#the journey is linear because —

[cowboylikedean]

the link between the outro of guilty as sin, waolom, icfh, tsmwel, and bdilh is just so striking to me every time i hear one of those, but especially guilty as sin.

If long suffering propriety is what they want from me, they don't know how you've haunted me so stunningly. I choose you and me, religiously.

the scandal was contained, the bullet had just grazed. at all costs keep your good name.. you don't get to tell me you feel bad

They shook their heads saying "God help her" when I told them he's my man. But your good lord didn't need to lift a finger. I can fix him, no really I can. Woah maybe I can't.

then say they didn't do it to hurt me BUT WHAT IF THEY DID

you caged me and then you called me crazy

I just want to know if rusting my sparkling summer was the goal.

i forget if this was ever fun. I just learned these people only raise you to cage you. Sarahs and Hannahs in their Sunday best, clutching their pearls sighing "what a mess?" I just learned these people only save you 'cause they hate you.

when he ghosted her, she blamed the fandom. in part because she felt ashamed she alienated us* for the sake of this guy who fucked her over and so focused on the fact she shouldn't have had to and the fact that she did was, itself, a red flag. the disdain of our* self righteousness was blaming us for the fact she had to alienate us and it still wasn't enough to keep him around vs blaming him for that. because blaming him would blame her too.

ending the standard edition with clara bow after the alchemy, too, draws it in. she feels terrible she did that to us and loves us so much... but she's also terrified of how bad that felt.

[lowstakesvampires]

[friendlyloner]

I had dinner with one of my oldest friends (24 years!) the other day. We only see each other a couple times a year, and sometimes have gone years without even that. We were catching up as you do and I was filling him in on one of the bigger self realizations I'd had in 2024 (masking - and my relationship with it) and he commented something along the lines of being impressed with how linear my progress with my mental health journey seemed to him. It was just as we were having to say goodbye at the train station and I remember having a jumbled mess of thoughts and emotions in the moment that never had a chance to sort themselves into a coherent whole before we parted ways.

Something caused that interaction to pop into my thoughts yesterday and I guess the time it had to percolate in the back of my head sorted my response out into the concise "it only looks that way because I keep going" and maybe it's just a pseudo deep shower thought but it hit me like a ton of bricks. Because that's it. You keep going. Healing, progress, whatever, it can be a lifelong endeavor if you let it, but in the best way.

Healing can be linear - if you keep going

So I'll keep going. I hope we all will.

[competitioneddie]

Eddie needs so badly to be on the receiving end of a Henren intervention where they lovingly point out to him, yet again, that they know he knows deep down what he wants. They told him he wanted to stay in LA and that was enough for him to entertain the thought long enough that when Chim said actually Eddie why don't you stop running he said yeah okay happy to comply. And Chimney wasn't even doing it as much for the team as he was doing it for his own grief journey but if the shoe fits. Eddie needs to be asked, hey, are you in love with Buck? You could be. We'd support you. It wouldn't be so crazy.

i feel like I've seen so much talk since the finale about Eddie and choosing joy and also so much about him being good at following orders but I haven't really seen anyone connect them yet in the context of 8x06 and 8x18.

when father brian says exactly is "I want you to do something frivolous, something fun, something that expresses pure joy" and despite the whole conversation, Eddie hears that as a one time command. so he does it, he follows orders to do something frivolous and joyful, and then after he does that one thing, because the instruction was to do one thing, it's back to his regularly scheduled misery.

he hasn't gotten there yet. it took everything in him to overcome all the guilt and denial and hurt for one single round of dancing to old time rock and roll, of course he was still looking at plane tickets. he wants to be back in LA but no one has given him permission yet, until Chimney does.

he had effectively already decided, already knew what he wanted, it's just that he always needs permission to want, because he is a catholic-raised former soldier. he does want Buck, wants him so badly in ways he doesn't fully understand yet, but once someone gives him the go ahead on that, oh man. he's gonna be so happy.

[anagram-for-mongo]

“I don’t think my wife understands me” but it’s about wearing fashion i got made fun of for wearing in the past

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

*cackles in validation* Hey. Hey guys. Is Atsushi the bookmark because he’s the protagonist of the story and thus the page is marked depending on his phase of the journey, or is he the protagonist because he is the bookmark, where his very existence necessitates him becoming a catalyst so the story can unfold and be read in linear time?

[parasolemn]

X7 Acts 1-3 Summaries transcription

note: all things i am uncertain about are now in italicised square brackets bc they were bothering me

I encourage everyone to look at the screenshots or video themselves to see if they can read something themselves more accurately than I have. (Video has been removed via copyright strike from ZA/UM, however drive links are available.)

(Updated as at 5/04/2025 at 10AM AEST)

Act 1 - The Murder

Summary

Size: Small Playtime: ~1 hour Energy: High Emotional tone: Panic & Survival 30% Talking; 70% Action 30% Comedy; 70% Darkness

"The first Act introduces Locust City's protagonists, Cuno and Cunoesse. The game starts inside Cuno's subconsciousness, in the special Locust Dream sequence, from which he is violently awakened by his father's abuse. We find Cuno in his living room at the Capeside Apartments, where he must fight to survive Beast de Ruyter's violent rage. Brought to near death by his father's overpowering strength, Cuno is rescued by the [pursuing?] Cunoesse, but their escape attempt is thwarted by the Beast's relentless pursuit. Finally, the children are cornered into brutally murdering Cuno's father on the Capeside boat dock. The act is witnessed by the [urgent?] Call Me Mañana, frightening the children into fleeing Martinaise for good. Cunoesse sets the destination: Hämärä Maa, her ancestral land, thus setting the events of the game in motion. Lastly, before moving on, the player needs to go back and explore Cuno's apartment to collect a few key items before setting off on their journey. (See the Miro board for a detailed overview and storyboard.)"

Player experience

Immediate parallel to Disco with the interior psychological opening of the Locust Dream

The extensive multi-phase animation-driven action sequence between the kids and Cuno's father should give the impression of an ambitious technological upgrade over Disco

Kicking off the game with a refreshingly faster, more higher-stakes pace, establishing the tonal difference of the story

The opening Act is necessarily linear in its major outcomes (Beast is murdered, murder is witnessed, kids flee Martinaise) but on a smaller scale, the Player and the roll of their dice can influence the way in which the Beast dies, as well as the inventory, Health and injuries the kids walk away with.

The more curious Player should understand through environmental storytelling and reading between the lines that the Martinaise strike is still ongoing. Streets are barricaded, and Mañana is still an agent of the Union. The kids might not understand it, but on some level (for any subsequent playthroughs) the Player should understand that Mañana doesn't truly intend to report the children to the cops, he merely wants to get them out of Martinaise because they've witnessed him where he shouldn't be.

The Player will internalise some of the key gameplay mechanics, character [switching], and refreshed Skill, Inventory, Consumable and Thought Cabinet systems.

Act 2 - The Escape

Summary

Size: Medium Playtime: ~2 hours Energy: Medium Emotional tone: Impatience & Paranoia 70% Talking; 30% Action 50% Comedy; 50% Darkness

Themes (top to bottom, left to right): BLUE: Being in transit; Clocks ticking; Neither here nor there; Maps, networks; Wanting to leave, not being able to; Running from your past; People who live in between places [The in-between economy] -> (Yellow) Beggars, homeless PINK: The "strong" vs. the weak; Cushioned childhood vs. street childhood; Loss of childhood naïvete GREEN: Guilt; Paranoia; Looking over your shoulder; Being bound in blood; Depending on each other

"The Second Act finds the children arriving at Jamrock Central station, having walked all the way from Martinaise. It is 07:30 in the morning, and Cunoesse insists they must board the 14:44 train to June Cite. Time at the station is limited, and there are several progression paths through the area. If the kids can obtain two train tickets, they can board legally, or otherwise smuggle one another in a pet carrier, potentially create a diversion (?) or, if all else fails, leap aboard the departing train, likely losing health, inventory supplies, etc. During their time at the Station, the kids notice they are being followed by Petit Hercule, an impressionable little schoolboy whose naïve nature can be put to good use in stealing one ticket. In the process, it becomes clear that the kid is traveling unsupervised and has one ticket already on him, resulting in Cunoesse urging you to lure him into the men's room and try to mug him, testing your conscience and the power balance between Cuno and Cunoesse. Otherwise, the kids can take up the advice of the Beggar King and begin the painstakingly slow process of scraping together barely enough coins to buy one ticket, thereby receiving an introduction into the game economy system."

Player experience

Being thrust into the bustling train station following the gruesome murder should leave the player feeling like a fugitive on the run trapped in limbo, eager to depart but forced to pretend everything is normal.

The indifferent reality of the train station will provide a contrast to the post-murder emptiness, a reminder that the world is still moving in its tracks. The clocks are still chiming. People are drinking coffee. It's almost insulting. Don't they know someone's world has just come crashing down?

Time at the station is limited to mere hours, adding to the sense of impatience and pressure to move on, so that the player would not lose momentum after the high-action opening Act and fall into a slump. They are still not safe -- this is no time to relax.

This Act will challenge the Player's problem-solving abilities, as finding all the ways to gain passage aboard he train will require speaking to a variety of characters and following up on several strategies.

This Act will also put the Player's motivations at odds with their conscience, presenting them with a layered and difficult choice between Little Hercule and Cunoesse. This confrontation sets up Cunoesse's frightening, manipulative nature.

The Player will be introduced to Co-operative Checks, the game economy, the map(s), and receive a greater variety of items and consumables to experiment with.

Act 3 - The Journey

Summary

Size: Large Playtime: ~3 hrs Energy: Low Emotional tone: Mundanity & Temporary Relief 90% Talking; 10% Action 80% Comedy; 20% Darkness

Themes (anything I can read): PINK: Social contrast BLUE: [Deception?] -> Trip as Peter Pan -> Never growing up

"The third Act, entirely aboard the Azure Sans-Détour train line, represents a breather in the tension and a break in the overall darkness. Whether they like it or not, Cuno and Cunoesse have no other option but to stay on this fast-traveling metal tube for three entire days before they've reached their destination, so they might as well make the most of it. The key character of Trip the Train Conductor will serve to induct them into the ephemeral but vibrant social microcosmos of the train, a temporary society on wheels. This is the Act where we have the opportunity to introduce the largest social spectrum of characters, involving the petit bourgeois hops entrepeneurs Vincent & Agnes, wrapped up in a (consensual) love triangle with Trip, as well as other train staff and passengers from social groups Cuno and Cunoesse have never had the chance to interact with before, such as a scientist.(?) This Act will contain another Locust Dream sequence, as well as one-off sequences like the Ghost Station, the Biggest Meal, and Two Kids in a Trenchcoat. The catch of the train journey however, which Cunoesse doesn't tell you until you've already boarded, is that the place where you need to get off the train is actually in between two stations. For this, you're going to have to do Trip's bidding in order to have him pull the emergency brakes on the third day to let you off, or you might have to risk jumping off the moving train to move to the next Act."

Player experience

Here we want the Player to relax a little bit and indulge in Cuno & Cunoesse's mischievous and comedic side. The Train is removed enough from both the immediate stress of the murder and from the impending dread of arriving at Hämärä Maa that it is able to have a more lighthearted tone than the rest of the game.

The Player should feel as though they are really covering ground on their journey, as evidenced by the daily changes to the Train map and the dynamic scrolling background.

The characters the Player gets to interact with on the Train can be very thematically diverse and unconnected by background or life experience, joined only by this shared journey. These characters can deliver all kinds of stories from all corners of the game world, expanding on Elysium worldbuilding and lore.

The Man from Jamrock Station throughline will present the players with a parallel plot which bridges the seemingly unconnected locations of Acts 2, 3 and 4.

The Player should have the freedom to decide how they will navigate the special puzzles of the Train, affecting the fate of Trip and his love affair.

The location itself should provide enough exploration incentives to keep the limited train space feeling fresh, including gaining access to various cars and compartments, new Orbs and situations appearing every day, and people and luggage changing location daily.

[whoopsyeahokay]

Alphabet Soup

NSFW alphabet challenge (request) pairing: grey!Wally Clark x fem!reader premise: the journey of a clandestine love affair at several stages because Wally Clark craves what he can't have and refuses to keep his hands to himself. and you live for it. (Janet and Wally are dating to increase their social value. meanwhile, Wally wants to get closer to her step-sister. you.) warnings: smut. AU - modern setting. non-linear narrative. romanticized toxic behavior. cheating (not on you). egregious use of the word 'baby'.

___________________________🧿

A is for the addiction Wally develops once he sets his sights on you. He's feral with it. Can't get enough of your skin under his fingertips; your shapes fitted against his; the sounds you make when he takes you apart with his teeth and his tongue and his dirty fucken mouth. So different from the public persona he sheds the second you're behind closed doors.

B is for bad ideas. Like the one that crept in behind his eyelids the instant he noticed you, cute and soft and sweet as a kitten. God, he wanted to do something about it right there. In front of the roomful of people between you, no fucks given. Wally's impulsive on a good day and reckless on a bad day, and you inspire too many fantasies that he can't not want to live out.

C is for competency, control; the single-minded intensity Wally has for every task. How he moves with a perfect combination of aggression and grace on the field, catching the ball from the QB. Touchdown. How he folds over the hood of your car and fiddles with cables and tightens bolts and fixes the rattle in the engine. How he holds his own desire at bay to bring you to the edge, over and over and over again until you sob. How he makes you come as soon as he slides home, grinds in, measured and slow, making it last as long as he wants before taking pity on you and fucking you into the mattress.

D is for Wally's dirty mouth. The things he rasps at you as he takes you apart with his fingers, his mouth, his cock. "You feel so good, baby,"—"fuck, I love the way you taste,"—"I want you to come on my tongue,"—"that's it, fuck, yeah, don't stop, baby, just like that, so good for me, such a good girl..." His fingers dig into your hips as he guides you in his lap, up-down-grind-repeat; his lips on your throat, teeth in your skin, marking you up so everyone knows you belong to someone. Belong to him.

E is for the effort Wally finds himself making to see you smile. It's stupid, he thinks, because it's not like he loves you. He's horny and putting out isn't part of the deal he and Janet made at the end of Junior year. But then he sees some jackass try to touch you, making jokes Wally doesn't find funny, drawling that he'll treat you special and make you see God as you shove and kick at him. Then you start crying and Wally sees red. Steps in. Pummels the guy's nose into his skull so hard, Wally's knuckles are scraped and bloody when he caresses your face and kisses your forehead. Promises to drive you home from the party. "Fuck that guy, baby girl, he won't touch you again."

F is for the way Wally shamelessly flirts with you. The back-and-forth you and he have when surrounded by people. Dark and husky, leaning in close with his back to Janet who's too busy with her drones to care what Wally's up to. You're fierce and funny and you flirt right back once you're comfortable enough, but Wally's had a lot of practice and knows how to get you hot with the right inflections. Eyes dark and heavy, lips brushing your ear, breath ghosting your skin while his fingers trail over your hip, "I bet you'd look better on your knees for me, baby."

G is for the God-given talent Wally has. You know the one. That one he weaponizes when he wants you to stop being stubborn, be a good girl, behave. He spreads your legs, kisses down your body, then delivers his bribe; tongue-deep inside you, making out with your pussy like a gourmet dessert de la crème. He could spend hours there if you let him, moaning when you grind your pretty pink kitty against his mouth, so close, Wally, oh God—it's all he needs to sustain himself.

H is for how Wally holds you down against the mattress; up against the wall; in his lap as he sits back on his haunches, one arm banded around your waist, the other braced behind him as he rolls his hips up, sharp thrusts and deep grinds into you, "That's it, baby, keep bouncing on daddy's cock...just like that...fuck." His big hand clasps your thigh when he flips you onto your back, pushing it up as far as your flexibility will allow, spreading you open for him, wanting to get as deep as he can, wanting to make you scream his name and forget your own.

I is for the intensity of Wally's stare as he watches you from across the room, his eyes tracking you as you laugh with your friends. He strips you in his mind, licks his lips as your skirt rides higher on your thigh when you cross your legs. A flash of pink lace, the panties Wally asked you to wear that make his jeans tight and mouth water. He cups himself through the denim, casual, sprawled on the opposite couch, gaze smoothing up your legs to your hips to your collar, fucking you with his eyes until you notice and give your friends an excuse to follow Wally to the bathroom.

J is for the jealousy Wally has to keep tightly contained in his bones whenever he sees another guy approach you. Like Jacob from Pre Cal, who flirts with you as if he doesn't know you belong to someone else. Wally is too obvious, he's aware, glaring daggers at the retinue of possible others who dare step into your space. Careful, collected, Wally has to smile like he doesn't notice them as he struts over and positions himself at your back, hands on your hips to drag you against him, ass fitted into the cradle of his pelvis. He watches in satisfaction as the dipshits take their leave with their tails between their legs.

K is for how Wally kisses you. The variety of ways. Pushy and ruthless when he's agitated; too much energy and no outlet. Or soft and slow when he just wakes up, liquid smile and heavy eyes, hand cupping your jaw like you're something precious. He nips and tugs your lips with his teeth when a teammate makes a comment just this side of not fucking funny, Gary and Wally isn't allowed to do anything about it. Sometimes, his kisses are sharp, honed, exactly what you want to feel so he can get what he wants. Always, his kisses are stolen. Behind locked doors, in dark corners, wherever he can snatch them from you without getting caught.

L is for the feeling Wally is terrified to label. The one that blooms in his chest whenever you touch him, smile at him, say his name, move, breathe, exist. Shit. It's warm and tingly and drives him to distraction because this is just a fun way to pass the time, to make things more interesting; he can't want you like that... But he does.

M is for the mess Wally makes of you when he fucks you in an alley or an empty classroom or behind the stadium. Thick cock slamming into you until you come at least twice, your panties around your ankles, his jeans at his thighs, pounding into you as he grips your hips so hard you bruise. He pulls out just enough to paint your pussy with his come, smearing it through your wetness with the tip of his cock, letting his spend and your juices trickle down your leg. And when you're forced to wipe yourself off with your ruined panties, he pockets them before you can throw them away, smug and satisfied.

N is for the fact that there's nothing Wally won't try with you, do for you, take from you. He wants everything you have to give. Is determined to taste every inch of you, from top to bottom, back to front, he doesn't care, he wants it all. He's never been this consumed by someone, thinks it'll fade the more he fucks it out of his system. It doesn't work. There's always a next time, and a next, and a next. And every time he leaves wanting more.

O is for Wally's inability to be subtle when you're around. Overt, obvious, open stares of lust when you walk into a room regardless of who else is in it. His heartbeat quickens, his breathing shallows, and he feels like a mutt in rut. All dark eyes and desirous smirks, hands grazing your body when you get close enough. He thinks he's slick, secretive, getting away with murder. But the truth is, he couldn't hide how he feels about you if someone put a gun to his head.

P is for the pleasure Wally takes in pampering you. He's a gentleman like that. What makes you happy makes him happy and, fuck, he loves to dote on you. From opening car doors to surprising you with your favorite Starbucks order. Showering you in presents he thinks you'll fill out perfectly for him. His pretty little passenger princess; a precious paper doll that he dresses up like a gift just to unwrap immediately with greedy fingers.

Q is for the question Wally wants to ask but can't. The one that makes things official. That ties him to commitment and expectation. Ignoring that you're the only place he's getting his dick wet, he's not ready for that. Until he catches himself smiling—soft and fond and affectionate—when you send a text that has nothing to do with where you want him to fuck you next. And, ah hell, maybe he does want to ask. Too bad he doesn't have the nerve.

R is for how riveted, rapturous, fucking obsessed Wally is when you ride him. No matter what he claims—"your turn to do all the work, baby"—he can't hold back, always fucks up into you, flushed, panting, hands clenching your hips and stroking your thighs and squeezing your ass. He watches your body, sweet liquid movements as you ride his cock like a goddess, and comes faster than he otherwise would. But that's fine because Wally has the refractory period of a fucking nympho.

S is for those soft, sweet, silly moments that you share. The ones he coaxes out of you during the domestic lulls between fucks. He invited you over for the weekend, Janet at some friend's lake house and Wally's parents visiting his aunt one state over. Perfect timing. And it is all hard thrusts and pinned wrists and love bites on your thighs, but then it's jokes over pancakes. Forehead kisses as he holds you in the shower. Hand-holding while you walk to the gas station for snacks, his thumb sweeping the back of your hand like he loves you. Sentimental.

T is for the toys Wally loves to tease you with. He's not afraid to introduce other means of stimulation into the mix. He'll do anything if it makes you shake apart for him; if it'll make you whimper and beg for more before you plead for him to stop, too much, Wally, it's too much, I can't as he presses the vibrator against your clit. He never listens, too enraptured by the expression of pleasure on your face, the way your body responds for him, fuck, yes, "that's it, baby, come for me again, show daddy how good you feel."

U is for how uncharacteristic, unpredictable, underutilized Wally's control has become since he started this with you. He was the image of dark and dominant behind closed doors, but, three months in, he can't keep himself in check. If he has you—against a wall, in the backseat of his car, in bed, in the shower, in. on. against—his control snaps as soon as you make a single sound of wanting pleasure. He goes feral for those noises. They're his complete undoing. And he'd surrender everything you asked for just to hear them one more time.

V is for the voice notes you and Wally swap when you and he aren't together. When he hasn't had a chance to sneak away from Janet or football practice or homework in too long and he's desperate for release. He strokes himself to the tempo of your whimpers and sighs, fucks his fist when he gets to the edge before slowing down and switching voice to video. He loves to show you what you do to him, how heavy and flushed and thirsty he is for you. "Your pussy sounds so nice and wet...now show me how you want me to fuck you, baby."

W is for every whim and want Wally indulges. Of yours. Of his. Mostly of his. Gluttonous and gourmand. You want to taste caramel on his cock? Go for it, baby. He wants to get messy with whipped cream? Okay, daddy. He wants to tease you with vibrating panties while you're trying to eat at that new place on Lasher? Okay, daddy. He wants to tie you up and spank you because you came before he said you could? Fuck, yes, daddy! ... Good girl.

X marks the spot Wally hammers into at exactly the right angle when he's feeling generous. And he always feels generous with you. He's addicted to the way you look when you come. Because he did that. He made that happen. It's empowering and euphoric and he can't get enough even though he should've by now.

Y is a word followed by 'not'. A question you ask when Wally hoists you into his arms and pins you to the wall with his hips after one of the leads in the school play asks you out. He grinds against you, cock throbbing, head angry, and reminds you who you belong to; why you can't say yes to Alex Greenberg even though it's all pot kettle black. Still, as he tears your panties at the seam and fucks you with abandon, desperate and aggressive, he makes a convincing argument.

Z is for how it ends. With her, not with you, because Wally's too far into the addiction and wouldn't last a day without getting his fix. He needs you. Wants you. Fucking shit, he loves you. So it's goodbye Queen Bee Janet and hello to her silly, sexy bombshell of a step-sister. Wally has no regrets, his hand on your ass as he walks you into Prom, fist-bumping his friends and saluting the principal. He loses his crown and doesn't care at all, too wrapped up in you to notice. Hands on your hips, brow against his, fitted perfectly against him like a puzzle piece.

🧿___________________________

below are the links to the complete collection of Alphabet Soup. you can also find all related content HERE as well as reformatted chapters on AO3.

~ 🩵👻

Alphabetical Masterlist:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Linear Masterlist:

B T K A F P V R M S D C I J H W N O E X G L Y U Q Z

[shimmershifts]

how to reality shift

method two: destabilized awareness

these methods basically boil down to two steps. destabilize your awareness, and then shift. basically, you'll be trying to discombobulate yourself to the point your awareness is not focused on 3D reality, and trigger a shift. if you have trouble getting into the state of pure awareness or lack of awareness or it doesn't feel natural to you, these methods may be good to try out! this post is also for my lucid dreamers, meditators, hypnogogia lovers, or people who struggle with 3D distractions, and anyone who likes or feels the need to experience "symptoms" (ie, sleep paralysis or hypnogogia.)

honestly, most shifting methods i see online are in some way doing this. lucid dreams, the hypnogogic state, SATS, self-hypnosis, and also all those iterations of the "raven method" the "staircase method" the "alice in wonderland method" etc are all basically ways to destabilize your awareness from the linear perception it is so used to in this point of reality, offering the opportunity of triggering a shift to a different one. they're all sort of either distracting or subverting your focus on the 3D here in this point of reality.

why does destabilizing awareness help with shifting?

when we reality shift, our goal is to find a way to trigger our awareness into a movement in the 4th and 5th dimensional directions. for some, this is easier to do when your sense of the 3D in this reality is a little distorted. this isn't because it's impossible to shift while aware of the 3D! on the contrary, lots of people shift while totally awake and aware in the 3D, in either their CR, or their DR, or even both. but for most of us, our awareness is really used to and really comfortable piloting our 3D body here. so perhaps try destabilizing or distracting your awareness to help trigger a shift.

how do i destabilize my awareness?

there are many different ways to destabilize your awareness, so you just need to find one that works for you. i'll put a few ways to try out here, but if these don't work for you, do not despair. you can find other ways, or tweak them to your needs however you'd like. my goal is to put the ones that work for the most people, and explain them in a way you may not have seen before so make it more accessible. hopefully, i can! i think that everyone is fully capable of all of these methods, some just will come more naturally to each person.

method 2(a)

hypnogogia. this is, or was, probably the most common "method" on shifting communities for a long while. all those shifting "symptoms" you heard about? those are hypnogogic sensations. now, one important note is that i do not believe hypnogogic sensations are directly "symptoms of you shifting", because many people shift without ever feeling any, and many people feel them without ever shifting. hypnogogia is merely an experience when your awareness is in this reality, but somewhat disrupted from its focus or perception of our normal physical senses. this is what causes you to feel as if you are floating, weightlessness, numb, flying, falling, spinning, vibrating, phantom sensations of someone touching you, hearing sounds or words, seeing or smelling someone or something that isn't there, sleep paralysis, muscle jerks, etc. etc.

these symptoms can also be paired with feelings of anxiety or impending doom, or even a visit from the "sleep paralysis demon" but they're not always! personally for me when i started my journey, hypnogogia made me terrified, and i couldn't figure why because i wasn't scared of hypnogogia in general. it reduced over time with practice.

how to cause hypnogogia: hypnogogia is a natural transitional state between wakefulness and sleep, which we usually don't experience because as we fall asleep our mind sleeps before our body. so, in order to cause hypnogogia, all we need to do is allow our body to fall asleep while our mind stays aware. people tend to over think this, and the most common pitfalls i see are people falling fully asleep, or keeping themself completely awake by accident, so i'll troubleshoot those below! this method will be a meditation method, but if you struggle with meditation then please check out this post for ways to get into hypnogogia without meditation, and just come back here for how to shift from hypnogogia instead of dropping into pure awareness from there.

step one: choose the space you want to do this in, and i recommend choosing somewhere safe where you won't be disturbed. you can either do this in bed where you normally sleep, or in a different place like sitting up on the couch, and there are pros and cons to both. in bed, the upside is that your body is very used to falling asleep here. the downside is that your mind is also very used to falling asleep here, so if you struggle with accidentally falling totally asleep when trying to get into hypnogogia, maybe try a different place, during the day, or a different pose.

step two: relax your body. for some meditations or shifting methods it's not consequential whether your body actually relaxes or not, but if your goal is to reach hypnogogia, it sort of is. don't overthink this though, because your body naturally gets to exactly the right relaxed state every single night when you go to sleep. the only complication is that you need to basically trick your body and mind into thinking you're going to sleep so it naturally lets your body fall asleep, but secretly, your mind is still aware. some ways to ease this process are body scans (ie, focusing on each part of your body one at a time, allowing each section to relax as you move your focus to the next. i prefer toe to head, but you do you.) or progressive muscle relaxation, (ie, tensing each muscle, and then releasing it to deepen relaxation. this means like tensing your lower leg as hard as you can, counting to three, and then letting go. this can help especially if you're naturally tense!) key notes: it's okay to move. do you hold yourself completely rigid and still when you fall asleep each night, refusing to scratch and itch or roll over because you think you'll never ever be able to sleep if you move even once? probably not. it's okay move, it only disrupts the process if you let it.

step three: keep your mind aware. this is the key to hypnogogia here, but don't overdo it. some people have the issue of accidentally falling totally asleep, and this is because they're struggling to keep their mind aware. it may take practice, or trying different things to see what keeps your mind just awake enough to stay aware during hypnogogia, without just keeping yourself the normal type of awake and lying there for an hour while nothing happens. you can hold your focus on your breathing, a mantra, put on a soundtrack or white noise, counting, a visualization, or even a physical sensation. i used to place a small stone on my forehead and focus on the weight of it, since it was a sensation just unusual enough to hold my focus without being entirely distracting. if you struggle with slipping into sleep (or have adhd), try something slightly more engaging or add more than one thing to keep yourself aware.

step four: let your body fall asleep. there is no need to force it. your body naturally knows how to fall asleep, you've done it every day for your entire life. just let it, and don't get in the way. if you struggle with trying to get into the hypnogogic state and ending up just laying there with no results for hours, it's because you're getting in the way (sorry!) you do not need to try to force yourself to start having hypnogogia (i think this is a pitfall for some, keeping their body too awake while they engage their physical senses too much) or push it to fall asleep or force it to fall asleep. that will generally keep it away. it's more of a letting go and allowing your body to fall asleep. key notes: your body may test you to see if you are actually sleeping. during the day, there may be many periods where you are at rest (sitting watching tv, in class, at work, etc) where you're still and calm but it would be highly inconvenient for your body to simply slip into sleep at the drop of a hat. so your system may test you, checking if your body is actually supposed to be going to sleep before allowing it to. this is where you'll get muscle jerks, or hallucinations that make you flinch. think of these like the "are you still watching?" pop up on netflix. your system is trying to check if your body should go to sleep or not, so let them pass. you do want your body to go to sleep.

step five: hypnogogia. at some point, you'll start to experience the tell tale sensations of hypnogogia. you don't need to fabricate or create these sensations, they'll come naturally. let them. congratulations, you are no longer grounded in the 3D sensations of this reality. hypnogogia is already the bridge between wakefulness and sleep in this reality, but it can also be a bridge from this reality to another.

how to shift from hypnogogia: there are two ways you can go about this. you can either focus on the hypnogogic sensations and use/direct them to trigger yourself to shift, or let them pass and focus on the fact that you're not grounded in the 3D of any reality in that moment, allowing that to trigger yourself to shift. generally, the hypnogogic sensations people experience seem sort of "random", so you might get floating or spinning or vibrating, etc, etc. if you're trying to use the sensations you're getting, then gently direct the sensations. meaning, direct your hypnogogic sensations to correlate with your desired reality. you don't need to force or control them, just feel them and line that up with experiences or a visualization of your DR. weightlessness? visualize how soft and light you feel in your DR bed. tingling sensations? direct your attention to the tickling, waving long grasses of the field you're becoming aware of in your DR. hallucinating lights or sounds? think of the sounds or light sources of your DR as you become aware of it. if you're trying to focus on the detachment from 3D (helpful if hypnogogia is scary for you, you can stay calmer by not focusing on the sensations) try to relax and let the sensations continue but pass you by. recognize and understand you are not grounded to the 3D experience of any reality at that moment, your awareness has already loosened its grip on this reality, and turn your attention towards thoughts of your DR, mainly on returning to full awareness there instead of here.

method 2(b)

lucid dreams. ive posted before about how to do reality checks to confirm you're in a lucid dream (check out my pure awareness methods for that tidbit) so here i'll focus on how to have lucid dreams in the first place, since these methods focus on how to get into that destabilized awareness. now, a lucid dream is just a dream. the only difference is that in a lucid dream, you are aware. not of the physical 3D in this reality, but of some of the goings on of your mind while your body sleeps. this means that certain parts of your usual functions here are inaccessible because those parts of your physical brain are "off" or performing alternative functions, so you won't be able to read, and you will be in a dreamlike state even tho you're aware. this dreamlike state is enough to loosen the tether your awareness feels to this reality. now, my other lucid dream method focused on how to get into the state of pure awareness from a lucid dream, and that's not necessary for this method. your goal here is to shift directly from the lucid dream to your DR, which is a little different and has its own pitfalls. the major one: accidentally just moving to another lucid dream instead of shifting. i'll address that below!

step one: have a lucid dream. you can wait for one to happen naturally if you get those, or you can increase the chances of having one in a few ways.

start practicing and repeating your "reality checks" throughout the day. repetition is key, because when you're dreaming your brain naturally processes memories, thought patterns etc and that will reflect in your dreams. the goal is to repeat your "reality checks" so often that your brain does one while dreaming, so that you have the opportunity to realize you're dreaming and become lucid. another way to do this is throughout the day, pause what you're doing and visualize yourself noticing that you're dreaming and becoming lucid in a dream (ie, think about it.) do this often enough you start to do it in your sleep too.

you can meditate before bed. choose any meditation you want, and really try to get at least into a light meditation state, because it really does increase the rate of vivid and lucid dreams for a lot of people, maybe even you!

wake back to bed. this is a common technique, where you go to sleep, wake up, and then go back to sleep. the reasoning is that you are more likely to enter an REM cycle quickly enough that your brain is still somewhat lucid, increasing the chances of a lucid dream.

keep a dream journal. as soon as you wake up, write down as much of your dreams as you can remember, even if it's very vague or half a thought. strengthening your dream recall also seems to increase the chance of becoming lucid in a dream.

how to shift from a lucid dream: now, the most common trouble with this method is when people accidentally just go to another lucid dream instead of shifting. be aware that this is a possibility, and practice your reality checking skills so that you can become confident in your ability to tell the difference. reality check while you're awake, and reality check while you're lucid in a dream. do this so often you become able to notice the differences, because when you do a reality check while awake in your DR it will feel exactly as real as it does here, no exceptions. if there is anything dreamlike, muddled, or "off" about the experience, you likely have not shifted.

anyways, with that in mind, i'm going to give two different ways to shift from a lucid dream. the most common i see online is the "create a portal and imagine your DR is on the other side," but very often i see this cause people to step through the portal and just enter another lucid dream instead of shifting. that's because when you're lucid in a dream, youre capable of creating and changing the dreamscape however you want, so your brain is just creating a lucid dream instead of your awareness shifting. if that's happened to you, try the ones here instead!

1) travel to your DR, do not create it. the instinct to "create" your DR around you can tend to lead you to create a lucid dream. when we reality shift, we do not create the 3D world of our DRs or invent it with our minds the way we do dreams, we shift our awareness from this 3D, to another. when you've firmly established lucidity, think about your DR but do not alter your dreamscape to look like it. just think about where you want to go, and begin to think of your dream self (the body or whatever form you take) as your awareness. use your dreamscape however you'd like to travel to your DR (train, flight through space, falling down a pit, it doesn't matter, do what feels right.) just don't create the destination. when you get there, you should become aware of your DR, but make sure to reality check and ensure you're not still lucid dreaming.

2) become your DR self in your dream. instead of focusing on your surroundings (helpful if you tend to just go to another lucid dream,) you can instead focus on yourself. visualize that you are your DR self, having a lucid dream in your DR. the dream can become whatever you want, whatever your DR self is dreaming about, because you are your DR self having this dream. visualize that when you wake up, you'll be waking up as your DR self. you can either keep dreaming and sleeping as your DR self, or intentionally wake up. either way, you should wake up as your DR self. (check for false awakenings and ensure you're not still lucid dreaming.)

method 2(c)

distraction. our awareness can seem to be quite stubborn, and we can feel like we struggle to direct it to what we want. if that's the case for you, try distracting it. think of it like jangling keys in front of your awareness, or the subway surfers clip at the corner of a video to help stimulate and distract your 3D senses attention just enough you can shift your awareness where you want it. lots of methods involve trying to decrease your 3D sensations as much as possible, calm your mind and body, and be still, quiet, etc. this method is kind of the opposite, because some people need stimulation in order to let go. ever zoned out while fidgeting, daydreaming, or getting distracted? the goal here is to gently distract yourself so your awareness loosens the reigns a bit on this CR, and that's your window to shift.

below are some distractions you can introduce, and a pro tip is that whichever sense tends to be the one that you feel "holds you back" from other shifting methods is probably a key one to try to distract with this stuff.

sound. you can choose any sound, maybe a playlist of songs that fit the vibe of your DR, white noise, binaural beats, environmental ambiance noises, ASMR, whatever. it also doesn't have to be calm or quiet stuff. pick the screaming metal rock band album, or put on jackhammer ASMR if that's what suits you.

sight. almost all methods involve closing your eyes, but this one doesn't have to. put on a movie you've seen so many times you don't actively watch it anymore, a Pinterest board, a handmade vision board, a painting you like, a collection of gifs of your S/O, it doesn't matter.

touch. lay somewhere you usually wouldn't, like outside, on the floor, on the stairs. hold something with an interesting texture or temperature in your hand. put on a weighted blanket. hug a stuffed animal. dip your hands in water.

smell. cook food that smells really good. light a candle, or incense. use a perfume, cologne, or scented soap. grab a fist full of soil, or a sprig of herbs.

motion. this, i feel, can be key for some. pick a repetitive motion, like a fidget. roll something in between your fingers, click a pen, tap your foot, bounce your knee, walk, spin in a chair, etc.

your CR body can stay completely awake. you don't need to be meditating (although you could argue this level of distraction is somewhat meditative? but. you know.) you don't need to be focused, or still, or calm. while your 3D senses are distracted, let them be. think about your DR. visualize where you are, what you're doing. think about what you're going to do. really let your mind wander, the same way it might when you're just thinking about stuff here. at some point, the goal is to reality shift when your 3D CR self here is too distracted to notice you even did it. You'll start thinking as your DR self, and when you "come back to your senses", it's your DR senses instead of your CR ones.

[michanvalentine]

“Astarion did nothing that he needs to be redeemed for.” I’ve read this many times on YouTube, Tumblr, and elsewhere. Many people don’t consider Astarion’s journey—specifically in the spawn ending—to be a redemption arc. I see it differently.

It might be boring and “the same old story” — you’ve been warned. But I think it’s worth clarifying the concept.

Let’s start with the assumption that, in fact, Astarion hasn’t yet committed any crimes or sins for which he is personally accountable. Not yet at least, depending on how his quest ends. (And for everything he may or may not have done during his mortal life, let’s just say he more than atoned for it under Cazador). Everything terrible he did was under a force far greater than himself: his master’s will. You can’t truly hold him responsible for that.

So if we take the concept literally, in its linear, straightforward reading, it’s true that Astarion has nothing to be redeemed for. But let’s go deeper, let’s read between the lines, let’s understand the subtext. By now, we know that when it comes to Baldur’s Gate 3, and Astarion in particular, we can’t stop at the surface—right?

Let’s start with the concept of redemption and explore how this transformation fits within Astarion’s character arc. The word redemption comes from the Latin redemptio, from redimere (“to buy back”), composed of re- (“again”) and emere (“to buy”). Originally, it meant ransoming someone from slavery or debt by paying a price.

Now let’s see how the concept plays out in a religious context. In ancient Judaism, redemption was tied to physical or social liberation—for example, that of slaves, prisoners, or lost lands. It was a concrete act, often bound to family duty. In Christianity, however, redemption assumes a spiritual and universal dimension. Christ is seen as the Redeemer, who sacrifices himself to redeem humanity from sin and eternal damnation. The price paid (pretium) is his blood.

From this, the concept of redemption becomes the forgiveness of sins, the salvation of the soul, and liberation from evil.

Over time, this idea evolved—philosophically and secularly—so that redemption also became:

A moral act: the desire to free oneself from guilt or a mistake.

A personal transformation: rebuilding one’s identity after trauma or self-destructive behavior.

A narrative archetype: the redeemed hero is someone who, even after failing or falling to darkness, finds a path to redemption through sacrifice, awareness, or renunciation.

In modern usage, the term is also applied outside of religious contexts to indicate moral recovery (e.g., “a redeemed criminal”) or the reclaiming of dignity, humanity, or purpose after a fall or a dark past.

In short, redemption begins as a legal-social act of ransom, evolves into spiritual salvation, and today encompasses psychological, symbolic, and narrative dimensions. It’s not only about “being forgiven for wrongdoing,” but about transforming, rejecting it, and consciously choosing a different path.

Which is why Astarion’s arc in the good ending is a redemption arc. Because it marks a refusal of everything evil, cruel, and deeply twisted that he internalized over the centuries under Cazador’s ruthless control. It is the rejection and rewriting not just of his fate, but of the mindset that once led him to say: “What Cazador did was wrong because he did it to me.” Or: “We’re not like them. We’re better than them.”

So yes, the vampire spawn ending is a redemption arc—not because Astarion suddenly becomes a saint or because he committed direct, tangible crimes, but because he confronts his past, everything he’s done up until that point, and those he has harmed—albeit indirectly—and chooses to act as a hero, sacrificing himself for the greater good.

He could have chosen power. He could have embraced the very system that dehumanized him, becoming the next tyrant in Cazador’s image. But he doesn’t.

And in that, he stands alongside some of fiction’s most iconic redemptive figures: Like Zuko in Avatar: The Last Airbender, who learns that true honor lies in rejecting his father’s ideology. Like Boromir in The Lord of the Rings, who dies protecting those he once endangered, reclaiming his dignity through his final act. Astarion doesn’t redeem himself by erasing the past—but by refusing to carry its poison into the future.

And if we dig even deeper into the Catholic concept of redemption, we can look at the Confiteor, a famous part of the Mass. It’s a solemn moment: in the presence of the all-knowing God, both priest and congregation acknowledge their guilt and publicly ask for forgiveness. I won’t recite the full prayer, but here’s the part that captures the essence:

"Confiteor Deo omnipotenti et vobis, fratres, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo, opere, et omissione, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa." ("I confess to Almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in thought, word, deed, and omission, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.")

The point is: you don’t need to commit a literal crime (a deed) to require redemption. You can sin in thoughts, words, deeds, and omissions.

And we do know that Astarion is selfish, lies, manipulates, and exploits situations when it suits him—especially when it comes to the Ascension. The very fact that he considers sacrificing 7,006 souls for his own gain qualifies him as a sinner.

But beyond the Catholic lens, Astarion’s redemption lies in freeing himself completely from the chains of a merciless world—one built on vampiric hierarchy and cruelty—and from a mindset that taught him to place himself above others and crush them for his own benefit. A mindset that told him it was not only acceptable but even justified to commit a massacre or damn innocent souls to hell simply because, “after years of pure shit, he deserves something better.”

And not only that—what follows in the Ascension is conquest, domination, deliberate killing, and bending the world to his will.

But Astarion doesn’t stay there. He experiences doubt. He refuses ascension. He chooses another path.

This—in both Catholic tradition and many secular or philosophical redemption narratives—is the moment when a character redeems themselves: When they make a moral, free choice that runs counter to their history and the mindset they’ve internalized.

This—choosing the harder path, the one that promises no glory or reward, but peace for others—is the truest act of redemption. He doesn’t do it to be praised. He doesn’t even do it for himself. He does it because he finally understands that liberation—true liberation—comes not from power over others, but from reclaiming his own humanity and identity.

And in that choice, Astarion doesn’t become a saint. He becomes free. Astarion is no longer what he was created to be.

P.S. I’d like to point out that I’m an atheist, lol. But some concepts have deep roots, and it’s important to acknowledge them.

[mymoongirlreadings]

₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆ Astro Observations Pt 2 ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ ⋆⁺₊

8th House & Vulnerability

If you want to look at vulnerability in the birth chart, the 8th house is a great placement to depend on. I find a part of Scorpio Rising's journey is about embracing vulnerability & it's funny because they have Gemini in their 8th house lol. Meaning they are likely to sneak in vulnerable statements into their communication

Jupiter & What We Prioritize

Whatever sign/house Jupiter is located represents the people, things & area of life we prioritize. For example: Jupiter in Cancer located in the 7th house prioritizes their partner & family (if they have a partner & family)

Neptune & Uranus

Neptune can make someone move ethereally, and Uranus can make for someone who moves quick & is clumsy yet influential & eye-catching (those for Neptune/Uranus in the 1st house or Neptune/Uranus aspects to Mars)

3rd & 5th House

Rules over creative projects so transits here can be when we make time to pour into those & our hobbies/motivation to create get activated. 3rd house transits are also beautiful for publishing & online endeavors and 5th house is just pure creative energy which wants to manifest as something fun

9th House Mars

Represents the desire to learn more & more & more. There's not a finite amount of time or hours as to how much this person will dive deep into a subject they like. It's how they become the teachers, guides, gurus & masters because their knowledge becomes their power

The 8th-12th Houses & Infinity

The 8th house rules over the infinite cycle of death & rebirth, the 9th house rules over endless expansion & possibilities, the 10th house rules over linear progress/action, the 11th house rules over quantum evolution and the 12th house rules over ether, the infinity of connectedness

Our IC & The Nervous System

Want to know what you look like when you're at peace? When that nervous system is regulated? When you know you're in an emotionally & psychologically secure environment? Look at your IC sign

5th House Sign: When Does the Inner Child Come Out?

All the great things about the sign of our IC represents ourselves when we feel safe. Once we feel safe, the sign of our 5th house naturally comes out & manifests as our inner child. For example: I have my IC in the sign of Taurus at 0 degrees. I am the EPITOME of chill when I feel like I'm in a safe environment and then the cusp of my 5th house is also in Taurus, then my inner child enjoys earthly experiences. When I feel safe, I don't try to escape my earthly reality & fall back subconsciously on my Pisces South Node (aka early ways my inner child instinctively dealt with life when I felt emotionally unsafe).

[princeanon]

To anyone who’s finding it really hard to read the Fantasy High webtoon without being upset about the changes made, here’s a headcanon that has helped me accept the changes and I think could really help a lot of you:

(Keep in mind I’ve only read the first three chapters)

In the canon universe, the webtoon is a comic series that the Bad Kids decide to make sometime post-canon to recount their adventures in a fun and somewhat fictionalized way. (Think of it like mythology, changing their stories to become more linear and easier to tell across generations.)

This would explain a lot of the changes made that I’ve seen upsetting people:

D&D (and real life) is great because even though plot is important, it’s just enough to leave a lot of room for a bunch of different main characters to share the spotlight. Comics aren’t (especially webtoon comics that you only read a bit at a time), so even though all of the characters can have their moments, there has to be one character that is focused on more to really drive the plot.

The Bad Kids recognize this, and since they refuse to use a different medium (a movie is a lot of work for six kids; they already have a podcast; longer, non-illustrated books would be bad for Ragh and frankly, not nearly as cool), they all eventually come to a consensus that at least for freshman year, their little angel and licensed PI Riz Gukgak should be the lead, since he can justifiably drive the plot. In real life, it doesn’t make sense to have one lead since none of them knew about the big scheme to begin with, but in retrospect it works.

Of course, Fabian’s not gonna be as charming to start out because he recognizes that he was kind of a jerk for a bit before joining the squad and especially before single-handedly killing toxic masculinity.

Of course, Fig is gonna be the last Bad Kids introduced because that’s how she’d want it to go. It’s so much more badass to be mysterious for a few chapters and then show up in a blaze of glory!!

Of course, Riz is gonna look ever so slightly cooler than he actually was as a freshman, because that’s how he viewed himself and the others don’t have the heart to tell him “no you were actually really awkward and un-cool and you have to look that way for the comic”

Of course, Adaine isn’t going to emphasize her argument with her parents from the first day of school, because why would she? Her parents suck, and the less screen time they get, the less power they have over her life now. Aelwyn too, as much as she loves her sister, she wasn��t really part of the grand scheme, so it wouldn’t make sense to establish her as a villain immediately.

Of course, Gorgug is going to make his introduction of him raging. His difficulty coping with his rage was a really big part of his journey throughout freshman year. His title card is who he really is though, with cool artificer themes, even though he doesn’t know it yet.

And of course, Kristen is gonna wear a corn-themed outfit because that’s a visual representation of how she felt early on the year, and especially how brainwashed she was by the church. You’re telling me Kristen Chilis Applebees isn’t going to look at a comic book version of herself in freshman year, think about all the time she spent justifying Coach Daybreak’s actions and her parents actions and her actions, and how deeply that trauma goes for her and her siblings, and how much her story would mean to someone going through the same thing as her, and say “now dress her up like corn”????

Point is, the webtoon is an adaptation of a pre-existing world in the same way any “non-fiction” media is an adaptation of the real world. Real life isn’t linear, D&D isn’t linear, but written media (especially webtoon comics) are. It’s not gonna be a perfect replica of the original because that doesn’t make for a good comic. If it helps to view the webtoon as an in-canon adaptation of their story written by the Bad Kids, then that’s great! If it doesn’t, and you still can’t enjoy the comic, then don’t read it.

Just don’t take this gift from Dropout away from those of us who love (or want to love) it. And especially don’t hate on the writers, artists, or anyone in Dimension 20 for making minor changes in order to fit the new media.

(It’d be like hating on the Bad Kids for telling their story in a new way.)

[pamicakery]

OKAY LISTEN TO ME

(long post ahead sorry)

It's been some weeks that I have been reflecting on my manifestation journey. Between the term 3d, 4d, imagination, external world etc.. It can be pretty confuse...

... Even tho it's pretty simple.

˚₊‧꒰ა Manifesting is about printing our SM ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

When we come here on '' Earth '' we base ourselves with our senses. That we have X parents, X appearance, this is our city, our identity. That our world is structured with time, days, month, linear time.

And that we associate imagination with something not real. We discover about science, we got belief about how the world works '' Money is hard to make, we have to work hard, we need a job to make money ''. Sometimes we have toxic parents telling ourselves '' You can't do it, you are not pretty, you are good at nothing ''.

And we find ourselves with a 💩 mindset. What the subconscious mind understand is that the world is a cruel place when making money for a living is hard.

But guess what..

₊✩‧₊˚౨ You can change it! ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

I will never repeat it enough, but manifesting is only about your mind. It's about what is real for your subconscious mind.

♡ We learned that what we see with our senses is the truth, because it's making us aware of our environnement.

I feel like we were brainwashed to think like that.But we can change that! We just have to create a new scenario.

˚₊‧꒰ა the crush example ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Back when I was 16, I had a crush on a guy in my class. He was a lot with girls, speaking to them, laughing, smiling etc. I was feeling like a plastic bag around him. But everytime, I was thinking about me and him together.

I was daydreaming everyday, calling him my boyfriend with my friends etc. I was making this alive in my brain. At every interaction I was looping the scene in my mind, feeling the emotions I felt because it felt good.

So my subconscious mind, despite the fact that sometimes we were on hot and cold behavior, only took one truth, we were together as a couple.

🌸I just changed the scenario because before, when I had crushes I used to told myself

'' He doesn't love me ''. '' He ignored me today ''.

˚₊‧꒰ა The friend group example ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

In my early 20, I had a group of friend. We were all new, so we talked and shared about each other. Everything went well and everyone loved me.

But for some reasons, I started to feel myself excluded from them. I felt alone even though they were around me.

Even though the outside was saying :

'' they are laughing with me, they are talking to me ''

My mind was saying :

'' I feel lonely. I feel apart ''

♡And everytime I was repeating this loop of feeling lonely, the sadness, me asking myself '' Why Can't I have better friend? I feel so left out ''

As a result, my subconscious mind understood how I felt and because it was repetitive, it validated it by making them horrible, they were walking together leaving me behind, mocking me, stealing my stuff, not inviting me anymore.

The subconscious mind doesn't make a difference between what you are describing :

-Coming from the outside.

-Coming from the inside.

For it, it's the same. What makes a difference is the emotions you are putting into those facts and the frequency you are giving this information.

The more you give information to your subconscious mind about how you feel, it will assume it as true. No matter if it was seen with the senses or imagined.

(I didn't said '' real or imagined '' because the SM take both of them as real)

₊✩‧₊˚౨ You can have this Actor, this Kpop Idol, be rich, be beautiful if your subconscious mind assume it as true ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

The possibilities are infinite. Really. You can be this, or that. You can be a cake tester and be paid 15k a month just for eating cakes.

If your subconscious mind assume it as true, you can.

You can change your parents, your age, your physical appearance.

If your subconscious mind assume it as true, you can.

₊✩‧₊˚౨ The subconscious mind is like a baby ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

Apple flavored or banana flavored a yogurt is a yogurt and the baby will eat it anyway.

'' Seen with the senses or with your mind a fact is a fact and the subconscious mind will consider them as true anyway.

Go soft on yourself. You don't need to feel a flushes of emotions, feeling or regenerated, or powerful. Go easy. Keep it simple. Even just a smile it's okay. When you are introducing yourself, you are not saying

'' My name is X '' with a flush of emotions.

You are saying it like a fact.

₊✩‧₊˚౨ There is a ton of reality ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

-The trip example :

Past year, my family was going on a trip to Paris. They were about to see the Eiffel tower, Disney etc.

For financial reasons, I couldn't afford it so I told my family that I wasn't going with them.As the days goes by, I saw them buying clothes, suitcases, seeing videos of Paris, Disney. I started to feel sad because I knew that I wasn't part of the trip.So I started to isolate myself and thinking

'' What if I am going with them? ''

'' I started to imagining myself with them sitting in the boarding area, sitting on the plane, travelling with them. Seeing the Eiffel tower, Disney ''

And after that, I was saying '' It would be a surprise and a miracle to live that ''

Because based on my senses I wasn't going. But I opened the door to another reality. I was thinking about the opportunity to going with them MORE than staying at home and see them leaving.

And that's what happened.

My subconscious mind assumed that I was part of the trip.

The night before the trip I got everything paid from the plane ticket, to the hotel to Disney.

To make it short because this post is getting too long is that :

Your current life is based upon what your subconscious mind assume as true. For instance, your perception of truth is based on your senses. As your subconscious mind doesn't make the difference between your senses and your mind, speak in your favor.

The more you repeat a pattern, the more it will be printed in your subconscious mind. Because, you are reinforcing an identity in your mind regarding of the outside. The story of the mind is printing your subconscious mind.

Ex :

In my mind, me and my crush were in love so I was printing a love pattern for my crush.

In my mind, I was alone so I was printing a loneliness pattern for my friends.

In my mind I was travelling with my family so I was printing a travelling pattern for my trip.

♡

If your name is X, it's because the outside/senses have printed this into your subconscious mind through your parents, documents, and calling you by that name since you are aware.

➡️So as you can see there was a printing process to saturate your subconscious mind.

So print your subconscious mind for it to assume you have what your desire. Think about it, saturate your mind, or don't. You can assume that you just affirm once and you got it, you can assume that you can wake up with your desires.

If you are changing your appearance stop checking your flaws in the mirror. Stop Reinforce your negative pattern.

˚₊‧꒰ა And if you feel like you are lying ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Know that you are not, it's because you have assumed first the reality you were observing. We are trained to be believe what our senses shows us.

But don't worry. The feeling of ''not believing it' 'it' s the ego because your subconscious mind will alway believe it.

Imagine it like telling a story to your boss and a coworker. The coworker never believes you and need proof (the logical brain) and your boss believes you without any proof because it trust you (the subconscious mind).

The ego will aways barks and speak louder, but the subconscious mind is calm and just nods and accept it silently.

And remember, the more you repeat your affirmation, visualisations, pattern. The more the SM will believe it.

The goal is not to prove it to the ego with external validation, but it's to prove it to the subconscious mind with internal conviction.

Go straight to your mind, and make your subconscious mind assuming your truth, the one you imagined, the one in your favor.

[genderqueerdykes]

I can't reply to the post directly but I saw a post where you were talking about trans masc erasure especially when you were in college and like....I feel it. I started college in 2003 and identified as a cis butch lesbian because I didn't know there was anything else to be, but also MOST IMPORTANTLY because my "resources" and info on trans men were basically Boys Don't Cry, which every lesbian I knew referred to as a lesbian film and Brandon Teena as a lesbian. There were also vague comments from time to time about Chaz Bono at some point, but again, everyone around me was referring to him as a "confused lesbian". What's frustrating these days is that while there is more information out there and more spaces, there still isn't enough. Like, I learned basically everything I know about my body from Gen Z friends who had better education and affirming teachers. And also finding space when you're almost 40 is an impossible task sometimes. At almost every trans masc group I've attended I've been the oldest by almost 10 or sometimes almost 15 years. It's a really lonely experience. A handful of times we've had moderators who are young and not trans masc and they've talked over me and tried to "correct" the language I use to talk about my experiences - for example, I call myself FTM, and I also say things like "when I was presenting as a woman" or "when I thought I was a lesbian". I use this language intentionally because there were over 30 years of my life where I had no idea of the possibility that I could be anything but a woman and that IS how I identified, and there are over 30 years of experience with that identity that I am still recovering from and that shaped the course of my life in a way that's difficult or impossible to explain without acknowledging it. Part of our erasure unfortunately comes within the community and people not listening to the experiences of others whose journey doesn't line up with the plot beats of a cinematic, linear coming out story (not to knock that if someone has it! But leave room for those of us who don't!). Even though I'm on T and have had top surgery, there's still so much I've had to figure out myself and it's a lonely life. I don't know how to date or make connections (or even if I should! I'm aromantic which I think complicates things sometimes). Anyway I don't know if any of this is relevant but like. I just wanted to say I relate to the erasure stuff. Wouldn't change who I am for anything, but I would change the world in which I had to figure it out.

im really sorry you can relate to this, it affects so many people and a lot of people are proud to say they don't care. it's not okay. trans men and mascs need community irl. i'm bet things were way harder back then, i can't even imagine how hard it must've been to talk about being transmasculine in 2003.

im going to keep my reply brief because i do not want to distract from your experience

[beifong-brainrot]

I do find it annoying how a lot of Zutara fans tweak the character's stories, personalities and even the timelines to suit their own needs.

Once again, there's nothing wrong with fanon and headcanons, however if looking through the lense of canon, you're objectively wrong.

I ended up stumbling on a post from a Zutara shipper. (At this point I'm regretfully considering not following the tags for Zuko or Katara because I get way too much Zutara content lol) I'm not replying directly to her because I don't want this to turn into an argument, and I know she doesn't take criticism very well.

Ok, So let's break this down.

The character who was first out of the group to trust Zuko?

I'm quite sure this is referring to the scene in Ba Sing Se's caves. And yes, that is a very important scene. I think it's a very important scene preceeding Zuko's 'relapse'. It shows how he's matured during his time in Ba Sing Se and therefore it serves to add to our dismay when he joins Azula. I adore the fact that Zuko's journey to redemption is not linear, it certainly adds a lot to the character and shows us how his trauma affected him.

It's also a horrific moment for Katara. To have her worldview on Zuko and firebenders as a whole challenged, and then for it to go blowing up in her face. It rips open old wounds of her childhood. It refreshes her resentment of Zuko and the Fire Nation as a whole. It parallels the death of her mother when Aang dies due to Azula's lighting and she is unable to do anything about it. It places her back in that spot of helplessness. Even though she's grown up, even though she's a master waterbender, she still comes a hair's breadth to losing one of the most important people in her life.

No wonder she hated Zuko so much after this.

It's an important moment for both characters, but I wouldn't say it is that in a romantic sense. It's a sweet, hopeful moment that then turns absolutely horrific and visceral for both parties.

I could argue that there are other characters who could be given the title of 'first to trust Zuko'. Funnily, Appa being one of them lol.

But other characters trusting Zuko dovetails nicely into the next point.

The character who emotionally connects to Zuko?

Well, technically, I'd argue that most members of the Gaang connect emotionally on one level or another with him?

But I'd argue that Aang is the person Zuko connected with the most. Aang is Zuko's parallel. Aang is the first person to reach out to Zuko. Aang is the person who showed mercy to Zuko, multiple times. Aang is the person who valued Zuko's life, the life of someone whose whole life goal is to capture him.

This was also an incredibly important moment to Zuko. This is the thing he brings up when trying to convince the Gaang to let him join.

Zuko: Why aren't you saying anything? You once said you thought we could be friends. You know I have good in me.

The character Zuko feels safest letting his guard down around?

It's Mai. Love her or hate her, her relationship with Zuko is incredibly important to him. Maiko isn't my favourite Zuko ship, in full honesty. But even platonically, Mai and Zuko are one another's reprieve from their respective shitty lives.

People often talk about Katara touching Zuko's scar while discussing healing his scar, however one could argue that she did so as a medical examination. Mai touching Zuko's scar is a casual thing, neither of them really make a big deal of it and that's the beauty of it.

I'm mainly talking out of my own personal experience, as someone with a huge amount of burn scars, but there is a world of difference between someone inspecting my scars like Katara did and simply accepting them as a part of me, like Mai does for Zuko.

With Mai, Zuko isn't the scarred banished prince, Ozai's son or Azula's brother. He's just Zuko. And they speak freely with one another, arguing like real people do. Often, being comfortable having arguments is actually a sign of being comfortable with one another.

The character who helps Zuko heal from his trauma?

Once again, this is a bit of a flawed question. By the end of the show, Zuko isn't even fully healed, in my opinion. He has made leaps and bounds on the road to recovery, but when he will truly heal if ever is yet to be seen.

Zuko's journey to recovery includes plenty of people. This includes Iroh, Aang, Song and Jin. People who show him the error of his coping mechanism. Who challenge his worldview, who coax him out of the his shell of pain and anger.

The character known for showing most compassion to others?

Yes, Katara's compassion is a huge part of her character. Her need to help and protect those who cannot do that for themselves cannot be understated.

But Aang's compassion for others and all beings is just as great, if not greater than Katara's. Compassion and nonviolence are huge parts of his culture and his own philosophy.

Aang: Wait, we can't just leave him here. Sokka: Sure we can. Let's go. Aang :No, if we leave him he'll die. Aang airbends himself off Appa and retrieves Zuko, bringing him to Appa. Sokka: [Sarcastically.] Yeah, this makes a lot of sense. Let's bring the guy who's constantly trying to kill us.

Friendly reminder that Aang could've absolutely wrecked Ozai, but held back because his own moral compass was so powerful. Hell, he was friendly and nice to Azula, the woman who literally killed him.

This is why Aang and Katara work so well together. They're both incredibly compassionate people who will immediately jump in to help others in need. Like they did during the Painted Lady, destroying the factiry together.

The character who primarily bears the burden of having to step up into a parental role?

I think "parental role" is an incredibly vague term. There's a lot of things that go into a "parental role". Katara plays a stereotypically "maternal" role, while someone who plays a "paternal" one would probably be Sokka.

Katara deals with very "homemaking" tasks like sewing and cooking, etc. And Sokka often takes on the role of leader, hunter, gatherer and also protector, despite being a nonbender.

This coincides nicely with their core childhood traumas. The loss of Katara's mother impacted her greatly, leading her to have to step up into a motherly role. While Sokka was clearly heavily traumatised by his father departing and the crushing responsibility of having to care for his entire village.

Sexism also probably played a part in this dichotomy.

The character who represses their emotions to be strong for others?

I'd argue that this could apply to all the members of the Gaang in some capacity.

Aang's pain is something most of us will never experience and cannot hope to understand. The complete horrific destruction of his culture and home followed him through the entire show. He was entitled to his grief and rage, yet he supressed it. We see during Appa's kidnapping, how easy it would be for Aang to rage, to let himself be destructive. And yet, he wakes up every day and chooses to smile and goof off, because his friends need someone to remind them how to be children.

Sokka puts on a very impressive bravado, despite having a lot of insecurities. However, as the oldest member of the Gaang (pre Zuko) he puts on a facade of the confident and unbothered older brother. Even if he's the butt of almost every joke, he still keeps that demeanour up, letting it slip only a few times.

I'd actually argue that Toph is the person whom this label fits best. While we know Toph as witty, callous and strong, we have to remember that she kept up the facade of her parents' good, helpless little blind girl for no reason other than her mother and father's comfort. She actually hides a lot of her hurt, covering it up with a prickly exterior.

I want to do longer think pieces about Toph and Katara so apologies if this isn't complete.

I'm actually baffled by the idea of Katara repressing her emotions. She's actually quite straightforward and open about her feelings. She yells and feels a lot of emotions and lets them be heard. She gets angry and sad. She's actually kinda bitchy sometimes and that's honestly why I love her so much.

The whole inciting incident of the show was her getting so pissed off she somehow pulls a giant iceberg from the bottom of the sea.

She is anything but repressed.

She is angry.

She's angry at the fire nation, at Sokka, at her father, at men, and with good right to be so.

This is what makes her an amazing character and one who broke the mould of a lot of female characters at the time. Her anger and unrestrained emotions rang true with a lot of watchers at the time. I'm not sure why this is being taken away from her rather than celebrated.

I reiterate the point I made at the beginning of this post: there is nothing wrong with headcanons and fanon interpretations for one's enjoyment. I do find it a bit odd when it changes a character too much (because then, why not just create an oc?) but it's all in good fun. However, you shouldn't push that onto other people and how they perceive canon and you certainly shouldn't use it to take away from other characters. It's a very unfair way of entering discourse.

[thewertsearch]

UU: i know yoU coUld never fUlly appreciate what this actUally meant, bUt i took mUch care to sync Up these conversations with yoU on the same day that i begin playing as well. UU: that way, we can joUrney throUgh oUr sessions together and compare notes! :u

That might not mean much to Jane, but I remember how hard it was for Karkat to stay linear with John. UU's lucky they're not using Trollian, is all I'm saying.

GG: I guess I should just start believing all of this now, huh? Rather than learning it to be true later and feeling the fool for all my curmudgeonly skepticism?

Well, I don't know. You kind of have a point, actually.

Like - yeah, John and co. certainly took Sburb's mechanics in stride. None of them were particularly surprised when their new video game started to affect the real world - probably because they've been dealing with Scott Pilgrim video game mechanics for their entire lives.

This is normal to them, and it should be normal for Jane, too.

But, when you think about it, it's not really Sburb's mechanics that Jane is skeptical about. She's not doubting the existence of, say, alchemy - it's the big picture stuff, like time travel, alternate dimensions, and meeting her friends in the Medium that she finds hard to believe. To her, that's a completely different kind of supernatural to her hammerspace inventory. The former isn't even really supernatural, to her - it's just life.

She might live in a video game world, but she's never been shown a time machine before. Why would she believe in it?

GG: So what do I know! Consarn it, maybe you are an alien girl from Uranus, and together we are about to play a game which determines the fate of existence. Sign me up! UU: oh, hee hee! bUt i never claimed to be from that planet, which is only in the far reaches of yoUr solar system. UU: in fact i am from mUch farther away. a different Universe altogether.

Well, she’s at least not in another Earth session, then. Damn it, I was holding out hope that she was FedoraFreak's server player.

Also, using your handle to falsely imply you're from Uranus, while not outright stating it, is a 'not technically lying' maneuver that would make Doc Scratch proud. Just saying.

UU: remember what i said aboUt the need for patience. UU: patience with yoUr friends. UU: patience for yoUr growth as a hero of life.

Well, I guess that confirms it - we're getting a different set of Aspects, this time around.

Also, our party finally has a healer. Thank fuck.

Oh hello, poppop. His friendly face is there to greet you every time you open your chest.

Apparently his goofy lil' wave is a universal constant.