicted because of the production of shimmer, jinx has blown up the council.

none of those actions have led to something positive or beneficial for either of the cities. it only benefitted the individual people who hold the power and needed someone else to do their dirty work. (silco doesn't really apply here because right before this went down he died)

i want to talk about caitlyn kiramman specifically here.

in my previous post i talked about how cait never really deconstructed the way she thinks about those who are in a different class than her. she was TAUGHT to hate zaunites. to see them as less than. but she was a rebellious child and became fascinated with the IDEA of zaun. so she tried her hardest to talk to them, to get into zaun, to see how the live. later in life all she felt was pity for them.

she didn't suddenly become a progressive leftist that people are trying to paint her as - she simply was attracted to vi. yes, she was making an exception for her. she liked vi and that made her a little more accepting towards vi's hatred for enforcers. but she still saw her as someone who has lost their way and needs help from a strong and powerful piltover citizen who happens to be the heir of the most influential house of the city. white savior complex - i'm talking about it.

caitlyn asked vi to join the enforcers thinking about her as if she's a piltover citizen. someone who has NO reasons to hate the oppressive force of enforcers. and then was faced with the reality - vi "would rather die alone" than associate herself with people who have been poisoning, murdering, torturing and holding an apartheid. to people like her - poor people from zaun.

of course she would not get this desicion - why would she? she never had to experience the oppression so she doesn't have ANY idea why vi didn't agree to her proposition. to caitlyn - she was kind enough to ask a wretched poor person from zaun to leave her past behind and start oppressing people who she grew up with. because in her mind anyone would like this opportunity to have such tremendous amount of power.

caitlyn fundamentally doesn't comprehend the struggles of people below her status. and this is the reason why she agreed to become a fascist dictator. she thinks they're all the same - violent animals who need to be exterminated. and she is happy to do it herself. she abused the ventilation system her mother built to give fresh air to people of the undercity and gassed them with "the gray". she straight up commited a WAR CRIME. she was willing to take the chance of shooting isha just to kill jinx. she was not trying to stop the ongoing crisis between piltover and zaun, she was getting HER revenge.

yes, she is grieving the loss of her mother. yes, she has A TON of responsibilities now that her mother is dead. yes, she has never experienced a major loss in her life. i am not denying her right to be miserable and sad during this time. and i am not saying that she has no reasons to be angry at jinx. what i am saying is that her background is making her grief destructive to everyone around her. not a single person from zaun has done anything of this scale to people of piltover. not a single one of them will be protected if they do the same. jinx tried to - now she's on the run.

all of this - is a MAJOR parallel to our life. the way we treat Palestinians, Native Americans, Lebanese and Sudanese people on their own land is the exact same way caitlyn treats people from the undercity. apartheid, poisoning the water and food, killing innocents, invasion - this is happening right now on our planet. but we're supposed to get mad at an animated show and not in real life.

hope i made you think about something. thanks for reading it all the way through.

[objectivistnerd]

Hardly a new thought, but I'm constantly frustrated by even centrist Democrats' seeming inability to put 2 and 2 together on economic issues. They'll get tantalizingly close and then stall out, rhetorically, right at the finish line.

My charitable read on the situation is that explaining why capitalism and economic growth are so vital to human flourishing is sufficiently difficult that most people gloss over it. The less charitable take is that it's risky to openly advocate for profit, business, and the free market in progressive circles—even those who fully understand their value will be hesitant to actually come out and argue for it, lest they be attacked by their own "team".

It'll come as no surprise that I think the left-liberal divorce is long overdue. Liberalism and leftism are only contingently related; leftists are quite vocal about this fact. All too many self-identified liberals fail to understand the historical reasons for that coalition (and, thus, why leftists should have always remained the junior member). The various reasons why that happened are a story for another post. Suffice to say, liberals sanewashing leftist ideas was an electoral own-goal.

I bring this all up, of course, because the abundance agenda is back in the discourse thanks to Ezra Klein's new book. I haven't read the book yet, but I've been following the development of the idea since co-author Derek Thompson's piece in the Atlantic three years ago. The basic idea is sound, and compatible with all the ideologies I've explored seriously since starting my intellectual journey half a lifetime ago. Achieving material abundance, broadly defined, is my goal for economic and social policy. The important question is how to get it (and history really isn't very ambiguous in its answer).

Freedom from want is a core prerequisite of human flourishing. So I find myself confused that liberals are so hesitant, generally, to come out in favor of that. Perhaps part of the problem is that almost no one has actually gone to bat for economic liberalism in...150 years? Most advocates are either libertarian extremists who scare the normies, or crypto-Republicans really just trying to justify tax cuts. (Or both.) I suppose, then, the abundance crowd represents one of the only serious attempts to argue for economic liberalism in modern times.

A short note on terminology—the term economic liberalism refers to the policy and ideology of private property and a market economy. Protectionism, redistribution, onerous regulation, and other forms of central planning are not economically liberal. The vernacular meaning of the word "liberal" has shifted so far, at least in America, that most so-called liberals are only lukewarm on capitalism, and downright eager to regulate and tax economic activity.

The abundance agenda crowd is largely not that allergic to certain economically illiberal policies (Ezra Klein is openly on-board with plenty of big government programs), but they are critically motivated by a desire to get the goods. They can be reasoned with when it comes to the exact methods, because we can study empirically how to get more housing and more healthcare and so on. There will be plenty of debate on the specific strategies and tradeoffs to achieve abundance, but the conversation won't break down over a hatred of big business and millionaires.

The problem is that even many advocates of abundance are too timid to come out and say the obvious conclusions of their arguments—or, at least, say them loudly. Liberals need to once again embrace economic liberalism (as a means to the end of human flourishing!) and make that a core part of their message. It complements the socially liberal agenda, and appeals to what the public actually supports. The median voter and marginal voter care a whole lot about rent and the price of groceries, and they aren't wrong to do so.

If Democrats can actually start to deliver on this agenda in blue states (there's some signs of this, e.g. Gov. Josh Shapiro openly plugging his efforts to reduce the regulatory requirements to start a business in Pennsylvania), then perhaps the party can actually build credibility on economic issues. Economics isn't the only sphere in which Democrats need to reform, but if they can, then, just maybe, Trumpism will finally die.

The abundance conversation is the start of that process, not the end. But we won't get to that end so long as centrist Democrats are too afraid of the (electorally useless) left flank to court persuadable voters. And Democrats are not going to deliver the benefits of social and economic liberalism to the masses if they can't win elections. Even if their hearts are in the right place, that won't matter until they can clearly and confidently make the case for real material prosperity.

[onegianthotmess]

Jack Howl is a Hufflepuff-

Despite being a tsundere, he checks all of the boxes for getting into Hufflepuff.

Jack is an incredibly hard worker and doesn’t half ass work of any kind, always remaining dedicated to the task at hand in order to achieve his goal or the final product of what he’s doing and he is never afraid to learn a new skill or new way of doing things or how to make things easier for himself.

Jack also has a strong sense of justice and fairness, believing in pack mentality and the social chain of command and refusing to disrupt it, instead he pours himself into helping the second in command, Ruggie, in order to feel useful and because he sees no one helping him or his siblings much outside of the odd thing that they ask once in a while. He’s also a man of his word and doesn’t like being in debt, being very willing to repay Jade in a way for unknowingly ruining some mushrooms he was growing and being on time for his shifts at the Monstro Lounge during that week of paying back for what he did. And he has always said that fairness is one of the most important things or implied it many times throughout the game.

Jack is also quite patient, despite being rough around the edges. He will sit through Sebek’s nonsense, patiently tell Deuce about proper eating and exercising/workout routines, and is willing to hear people out whenever they say they’re concerned about something. And tying back into his hard working attitude, Jack has the patience to learn new skills without much fuss and will always take advice if it’s generally a good idea and his instincts don’t lurch him away from just the mention of it.

Though this is a given since he’s a wolf, Jack is incredibly loyal to an almost unbelievable standard. He is loyal to helping his friends, to those he deems family, to keeping his word, to helping the Bucchi Triplets as much as he can, and to his pack and his place in that pack. His loyalty has never once faltered and he will not give up on anyone or leave their side. Jack has always been helpful and not once has he given up on someone he cares about at NRC.

And last, but certainly not least, Jack is incredibly kind and reliable. As I’ve stated before, Jack is a man of his word, incredibly loyal, and will do anything within reason to pay someone back if he’s wronged them. He’s also very willing to help anyone in need and will do so swiftly and dutifully, always happy to help.

Jack is also a plant mom-

And it’s for these reasons that Jack Howl would be sorted into Hufflepuff by the Sorting Hat!

He’d definitely be on the Quidditch team, most likely as a Beater thanks to his build and upper arm strength. His best subjects would be Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts, maybe he’d be decent at Transfiguration, and he’d likely struggle in Charms purely due to pronunciation and History of Magic because he isn’t a history kind of guy.

Jack would probably end up being pretty well-known in the history of Hogwarts Quidditch as one of the best Beaters Hufflepuff and Hogwarts as a whole have ever seen.

Also, I had fun with this! I’ll probably do another one of these soon!

[betterbemeta]

Go ahead and flambe me if this is seriously wrong but I feel like there are two "tracks" that fascism in specific uses to define its enemies.

They lead to the same place. They are obviously inter-connected and reinforce each other. Intersectionality is still real. Neither track is 'more under threat' than the other. Some, even most groups, are targeted on both tracks in different ways at once to greater or lesser degrees.

The two fascist threat tracks, mythological and material:

Mythological:

These are groups that are targeted based on the mythology of the specific fascist group we're talking about. There is no 'functional' ulterior motive in targeting this group on its face. A good example is fascists targeting jewish people. While fascist groups can find ways to profit from a genocide, or conflate a very broad (but still minority!) group with an opposition political party... the mythology of antisemitism existed long long before fascism. Another example of this is islamophobia or hatred of any group that scans as 'arab' or 'middle eastern' to white western fascists. Hatred of roma peoples. The idea of 'drag queens.' 'The invasion of illegal immigrants.' There is no lever that fascists can push by removing mythological 'threats', that would 'do anything for them' more than eliminating any other arbitrarily defined group of people. And these groups don't inherently, on their own, sans intersectionality, compromise fascism's ability to survive. Their 'political threat' is completely imaginary and made-up by fascists, for fascists themselves. The only non-arbitrary factor in who gets branded an enemy of their mythology is that co-opting existing prejudices is easier than conditioning brand-new ones to better achieve the other track of violence, which is,

Material:

These are groups that are targeted because their existence, needs, autonomy, make it harder for fascist structures and thought to reproduce. Fascism is actually a really unpopular ideology with an extremely low rate of adoption. It needs not only to ride on existing prejudice (see above,) enfranchised political positions (conservatism, liberalism, etc.) or religions (in the USA, mostly christofascism,) until its agents are installed but it needs to reproduce genetically if so few people willingly adopt it as adults without being surrounded by it. That means transforming gender into political-reproduction roles only and getting rid of any alternatives to or means to reject those roles (fascist function of transphobia and homophobia, misogyny.) It means attacking reproductive rights to control political reproduction (fascist function of more misogyny, some ableism). It means attacking any moral or social groups that claim exemption from or provide refuge from its dogma (religious discrimination, anti-secularism as well.) It means preventing interracial marriages and making sure the incubators of fascist ideology never see how the sausage gets made by giving undesirable jobs to enslaved racial minorities (fascist function of many kinds of racism). These are levers that fascists CAN push to achieve SOME material goal that makes it easier for their structure to at least pretend to function.

By seeing these things as two different tracks, some of the irreconcilable BS that we see from fascists in power makes sense. How can they have such pointless fixations, while also treating the government like a video game with mechanics to exploit, 'win', and restructure into a kind of cookie clicker for themselves? How can fascist flunkies not see that their dumb hangups are part of taking off the brakes for someone else's money machine? How can so many institutions just pivot to access that money in the future? Participation in one track doesn't mean awareness, understanding, of the other track. Though 'the knowledge retained and organized by an institution' is pretty different from a single real human being's knowledge.

Understanding there's more than one track of targeted violence (and how multiple tracks can target groups at the same time) also can alleviate some of the crosstalk that happens when fascists launch a broad attack on many groups at once. It can help us understand that discussion of one track is not a vote of priority against the other track, or erasure of that track, or lateral violence that would threaten our own solidarity. Fascists don't even organize 'priority' the way someone under attack by fascism does at all.

[saintadeline]

I can't figure out how to articulate what I want to say but like... Something about how the research hall is and has always been about disability and how kin of the cosmos also is as a whole. Something about how the "horror" of the research hall is entirely based on abled people's fears of disability, especially mental, it's about the sick and yet completely human bodies as opposed to the rest of the game being entirely based on actual body horror and barely human bodies, it's about the sudden screaming and incoherent vocalizations, it's about the repetitive movements, rocking, hitting head on the wall, grasping at yourself and nothing, seeing things that arent there. There was never anything "scary" about the rh to me it's always just been sad because these are people who were just left there, but I think about how some people see it as another horror aspect of bloodborne and i think about ableist "body horror" and depictions of disabled people in horror. I think about how disability is seen as something inherently horrific that terrifies abled people at the possibility of it happening to them. I think about how disability only exists and is only deemed relevant by abled people when it is equalled to suffering, i think most importantly about how religions like christianity and catholicism romanticize disability through their romanticization of pain, i think of so many saints that are just disabled people that were alive and in under so much pain that it was considered pious because pain was considered something to be achieved, did those saints ever seek out their chronic pain or were they just blessed with the ability to live through it? What about the people that didnt live through it? I think about this idea that suffering is always worth it religiously and is sought after by abled people, that suffering is something that will save the masses through one person taking it all upon themself. I think about the idolization some people have of disabled people especially disabled children, this idea that we are envoys from god or a higher plane and here to suffer in order to heal the world, i think about the fact this is coupled with infantilization and treating said disabled people as objects. I think about the objectification of disability when it doesnt concern you and i think about how disabled people are always treated as second, and whichever abled person is nearest is seen as the one to take decisions for them, i think about the way people treat the research hall as just a part of maria's story, just here as flavor to make her own suffering more dramatic. I think about how disability is always seen as something "other" and once again this idolization of disabled people as from "another plane", i think about dissociation through chronic pain and i think about constant derealization and wishing you were somewhere else, and i think about kin of the cosmos and the transcending of flesh through pain in order to reach another plane. I think about feeling things that arent there and i think about communing with the great ones, and i think about how the great ones only commune with those who have suffered enough. I think about the church and the research hall and i think about the impact social class has on disability, i think about those treated as "the good disabled people", i think about the way society puts them on a pedestal and projects them as a "goal", an "ideal" to follow for others, i think about inspiration porn, i think about saints being an example made to be followed because if they could turn their pain into prayer why can't you? If they can get through it why can't you? If they can communicate why can't you? If they can ascend and become kin why can't you? Why is one a failure and the other a saint?

[inchidentally]

Um, these 60 seconds of recent content between Lando and Oscar made me realize one thing, are these two really only knowing each other for a year or their whole lives?

the audience does not know !!!

like there's a very specific 'united front' thing I can see in a lot of partnerships and it's founded on different things but ultimately manifests in a feeling of cohesion between the drivers. (and I am so sorry bc I saw in passing someone else made a similar post to this but I cannot remember who so lmk bc I don't want to be ripping off their idea !! I have my own separate feelings about it so it's not a copy but still I wish I could have kept that on my dash long enough to rb)

like most teammates fall in the neutral category of professional politeness and friendliness but also the need to push for their own advantage wherever possible. totally fine and normal. also allows for a few fireworks occasionally which is just as good for fan engagement - sometimes more - than if the drivers were always cool w each other.

aberrations like Senna and Prost, brocedes, and sebmark are not to be included - way too unique. could even throw Esteban and Pierre in there.

you've got consummate professionals Lewis and George who are both careful about cultivating their own separate images and who hold a baseline of genuine respect for each other - but part of that respect being that they both know they'll look out for themselves first. so they're very much similar and equals even in operating very independently. ultimately they want the mess to get cleaned up and to shake hands and do business as usual. I could see them genuinely having to hash out something truly ugly and shake hands and move onto their own lives no problem. which like, they clearly have lol.

then there's a situation like Alex and Logan where the dynamic is so incredibly imbalanced BUT you have someone as humanly decent and warm as Alex (even if he maybe wishes he were less so for competitive reasons) and Logan has already become very skilled at dealing with being an outsider/almost unwanted :( and it's clear that they both see how hard-working they both are and what a massive thankless task they have in trying to just achieve points - undetermined if they're mostly friendly out of trauma bonding or will remain friends after being separated but there's absolute friendliness and respect.

then there's The Charisma Guys of Daniel and Carlos and now Lando (who mooched a lot of his F1 charisma off of Carlos and then Daniel). Daniel and Carlos replicate an almost identical dynamic with all of their teammates and it's predicated on what most drivers are already well versed in, which is: playing gay for fangirls, bromance hugging/camaraderie/ribbing for sports media and fans, and taking care of their own brand and career separately from their teammate. it's a powerful tool to have especially for leveraging the popularity of whatever bromance they're in towards their own image without having to lose power over their own image. individual sponsorships being a driver's second goal after winning races and WDCs also makes this an exceptionally good skill to have. it only starts to break down when the personal fortunes of one of the drivers start to hit hard times (current example being obvious).

the Carlos and Charles dynamic absolutely pulls a lot from the charisma/bromance stuff but the huge difference is that Ferrari would - like any F1 team - not give a shit if they didn't get along and just hitched on a bland smile for the cameras. Ferrari aren't remotely behind C2 being what it is, that's all Charles and Carlos. don't get me wrong Ferrari social media teams are MORE than happy to jump on! and sure, the challenges and content are a fun bonus thing to sponsors but three things here: one is that Ferrari IS the brand and they're a top 3 team like they're not grasping for sponsors asflgaslf. two is that as many partnerships have shown, you really don't need to do that much to satisfy the brief. and third, sponsors are like 99.999999% interested in the team's standings and the drivers' individual popularity with partnership popularity coming dead bottom - the bromances are only worth it if they're engagement darlings like carlando. and charlos doesn't do anywhere near those numbers or that widespread corporate social media appeal. you gotta do major impact with crazed fans for it to at all influence a brand's decision where to put their money. so all of the pop off the screen fun and genuine enjoyment we see Carlos and Charles have is fully legit. when they're being tongue-in-cheek levels of cutesy they literally say so. 2025 onward will see how much of a friendship there actually is, but as far as them being very happy with the partnership and collaborating exceptionally well within it, they're far more rock solid and natural at it than most. and the fact that they're if anything even tighter when there's zero incentive for it ?? and when their families and fanbases and their team principal and garages are constantly feuding ?? like it says everything about how much they respect each other and actually feel affection for each other to remain such a united front and so happy and affectionate. nobody else benefited from Carlos asking his team to tell Charles' team to come celebrate his win with him. nobody else in Ferrari or on the grid made bank off of about Charles rushing to congratulate Carlos while he was still in the car. (especially not when carlando did a quick hug and it got brands and official accounts posting tiktok ship edits to the predictable delight of thousands of fangirls. and for them all to cough cough conveniently ignore the embrace with his gf to push the image further.) there is no PR benefit behind C2 that would justify them hitching on such a dramatic facade - and if anything the people around them would prefer they kept separate so that they could celebrate one without the other. whatever their relationship is after this there will always be that massive respect IN SPITE of what the world around them wants.

but Lando and Oscar are such a major aberration not just in them both being so incredibly young and arriving into F1 so hot and already being so close in ability, but their specific 'history' and personalities. they were already such an easy fit together that it surpassed the professional need for a bromance buffer - and at the same time their bond being partly on how naturally private and shy they are made them poorly suited for a PR machine.

Oscar had already said - and a lot of fans already knew - that there were several friends in common and that the shifts in careers and being separated professionally by more years than their ages is the only thing that meant they'd never crossed paths before privately. as K said back when Oscar originally opened that TikTok acc it was so long ago that he followed Max F but that Lando didn't even have an one yet.

but also as many people close to Lando have said (good example that was posted recently) and that we can often still see in streamer Lando - Lando is very much like Oscar as a person at his core. pretty much all of the 'famous person' stuff we saw him become happened after 2019 and directly because of latching onto the social lives of guys like Carlos, Daniel and Martin. he's always referred to as extremely shy and he's said before he likes for others to lead. but his comfort place is still either hanging out in private with close friends only or to get on stream and laugh with his friends. Lando himself said that he considers Oscar to be very similar to him as a person outside of F1 and for all that in some ways that seems surprising, when you look at who Lando is when he's not in Professional Mode or Party Friends Mode he genuinely really fits in with someone quiet like Oscar who loves spending hours gaming w his friends and not being in public. I don't know enough about Martin Garrix as a person but I rly honestly see that with him as well. yes there's the Party Friend aspect but for them to travel solo for two entire winter breaks in a row ?? clearly Martin is a peaceful, quiet guy on Lando's level <3

and ofc I go onnnnn and fucking on about how while we all hate it bc it means we don't get as much content, the fact is that Lando and Oscar are the type of friendship/partnership where it's quiet and private and not something that translates to a bromance on camera. it's never going to be strategic.

so the fact that they have this "twinning" thing isn't that they are identical or that they even look all that similar, it's down to actually slotting in really well with each other as people! as always who knows how deep these friendships actually go but the whole mind-reading and synchronization and total lack of drama between them as drivers comes from genuinely being similar people and liking each other - that's what we're all picking up on when we watch them together.

the fact that they honestly find it awkward as hell when the media try to get them to "package" their friendship in bromancey soundbites or when they look at the camera a bit like an intruder that's making them dance their friendship around for media, like. that's so incredibly relatable for how any of us would feel with one of our actual friends having to do all that. having a camera aimed at us and some stranger being like "so you two get on really well huh?" and practically leaning in for an expected answer ???? it would be so stupid and weird and the whole way Lando and Oscar work together in unison to dispel how weird that is is so natural !!

idk it's like there's different things to take from different partnerships and literally all of us are suckers for a fun bromance and great professional chemistry. but I think this whole universal 'twins' thing that everyone sees in Lando and Oscar is genuinely two guys who are similar in all the fundamental ways and who actually slot together in ways where they naturally just agree on everything and therefore can predict a lot of what the other person is thinking if that makes sense ??? like yes Lando has Single Guy Party Times and professional motivations where Oscar does not but for a friendship and partnership to work, those are the two least relevant things to need to be similar about y'know ??