#just say and understand/not have to actively translate in my brain

[halfbit]

fingers crossed that i've been home alone this whole time because i think i was but if not i was loudly singing in a conlang and that might have sounded a bit odd

[bacchuschucklefuck]

the boy-but-not-that-way-ism of riz gukgak send tweet

[dawdlecentric]

Holy shit! Maka & CRONA'S VAs??!!!

[curio-queries]

ARE YOU SURE?!

Episode 3 production Notes

I genuinely wasn't expecting to have much to say on this when I started it but there are definitely some things to chat about with this episode. Get comfy, it's another long post!

Here's a link to my post on eps 1 & 2.

(I guess this is a series now)

The Tone

I was curious about how a few things would be handled with the remainder of the show, and some of the answers are starting to unfold. We definitely have to see how the upcoming episodes play out but there's at least something to evaluate.

My main takeaway from episode 3 is that the tone is so very different from the previous ones. In my last post, I spent quite a bit explaining why AYS was a successful mix of Bon Voyage and In The Soop. That's definitely not the case here. This episode is a mix of Bon Voyage and Run BTS tonally. This episode is more what I was expecting they'd try to do with the edit to highlight the chaos and shenanigans that were a main ingredient in the content of BTS as a full team, especially to cover for the reduced member count from the full group.

Some of the main items that make this episode seem more energetic than the previous ones are:

The timeline. Episode 3 covers far less time than 1 or 2 did. It makes it seem like there's just too much going on to fit in the same parameters, which again makes the tone seem overall more rushed and hectic.

The music: far higher bpms consistently on all of the backing tracks.

The choppy edits. When we recognize that there was something missing in the middle of an interaction, our brains are still processing what we might have missed and orienting to what we're seeing next. With all of that going on, it easy to feel 'left behind' in even the most casual of scenes.

The intended audience. I just had one moment here that bumped me. At some point one of the members clearly says 'Fighting' but the translation wasn't just that word. It was a whole sentence about wishing for encouragement or something. These episodes have been very clearly laid out for an audience that is not only familiar with BTS but enough so that we know who each of these members are and why they might be doing these kinds of activities. If you had none of this basic knowledge, I genuinely don't think this show is even watchable...so why would people with that level of understanding need an alternate translation to 'Fighting'? Idk, maybe I'm being overly sensitive but like I said, it bumped me enough to question who their target audience was. Something I didn't even question with the prev eps.

Edited to add: an example of the tone influenced by the edit. Can't believe I forgot this one. It stood out to me in my first watchthrough. Thankfully our beautiful giffers captured the story beats for us all.

The Edit

Like I said at the beginning, this episode was far less a blend of ITS and BV and more a mashup of BV with Run BTS. The only thing in this episode that reminds me of ITS is the extremely choppy edit, which i think most would agree was not one of the highlights of those shows.

There are so many unresolved story beats in this episode of AYS! If you're not used to noticing something like this, here's an example:

In the car after their meal, vmin discuss that it'd be nice to pull over for some pics.

At the coffee drive through, Jimin makes a point to coordinate a stopover with JK so he can have his drink.

...and then we arrive at the house with no resolution. Did they stop? Did JK get his drink? We don't know, the only evidence we have is Tae carrying his partially consumed drink. So IF they stopped, Tae either didn't drink his or it was a very brief stop to not finish.

Here's another one:

When arriving at the house, the guys are all commenting bout how nice the place is.

Jimin exclaims about the pool.

...we don't get an establishing shot of the pool. On a rewatch of the episode, once you already know where it is, you're able to notice it for the slightest of moments but that's it. No hint of how big the pool is or even where in relation to the members it's located. It's just a tiny thing, not even important to the storyline but it leaves the audience without a reference to what the members are talking about.

There are dozens more of examples I could list but I think you get the idea. Again, not a big deal on small productions but you KNOW there was plenty of b-roll footage of the place. We see some of it. These are mostly just tiny observations that, if isolated wouldn't mean anything, but repeatedly set the tone for how the audience will be experiencing the rest of the episode.

The Guest

Another choppy edit is how they handled the introduction of Tae and the narrative that explains his presence here when he wasn't in the previous episodes. They either didn't get any good footage explaining it or they decided to purposefully try to cut it 'dynamically' for a reveal... in my opinion, this was not successfully done and just leaves the viewer feeling like we just need to accept the confusion and enjoy the endearing moments....which is exactly one of the main things I comment on in my Run BTS series. The BTS production team is astoundingly terrible at entertaining exposition. Long time armys are just used to it by now and I really don't see them changing anytime soon. They know ppl will watch the content for the moments we get to spend with the members, whether there's a proper narrative or not, so why bother?

Anyway, it's clear to see why those who have a bias against Tae have been using this as ammunition in their fanwars. It's just an awkward narrative that was poorly presented. (Personally, I'd rather everyone just focus on celebrating the members moments with each other rather than warping them to win imaginary points in a pointless battle but alas, I'm just an aging fan in a space that rewards useless vitriol).

Jimin's sickness...again

Poor guy just can't catch a break! At least that was the point they were trying to make editing it this way. Honestly, Jimin has so far been not as impacted as he was the previous episodes. Likely due to this upset being far more mild than the last one. However, there's so much more tension with it cut the way it was in episode3. It's not just that we're aware of it upfront unlike we were in episode 1. It's only highlighted in moments where Jimin is NOT participating in whatever the others are: not eating, not swimming, not climbing. In episode 1, most of the scenes that included any mention of Jimin feeling unwell also included some hint of JK wanting to take care of him or inquiring after his health. Episode 3 includes no such scenes. The overall impact is a much lighter view of how the members spent an exciting day rather than a genuine look into how they're interacting with each other as humans.

One last note: The Sound

There are definitely some horrific sound moments this episode! So much so that I noticed some on my first watchthrough! Again, there are allowances to be made, this is not a show being shot on a sound stage in controlled conditions but some moments were just plain misses in the edit.

For example, when vmin is listening to music in the car, the balancing of SEVEN from vmin's audio is horrific. The way to do this properly is manage the audio levels of their voices alone and overlay with the music track. This will help mask any audio that leaked into their mics. Something that can be easily done with rights to the music...which they have. And oh look at that, they do it correctly for J-Hope's Arson! It honestly is just coming across as a missed correction on the edit but I'd expect more from a BTS show that's licensed to Disney.

That's it for now. Overall, I'm disappointed in the edit of this episode but moreso because of how pleasantly surprised i was by the previous episodes. This one was very much kn par with other BTS content. Im also looking forward to the remaining episodes as I estimate we'll see a little more liveliness from our latenight-loving Jimin now that he's had his nap! 😆

Edited to add:

Are You Sure?! MasterList

[nocturnowlette]

There seems to be a lot of unquestioned arbitrary rules inserted into place for what people think a trigger is in hypnosis.

The actual definition is very simple, at least from my perspective. A hypnotic trigger is anything that causes recall of a hypnotic suggestion. Anything.

The trigger itself doesn't need to be reinforced or have even been said before for it to be a trigger so long as it causes recall, it does not have to be a word or a sound. So long as the subject's brain can recognize it as a distinct thing, then it counts. It's closer to ontology than anything.

That being said, you need to understand properties of triggers and how every single aspect of a trigger will affect how the conditioned suggestion is received.

One of the most common and baffling mistakes I see both in trances and in triggers is the "active time" of the trigger; that's to say, the amount of time the brain needs to be acting on that suggestion.

I've always despised visual of an elevator or an ice block, because the subject needs to be hyperfocused on a very slow climb and fall which is near impossible to maintain the consistency of, especially if they need to focus on other things too.

In contrast, a trigger or suggestion that takes place near-instantly or over a few seconds only requires a moment of making an active change, which is simpler and more consistent, and allows for variability in the strength of the effects since you don't have the last minute of change to compare it to.

If this drop trigger only worked 80% as well as the last one, it's a lot harder to notice with a chunk of time of nothing happening between them. Even consistent, small bursts are better than a constant change, like stepping down stairs instead of going down an elevator.

Snaps are the most common form of signifying a trigger because we can make it with our hands, but more importantly, because they're sudden and loud.

The aesthetic of a sudden and loud sound translates to the subject's brain how to interpret the feeling of that trigger. This also means, though, that if you have a trigger that isn't meant to be a burst, that you may not want to use a snap at all.

This also extends into the idea of "suggestion equivalency", as I would call it.

Essentially, you want the aesthetics and potency of the trigger to reasonably match up to the effects of the suggestion itself. The reason a snap is powerful is because you're condensing a very strong effect into one moment. However, if you try to stretch that intense potency to multiple seconds, it'll simply fail. There is only so much focus, there is only so much trigger potency.

One of the myriad reasons I despise key elman inductions is the suggestion of "doubling trance" every time you blink. There is a cartoonish, absurd potency required for that idea that anyone who knows hypnosis at all from the hypnotist or subject side (or just like, the wheat and chessboard tale) would get severe cognitive dissonance from attempting to follow it.

Another issue to consider is the generality and widespreaded-ness of a conditional trigger.

One file from MissLilith that I think was rather silly (and I'm only ragging on her here because I like her work) tries to give the suggestion that any time you see any plant at all, you get aroused. Furthering the idea of keeping up intensity over time, if a stimuli is so ubiquitous that someone experiences it constantly, the spectacle of it is simply gone. That suggestion will, optimistically, exhaust itself within hours.

That's not even to mention that fact that seeing something does not have nearly as much of a spectacle and intense impact as a sudden sound or word. There's a reason why movies have stingers to signal sudden scary moments or realizations.

From a community perspective, you should also avoid the most common trigger words unless you want someone to be dropped accidentally or have your suggestions lumped in with ones from other hypnotists and files.

The last issue is another practical one, the idea of stimulus generalization.

Shortly after an intense session I had involving snaps one time, I watched a 2 hour long video by Nexpo about Petscop (good and atmospheric overview, though Nexpo is terrible when it comes to actually analyzing media himself).

Thing is, the text changing sounds in the game sound a scary amount like a snap. So, every single time there was gameplay audio, I'd get triggered by it, essentially fractionating myself due to continually bringing myself up right after it happened.

Clicker sounds can be set off by pens, snaps by other sudden, high-pitched single noises, even general obedience suggestions can be triggered by another person to your subject if they act similar or have a similar sounding vocal tone to you, among other things. One must always consider that possibility.

Overall, words as triggers are common for a reason, but you can do essentially anything, so long as you recognize many of the common shortfalls of doing so.

Good luck, and happy hypnotizing.

[honeytonedhottie]

for rest and relaxation⋆.ೃ࿔*:･🎐

GIVE YOURSELF TIME ;

give yourself time to rest and relax and focus entirely on yourself and feeling better. choose a specified amount of time to just rest. this frees up time for inner work, healing etc. during that time identify the "why" to which u feel the way that you do.

identifying the issue helps you, after the rest and relaxation, to understand what it is that u need to focus on the most. therefore u can formulate goals suited to deal with the issue. set some ground rules before you start your resting period so that then your not going to be moving backwards on your goals.

RESTFUL MOVING ;

when u rest its important to not just sit at 0%. what i mean by that is always do at least a little something. when u make it a habit to just give 0% and do absolutely nothing, you'll find that things that u worked for will start to deteriorate and ur health both mentally and physically will be worse then when u started which isnt the point of rest at ALL.

im not saying that while ur resting and relaxing you have to be doing a whole workout or running x amount of miles. what im saying is that whilst resting do 1% of that. an example of restful moving could be...

dance when u wake up - i saw this in a tiktok and basically the logic behind this is that when ur dancing ur giving your body freedom and fluidity that translates to ur brain as well. so that then ur not so stiff and rigid and it improves ur mood.

DURING THE ROT ;

something that i find interesting to do is that while ur rotting, document it and write out what u do/did while rotting. that way when ur done with ur rest and relaxation you can look back and see what u did. doing so can also help u see what u needed or easily identify what was wrong/what sent u into rot.

ways i spend my resting time : setting aside time to think, write in my journal. spending time girlblogging, working on projects and formulating ideas. spending quality time with my dog. watching shows that i have on my watch list. reading lots and lots of books, manga etc. taking frequent naps and writing down the dreams that i've had. doom-scrolling on tiktok. watching true crime video essays.

AFTER THE ROT ;

if you haven't read my post the feel better formula, i rly recommend that u do so that then u can see the how to get out of that rot. but if u haven't read the post i'll quickly go over the points here.

listening to music and dancing

listen to songs that give you dopamine and just songs that you'd feel comfortable dancing to. in the feel better formula post i mentioned that twice gives me lots of dopamine so whenever i need some i listen to their songs.

practicing self care

getting ready everyday has been a game changer for me. even if ur not going out after ur rot just get ready as though you were. get into some cute clothes, practice self care, do ur makeup

a nice long journalling session

my journalling routine is update my diary 2x a week and do a shadow work session 1x a week. but for my longer journaling sessions i'll do an extended shadow work session and journal and get out whatevers on my mind onto paper.

(self care activity + something that engages ur mind + REAL rest + movement + hobby = feeling better).

SOME WAYS TO RELAX ;

sound bath ; sound healing is something that’s been interesting to learn about for me. so the concept of a sound bath is just relaxing and bathing yourself in sound frequencies as a way to relieve stress, healing, and general wellness. 

how i like to do it, is i’ll just look up “sound bath” on youtube and while im stretching or just laying down i’ll listen to it and it’s so soothing! or i listen to these subliminals by i want it i got it and they have frequencies in them so i do that as well. 

at home spa day ; reference this post bcuz it gives a little at home spa day routine.

[chaotic-archaeologist]

I have about 3 years left until I have a masters degree, but I want to work in CRM/my country’s equivalent to we-wanna-build-a-road-here-you-better-save-the-graves for a few years maybe before i possibly go for a phd. As a neurodivergent person who struggles with routines and energy levels I think a lot about how i would manage such a massive full time job. Currently I work part time at a museum that hosts small archaeological digs for kids and adults, and i have been on excavation courses before, so I know how it partially feels like.

My question is; how do archaeologists who work in the field make time and energy for going to the gym, hanging out with friends and cooking etc outside of work? It can be so intense when you work with stuff you love. Any thoughts?

- @academiaautumn

I think the best advice I can give you is that you need to get in contact with someone working this job in your country who can give you a sense of how things work, because every country is going to be a little bit different. If you're in college/university, your professors probably have connections with colleagues or former students that they can put you in contact with.

I haven't done CRM, but I've been in similar situations and heard from friends who have, and I'll be real with you: a lot of the things you're asking about? You just do not do them. But keep in mind this is for US CRM and your mileage (or kilometerage) may vary.

These jobs are location specific, so you have to travel to wherever the excavation is. Usually for a set duration, with the longest being maybe a couple of months. This time frame and travel limits a lot of what you can do. The company employing you will put you up in a motel, but it probably won't have a kitchen. Because of the travel, most of the people you know are probably on the dig with you.

Time and energy... it depends. Check out the notes on this post for different archaeologists talking about what they do in a day. CRM is hard work, which can also translate to less energy for socialization/extracurricular activities than less physical jobs.

I'm a big believer that archaeology is for everyone, but unfortunately that does not mean that all areas of archaeology are accessible across the board. Before committing to this plan, you need to get a very clear understanding of what this work entails and how that interacts with your own needs. If you don't think those are compatible, 3 years out is plenty of time to start coming up with alternatives for after your master's (which I'm sure exist).

I did not go into CRM because of my own brain and body issues. I'm not saying that you can't or shouldn't, I'm saying that CRM is a difficult environment and you should do everything you can to set yourself up for success.

If anyone who does have actual CRM experience wants to add their perspective, that would be great.

-Reid

[mxtxfanatic]

I'm not very active online socially, so I find your takes on the whole JC stans situation very helpful and interesting. It does a lot to contextualize what I see reading a lot of fanfiction, wherein I've found much MDZS fanfiction to be very divorced from the reality of the source material, both due to cultural insensitivity towards the Chinese source material, the CQL problem, and of course the ubiquitous JC apologia. I've been in equally, if not more, contentious fandoms before (the Sherlock fandom comes to mind) but, if I can be frank, to me the difference between those experiences and now is that MDZS is an actually good book! I feel like a lot of the fandom inclinations toward sanding down conflicts or exacerbating them, inventing personalities for background characters, turning all the characters into dolls and the setting into your dollhouse (which no one else may touch!) were codified for the current userbase in Superwholock, whether people realize or not. Those fandom instincts were helpful when working with source material that was shallow, inconsistent, and from the english-speaking world, but it did not equip fandom to deal with a book from a foreign culture that didn't need "fixing" for lack of a better term. It also reminds me a lot of early otaku culture in the USA, with the botched translations, weird cultural takes, and... odd characterization in fanfiction (why does Naruto need a harem???). Which, one may hope, could indicate that things will get better over time. That's just my spaghetti thrown at the wall, though.

I think it's a combination of both the quality of the book (Western fandoms are unused to having source materials with such tight storytelling where they don't have to fill in major parts of the plot with their own imaginations) and racism (Western fandoms feeling so entitled to Asian works while also not respecting their creators enough to even pretend to attempt to understand what the creators are trying to say, instead, choosing to fall back onto the orientalist "those Asians are just an enigma" stereotypes to justify superimposing their own ideas onto the text and calling it "basically the same thing").

I also believe that the sheer volume of unchallenging art that the Western world mass-produces, paired with disdain towards literary pursuits like critique and analysis, has led to a generation of "fans" who believe that the only "right" way to engage in your favorite media is to turn your brain off. "If you joined fandom to share quotes from the book and not just follow the 'incorrect-quotes-blog' and laugh at out-of-context excerpts, then what's your problem???" seems to be the consensus nowadays.

Here's to hoping one day people get over themselves and realize that just because their usual interests are careless drivel written to make money doesn't mean that everyone is writing trash stories they could care less about outside of how much money it makes them. Mxtx writes amazing stories, but you don't actually care about the story like you claim you do if everything you "love" about it can be easily just summarized in a recycled fandom trope meme.

[neodreamgirl]

I have something to say...I was very annoyed with what I saw on X the day the news about Taeil being dropped from NCT because he is under investigation for sex crimes came out. Of course when something like this comes out people immediately try to point their fingers to the other members and question if they had known all along that someone they've been working with for 8+ years was capable of committing sex crimes. That's a valid question, I'm not going to sit here and deny it, but what annoyed me was the fact people kept talking as if anything related to the other members came out and confirmed these suspicions. Nothing specific about this incident came out for people to be all like, "There's NOOO WAY they didn't know!" How do YOU know? What detail between Taeil and his victim has you so convinced that the other members knew what was going on? We know nothing. Nothing official about his victim and his actions have been reported so why are we running rampant with all these rumors? Not only that, but all these hypotheticals are just taking the attention away from Taeil, the one that's under investigation for sex crimes. Now you're directing your attention to people who weren't reported to have done anything to anyone. You're paying attention to speculation instead of official reports from the police. Please...

Another thing that pissed me off was the spread of unofficial information provided by random twitter users. Information that hasn't even been confirmed being spread around like it is fact. There are threads that are full of random screenshots and translations that any non Korean speaker would have no choice but to believe is correct. Then, there are threads debunking these rumors or criticizing some of the translations because, according to native Korean speakers, they don't make sense and the hangul is fucked. Wouldn't anyone seeing this online just think to themselves: "Hey, you know what, since there is so much back and forth about this information, let me ignore this and believe the things that have been reported as facts. The facts being that Moon Taeil was kicked out of NCT because he is being investigated for sex crimes. If all those screenshots and stuff turn out to be true, okay." It's not that deep. I don't understand. The whole, "BELIEVE ALL VICTIMS" thing is dope and all but it has rotted some of your guys' brains, especially because it has become some sort of performative activism. You aren't thinking straight at all. You just want some random that ends up on your profile to see you're not a "Taeil apologist" (???) because you're retweeting or reposting all this random information. Go outside, please. Also, in this instance, we don't even know if the woman that filed charges against him is the same woman in these screenshots going around. So whose story are you really spreading around? YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW.

This lack of...media literacy is devastating to say the least. Again, all we know is that a woman filed charges against Moon Taeil and he is now under investigation for sex crimes. That is enough for me to tune his bitch ass out and never want to see his face again.

Lastly, something that is also getting on my nerves is that some fans are wording their issues strangely...They're saying things like Taeil "betrayed" his members...girl. No the hell he didn't. He showed them nothing but love and commitment. "We all waited for you and you go on and do this?!" Girl...You are not a victim. NCT is not a group of victims and NCTzens are definitely not victims. You don't know that man and that man has never touched you or violated you. You're just mad because you never thought you would have to hate him. That's all. You're acting like it's a personal attack to you when it isn't and you also don't know him personally so chill out. Now you're making this about yourself and non victims. LIke, can we FOCUS? MOON TAEIL WAS KICKED OUT OF NCT BECAUSE HE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR COMMITTING A SEX CRIME AGAINST A WOMAN.

[local-philocalist]

Entry to your 20s, advice to the 20-year-old women

Four pieces of advice for the twenty-year-old women from a twenty-something year old woman.

1. Move Your Body

I cannot stress this enough, if you can, please move your body! Move your joints and build your muscles. The doctors, scientists and our parents were unfortunately right, the older one becomes, the weaker they get. If you want to still be able to run around in your fifties, sixties, etc. You need to start the habit now. Get a routine, start working out, try a sport, attempt a dance class, and get active in general.

I’ve recently gotten a gym membership and have begun pilates once or twice a week. Although at first, my muscles were burning, my body soon got used to it and I found my stamina and flexibility improving.

However, you don't need to spend money on a gym membership or Pilates to get fit. You can take a run around your local park, start a sports team with your friends, or try a YouTube workout from the comfort of your home. There are so many different ways to stay fit without emptying your pockets.

2. Eat Your Vegetables

I understand that some people are genuinely picky eaters and their parents never took the initiative to introduce different textures and flavours healthily. Thus this has followed into adulthood and are now unable to eat anything outside the same four meals.

I also understand I cannot say too much as someone who can eat almost anything but as a reformed vegetable hater I do have a little bit to offer. To live a long, healthy life vegetables are a necessity. So if you find yourself unable to eat certain vegetables, I would suggest cooking the vegetables differently, or incorporating ingredients you enjoy in your meals, think outside the box!

There are many articles about breaking picky eating, as adults we should try to expand our tastebuds, there's so much food to enjoy in this life. Nobody likes to be the person ordering chicken fingers at a Michelin restaurant.

3. Feed Your Brain

[edited: the previous paragraph has been published on my personal substack as a full piece; I've rewritten and changed this section for publication and privacy purposes].

I urge young women to nurture their brains; you are so blessed to be in a society and world where education is so accessible for women. If you live in the West, take advantage and don't feed into the propaganda of "I'm just a girl". Women are being minimised, and I don't want young ladies falling down the rabbit hole of this recent no-purpose lifestyle that's advertised.

Looks are essential, and don't get me wrong, I know attraction still plays a huge part in society, but it isn't the only important thing. It's not cute to be ignorant, lack life skills and use social media concepts like "I'm just a girl" as excuses. Stupidity isn't hot, so while it's okay to indulge in media consumption, find yourself hobbies outside of that and put in the effort to grow intellectually and further yourself.

4. High Self-esteem Will Protect You

Most of my girlfriends are in the dating field, and from the stories they tell me its clear these men are crazy. Good discernment is needed and for you to trust your discernment you need a healthy level of self-worth.

I’m not just talking about romantic interest, in general, high self-esteem will take you far in life. From romantic partners to career paths, when you know your value and do not settle, that translates to every crevice of your life. People treat you with more respect, you're likely to find yourself in fewer abusive scenarios and get better opportunities in your place of work.

Nothing good comes from beating yourself down and letting others treat you horribly. Overall your twenties can be fun but also filled with anxiety so take it step-by-step, don't beat yourself up and remember comparison is the thief.

[system-of-a-feather]

Trauma, Mindfulness and Meditation

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: This is NOT professional advice. This is NOT medical advice. This is SOLELY peer advice and pointers from my experience with CPTSD / DID and as a Buddhist; try this and engage with the topics mentioned here at your own careful discretion

I was thinking about it this morning, but the way a lot of professionals and practitioners handle the topic of Mindfulness and Meditation comes from the way that they are clinically taught and ways that are primarily geared for individuals who have not spent the majority of their life 1) dissociated and 2) holding a shit ton of trauma in the body; thus a lot of the time, approaching mindfulness and meditation can be - often as the common best first experience - an extremely challenging thing for individuals with C-PTSD and/or DID to engage with or out right triggering / flooding to engage with. Often the methods - in my experience - that therapist have tried relate either back to the 5-4-3 Method (which helps more acutely) or jumping right into sitting in silence, paying attention to your body / breath, and clearing your mind which often simply does not work for me. The former is very helpful and I do think its a great tool and thing to practice to work on grounding, but what I wanted to kind of discuss was the latter approach.

Mindfulness and Meditation are two things that are extremely prevalent in Buddhist practice and philosophy, and multiple therapy types have taken inspiration and notes from those particular practices and it isn't to say that those applications are wrong - they aren't and both of those are things that are suggested in some branches of Buddhism and by some practitioners - but as someone who is a practicing Buddhist, I think there is some details lost in translation that make mindfulness and meditation a lot more accessible to all.

Misconceptions of Terminology

I find the words "meditation" and "mindfulness" thrown around a lot, but often times, I find a lot of people have a slightly warped / off understanding of it.

In both Buddhist perspective AND clinical perspective, Mindfulness is simply being aware of the present. In a lot of mental health spaces, mindfulness can be added onto and emphasized in specific areas - such as emotional / body mindfulness and similar - but at the end of the day, mindfulness is the simple concept of being aware of the current present moment right now.

Meditation, however, is the concept I find most people have an extremely limited understanding of and concept of in western spaces - including professional spaces. Often, when people talk about meditation in western spaces, people assume that it is sitting down in a cross legged position, hands resting connected to the side, and breathing as you empty your head of all thoughts and - in some practices - that is true, but meditation is far more than that.

Meditation, in itself, is an art form and an active and intentional action, a focus on deeply engaging and observing the action and the state of being that you are in the present moment.

Most importantly, meditation is NOT about emptying your mind of all thoughts and that is often a pitfall ALL people seem to get stuck in. If you try to not think, you will be thinking about not thinking. Your brain will always have thoughts going around, and thats okay and normal! Meditation is about focusing on the present and engaging in active awareness and letting all the other thoughts simply pass by. It's about looking THROUGH the thoughts to observe the now.

The reason meditation is often understood to be the stereotypical sitting position is because of media, Orientalism, and the fact that its a much easier to understand concept for people who are unfamiliar with it to learn and emulate. In a Buddhist perspective, that form of meditation is the act of intentional sitting and/or intentional breathing. You are practicing being fully engaged in the simple act of just sitting or just breathing which is a fundamental step to the end goal of the practice of Just Being and often, for people who are not chronically dissociated, it is a really good starting point.

In my experience, however, as a dissociative person who has been disconnected from my body and survived by endless moving and endless hypervigilance, the skill of just sitting and just breathing were WAY too high of a bar for my current capabilities; thus whenever I tried to do it, I would get uncomfortable and my brain would immediately reject it no matter how much I intentionally tried. So I wanted to provide some "steps" up to that point coming from the perspective of a Buddhist who has / had DID.

Meditation is More than Sitting and Breathing

I honestly think if anything of this post is too long wound or anything, I do strongly recommend just listening to Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche talk about awareness and meditation, because honestly he handles the intricacies better than I do.

In my practice, the first and most important mini-step in learning mindfulness and meditation as a skill, is to first practice the intention to practice it in a manner that is conducive to skill building.

With that in mind, the first goal / skill to master is a rather simple one. Practice going outside with little to no distractions (don't bring electronics or if you do, keep it off and don't use them; limit the fidgets, limit artificial / man made stimuli and distractions, etc) and just find a place to stand, sit, walk. Do this maybe two minutes every other day. Practice at that time point until it becomes easy or, even better, you find yourself naturally wanting to do longer periods.

Finding time, willpower, and the intent to take time out of your day to day to build the skills of Just Being is - in itself - a very difficult task for some, so be kind to yourself. It's hard choose to step back and slow down in modern society, and even harder to apply it

The goal of this step is to just built the habit and awareness of your intent to practice and your interest in building this skill as that habit / intuitive awareness of your intent to practice will help with the second step.

The second step, one that can be done while you are practicing the first if you are comfortable, is to build the skill of observing and intentionally choosing to being aware of things.

This is a skill you don't actually necessarily have to go outside to do, but I find the best practice of this skill is done in combination with the first one. To practice this skill, you have to just simply pause your day to day life every so often and simply *look* at something. This sounds easy, but is deceivingly often hard to do when you start. With that in mind, there are two ways I recommend practicing this depending on how it works for you.

The first way it to practice this DURING the dedicated time you have set aside for building the skill of intentional practice. If you are outside, just choose to look at something, observe it in detail. Try to keep the thing in the forefront of your mind for an extended period of time. What does it look like? How does it move? What things are interacting with it? Even if its an inanimate object, what does it feel? What does it mean? Where does it exist in the world and in life? Just let your thoughts about that object and what you see flow wherever it goes, but try to keep that object as the center of your focus for some time. Do it again with another thing, perhaps observe the existence of two things in relation to each other. Just deeply look and focus on something you see.

I personally love to look at the color green or the movement of life / living beings, but in less abstract concepts of observation; you can just observe trees, leaves, wind, birds, bugs, people, rocks, water, etc. Whatever seems nice, just observe it in depth. If your thoughts trail off from the object, that's okay! Just gently guide your focus back to the object, and return to your observations. Look at things like its the first time you've ever seen it, like you were an alien just stopped onto the face of the earth and this thing in front of you is the most mysterious thing you've ever seen.

The second way, and the most practically applicable way to build this skill is to - throughout your day and day - intentionally be aware of an object when you were otherwise just going about your day to day. That sounds easy, but the challenge is that you have to make yourself think of something when you are otherwise not thinking about it. That's why its helpful in the first step to let the intent of practice become something that floats in your mind. If you are going about your day to day, and you catch the thought passing about this post, mindfulness, meditation, practicing your skill, you can grab that floating thought as a reminder to just be aware of yourself and your action.

Right now, pause reading, look around, and find something around you. Observe it, focus on it, think about it for a bit, acknowledge its existence in relation to everything, acknowledge its state of being, what its doing, what it's purpose. Deeply and intentionally acknowledge that it is there. What's interesting about it?

Right now, I have a white plastic bin near me. I actually usually forget that it's there because I'm accustomed to it always being there that I only really notice or pay attention to it when I want to use it, but it is there. It has my pencils and pens and markers and sticky notes. I've had it actually for years and its always been there, but today I actually am looking at it, and its actually a bit lopsided as it stands because it was placed under a notebook that I actually don't remember what it has written in because I have genuinely forgotten that notebook existed. Both the plastic bin and the book are there, I had forgotten they were there and I stopped being aware of them, but they are there. I don't think I need to do anything about them being there, but maybe I should see what the notebook was used for. Maybe I should put it in another place.

With those TWO skills, you can probably fill years of practice. All of that, by the way, is considered meditation, both halves independently or in tandem, is meditation. The point of both of those practices, is the overall combined skill of actively choosing to pause the autopilot flow of life / stress and to practice being present in the moment, the most fundamental core of both mindfulness and meditation.

Overtime with practice, being able to pause your thoughts, your experience, your feelings, and to take a momentary step back and just observe yourself, your internal experience, and your external experience becomes easier; sitting and doing nothing but sitting becomes easier; breathing and doing nothing but breathing becomes easier and - the most valuable thing for me - the ability to exist with yourself and enjoy just being, becomes easier.

[c-nstellati-ns]

Oh boy, imagine wilder pillarmen, they sure are smart, intelligent and talkative, but they can snarl, growl and rub up against you, marking as their territory. And bite.

They're big ancient cavemen, and they like to do all kinds of crap

IT'S A WILD, WILD WORLD — ft. kars, esidisi, wamuu, and santana

author's note — i fucking love that thought??? tbh they seem like they'd do shit like that even normally,,, but this kinda turned into fluff headcanons tbh LMFAO

all works belong to c-nstellati-ns ⓒ 2022. do not steal or repost. ask before translating.

KARS — 🥀💎

he's extremely clingy. like. extremely.

he enjoys sticking very close to you, skin to skin. if you're working and he happens to be there doing nothing- he's either wrapping his arms around you or laying his head on your lap.

he enjoys it when you run your fingers through his hair and braid it whenever you feel like it, it causes him to start purring,, deep rumbles that shake up your whole body.

the greatest comparison to kars is a giant panther. craves your attention every other day and won't stop touching you till you finally give in and give him the attention he wants. its as if you don't acknowledge his existence constantly, he might just shrivel up and die. he's very much for the dramatics

he can be such a brat if you don't give in though- snarling at you, baring his teeth as a threat, snapping his jaws,, as if that's going to scare you anymore.

acts as if your attention isn't what he craves 24/7, whether it just be simple conversation or being in your presence in general.

when he finally notices you're going to keep ignoring him until he shapes up- kars all of the sudden becomes all whiny and pouty, trying to get on your good side by bringing/making you gifts.

it works, and he's satisfied in the end.

"What? You're leaving? Can I come with? It's much too boring here without you, dearest."

ESIDISI — 🫀🔥

definitely not as clingy as kars, but likes showing you overt feats of strength in hopes of impressing you.

oh you're struggling to lift up and move this couch? UP AND OVER HIS SHOULD IT GOES! he may or may not have benched said couch as well just to see you laugh and smile

a particularly tight jam jar that won't open? one loud pop later, and you've got it open because he loves you so much.

he does adore when you praise him whenever he does a good job, and with that comes the habit of him biting you whenever he gets too excited. a gentle nibble just to feel his fangs against your skin. doesn't bite thru unless you specifically say so, he's only doing it hard enough to leave a faint bruise behind.

its a sign of affection he does randomly thruout the day, even if you're speaking to someone else- he comes up from behind and gently bites down on any exposed patch of skin he can get his mouth on. he just grins whenever you turn around completely flabbergasted, he thinks you're fucking adorable

this also relates to how he likes seeing you marked up with his teeth, makes his silly brain happy.

HUGE on cuddling. he's so big and warm, so he's a master at big spooning in bed. no blankets. esidisi only. my boy.

also enjoys cooking amazing breakfasts for you just bc he can,, love of my live.

"You're so cute, I could just eat you up! Not that I would... but I could! Because I loovvee you!"

WHAM — ⚔️☁️

he's a shy fella so you'll have to gently coax him out of his shell over time

he shows his affection through sparring with you mostly. he knows you're a lot more fragile than he is so he makes sure to be hella fucking careful with you. if he does accidentally hurt you, he's picking you up bridal style, taking you home and pampering you to all hell. def looking like a sad puppy the entire time too

he thrives off quality time and acts of service so whenever you actively put off work just to stay home and just,,, cook with him or watch a show [he doesnt understand what the fuck is going on, he's only watching it for you], he fucking LOVES IT.

he's so smitten whenever you lean in and gently kiss his lips, caress his cheek and say "i love you". you treat him like any other person but he also feels like he's the most special person in the world.

has a tendency to rub up against you like a cat, just to feel you close to him.

whenever he doesn't want you to go anywhere, he just,,,, lays on top of you. he's too huge to do much of anything so you just lay there and pretty much take a nap all day.

wham uses his size to his advantage a lot, and solely so he can squish you. clingy but,, subtly.

he's practically your shadow with how close he likes being to you.

"Hey... can we stay home today? We can watch that movie you like... We can make some snacks too."

SANTANA — ❤️💫

he and kars rival each other with how possessive they can be of you. except santana makes it known that he doesn't like people being touchy on you.

whenever you get home from a long day at work, he's immediately there to greet you with a tight hug that usually ends up in him holding onto you for a couple hours after that just bc he doesn't like the fact that he can smell other people on you.

sometimes, if he's feeling a little lonely, he'll find a way to sneak himself into your job with a bag of food and him trying to convince you to leave with him without a trace.

he got your favourite on purpose because he knows that if he gives you those puppy dog eyes along with the fact that you haven't eaten lunch yet- you're going to give in pretty quickly.

you aren't even sure how he managed to get into the building either.

def the type of guy to always have a hand on you, whether that be an arm over your shoulder or holding your hand, he's touchin a whole bunch because you're his and he is yours.

he has a wicked death glare he gives people that get too close to you. you told him not to kill people he just doesn't like so why not scare them into leaving?

also a little on the bitey side, but only if he's looking for you to stay close whenever he's feeling sad. baby boyy,,

"C'mon, it's not like they're gonna miss you.. Your shift is almost over, let's get out of here, yeah?"

[daraku-ou]

ok ok i wanna talk about this at length and not on twitter where i can say like three sentences but i think a lot about how femt will sit around and say how humanity is just awful and disgusting but theres SO many times he seems to be rooting for them. like here how he Let Leo Go. he just let him leave. "he said he didnt wanna play so yknow. He Left." and he yells about how Of Course Hes Not Gonna Kill Leo. leo was so important to stopping the second collapse and femt just let him leave and then when he explained this to despair who is like Dude Why Didnt You Kill Him Or Leave Him There femt seems to be pretty genuinely concerned about despairs wellbeing and. general depression.

then there's in the ova where it's most obvious. hes running around trying to stop this restaurant from being destroyed which Just So Happens to have libra in it. tells leo to forget he was ever there. "i dont need a reason to help them out" femt i am shaking u

and THEN !!! theres curious. curious is fascinating to me for several reasons but i think its really interesting that femt seemingly shows up for no other reason than to Get Curious. wants to take him home for whatever reasons (i have thoughts on this but its too much so maybe another post). but then they immediately start fighting and it really seems like femt is just trying to keep curious preoccupied, buying time for libra to do something. he doesn't really have any reason to get into a petty fight with curious. then when curious is about to attack steven and klaus, femt IMMEDIATELY gets eve and odd to attack him which leaves them in pieces, ultimately ending up letting steven klaus and chain get the upper hand. and then femt just Leaves.

AND THE CALAMITY AUCTION !!! my favorite femt scene. pretends to be the president to break klaus out of jail as hes the only one who can really do anything about whats going on. and later when hes revealed to be the "president" klaus is surprised that someone like femt would even bother to get involved, cuz why WOULD he get involved?? hes constantly saying how worthless humanity is but here he is, actively trying to help. this pisses femt off who attacks briefly but just. Leaves. Again. destroys all the cameras in the room too. god forbid he be seen trying to help out a bad situation

which brings me to the light novel!! as i've said i've been translating it and theres a lot of interesting things. femt talks about how he feels extremely isolated from humanity and when people try to get information from him he just cant understand why they would ever want to be him or have what he has, cuz he clearly has..... Lots Of Issues! it's almost like he's so worried about what will happen to humanity if he isn't there to save them or on the other side of that he has to keep. testing humanity or something. he puts them through his games but even libra admits that theres a line he wont cross. they prefer to deal with him over Other Threats because while hes mass murdering lunatic he still wont. you know. Kill Everyone. unlike curious. i think femt and curious are being set up as foils and i have lots of thoughts on this but theres just too much to say about those two...

tldr i think femt cares a lot more about those around him than he would ever let anyone know. yeah he'll murder hundreds of people but the second hes faced with someone in person that he cant just pretend is part of this vague crude idea of humanity he has in his head its like something clicks in his brain that this is a Real Person and now he suddenly cares. he seems to have this recurring idea of humanity killing themselves or being unable to save themselves which leads him to Extreme Violence and when he helps its like he doesnt want to admit that he cares in some way. hes constantly distancing himself from everyone and i think he should go to therapy <3

[chichis-interlude]

Hi, how are you? Before I started talking I wanted to say that I don't know if it's right because I'm using the translator, well I'm going to try to summarize my story in the void I discovered the empty state a year ago and in that one year I tried and every time I failed and I don't know what else I do, my first attempt was using a sub but I got scared and ended up leaving more so I heard everything or my surroundings and the other times I ended up sleeping!! I wanted to enter the empty state sleeping but I don't know how and I don't know if I. I can get into the void today tomorrow or later !! Help me, please

Hey baddiee 🫶🏾🫶🏾

So first of we need to understand WHAT the void is.

I'm @ this site bc that's where I got the info from before even hopping onto Tumblr but if u don't wanna go read it ill break ts down.

The void is a deep meditative state when your MIND is awake but your BODY is asleep and according to those who have entered it, it's the most peaceful experience they've ever had.

So now that we know what it is. How the hell do we enter it?

There are many many ways to enter this state and you can find soooo many ways to do so on Tumblr, personally I reblog a lot of ways to do so and not every method will work for everyone so you just gotta do a lot of them then stick with the one that you're gut tells you. "yh it's this one right here."

But there are sm that you just see complicating it and you're just so confused and lost because you'll be thinking 'you're preaching that it's easy to enter but you're here making a whole ritual? Babes bfr'

And it's so flipping annoying seeing this bc all it those is make them look like liars when in fact it CAN BE SO EASY. But its only easy when you make it easy. If you out it on a pedestal when the void IS IN YOU it'll be way harder to enter. Not impossible but way harder.

So first you need to remember YOU are the void, and YOU control ts it does NOT control YOU.

Now for the methods

I'm a simple person and I hate complicated methods bc it makes the void seem like flipping Jesus when it's in fact just...you.

For example this relatively new method byv@luckykiwiii101 the distraction method. Is basically just distracting yourself from the 3D by imagining ANYTHING. It could be singing a song in your head or a mental movie or you can be counting or affirming like it DOESN'T MATTER, as long as you're body ain't moving but your brain still working it's ENOUGH. Just anything that will distract you enough for your body to fall asleep because thinking a lot will make your mind stay active and awake (FYI it's better to do this in a sleepy state and if yk you're gonna fall asleep, sit up while doing it)

Like there's literally nothing to it?? Just lay down (or sit up) and try not to move then just be thinking ab random things like? It's so flipping simple yet it's almost gotten me into the void??? (but my ass got distracted 😭).

Lols that's all I got for you bbg but just remember you are, you were and will always be that b and when you're that b everything else just falls into place.🤷🏾‍♀️.

[tinukis]

(OKAY. I KINDA GOT CARRIED AWAY (i got REALLY carried away.) AND NOW I WILL PROVIDE VERY FEW INFO ON SABOSAN HISTORY AS EARLY AS 2014.)

sabosan existing on here since at least 2017 is crazy

(it's ask blogs and im lazy to know the lore but all ik is that sabo and sanji have kids while sanji is in extreme denial abt being gay)

i wanna know how far back sabosan goes... like at leasT 2015 or 2016??? (anime timeline) and maybe 2014 (manga timeline) idk im just guessing bc i dont know what year sabo returned so

OK BUT THE SLIM CHANCE THAT SABOSAN BECAME A THING LIKE ALMOST A DECADE AGO DRIVES ME INSANE I NEED TO INVESTIGATE WAIT

on pixiv in the sabosan tag (サボサン) the oldest works on there is from 2015. (i mean when u look up サボサン you get this cactus mascot which is p hilarious)

i theorize that sabosan became recognized because of zou/wci. bc thats when we learn about sanji's history. i notice that it seem to be more recognized by a few fans as early as 2016 (when wci started)

so those big brained individuals were onto something then. they saw two blonde characters that shared similar histories and went. "wait a minute. i can cook something with this"

and you know what sanji's good at? taking any ingredients and making something amazing out of it. thats what early sabosan fans did

there are Very Little content of them/i cant read japanese and i just mostly find the cactus mascot, but they were there. at Least as early as sabo's return. and at that time, fans did not receive sanji's past. they just took these guys like barbie dolls and made them kiss... anyway i need them to meet and i want to see the longtime fans react as theyve waited nearly a decade for that very moment

(kinda doubtful but let me dream!!!)

OKAY ANOTHER UPDATE (YES IM TYPING EVERYTHING IN ONE POST) i learned how to search dates on the bird app once more and. im seeing posts from jpn about sabosan !!!

one of my favorite ones:

the people understanding since 2016... that sanji goes well with ASL brothers :'D

ok found another tweet (and the users are still active !!) and translation seems butchered so im not gonna share but from what i could understand, this other user also likes sanji with ASL... this is amazing. LIKE im aware of the impact acesan had, especially bc of the anime including ace in alabasta (i understand deeply. i mean have you SEEN the way ace acted around sanji⁉️⁉️ lighting his cigarette... smirking at him when sanji turns his back... i know what you are. they Definitely spent an entire night (or more) alone together <3) but for sabo to be included to since this long ago, esp considering the two never met?!?? and the one connection is being royal blood...

again i cannot include everything, esp long posts bc the translation gets butchered but aaahh just ppl talk about the pairing, any potentials about it makes me happy... and gives me hope for the agenda to spread wider lol. what looks like that has been said is that a couple of people really like pairing sanji with multiple characters, esp ASL... and i understand so well. theres just something about sanji being so shippable

there are also fans speaking to other sanji ships fans, and they ask/say "i want to see your sabosan !!" it's great...

ahahhaa AHAHAHA FOUND ANOTHER POST I CAN SHARE:

sabo POP figure from 2016 (aaah i want it so bad...)

and the suit he wears in this figure, it does look like sanji's fit now that the user mentioned it 👀👀

okay i dug a little more and found another sabosan fan! at first i was unsure as they could be talking about another user or a cactus or something. but as it turns out, they are indeed a sabosan fan! they've said things like "i wish sabosan was more popular"/"i wish for sabosan" and this is dated back in 2016! plus one of my favorite posts (translated into deepL as i had a feeling that twt had butchered the translation and...)

they get it. they got it. as i mentioned earlier, the fans definitely knew what was up when wci happened. THEY WERE COOKING BACK IN 2016!!! which... i believe i should now start digging as early as i can. maybe for zou or dressrosa years!! bc certainly, this pairing was actually talked about during 2016-2017. it was wonderful to see!

oh my goodness... i decided to look from start of 2015 to the end, and so far in late 2015, the same user from the above translation, has been talking about them still! they mentioned sabosan fanworks, and how they read a heartbreaking fic⁉️⁉️ i cant tell you how happy i was to read that. sabosan being a thing and having angst works, even if i can't read them. (never mess with one piece fans, especially if they are fujoshi !! they'll find their ways. im honestly fascinated. i love fandom history if you couldnt tell by this post!)

plus, some fans calling themselves delusional for thinking of this pairing... if only i could be there with you, longtime fan.

and i'll be real here, i dont know of the popularities back then but the comparison of sanji and sabo being nobles are great :] (maybe bc i've just seen ppl being mean to sabo recently 😔)

okay im sure this post is getting wayyy too long so i'll try to wrap up my investigations. bc there are many posts to look through but sabosan being talked about as early as 2015 (as i write this) is just... very joyous news to me ;w;

im sure i will be missing lots of good posts (despite the horrible machine translations) but i am shaking hands with 2015-2017 fans in solidarity... at most 9 years later

!!! GREAT NEWS. 2014 posting!!

original tweet and deepL translation... dated mid december 2014. nearly a whole decade ago. i swear sabosan will go viral, way more than when zou/wci was in progress. im sure of it

i really cant put into words how im feeling or what im really thinking. just know im happy to find fans from 2014 !!

OH MY GOD.

⁉️⁉️⁉️ AUGUST 2014 BTW. and im assuming its supposed to be "sabo started with" or something but... the content. sabosan content. 2014. it's out there. SHAKES YOU. THE CRUMBS (also this user is a sabosan fan and i think acesan fan too as i did see mentjons of them... so this just...)

THEYVE BEEN HERE FOR A LONG TIME AAAAAHHHH 😭😭😭😭😭

NOW IM CURIOUS WITH HOW MANY POSTS IVE BEEN MISSING⁉️⁉️ yall the agenda must spread farther

ASL/sanji mentioned! august 2014

omg again from the same user

shaking your hand in spirit (april 2014!!!)

there have been fans of this pairing as early as april 2014!!!! and have been manifesting for their popularity for awhile 😭😭😭 (plus this user is still active! im not sure if theyre still into one piece but... i hope for the longtime/past fans to see it all soon)

i think my investigation into sabosan history ends here after a long post and hours of searching... unless i somehow find something earlier than april 2014, the earliest moment that sabosan was first talked about was in the year 2014. Q2 2014. back when dressrosa was still ongoing. do you know how insane that is? before wci.

i think we can come to a conclusion that sabosan was a concept as early as 2014 was all becaude of acesan. thats the pattern i noticed. ace/acesan was often mentioned. and i believe it's bc not only are ace and sabo brothers, but bc sabo aimed to eat the mera mera no mi. and if sanji were to meet sabo, sanji would be reminded of his late lover, ace. and the angst potential is so real... sanji looking at sabo... just as a replacement for ace? ouch

i know the fans were having a field day when they learned about sanji's blood family :']

side note: there are likely things lost due to users deactivating or whatnot... and i doubt i'd be able to search via wayback machine. and as much as i dont like pinterest for reposting art, there are pieces of the two ive never seen before

[karla-the-elemental-dreamer]

🪢 KH-OC Week 2024 🪢 - Day 7 Package 💙💜🧡🐲🐻

Admin note: Due to the absolute trouble my mind is putting me through, Day 7 will be a LONG read due to the multiple (but fun and interesting) processes I've had to go through to get the juices to flow. There will be multiple prompts and ideas addressed, because I will not be capitulating to these blockages 💪🏻 I am finishing @khoc-week strong whether my brain likes it or not XD

---

Unlike the other days that simply had their submission package, Day 7 will be split into two parts:

The actual submission package.

The official revelation of the surprise that was mentioned on Day 5.

---

And... OMG there is no prompt for Day 7!

Well, there is/was one pre-determined, but with poor Terra being tossed here, there and everywhere during the week, Dinh-Yu said to make Day 7 all about him [Terra]... With the centre of it being OC related of course. And looking back in a sense, the connections with Riku have actually already been touched on during various previous days.

So re. Terra and whichever OCs we intertwine, here goes:

---

SECTION 1A: Prompt / Eraqus

This is an extension of Dinh Yu's Day 7 prompt, and to let you guys in on the fact that someone (don't know who) called 'the cavalry'. The reason Master Eraqus is now considered powerful is because he has now passed on in my timeline, due to the assumption of KH3's ending.

Why do I also include this tidbit of exposure? There was apparently a Day 6 prompt called journal. The way my journal works? It's a magic journal. So not only can I write in it, but others can choose to direct their communication into it if they wish. All they have to do is feel in their heart/mind what they want to say to me, and the journal will magically transcribe their words into it, waiting for me to open it and read it, and even respond in kind. It's basically like Email, but through a book and a person's thoughts, instead of the PC and actively typing both ways.

They envision in their minds; their message writes itself into my book [A to B].

I write back in my book, it gets translated into a thought in that person/s head[B to A]:

~9:10 PM (AEST)

Master Eraqus: “Karla… I know you might be uncomfortable with me, and even if so, we may have never spoken before. I apologise for any preconceived notions I may have given to you through my previous actions to Terra, Aqua and Ventus. But if you can allow me to assist you. As you know from 2022 onwards, I have allowed and I even encourage Terra to walk by your side to atone for the immeasurable pain and suffering that I have caused him and his friends… I think they need you to finish what I started, even though you offer a different relationship, not so much their teacher in the realm of light. While Ven was being checked for bad energies [mind blockage/poison], I quickly had a word into the ear of your newest dream guide, Young Cricket, or as you otherwise call him, Dinh Yu. I have been let in on the fact that he is leading you for KH-OC Week, but not even he can seem to navigate you past this energetic block that seems to be tormenting you with regards to Terra. I have asked Dinh Yu to hand his spot over to me for just a short while, and I will guide you where you have always meant to go for Day 7… As Terra’s teacher and someone who now knows him well [after Xehanort]. Dinh-Yu will be back in the driver’s seat at the end to check your balances with you and sign you off.

So first of all, I see you’ve already put up a pre-commissioned artwork of Terra. Continue to discuss the meaning of that and why you got it done. When Terra was your strongest bridge, what is it that made the Land of Departure feel like home to you? Was it the land itself, or was it Terra’s stewardship? When you’re with Terra alone, how does he make you feel? I have come to understand that you didn’t want to wield a keyblade, but when Terra got involved, the very little keyblade knowledge you gained suddenly expanded greatly. Was it the love between you and Terra that made Riku capitulate from his initial arrogance and annoyance?

I come to hear that you’ve in-fact done numerous artworks of you and Terra in the last year. Share those as well. Not so much as descriptions, or you’ll leave them with a strenuous encyclopaedia. But just a gallery of your art if you will and a sentence or two about those works if you must.

I’m now looking at your Day 5 post in the data, and I see you’ve mentioned Neverland as a favorite spot that you liked to go to with Terra. Maybe now is the time to explain why if you wanted to. Again I don’t recommend you follow on all of my ideas if it makes your work unsuitably long, but I am simply cramming in all these ideas so that this severe energy blockage you seem to have undergone in the past few days can’t disable you anymore. I wish you the best of luck, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you need any further help.

And wait! Just one more thing before I go or at least take the passenger’s seat. Say you were out of all energy impairments. You can still address the official Day 7 prompt if you wanted to envision any future scenarios with Terra… But that one may be difficult in your current state. Good luck”.

---

SECTION 1B: Commission / Ventus

First of all, I want to re-show off this beautiful art that was drawn by 'Nexathila' within the last year. She does not have a Tumblr, but you can find her by going to this carrd: https://nexathila.carrd.co/

I knew I wanted an artwork with Terra at the time, but I'm not very good at being organised when asking for commissions 😅 So I thought fast and asked for a drawing at the Land of Departure as we did stargazing...

~9:55 PM (AEST):

Sierra: “She’s going to fail the test!”.

Selvian: “Eraqus has given her the prompts. She just now needs to do them”.

Dinh-Yu: “Ahhhhh”.

Selvian: “Relief huh?”.

Dinh-Yu: “Yes. Such a relief. Has she had that bad a blockage before?”.

Selvian: “They come and they go. But that’s the first one you’ve had to deal with. She’s had the doggie not let go of Riku before, and now it’s trying the same thing on Terra”.

Sierra: “Did Ventus get captured because he was trying to help Terra?”.

Selvian: “Yes, sadly”.

Krystal: “I’ve gotten Ven to help out!”.

Selvian: “You have?”.

Krystal: “He’s feeding her thoughts on the Land of Departure, and Cricket’s [Dinh-Yu's] transcribing them into a document and sending them to her journal”.

Selvian: “Thank the Lord in Heaven”.

~10:00 PM - 12:15 AM (AEST)

Ventus:

“The stargazing, she loved it so much. She tried to pretend she didn’t when Aqua and I were around. But when she was alone with Terra and we had a peak, it was something different. I find it amazing how Terra always got answers out of her that none of the other guardians would ever get. I think it’s because Terra never pushed, and not once did he ever betray her trust by spilling things to other people, at least not without asking her permission first.

So even though SHE thought she was rushing to choose something for a commission, I think she was meant to be shown stargazing with Terra there. I notice the artist put their keyblades in the background. She didn’t want or think she’d be getting them in the image to begin with, but then something spoke to her when they WERE included. She had just finished training with Terra, and that was always an also unique experience in itself. Karla seemed to feel this sense of obligation when training with other guardians, but Terra always slipped her into it in the most subtle ways, and he made it fun for her… Y’know, that feeling of having a job but never working a day in your life.

I’m just getting this abstract thought. So I want to address it while I have it. Terra was originally meant as a distraction for Karla, at least that’s what he came for. We all didn’t know what was up when she asked for Riku in May 2020, and as someone who watched over Riku as it were, Terra had genuine concerns. But you know Terra, he’s not one to be mean to anyone, so he simply tried to divert Karla’s attention but she was one smart cookie. And then as Terra was trying to help Riku, he decided to help her too. Y’know? Starting out as one thing but then diverging into another? Terra wasn’t even Karla’s dream guide to begin with, but he just felt this sudden compassion and need to work her out, like there was more to her than meets the eye.

I guess Terra wedging himself into her life did work out as she needed him in late 2021. Like… As in because he made an effort to connect with her and know her, she knew he was the next best option to add to Riku. But I digress.

Back to keyblade training. Again, what Karla thought was a chore, Terra made it seamless for her. And the way he taught her, I’ve never seen him be so as accommodating to anyone as he was to her. Like his method was brute strength and hard hits, but he knew that he was the only one she’d train with, so Terra made it a point to control his power around her. And like Terra made it his business to watch and learn Aqua’s style so that he could teach that to Karla. With Aqua’s style but Karla’s own magic added, she became a powerhouse and even shocked Terra. But where Terra eventually got her is sometimes she’d spend too long manifesting a spiritual or cosmically powered spell to support her attack, and then Terra would smack her from behind and tell her she’s gotta take the rose-coloured glasses off when reality comes flying at her all of a sudden. I think that’s why her mind isolated her only to Riku these days… Because he’s more head on. So I think it’s about the need for her to find a middle ground and then she’ll be able to keep them both.

Let’s see now. I addressed the art and stargazing, which then led to keyblade training. Oh! I should tell you that Mahna Templestowe is not the first keyblade she manifested. Because like I said, she has universal manifestation and other psychic powers, so with it, the first keyblade she manifested was a clone of Terra’s and we were all shocked. But it just went to show how much Terra meant to her, and I remember a tear falling out of his eye when he saw that keyblade. I heard she got Mahna Templestowe later down the track when her keyblade use became more regular, and at the time, she was doing something with Riku or Terra in the realm of darkness. When she was put on her own to save one of them, rather than relying on them, that’s where she got her ‘personality’ so to speak.

Now I’ve been told that the master suggested talking about why she likes going to Neverland with Terra. I don’t really know the answer, as that’s between her and him. And… Cricket! Don’t peer into her dream journal! That’s an invasion of privacy! Well… I guess we’ve got answers now. So they would always sit on a rock and look out to the sea as Terra held her. They didn’t talk as much in Neverland; that was more just a tranquil moment together, or more recreation as it were. I think as she felt the Land of Departure was her base point, that’s where she’d find herself if she needed to have a really important conversation with Terra. Like she’d seek out his home and he’d give it to her in a sense. In summary, the she’d travel with Terra to all these BBS worlds and each one had a unique feel for a different activity, but the Land of Departure was at the heart of it all, and basically what she associates Terra with.

I’m really sad that Karla’s mind (energy levels) started to attack her in regards to Terra and tried to prevent her from finishing OC Week, but my teddy friend Krystal stayed with me in customs, and she actually managed to talk me out of the astral lock I was put into. So as Terra’s friend and someone who really loves Karla, I’m doing my part to save the day and I’ve been asked by Selvian and Cricket to contribute to her story ❤️"

Krystal running in with Ventus goes to show that the teddies have a mind of their own. Just like I didn't know Sibella wasn't right for Terra, I didn't know Krystal remained with Ventus. I assigned Krystal to Ventus at one point, but never heard from her since. Then when Selvian brought Ventus to 'customs' to try and help me with my severe mind blockages, Krystal came with him! So those two have had a good friendship. And now come to think of it... I have envisioned her doing things with Ventus in the LoD from time to time 🤔

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I don't have a teddy version of Krystal drawn up (because obvs she surprised me). So here is a human model from January this year:

MISS KRYSTAL LEBAUCHEN (Ventus) - ISFP:

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SECTION 1C: Art Gallery (KB)

^Official DG 'family photoshoot' done in 2023. Karla is between her KH dream guides here. Riku and Terra's expressions are portrayed so accurately here 😊

^Karla normally doesn't like early mornings, but at the Land of Departure, Terra makes it worthwhile if she's up for it.

^Terra being the gentleman as always. He accompanied Karla to a Christmas photoshoot at the end of 2023. They both have a copy of the photo in their homes.

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~12:35 AM (AEST)

With sheer patience and shameless intervention from nearly the entirety of my team AND Kingdom Hearts, we beat the energy block even though it presented a Good Game! Thank you for playing lol. In the words of Master Eraqus himself. CHECKMATE.

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SECTION 2: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

Now I did say back in Day 5 that I had a surprise for a certain someone, for putting his hand up and acting as my Jiminy for this event. Thank you for being so accommodating and allowing him to work his magic:

Now sadly, he'll have to bus Natasha and Erika back home, but I hope you had a great time learning about them and getting to know them, and at least they now have a foothold in Kingdom Hearts if they need to do any future field work there. And with that, Sierra and Erika have to go their own ways for now unless they decide to visit each other down the track, but nothing is planned yet.

Natasha and Erika will have their keyblades hung somewhere in Cricket's dojo until they decide to use them again.

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Thank you to the mods of KH-OC Week itself; for making everyone feel welcome and putting on a successful event (it's still here in 2024 😶). I've loved seeing everyone else's works and where they come from. I think we all deserve to have an inheritance [individual timelines] in KH, hence why I link the user to the OC. Including how I bridge myself.

As much as I have hilariously complained because my mind has been pushing exhaustion on me (and didn't like Terra 🥲) , increasingly leading up to Day 7. Here are some of the benefits that I have received from KH-OC Week 2024, as opposed to if I didn't participate:

It has reminded me to check my lore and restabilise my bridge with Kingdom Hearts.

Terra probably would have remained at the depths of limbo without this event. My mind throwing a tantrum was a good thing IMO because now I know what steps to take to get him back FULLY. Even if it takes more than just a week. KH-OC Week (and Dinh-Yu's unique prompts and instruction) pushed me into awareness and progress. I honestly think Dinh-Yu knew Terra was in trouble beforehand; he's cluey like that.

I would have never discovered that someone wasn't suitable for Terra. We have now introduced someone that he'll have a much better relationship with.

Sierra got to spend time with her sister. And as Erika is an ESFJ, she actually forged connections with some of the Kingdom Hearts members.

We have evidence and a stern commitment from Riku that he isn't the grouch we met back in 2020. His loyalty to us is unwavering, and it even bleeds down to the bears. He is personally thanking Dinh-Yu for doing KH-OC Week with me.

Whenever OC Week happens, new lore just pops up out of nowhere, which is why the Days can change so suddenly from their initial plan.

Admin Edit: I just looked at my clock upon finishing and it says 1:23! The subliminal msg I got when looking at the clock was that despite all the mental battle, KH-OC Week has indeed finished on a positive and strong note.

And...

Thanks Universe XD 💖