TALES OF A MYTHICAL UNICORN

Sr UX Designer, front-end dev, gamer, aro/ace, nonbinary, xennial, multishipper, & all-around geek.

[firefallvaruna]

About Me

Basic Stats

Name: Sally (or Fire) Age: 45+ (Xennial) Sexuality: Aromantic and asexual (Aroace) Pronouns: Sidhe/they/them/any (I’m not picky) Personality type: INTJ   Star Sign: Sagittarius sun; Aquarius moon; Capricorn rising Current Fandoms: Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XV, various others Ships: Shameless Multishipper for FFXV; For everything else: Non-Shipper; ship and let ship Social Media: https://firefallvaruna.carrd.co/ Avatar by “Celestial Doki” -- the link I had for their portfolio no longer works and they’ve deleted their socials, sorry. If you recognize the art style, PLEASE tell me so I can credit them! This avatar was a full-body commission of my FFXIV character I got as a Christmas present from a dear friend.

Biography

My name is Sally. I was born in the 1970s, raised on a healthy diet of pop-culture in the 1980s. Aromantic and asexual. Nonbinary. INTJ personality type. Sagittarius sun; Aquarius moon; Capricorn rising. Happily single and child-free by choice. No-Contact with my bio family; one of the “Cool Aunts” of my found family.

Firefallvaruna is my standard username. It’s an ancient gamer-handle dating back to the early 1990s; although I’ve also gone by “Jedi” in some fandoms. I probably should find a different one, but this one is so old it’s probably considered vintage by now. If you see this username on other platforms, it’s probably me.

Firefall refers to the “firefall” phenomenon -- where the rays of the setting or rising sun strikes a waterfall at the perfect angle to make it look like its on fire.

Varuna was the name of a sea dragon in someone’s self-published story I picked up when I was a child. It’s also the name of a sea dragon in the Dragonbards series by Shirley Rousseau Murphy.

I’ve been in some online fandom or another since 1998. I’m one of the founders and previously the owner/admin of Lunaescence Archives. Former mod of the now-defunct RoninWarriors.com and a retired EverQuest Guide.

Previous fandoms include: Ronin Warriors, Star Wars, World of Warcraft, and Voltron

[insertusernameici]

[unicornempire]

I love that Leverage really goes out of it’s way to show us that just because you break the ‘rules’, it doesn’t mean you’re breaking the rules. Rules and laws and society are all made up, at the end of the day, and all you really have is your own moral compass and sense of justice; is this just to you? Is it right? Should it be OK for companies to put people in insurmountable debt for the rest of their lives just because our medical care is so expensive in this modern day and age? No law or rule should change what you know in your heart is right and wrong, and I think that’s the key thing that makes someone a good person in my eyes.

[theheroheart]

#there was a time when parker wouldn’t have noticed, #not because she lacked the capacity to care, #but because she had narrowed herself, #to stay alive she cut off as many unnecessary things as possible, #watching her get them all back, #is one of the glories of this show (via @seananmcguire)

[jack-the-bear]

Leverage hands down has the best character development I’ve ever seen.

[lets-go-steal-an-ot3]

This scene hit me like a brick. My parents were hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt when I was 16 bc I’d had cancer the year before (my treatment ended up being free but the initial ER bills and such were not).

But somewhere along the line they just… Disappeared. My mom says they’re not being paid and they’re not in collections. It’s almost as if someone out there did…exactly what Parker did.

Ever since I saw this the first time, I’ve imagined it was Parker doing it. That she and Hardison had a free weekend and decided to take it out on a collections agency. That I was one of the lucky ones who got a little Leverage.

[gay-jesus-probably]

Okay but like yeah, that is actually a thing that happens, albeit not exactly like this. I don’t remember the exact process but basically there’s a booming industry to sell peoples debt - the business you owe money to sells it to someone else for a fraction of the money owed, wipes their hands of the whole affair, and now whoever bought your debt is riding your ass to get you to give the money to the. But it’s also entirely possible for people to just… buy up massive amounts of debt for pennies on the dollar, and then just. Forgive it. Because capitalism is a living nightmare, but the system is broken enough that it’s possible to exploit it for good sometimes.

Like, the main reason I know about this is because John Oliver did a piece on debt buying a few years ago, and ended it by revealing that he’d bought 15 million dollars worth of medical debt just so he could forgive all of it. Both to expose how broken the system was because some random fucker like him could buy millions of dollars in peoples debt with zero regulations, and also just to take the record for biggest TV giveaway in history.

[mikkeneko]

A charity where you can do this, right here.

Be Parker! Be somebody else’s Leverage!

[melyzard]

Reblogging for the website.

[nianeyna]

yes! if you want to help with the medical debt crisis in the US and have some extra money please donate to RIP Medical Debt if you can. They’re completely legit and really do what they say - you really CAN relieve an incredible amount of debt for the needy with even a small donation. I’m a monthly donor and receive a quarterly report of the debt they’ve abolished, and it truly is amazing. Based on those reports the average amount of debt abolished per person is actually I would say about $600 - which means, if you’re doing the math, that with a $6 donation to RIP Medical Debt, you can potentially pull one person out of a poverty spiral - maybe even one family. For six dollars. that’s a pretty good deal, I think.

[bethanyactually]

RIP Medical Debt is now called Undue Medical Debt!

Undue Medical Debt Homepage

Undue Medical Debt makes it easy for donors to make an impactful difference in the lives of those struggling with medical debt.

[awlwren]

[id: a series of gifs from Leverage of Parker undercover in an office cubicle with low walls. She starts off bored and fidgety, but becomes more focused as she realizes what is happening. “Yes, hello. Mr. Wallach? This is Alexandra from F.S.A. “I’m calling about the outstanding balance you have with…” She stops watching people pass to look at her computer screen. “Amherst On-Amherst Oncology Center?” She stares ahead for a moment, then takes a deep breath. She looks around quickly then hangs up. “Oh, it looks like we got disconnected,” she mutters, mouth pursed. We see over her shoulder as rows on her list flash red and then vanish. “Delete. Delete. Delete. Delete. Delete. Delete.”]/end id.

[id: screenshot of site labelled “RIP Medical Debt” in all caps, with the M in red and thin like a vitals graph. On the left is a watercolor image of a smiling young girl in a red hoodie, and on the left is an infobox: “Eradicate medical debt for pennies on the dollar. Every $100 you donate forgives $10,000 in Medical Debt” with a button to donate.]/end id.

[feminist-space]

[feminist-space]

[feminist-space]

[feminist-space]

[feminist-space]

[feminist-space]

[feminist-space]

[feminist-space]

[baddywronglegs]

The people who insist AI is smarter than a human are doing their fucking damnedest to manifest that

[beemovieerotica]

every time I see some bigshot scientist revealed as a fraud my knee-jerk reaction is "hell yeah elisabeth bik got 'em good" AND IM RIGHT

PubPeer enables scientists to search for their publications or their peers publications and provide feedback and/or start a conversation ano

SHE NEVER QUITS!!!!

ICONIC!!!!

[beemovieerotica]

> Elisabeth Bik is on patreon <

She is not directly paid for her work to vet papers, she has been hit with legal action & death threats by scientists who hate that she's exposing them and their financial fraud, and she keeps at it every single day, combing through thousands of papers to make science more fair. Please consider supporting her!

[chiknluvr]

actually beautiful

About

Elisabeth Bik is a renowned microbiologist and science integrity advocate known for detecting image duplication in scientific publications.

[bnbnb]

[rose-madder-gaze]

royal welcome, a Kingsglaive: FFXV 4-koma.

[lgbt-tiktoks]

Description: [A video of a woman riding a galloping horse bareback while holding a large rainbow flag.]

[nattousan]

i felt like these tags really added to the experience, thanks @cynderxdustypaws for your knowledge

[beansfrombeans]

that art would have been sexier if you'd made him fat btw

[tofuema]

morning

[dragonnan]

[hellyeahscarleteen]

Protecting Yourself from Criminalization for Self-Managed Abortion — OARS

Self-managed abortion (SMA) with pills is very medically safe and effective throughout early pregnancy, but there is a significant risk of criminalization in many U.S. states. While it is impossible to fully eliminate the risk of criminalization when having or planning to have an abortion at home, t

[kickerofelves]

Leave no online footprint of searches or purchases. Digital Defense Fund’s abortion privacy guide is your go-to resource for this. Using private browsers, two-factor authentication, encrypted messaging, strong passwords, etc. is critical. Google searches have been presented as evidence in an SMA trial before. Do not leave a digital trail.

Use the medications properly to prevent interactions with healthcare providers. The pills are very effective, but they have to be used right. Carefully follow the instructions provided on the How to Use Abortion Pill website. Note that misoprostol tablets should always be taken by dissolving them under the tongue. Do NOT insert misoprostol vaginally if you are self-managing an abortion. While this is medically safe, it can leave incriminating pill remnants that can be detected in the vagina during a pelvic exam if you end up needing to seek medical care. 

If it’s not an emergency but you need expert health advice, use a free calling service like Google Voice to call or text the Miscarriage + Abortion Hotline at 1-833-246-2632. Medical complications are very uncommon with abortion pills, but they’re not impossible. The M+A Hotline is safe to use and is staffed by trustworthy clinicians who volunteer their time to help those who choose SMA. Do not use your own phone number to call as this will create a record that is visible to your cell service provider. 

Don’t disclose any information about SMA to emergency room staff if you do need to seek medical care. This is how most people who are arrested for SMA are reported. Healthcare providers are almost always who calls the police in cases of SMA criminalization. Contrary to popular belief, HIPAA does not protect your private health information from being shared with police if you are suspected of doing something that could be considered a crime. If you believe you need to seek urgent medical care, do not hesitate to go. Say “I think I’m having a miscarriage” and provide your symptoms. Do not mention any use of or purchase of abortion pills. There is no widely available test to detect misoprostol in your bloodstream. If you do not disclose it, there is no way for a medical provider to tell the difference between a medication abortion and a spontaneous miscarriage.

Do not talk to the cops. Period. Do. Not. Talk. To. The. Cops. If you are questioned by police you should state, “I am exercising my right to remain silent, and I wish to speak with an attorney.” Do not speak again or nod in response to a question. Contact the Repro Legal Helpline as soon as possible for expert legal advice: 1-844-868-2812. Do not agree to questioning or speak to any law enforcement official without a lawyer present.

[rottenpumpkin13]

Genesis gets an autism diagnosis and ASZC have to act surprised

Genesis, waving a document: Sephiroth, look at this. Look at this absolute nonsense Hollander has concocted now. He gave me a behavioral assessment and claims I display all the signs of being on the autism spectrum.

Sephiroth: What!? No.....! …what!? …nooo....

Genesis: …

Sephiroth: What!? No.....! …what—

Genesis: You’re a terrible actor.

Sephiroth: I’m trying very hard.

Genesis: And you’re not helping your case by acting as though this was somehow expected.

*Angeal and Zack walk in*

Genesis: Angeal, Hollander has finally lost what remains of his mind and diagnosed me with potential autism. Can you believe that?

Angeal: What!? No.....! …what!? No—

Genesis: YOU BOTH SUCK!

*Zack awkwardly rubs the back of his neck*

Zack: Hey, man, I get it. This is kinda hard to admit, because I never really told anyone this before. But....I have ADHD.

Genesis: …

Sephiroth: …

Angeal: …

Zack: Hey! Why is nobody acting surprised!?

Sephiroth: Would you act surprised if someone informed you that water is wet?

Zack: Damn.

[lacetulle]

Sabina Bilenko | Spring/Summer 2026

[awlwren]

[id: photographs of formal dresses on live models. Most of the dresses are floor-length sheathe dresses in pastels and metallics, some with slight floral accents.]/end id.

[insaneption]

ignis, practice

[seaeyri]

Quick Dissidea Duellum Lunafreya because I've been playing it a lot lately, and I miss her, and I wanted to design her outfit.

I really want her in game. 😢

[luna-azzurra]

Tips for Writing Injuries! (AGAIN)

Your action hero just got shot in the shoulder, stitched it up in a motel bathroom, and is now running through a forest. I need you to know that a shoulder wound severs muscle, nerves, and sometimes bone, and the human body's response to that is not "mild wincing followed by full range of motion." here is what injuries actually do to peoplee...

⊹ Adrenaline is REAL and it does allow people to do extraordinary things immediately after injury, BUT it is a loan, not a gift. you borrow the function and you pay it back later with interest. Your character might genuinely be able to run for twenty minutes after being stabbed. and then the adrenaline drops and everything the body was delaying arrives all at once. the collapse is NOT weakness. it's biology collecting its debt. write the debt collection. it's more interesting than the heroic sprint anyway.

⊹ Blood loss changes cognition before it drops you. you don't go from "fine" to "unconscious." you go through a whole middle stage of confusion, poor decision-making, emotional dysregulation, a strange calm, tunnel vision, difficulty forming sentences. Your injured character making a bad call, saying something they normally wouldn't, becoming suddenly and inexplicably gentle--that's blood loss. use the middle stage. it's dramatically rich and almost nobody writes it.

⊹ Recovery has a timeline and the timeline is long and boring and inconvenient to plot. a broken rib takes six weeks and during those six weeks sneezing is a genuine emergency. a concussion means no screens, no reading, no bright lights, and symptoms can persist for months. a stab wound to the abdomen means weeks of infection risk, limited mobility, and a specific kind of exhaustion that has nothing to do with sleep. Your character being sidelined and frustrated and useless for a long time is not a narrative problem. it's the story.

⊹ Pain also affects personality in ways writers skip. chronic pain makes people short-tempered and then guilty about being short-tempered. it makes concentration difficult. it makes intimacy complicated, both emotional and physical. a character who was patient and warm before their injury and is now snappy and withdrawn is not a character regression. they're in pain. pain is exhausting in ways that don't show on the outside. the people around them noticing and not knowing how to help is a whole story in itself.

[world-beauty]

Inside the Flame Nebula

Credits: DSS, NASA/JPL-Caltech, CXC, K.Getman,E.Feigelson, M.Kuhn & the MYStIX team