#ie they weren't just like the objectively Best Ways they were just ways that happened to take root in various departments at various times

[tarotbubbletea]

🍂 PAC Reading: Catharsis 🍂

Hey everyone!

October 2023 was a SHIT month for me. That eclipse season took a major toll on my mental and physical health. I hope you all had an easier time, and if you didn't, trust that you're not alone and I send you all the love you may need at this time 💛

Here's a spread I attempted from Lightwands tarot's Tiktok page on helping with catharsis, ie., helping you pin down and let go of some negative thoughts that may have been living in your head rent-free.

I intend this to be a timeless reading. Take a deep breath and clear your mind. Then pick the picture that you feel most drawn to. If you feel drawn to more than one, feel free to read those piles. If you feel drawn to none, perhaps I don't have a message for you at this time, but hope to have something for you in the future!

Going from left to right, we have piles 1, 2, and 3.

I'd love to hear some feedback! I'm also open for paid personal readings ($3 flat-rate).

Pictures used are not mine.

My kofi ☕

Pile 1

A pressing thought on your mind: King of Cups

Okay this is definitely about a boy. You may be overthinking/obsessing over a connection right now. Perhaps you have this person up on a pedestal and you think they're the best romantic match you could possibly ever have and that being chosen by them would be the best thing to ever happen to you. And maybe that's true. But you have to remind yourself that if you're begging to be chosen, that takes away significantly from your power, and most stable, secure men will want someone that matches them in their power. Some of you may be thinking that this guy has 2 options they're struggling between. For some of you, this may be an ex that you're seeing move on and, frankly, it hurts. If that's the case, I feel you.

Allow the tarot deck to describe the thought back to you in a softer voice: The Emperor

I think you need to remember that there is a bit of logic to relationships as well. Love isn't enough; you do have to think about the kind of life that's possible with your potential partner. You also need to remember that people feel and use their emotions differently than you. Your person may be at a stage where they're approaching partnership more logically. They may be thinking of compatibility in a more mature way at this point. This is a shift that started quite prominently during the pandemic, with casual dating taking a dip in our society. This person may also just be quite exhausted and have decided to just settle down. Love, at some stage, becomes more of a decision than a feeling, and that's where this person is right now. Remember that this is a window into their thought processes, not a judgement on you.

How you're approaching the thought: Justice

You may be self-flagellating a bit, thinking that the reason you're having such a hard time in love and life is because of some of your past mistakes or some karmic debt. And maybe this is true, because we all have karmic debt from this life and from the ones before. Every single person you know has made errors, and more people than you think have skeletons in their closets. We're all a little toxic. It's just the reality of life. And that's okay. That's life (tangent: watch Fleabag!) Maybe it's a little less serious for you and you feel like you're just not enough, or that you just messed up your chance with this person. But ask yourself as objectively as possible, did you? Did you, really? Doesn't this guy have flaws too? Is it possible that neither you nor him are the issue here, but it's really just the relationship/situationship that may not have been a good fit? Maybe you both just weren't mature enough for each other at the time? Maybe it was meant to be temporary? Maybe there were external factors at play? But more importantly, maybe it's not your problem to solve?

How can you release the thought without needing to resolve it right now: Queen of Swords

Step into your power. Get some fresh air. Literally. You've closed yourself in a box. You need to step out and realize how vast the sky really is. How big the world really is. How big your world really is. There needs to be perspective change for you. And you don't need to do this alone. We need community more than ever now. Find a therapist, a trusted friend, maybe even a sibling that keeps it real with you and is genuine. You don't need to find the love of your life, or figure out what this person means for you, if they're a karmic/twin flame/soulmate/what have you right this minute. You don't. Trust me, you don't. Do you want to get asked out/married this very minute? Of course not. It really isn't woo-woo nonsense when people say that what's meant to be, will be. Think of all the times you wanted a situation to play out a certain way and it didn't. It probably worked out better, if you're being honest with yourself. Let go. Let the Universe do what it needs to do. Maybe this will help: The Universe put you in this situation, so let it sort it out. This is the Universe's problem now. You're just the actor. It's the show writers that need to sort this out now. Just vibe in the meantime lol.

Let the thought say one last goodbye: 9 of Swords

Your pain is not for nothing. This will be different for different people, but maybe the pain is to ground you. Maybe it's to prevent you from self-sabotaging in the future. Maybe it's to get you to see the reality of this person. Maybe it's to get you to see the reality of yourself. Maybe this is how you repay some karmic debt (in which case, yay! Lighter times ahead!) Maybe this is a sign you may have some unresolved trauma that needs to be removed from your mind and body, and is to show you that you're closing in on a breaking down point and need to love yourself enough to tend to it. Maybe it's bits and pieces of everything mentioned above. Maybe it's just none of these, and you're letting seasonal depression get the best of you. Believe it or not, sadness is vital in life. It's a necessary emotion. If you feel the need to wallow, by all means go ahead. And when it's time, let yourself stop. It's okay. You're okay. And it'll all be okay. You are worthy of love.

Oracles: Patience; Bring love into the situation (New Moon in Aquarius)

Work on detaching yourself from this situation. Your specific/personal situation will come from thinking outside the box. Be more pragmatic. Improve your karma by doing charitable work.

Pile 2

A pressing thought on your mind: The Lovers (and The Hermit for clarification)

Alright, so this pile is also thinking about love. But you guys have a lighter energy than Pile 1. Or maybe you're a Pile 1 coming back to this reading after some time. You've probably been single for a while, and have done some extensive soul-searching and inner work, and now perhaps an inner voice is telling you that you're ready to put yourself out there again. And the energy coming through is yes! Yes, you are ready! But since it's been a while, and given the state of the streets, you're apprehensive about how to put yourself out there, and if you even should yet. Some of you may even be thinking of those Tiktoks that tell you how awful partners (particularly men) can be, and you're (rightfully) a bit scared.

Allow the tarot deck to describe the thought back to you in a softer voice: 8 of Pentacles

You've been hard at work with your personal growth and self-concept, and it radiates in your aura now. You've been diligent and have paid attention to the details. There's no such thing as a perfect person, of course, but you've done commendable work to get to as perfect as you can be in this stage of your life. Look at you go, you little rock-star! You need to watch out for black-and-white thinking, both directed at your own self and at others. Just because there may be a few things you're still working on, doesn't mean you're not ready. And the same goes for people you may meet soon, or for those that you're already considering. In fact, it shows self-awareness that you/the other person is cognizant of their flaws and still putting themselves out there because not all healing occurs inside. We all need people, and that's not a flaw. It's okay to be apprehensive. Be aware of the risks but don't let them consume you.

How you're approaching the thought: The High Priestess

You may be scouring Tumblr or Tiktok or wherever for readings and signs to foresee who you need to engage with next, what signs to look for, how it's all going to play out. It's like you want a blueprint of the entire love story beforehand because you're determined to find the one next. No more games for you. No more delays. You're ready and you want your future now. Love that for you, queen! But don't let it overconsume you! Micromanaging your love life isn't the best way to go about it. You know this, c'mon!

How you can release the thought without needing to resolve it right now: The Magician

Manifestation is real. But it's real for everyone, not just you. Imagine you're driving and you're manifesting going right, but so is another person, and fate may look at this and decide, okay, one of these needs to detour to avoid a collision, and maybe it picks you? Shit example, but I hope you get what I'm saying. It's good to be specific in your manifestations but not too specific, you know? Think of the burnt toast theory. Most of them there's a reason behind why things happen the way they do. Sometimes it's an important reason, and sometimes it's just random and meaningless. You seem to be approaching dating in a very Virgo-like way at this time, and essentially the message here is to not be too calculating and strategic. Keep your wits and lessons with you, of course, but don't forget that the Universe is also a player here.

Let the thought say one last goodbye: Ace of Pentacles

Your future partner is going to come to you like a gift or an offering. For some of you, that's where the delay is - the Universe is packaging them up perfectly for you and you just need to wait until it's time lol. The Universe and your spirit guides have been hard at work helping you heal and polish and be ready for love, and they're not going to just give you out to a random, okay? Have faith. Express gratitude constantly. And just affirm that love is here and your steps are guided. Dating apps may be the way for some of you. One or two of you may have luck bumping into someone at work or at the gym. Also hearing a beloved bar for someone. But for the majority, it's a highly personalized way that you'll meet the one. Ultimately, though, don't think too hard about it.

Oracles: Purification; Confidence is your key to success (New Moon in Leo)

There you have it. You've been purified enough to put yourself out there again. You're ready. Whether this be through apps, networking, or just living your life, do it with confidence and carry the intention with you to find your best match without chasing.

Pile 3

A pressing thought on your mind: Queen of Pentacles

This pile's conundrum seems to be family dynamics. Maybe you're in a sticky situation at home, where you can't afford to move out and you've either outgrown your home environment, or it's getting toxic. But you may not have the funds/resources to leave. And you feel like you're being smothered but you also would feel guilty if you were to leave. For some, you may not need to leave but you feel like there's undue pressure coming from your family whenever you go to make decisions, be it financial, education-related, relationship-related, or what have you. Getting heavy 'eldest child of immigrant parents' energy here. Maybe you don't feel your age because you feel like you don't have the freedom and independence you'd assumed you would have at this point. Some of you were even parentified as kids and it's starting to come to the fore-front. For some, this extends to friends and you feel like you've outgrown them, or just need more friends, but again, you're in a box.

Allow the tarot deck to describe the thought back to you in a softer voice: Knight of Cups

Some of you may daydream of a Prince Charming coming and saving you from this environment. This is especially true if the 'eldest daughter' thing applies to you and one of the only acceptable ways in your family for you moving out and starting your own life is to get married. And maybe that is what will happen for some of you. But don't depend on it as the only way. It will happen if it's meant to happen, but when we attached too much stake to one specific outcome, we pour too much of our power into it, and the Universe doesn't like that. It's okay to pray and manifest a particular outcome but detachment is a key factor in manifestation, remember that. One of the easiest ways out of this energy is just getting your license and a car, you know? You don't have to wait for a ride, you can be the driver. Even getting a pet is a good way to get out of the house more (plus, that would divert your family's attention and ease the tensions around the house).

How you're approaching the thought: 3 of Pentacles

You probably vent to your friends or siblings a lot. You prioritize working (maybe even working overtime) and saving up money. You might also be pursuing higher ed to better your career. It's definitely a good step! Just be aware of your social and personal needs and realize that there's multiple gardens within you that need watering. If the immigrant thing resonates with you, this is especially important. Do not let work and money consume you because hard work, as sad as it is to say, does not always lead you to where you need to go. You need to be a whole person, not just a worker. Think about it, how logical is it to water your 'money' garden and expect your 'personal' garden to bloom if you don't tend to it as much? Don't let burnout ruin your senses.

How you can release the thought without needing to resolve it right now: The Fool

It's your first time being you. And it's also your parents' first time being them. Be as empathetic and compassionate as you can be with yourself and your family without self-sacrificing. There's internal knowledge you came here with that you can access through meditation. Reconnect with your inner voice and let it help you. Don't hold on to resentments, whether internal or external. Don't be so hard on yourself, and when faced with arguments at home, try to separate the actions from the doer. Everyone has their own traumas and vices that they unintentionally hand over control to. Don't rush things. Make an inner sanctuary for yourself and believe that things will work out. The dog/pet message is coming through again lol so if that's a possibility, please go for it! And whenever you feel helpless, remind yourself that you're not supposed to have all the answers just yet. Most successful people, when asked, say the same. They had the vision and they had the grit, but they didn't always have all the steps laid out and blind confidence.

Let the thought say one last goodbye: 4 of Wands

Everything will work out. Trust. Please, just trust. For those of you that resonated with the Prince Charming message, this is confirmation that that will happen. You'll meet the man of your dreams, and leave your current surroundings for the home and life for your dreams. This isn't meant to push you to place all your faith into a savior coming, thus disempowering you, but this message should push you to instead hold on to your power, and keep tending to all your gardens equally in the meantime. You've been through a lot, and it wouldn't be fair to the old versions of you that lead you here to give up now. It gets steeper the higher you go on a mountain. But at this point, you're also stronger. Believe that. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Oracles: Courage; Your hard work is paying off (New Moon in Capricorn)

Don't be too controlling, and limit your exposure to anyone who is too controlling. Stay ambitious and courageous. Recognize and reward yourself for all the hard work you've done. See yourself as a person and not a project. Your life may not have been a fairy tale, but your fairy tale moment is coming.

I hope you found a message here today! And if not, I hope to have a message for you next time. Wishing you all love, light, and success! ❤️

Don't forget to leave feedback if your reading resonated in any capacity.

My kofi ☕ (for tips and $3 flat-rate readings)

[fizzingwizard]

another house I've been working on...

This is what happens when you want to build a ranch... but you want to also make it kind of cool and modern... but also quirky and eco-friendly... and the sims living it are a weird mix of grunge and rancher and rock and roll... basically I was very indecisive, also there's a reason I usually stick to small houses lol. I like it for the most part but still a WIP.

was really fun to build a barn and stable, just wish I could properly get the cow in there (i did try with resizing and hiding the cow shed, but that trick is broken in my game. sometimes it works sometimes it keeps saying it's blocked) also the ceilings/ ceiling paint appear and disappear at will lol. still happy I could build a loft.

didn't take interior pics yet bc still working on it but I did cap these two rooms because they amuse me. the first is like the secret den where all the good honest hard-workin' ranchers go to play thrash metal at midnight lol. the walls are sound proof >_> and I just like this bedroom for my weird grungy emo girl. It's not what I wanted as a bedroom when I was a teenager, but idk, it was fun to put together.

it was fun to chill with sims so much this week. i gave myself eye strain and didn't do a lot of the other stuff I meant to do 0:) i do love the aesthetic in sims, i like to watch the shadows and light changing, the sound of birds and rain and rivers. seasons was the best pack XP

and im so happy we have sleeping bags now so we can sleep under the stars xD living vicariously through my sims

wanted to give sim!snufkin the new hat with the glorious feather but... it's even more gaudy than the other one. holds its shape too well and the brim is so flat (tho I like that it's broader). it's more important for snufkin's hat to be floppy than for it have a big feather. le sigh

as ive said my game is well and truly bugged. today, randomly, the firepit just stopped working. kept saying some interactions were blocked when they weren't. reset didn't help. also trying to mount a horse... every time the sim would get a little further, a little further, a little further... then poof, the game would teleport him and the horse back to just standing around. what worked with that was to move him and the horse to a different lot. suddenly they could ride no problem.

also I really love that all the animals interact with each other. the cat and sheep are always in the chicken coop. however I've encountered a problem with the sheep. with chickens, they're objects, and you can take care of them even if you're a visitor to the lot (ie they're not your chickens). horses count as a person, so you can't treat them the same, but you can cheat their needs if you have to. sheep, though, don't seem to have a way to cheat needs because they're objects. but unlike chickens, visiting sims can't take care of them. I went to visit a friend and found their sheep all dirty. I even got a pop-up saying the sheep was planning to run away and i was like what do you want me to do about it lol? there's no option for my sim to take care of a sheep that isn't theres. I don't get it.

[utilitycaster]

What’s your feeling on the Laudna-is-a-suntree-corpse reveal? I think I remember you finding the theory silly at one point, so are you still frustrated? The thing with her ears was somehow the most upsetting to me.

You know this is a great question and I was wondering if anyone would ask it. I actually found that I didn't mind how it was presented in the story, in the end. You've caught me in an oddly reflective mood, which is probably good for everyone myself included, and I want to answer this and also maybe elucidate my philosophy on theories in a way that's perhaps more honest and a bit...idk about kinder, but at least more patient and less contrarian than I've been.

Specifically about this theory

In hindsight, I don't love this as backstory but I don't hate it either. I think I reacted so negatively to this as a theory for a couple of reasons.

The first is that I do feel Vox Machina at times occupies this outsized mythos within the fandom and it was something I felt particularly keenly coming in with Campaign 2; it felt (still feels, tbh) sometimes that there's this air of "welcome :) you don't have to have seen campaign 1 to enjoy campaign 2 :) but jsyk campaign 1 was better in every way :) it was better when the fandom was smaller and all you johnny come latelies weren't here and you're wrong for preferring campaign 2 :) anyway welcome :)" (I should note - many, many people who have been around since Campaign One don't do this at all, it's a tiny minority who do, but god they piss me off). Anyway, to that end I'm hesitant about strong connections to Campaign 1, to the point that it took a good deal of time for Orym to grow on me (and he has, to be clear).

The second is that, and maybe this, ironically enough, is me jumping to conclusions, it felt like it was treated as definitively correct (well, that and the competing theory that Laudna was a de Rolo) when it was merely a possibility, and one that I didn't feel added much (more on this below).

The third is that I could feel the way a certain segment of the fandom wanted this to be true for Angst Reasons and this is a sticking point; I have a low, low tolerance for angst and I've talked about that before, in that I'm way more interested in realistic depictions of responses to tragedy, ie, either like, actual grief and trauma, and then processing and healing. Like, I want the Nein post-Molly's death, I want Yasha and Caleb's stories...but I also want stories that we're getting in Campaign Three, in which Laudna, Chetney, Orym, and Ashton have all experienced objectively horrible, life-altering events but they all seem to share this attitude of "yes, this was horrible. Nothing I can do will change it, and even resentment against those who did it won't help, and all I can do is move forward." I guess what I'm saying is that if you want to delve deep into angst and "oh no I made myself sad" that is an entirely valid personal choice but I have no taste for it, and I can't really block it either without blocking a lot of stuff I do want to see so I just...seethe.

So this was a super long way to say that it's not going to be my favorite choice but I actually appreciate that Laudna is like "I was an innocent bystander who brutally murdered to send a message I don't even totally understand, and I don't want to think about it too much, but in the end, it is what it is and I'm somehow still here so let's make the best of it."

(FWIW the part about the ears doesn't bother me terribly? I mean it's awful but we already knew how horrible the Briarwoods were, like, this doesn't really change much and I can respect a gory detail, but I understand it being rough)

Theories in general

So I'm in no way above theorizing to my own taste...but I do want theories to answer a question. Otherwise it's wild unfounded speculation, and I know that is fun for some people but it's no fun to me. I don't even mind being wrong about the concrete happenings, but I do mind being wrong about vibes, I guess is the best way to say it?

Like, to give a couple examples in which I was wrong (both C2 because I was spoiled for a decent amount of C1) - I was very wrong about the campaign going on longer bc the Uk'otoa and Trent plot threads were still out there, but I was correct in that they were still out there and need a resolution; the difference was just that the resolution would happen for the most part as epilogue or post-campaign. I was wrong in that I leaned towards Essek not being a traitor and just being caught up in some weird personal stuff...but he was indeed caught up in some weird personal stuff and his intent wasn't really to betray.

So here, I was 100% wrong about Laudna not being a Sun Tree corpse. But I do think that her response to her death seems like it would have been the same had she just been killed by a necromantic wave of energy, or by a stone giant, or whatever. That's what I ultimately felt strongly about - that the connection isn't rife with meaning, that it's just a thing that happened. I should probably, when dealing with theories, focus more on things like that than the details. I feel like this is hedging but I promise that's not my intent - this is me realizing things about why I dislike certain theories and how to better personally frame it instead of shooting them all down wholesale.