#[Confessor's Personal Files]

[arikos-of-caelid]

Fic: The Ballad of the Stormlord

(feat. the lad of and headcanon workshopped with one @vaeltan-louxser!) It was a long trek across the dunes indeed, a prelude to the Radahn festival and its attendees that did as much to heighten the drama and tension as it was one to induce sleep and boredom. But, fortunately not succumbing to tiredness or sloth, as the party set up camp just far away enough from the distant howls of the General to keep themselves safe until the Festival properly started.

And aside from that the silence was deafening. Until one of the combatants, one Tarnished Arikos, piped up with a suggestion. "…A song, you say? Well, don't be shy about it, young chum." Jerren encouraged.

"Well…" Arikos started, then paused as the other members who made camp had their eyes now trained on him. "I figured…since this is the last feat of the dear General…I ought to sing a ballad that he would've wanted to hear at a time like this." "Yes, go on," the Castellarn nodded.

The ex-confessor then held up a finger. "And I can think of nothing more fitting, than the ballad of the Stormlord…his legendary idol's swan song."

"Storm…?" Vaeltan quietly muttered. Arikos glanced at him a moment, raising one eyebrow quizzically before then focusing on the rest of the camp again; various nods and mumurs of approval held by the gathered group of champions.

And Arikos cleared his throat, and began to sing. *** Gather round, serfs, merchants, warriors and lords alike Under the boughs of the Erdtree's light Bring remembrance once more, of tales gone by Of the final feat of Lord Godfrey's golden eyes Many foes past felled before the First Lord's axeblade Yet one from youth imposed in his wizened vision From a distant land, a terrible Lord of the Storm Kindred, with a trial one day met with sure vigor Not with an army did Lord Godfrey approach that realm A great tempest-blown waste, cent'ring a rugged throne For this was his score, his score to settle alone So the Stormlord demanded even Serosh abscond And so the Regent of Beasts for a time bowed away But then surged forth the bloodlust kept at bay As the Lord of the Battlefield let out a thundering cry That shook the earth, and the border of the sky And so with strides and leaps that felled Giants 'Twas only a moment lifted to that Stormlord's dominion Yet all was needed, to seize that wind in his hands And take his adversary to the ground, with a howl of triumph And so that siezed whirlwind, gifted to a keep of his line The bulwark of Limgrave between, Stormveil sublime With the trial fulfilled, Queen Marika bid him adieu To war in distant lands with strength eternally proved

***

And with the song completed, however shakily sung, Arikos took a bow. And eventually, one peal of applause was joined with another, and another, and another. The ex-confessor, once and still of Caelid, couldn't help but smile. Once it was all said and done, before they rested for the night, his dear friend of the Badlands then pulled him aside. "That song…it was something else. Do…do you know…what happened after that?" Vaeltan asked, leaning in closer.

"Well…I can't say. That's all the legends write. Of course, there are many who HOPE he'll one day return from that battle…but I do not know." Arikos clarified, chuckling somewhat awkwardly.

"Oh, alright. Well, it was really cool," he murmured

Arikos nodded. "And with any luck…we'll have a tale tomorrow to rival it."

[lulu2992]

From the Inquisitor to the Baptist: The Evolution of John Seed

When Far Cry 5 came out, on March 27, 2018, players got to finally meet John Seed “in person” and see his final design. That said, it’s still possible to stumble upon early versions of him in the game and its files.

All the sources and references indicated by the superscript numbers will be given in the last post.

Part 2: Physical appearance, clothes, and tattoos (Far Cry 5)

Here is John Seed, the Baptist, as he appears in Far Cry 5 most of the time:

His coat is now decorated with planes, but it still has scales on the buttons. He has a two-tone blue shirt, a vest (it seems, heavily inspired by a piece from the D&G Spring/Summer 2010 menswear collection²⁷), dark grey jeans with a brown belt and an “EG” belt buckle, dark grey, laced, probably leather boots, a watch, an Eden’s Gate earring, blue sunglasses (on his head), his bunker key around his neck, a SLOTH scar on his chest, and a lot of tattoos²⁸:

Among them, in addition to the ones previously mentioned in Part 1 (the letters and symbols on his fingers, the goat, the snake, the flames, the scales, and the angelic figure with the dove in the wreath), we find:

On his right arm,

a nautical star (can represent guidance) and diamonds/jewels (can represent beauty and power)

the number seven in tally marks (also tattooed on his left little finger), probably for the seven deadly sins

a fly (can represent determination)

a sword/dagger (can represent protection or sacrifice)

an anchor (can represent God and groundedness) with another snake and pair of scales

a crescent moon (can represent purity or transition, a new beginning)

a peacock feather (the peacock is used to symbolize Pride)

the word SLOTH crossed out

a flaming horseshoe, possibly to symbolize the Horsemen (and fire) of the Apocalypse.

On his left arm,

a revolver, maybe the last vestige of the gun he was holding in the first promotional pictures and in Absolution

an eagle, which looks like it’s about to catch the snake, maybe to symbolize Eden’s Gate (the cult used to be represented by an eagle, as seen in the early piece of concept art of the Seed family¹), “killing” sins (here, Envy)

an ax (can represent strength and fearlessness)

the plane pattern that is now also on his coat

a religious cross

a chair and the words “SIT DOWN & WE TALK”, most likely a reference to the fact he’s the Project’s Confessor

a holy figure with a sickle attached to their hand and what looks like sprigs of wheat, the latter probably symbolizing the Reaping and the fact John is in charge of it

another cross with “EG” in the middle, as well as the Greek letters alpha (A) and omega (ω), “the beginning and the end” in the Book of Revelation in the Bible

a bird, maybe a swallow (can represent freedom and resilience).

Most of his tattoos seem to be religious symbols, but depending on who you ask, tattoos can have very different, sometimes deeply personal meanings, so it’s difficult to know exactly what they’re supposed to represent. Some of the significations I’ve just mentioned in the list are very generic and can be found on many websites.

The crossed-out word SLOTH is particularly interesting to me because John has a similar scar on his chest, and “Acedia” (Sloth) is missing from the list tattooed on his left hand. It seems he really hates this sin²⁹…

But funnily enough, in the game, John doesn’t always look like this.

In the bedroom of the Holmes Residence, on Joseph’s Island, there are pictures of the Seed family on the wall, and John appears in two of them³⁰:

In the first one, he’s wearing his sunglasses, and his coat appears to have EG logos on it instead of planes. In the other picture, his coat might also be the “old” one, but it’s hard to tell.

In the family portrait, also visible in the Holmes Residence³¹, it’s his early character model (no glasses, no tattoos, “EG” pattern on the coat), the one we see in the Prima Games guide, who is in the picture. His siblings look slightly different as well.

In Dutch’s bunker, there also are pictures (and short descriptions) of the Father and his Heralds. Once again, it’s John’s early model who seems to be in the photo³².

In the “Power of Yes” poster, he’s wearing his sunglasses³²:

On the “We love you and we will take you” billboards³², John’s picture is a mixture of several designs. His coat is the final one, with planes, but his face appears to belong to his early model because his sunglasses are nowhere to be found and I think his beard looks slightly longer. He has the SLOTH scar and bunker key, but the letters on his fingers are S, G, and G for Sloth and Gluttony/Greed. The tattoo on his hand is hard to see, but it doesn’t seem to be the nautical star and diamonds.

In the menu, more specifically in the Journal, where missions are listed, we can once again see John’s early model (no glasses, no tattoos), like in this image that illustrates the mission “The Confession”³³:

I’ve previously mentioned an early version of the “You have been Marked” broadcast (in IGN’s video²¹), but an even earlier version of it can be seen in Far Cry Arcade. If you add the “Counter Cafeteria” (Far Cry 5 > Objects > Residential > Kitchen) to your map in the Arcade Editor, you can see this³⁴:

The Eden’s Gate cross that appears at the beginning is also a very early design, the one featured in what could be the first artwork of the Seed family¹.

A picture of John’s old 3D model was also in the deleted in-game encyclopedia (still partially available in the files)³⁵. His sunglasses, key, scar, and tattoos are missing, and he has the EG coat.

In the loading screens for the Holland Valley region, although John looks a little more realistic than his in-game model, his design appears to be the same³⁶:

As for his in-game portrait and character icon, they feature his final design as well:

But there also exists a very early version of this portrait in the files. John appears to be the character on the left, once again wearing sunglasses³⁷:

But surprisingly, the release of Far Cry 5 didn’t mark the end of the changes regarding John’s appearance. After the game came out, his model was slightly altered one last time.

If you ever took a close look at his shoes in the first few months that followed the release of Far Cry 5, you may have noticed that there was blood on them. This blood stain is also visible in the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” official artwork²³:

But when I looked at his shoes again in the Arcade Editor five months later, the blood was mysteriously gone…

I have no idea why it was removed, but I like that it was because John’s evolution, from the game’s earliest stages of development to its final version, was not just physical; his personality, methods, and morals were also modified. The blood disappearing from his shoes is a subtle and maybe meaningless change, but I think it perfectly illustrates how his violence was gradually toned down during the development of Far Cry 5.

To be continued…

[tarnishedinquirer]

The Two Fingers

I left Irina Hyetta and Boc and headed back to the Roundtable Hold. It was time to finally meet with the Two Fingers. Over time, my antipathy towards them had only grown. The Confessors. Whatever happened to Hyetta. The fact their "Finger Reader Crone" near Stormveil gave completely useless advice.

Time to find out who these guys are.

Well...can't say I expected that.

I was expecting either two old men (or maybe two creepy little girls), but not actual literal fingers. This world constantly finds new ways to surprise and unnerve me.

On closer examination, they were not truly fingers, though the resemblance was uncanny. They didn't have fingernails, for one. They also seemed to be made out of wood. Wood that had become old and rotten. The crone beside them introduced herself as Enia, and offered to translate their movements.

Sure you will. I know a con when I see one. Of course, this one old biddy is the only person in the entire world who can interpret what this half-rotted abomination really meant when it twitched. I'll play the mark if it means getting some info out of her.

The things barely moved and she launched into a whole freaking speech, clearly rehearsed.

Great Elden Ring, root of the Golden Order. Anchor of all lands, giver of grace, wellspring of all joy. Until it was shattered. The tragic corruption of the Order has taken its toll. Across the realm, life lies in ruin. Fallen to pieces. Foul curses and misery spread, unabating. But the Greater Will has not abandoned the realm, nor the life that inhabits it. So it is that the Tarnished are guided by grace. Called to act. Brave Tarnished, your Great Rune is a handsome shard of the Elden Ring. Seek another of its kind. To become Elden Lord, and restore the Golden Order.

Nothing I haven't heard before or been able to figure out myself. So much for divine wisdom.

She also also offered to turn my Remembrance into something connected to Godrick.

Axe of Godrick Greataxe wielded by Godrick the Grafted. This golden battleaxe is emblazoned with the figure of a beast, representing the strength of Godfrey, First Elden Lord and patriarch of the golden lineage.

Again. Godfrey founded the golden lineage, but it never says anything about Marika. It's a glaring omission.

The voice didn't have anything interesting to say about the grafted dragon head, but I noticed that the vision Enia showed me was very different from the one on Godrick's arm. It had little legs, and was lacking the grotesque boils that appeared on the other one.

After she showed me the visions, and the Voice had said its piece, I decided I didn't really want either of them right now and simply consuming the runes would be the more pragmatic approach. Should I change my mind, I'll try the Wandering Mausoleum, now that I know what a Remembrance is.

She also explained Great Runes to me, but again, nothing I hadn't heard before. If the taint of runes drove the demigods mad, why would I even want one? Why does she assume I'd be any different? She siipped into talking for the fingers when she told me to kill the demigods without mercy. Guess she didn't want her own words to sounds so bloodthirsty.

All in all? I wasn't impressed by any of this. I had assumed the Fingers to be some sort of masterminds but no, it's just a decrepit monster that can't even speak for itself. A con artist fortune teller pretends to translate for it while really just telling me what she thinks I want to hear.

I'll have to talk to Gideon Ofnir about this. The others might buy into this, but for his faults, he's no mark.

Before I left, I took note of the throne behind the fingers. Identical to Godfrey's Throne in Stormveil. File that away for later.

Were the Two Fingers ever able to make themselves understood without a "translator"?

How long has this con been going on?

Why do they sit on a copy of Godfrey's throne?

[through-fire-and-flame]

[ okay. what if i made a sideblog for this guy

this is Garland, my first ever Elden Ring character

i made him the day the game came out and proceeded to play him for around 60 hours, cleared my way up to the deeproot depths (is that what they're called) and then made a new character because i felt like i'd borked my experience by relying on the sword of night and flame

when i was getting ready for the DLC and realized how much game was ahead of me, with three full playthroughs under my belt i figured i could go back and "fix" Garland and get him ready for the DLC

now Garland started as a Confessor, and in my lil' "I'm gonna do a backstory for my Elden Ring character" mechanism I figured he was a Golden Order loyalist at the outset.

here's the thing: by the time I got back to his save file he had completed most of Ranni's questline and most of Fia's questline. moreover, if I wanted the armor you see above, I had to do the Volcano Manor questline (there is an unreasonable amount of nice armor behind the Volcano Manor questline.)

i thought really hard about the mental gymnastics that would lead a Golden Order loyalist to complete those questlines - what kind of faith shattering sights and principle-obliterating trauma would Garland have suffered to attend all three of those causes? what would that do to a person, to shift allegiances so dramatically and so thoroughly?

i think it'd be a fun experiment to try and logic out a 100 percent playthrough into a workable, write-able character!

will i stick with this? probably not! will i complete a single thread? statistically speaking, probably not! but i am falling back into ER as a result of the impending DLC and i really want to explore this notion

question is would anyone read it ]

[walofneptune]

Nuns of Loudun

The second of three cases of demonic possession reported in seventeenth-century France. The first involved Father Louis Gaufridi and Sister Madeleine de la Palud de Demandolx at Aix-en-Provence in 1611. The third was the case of the Nuns of the Franciscan Tertiaries at Louviers concerned with Sister Madeleine Bavent and Father Thomas Boullé.

In 1633 the convent of Ursulines in Loudun, France, became the scene of an outbreak of what was described as diabolical possession. The numerous nuns who inhabited the convent showed all of the signs of possession, including speaking in tongues and acting in a most extraordinary and hysterical manner. The affair grew in volume until practically all the nuns belonging to the institution were in the same condition.

The Mother Superior of the convent, Jeanne des Anges (Madame de Béclier), appears to have been of an unstable temperament, and she was not long in infecting the other sisters. She, a sister named Claire, and five other nuns were the first to be obsessed by the so-called evil spirits. The outbreak spread to the neighboring town and caused such scandal that Cardinal Richelieu appointed a commission to examine the affair. The "devils" resisted the process of exorcism, but seemed to succumb to a more imposing ceremony, then returned with greater violence than ever. Suspicion then fell upon Fr. Urbain Grandier, the confessor of the convent, as the instigator. He was arrested and accused of giving the nuns over into the possession of the devil by means of the practice of sorcery.

However, it came to light that the neighboring clergy were jealous of Grandier because he had obtained two benefices in their diocese, of which he was not a native, and they made up their minds to destroy him at the first possible moment. Despite his protests of innocence, the priest was hauled before a council of judges of the neighboring presidencies. They found on his body various marks said to be the undoubted signs of a sorcerer, and the inquest also brought out weaknesses in Grandier's reputation.

However, religious prejudice undoubtedly tainted this case. Papers seized from him were said to contain much material subversive to Roman Catholic religious practice. The prosecution produced a pact with Satan, promising Grandier the love of women, wealth, and worldly honor, endorsed with diabolical signatures. Some doubt as to the authenticity of this document is inevitable in view of the prosecution's claim that it was stolen by the demon Asmodeus from Lucifer's private files. This document, and a further claimed pact with the devil, apparently signed by Grandier in his own blood, survives in The Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. Versions of it were published by credulous persons and sold as broadsheets.

Grandier was condemned to be burnt at the stake. The sentence was carried out in 1634, though only after he had been so severely tortured that the marrow of his bones oozed through his broken limbs. Through it all he persistently maintained his innocence.

However, his death did not end the symptoms among the sisters. In fact, the demons became more obstreperous than ever and flippantly answered to their names of such leading demons as Asmodeus, Leviathan, and Behemoth. A very holy brother called Surin was delegated to put an end to the affair. Frail and unhealthy, he possessed, however, an indomitable spirit, and after much wrestling in prayer succeeded in finally exorcising the demons.

A somewhat sensational movie based loosely on this incident was produced in 1971 under the title The Devils.

[p-taryn-dactyl]

guys guys guys!!! I need your help deciding which book/novel idea to continue writing!!! I'll give either a synopsis or excerpt of each one and then there'll be a poll!! I would love to complete my childhood dream of writing a book and this would help me so much!! (it's kinda long tho so I apologize)

!!ALL WRITING AND IDEAS BELOW ARE MINE!! Please do not steal or post to other platforms!

idea #1: The Confessor

(this will contain 'spoilers' for the book/I took out the killers name tho)

Main Character: Eliza Clarke

Bad Guy/Killer: “I am The Confessor”

Main plot:

“The Confessor” is hired by many of societies elite (ie. billionaires, high profile lawyers, surgeons, CEOs of giant companies) to take care of their problems [a pregnant mistress, a source who holds information they would rather not be shared, an older brother with ties to the inheritance, etc.] 

One by one, methodically, a person on The Confessor's list goes missing, until their bodies are found either in their house, a church yard, or a pool

he uses torture/killing techniques used during the 1500-1700 Witch Trials to kill the suspects

With each body found, there is a note written in old English “I am The Confessor”

No evidence is found at the places where the bodies reappeared, as they were moved, and no evidence can be found on the bodies as their skin/nails/hair have been cleaned with high acting soap that can be found at any grocery store, plus they are found with the last outfit they were seen in, washed/sterilized with a rip down their backs (indicating their bodies were searched for the “mark of the devil”

The Confessor stops his killings as the last of his list dwindles down but after a year of these murders being cold cases, he starts up again: this time, on an actual hunt for those who deal with the devil

For the year of the cases being cold, a junior in college, Eliza Clarke who’s major is history and her hobby is “investigative” journalism (She reads case files and reacts to them), follows the case and any updates

One night, while her friends are partying, she has the files spread out on her floor (her older step brother takes photos for the police and once a case goes cold he has permission to release pictures to private investigators) and figures out how similar the murders are to renaissance witch trials (1500-1700)

(I have more notes on this but I don't want to give too much away)

idea #2: 'unnamed book'

excerpt:

Everyone speaks of that moment before death where your life flashes before your eyes. Some say you’ll relive every memory with such clarity that you truly do not know if you’re alive or in the feeble moment before the end. Others say it’s a split second, where you watch from a third person perspective, your memories a movie.  Both are wrong. The moment before you die, there is no flash of memories, no reliving every moment. Only silence as your body realizes it’s coming to an end. But then comes the panic. Your mind starts to go into overdrive, thinking this can’t be the end. Yes, you do remember a few key moments of your life, fueling your will to survive. You call out, begging for a second chance, begging to have more time.  Normally, the pleas fall on deaf ears, their last breaths passing through their lips, their body going still.  But sometimes, someone hears the pleas of the fallen.  And answers. 

if you're still here, thank you!! please vote on the poll!!

(note: even if one wins way more than another, I will probably write it someday and this is not an invitation to steal ideas 😁)

[reasoningdaily]

The imperial state crown, the latest incarnation of which has been resting on the Queen’s coffin as thousands of people have filed past this week, has witnessed many resonant moments in history, and a few less majestic ones too.

After the death of the Queen’s grandfather, George V, for instance, the king’s coffin was being transported from London’s King’s Cross station with the crown on top when the jolting of cobbled streets caused the diamond-encrusted globe on top, and the cross and sapphire it supports, to snap off and roll into a gutter.

Though it was hastily retrieved, the dead monarch lay in state under a mutilated crown, which many in the crowd, including the new king, Edward VIII, took as a bad omen. Eleven months later, sure enough, he abdicated.

The tradition of crowns representing royalty is “a time-honoured thing seen in cultures across the world and through deep time”, says Anna Keay, a former curator at the Tower of London who has written the official guide to the crown jewels. “The business of wearing something on your head that speaks of your status as a special person – we see it through millennia.”

In other words – enchanting or repulsive – the vast, ridiculous excess of the crown’s 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, four rubies and 269 pearls is its symbolic point. These are some of their stories.

1 St Edward’s sapphire

This may be the oldest stone in the crown, having been buried as a ring, according to legend, with King Edward the Confessor in 1066 (and dug out of his grave a century later). Edward had given the ring to a beggar, the story goes, who turned out to be St John the Evangelist. The remarkable Wilton diptych, now in the National Gallery, shows an image of Edward as a saint holding an apparent sapphire ring.

“The difficulty is it’s very hard to identify any of these gems to say confidently that they are the ones from before,” says Keay, now director of the Landmark Trust. In the case of the sapphire, disappointingly, “I don’t think the case is very strong … In crown terms it’s quite small. Obviously in everyone else’s terms, it’s enormous.”

2 Queen Elizabeth’s earrings

The imperial crown is so named not because of the British empire, but because of its closed-arch form, which Henry VIII adopted (instead of an open coronet) to signal his supposedly imperial status. Dangling from the centre of the arches are four large pear-shaped pearls.

According to the Royal Collection Trust, these have been linked to seven pearls that Catherine de’ Medici gave to her daughter-in-law, Mary, Queen of Scots. Elizabeth I may have later worn them as earrings, though she apparently preferred pearls on her costume.

On the other hand, notes the trust, “it appears that at least two of the pearls did not enter the collection until the 19th century”, which undermines some of the Elizabethan romance.

3 The Black Prince’s ruby

Actually a 170-carat spinel, it is certainly a very ancient unfaceted jewel that was pierced at some point in its history (a little visible lump is in a ruby plugging the hole). The Black Prince is said to have demanded the stone in exchange for helping Peter of Castile (variously known as “the Just” or “the Cruel”, depending on one’s point of view). Peter had taken the ruby from Abu Said, the ruler of Granada, after stabbing him to death as he was trying to surrender, which may settle the question of the nickname.

A delightfully dated 1960s film available on YouTube shows the Queen talking about the crown, saying of the ruby: “I always like to think of it being worn by King Henry V during the Battle of Agincourt.” Richard III may also have had it on his helmet when he was killed at the Battle of Bosworth, the Tudors retrieving it before it ended up in a car park.

4 Cullinan II

So named because, even at a boggling 317 carats, it is not the biggest jewel cut from the Cullinan gem, the biggest uncut diamond ever discovered. That, at 531 carats, is in the Sovereign’s Sceptre, also currently perched on top of the coffin in Westminster Hall.

Though some in the continent would undoubtedly welcome it back, the “second star of Africa” does not have a particularly disputed origin – unlike the Koh-i-noor diamond set in the Queen Mother’s crown, which very much does. It was found at a mine in South Africa in 1905 – “apparently [the manager] just dug it out of the rock face with his walking stick,” says the Queen in the video. The government of Transvaal bought the stone and presented it to Edward VII on his 67th birthday.

“There are two smaller pieces,” the Queen continues, “which my grandmother always referred to as ‘the chips’.”

[geniusbook1]

Shadows Over Crater Lake: Unraveling the Mystery of the Unsolved Murders

Introduction:

In the tranquil beauty of Crater Lake National Park, nestled amidst the majestic landscapes, an unsuspecting summer day in 1952 took a sinister turn. Two General Motors executives, Albert Jones and Charles Culhane, embarked on a journey that would lead them into the annals of a chilling and opportunistic crime, casting a long, ominous shadow over the pristine wilderness.

The crime, initially a robbery gone awry during the bustling summer season, would become a national obsession as the lifeless bodies of Jones and Culhane were discovered two days later. The FBI, deploying an exhaustive array of resources, initiated a colossal investigation. The subsequent 2000+ pages of documentation, encompassing 200 ballistic tests, 1000 interviews, and 466 license plate identifications, wove a complex tapestry of clues, suspects, and possible motives.

The Unsolved Mystery:

The investigation, despite its intensity, faltered in the face of a glaring lack of evidence, allowing the perpetrator to elude justice. It was a perfect crime orchestrated in the heart of a national park, where nature's serenity veiled the sinister events that transpired.

Fast forward to December 2015, a pivotal moment when the author gained unprecedented access to the classified FBI file. Within its depths lay a wealth of information—Oregon State Police reports, rare first-hand accounts, and the personal narrative of a confessor who had sworn his wife to secrecy about "the things that nobody talks about."

Unraveling the Enigma:

This book acts as an illuminating synthesis, drawing from the FBI file, Oregon State Police reports, fresh research, interviews, county records, and an obscure college thesis that initially named the killer. The narrative takes readers on a suspenseful journey, unraveling the enigma of the Crater Lake Murders. It is a true story where four men, seemingly unconnected, converged on a fateful day, and the destinies of Jones and Culhane collided with an elusive killer.

Conclusion:

As the tale unfolds, the Crater Lake Murders reveals the interplay of fate, suspense, and the haunting echoes of a crime that defied resolution. In the hallowed quietude of Crater Lake, where nature's beauty conceals dark secrets, the unsolved mystery lingers—an indelible mark on the pages of history.

This narrative serves as a testament to the enduring allure of true crime stories, inviting readers to immerse themselves in the intrigue of the Crater Lake Murders—a compelling saga that continues to captivate and mystify. 🌲🔍 #TrueCrime #Mystery #CraterLake #UnsolvedMysteries #SuspensefulNarrative

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints &Reading: Saturday, July 29, 2023

july 29_july16

COMMEMORATION OF THE FOURTH ECUMENICAL COUNCIL (Chalcedon_451)

On the 13th of July, if it falls on a Sunday or any following Sunday, the Orthodox Church commemorates the 360 Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council who met in Chalcedon in 451 AD.

In 451 A. D., the Fathers of the Church from all over the world gathered to discuss an essential dogmatic topic associated with the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The Synod led to the schism between the Roman Orthodox Church on one side, and the Copts, the Armenians, and the Syriac, on the other. Consequently, the unity of these churches was broken.

        The opponents of the Council refused the expression “two natures in our Lord Jesus Christ” because they understood the word “nature” physis as equivalent to “Person” Hypostasis; consequently, our Lord Jesus Christ can't have two persons, or natures, especially that at the time, the statement by St. Cyril (410-444 AD) “one nature to God the incarnated word” was prevailing.

          Historians and researchers claim that several factors, besides the differences in language, lead to the schism above. Ethnic and political factors contributed to the division, besides the tendency to independence, which was well known among the Armenians, the Syrians, and the Alexandrians, regarding the Roman Empire. We can also add another factor that resulted from the 4th Council held in Ephesus in 449, known as the Robber Council.

          The Church confirmed its faith in the unity of the person of Christ and in the two natures in Christ (the divine nature and the human nature).

Eutyches, an abbot of a Monastery in Constantinople with 300 monks, declared with the support of Dioscorus, Patriarch of Alexandria, that the two natures in Christ (the Divine and the Human), have been united to become one, after the incarnation of the Lord, in a way that the human one was absorbed or swallowed up by the divine nature.

Eutyches justified his statement by quoting St. Cyril of Alexandria’s expression: “The one nature incarnate of God the Word”. Maybe a certain Linguistic misunderstanding among the Christians of the time (especially in Constantinople, Antioch, and Alexandria) had contributed to feeding the schism that was brought about, by the Council, except some political and ethnic factors.

Eutyches believed in the existence of two natures in Christ before his incarnation. In that, He could have been influenced by Origen’s teaching on the eternal existence of the Souls. Yet, he only acknowledged one nature after the incarnation, believing that the divinity of Christ had absorbed his humanity, which melted in the divinity, just as one drop of honey can melt in the sea.

No doubt, St. Cyril had in mind the One Person in Christ when he said: “nature”(physis: in Greek), for he used to say that Jesus is one nature composed of two elements: the divine and the human. That is to say, Jesus is one person, God and Man. But in Antioch and Constantinople, the word (physis = nature) means the characteristics or properties that define beings and are distinguished from one another. In this sense, the divine is distinguished from the human by having power, eternity, and infinity of existence, besides the ability to create things ex-nihilo. To this day, this is the notion of the word “physis”: the properties and characteristics of a being define his nature.

In a council held in Constantinople in 448 and presided by Saint Flavian the Confessor and Archbishop of Constantinople), bishop Eusebius of Dorylaeum, filed a written complaint against the teachings of Eutyches. Eusebius accused Eutyches of heresy. The protest was accepted, and Eusebius, who had earlier read a volume of three tomes called “The Beggar “, about Eutyches. The Volume was written by Theodoritus, the Bishop of Cyr - whose writings against Saint Cyril shall be condemned by the 5th ecumenical Council. It was published in 447, and on whose basis the teachings of Eutyches were considered non-Orthodox.

  This Council proved that the teachings of Eutyches were corrupt; consequently, he was deposed and defrocked (excommunicated); but he did not comply appealing to the synods in Rome, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, for acquittal and vindication. And. In a local synod, Dioscorus (of Alexandria) persisted in the originality of Eutyches ‘teachings”, and Refused the excommunication taken against Eutyches. He sent him back as a priest and abbot to his Monastery. But Leo, the Pope of Rome, took a step contrary to Dioscorus, and acknowledged the originality of the Council of Constantinople 448 issuing an encyclical in which he condemned Eutyches’ teachings, explaining the Hypostasis of the divine Word in two natures.

It is well known that Eutyches was in good relations with the emperor Theodosius, and this was because of his minister Chrysafios. Eutyches was the spiritual father of the minister. So he could easily persuade the emperor to call for another council to discuss his teachings. This was done and realized in Ephesus 449.

The Council of Ephesus 449 was presided by Dioscorus (patriarch of Alexandria), who could impose himself, and his ideas, to 135 of the Fathers who attended the council. This was facilitated by the support he received from some biased Egyptian bishops who sympathized with Eutyches, besides the interference of some monks under the leadership of Barsumas the Syrian. The bishops in the council justified Eutyches and even acquitted him of all charges. They excommunicated some of his opponents like Flavian (patriarch of Constantinople), who died from his wounds on his way to exile (after being fiercely beaten up during the sessions of the Council), with Domnus the Antiochian and Theodoritus.

The legates of Rome could escape. They returned to their country, informing Pope Leo the Great of what had occurred. He quickly called for a Synod in Rome and called the Council of Ephesus “the Robber Council”. The bishop of Rome tried several times to persuade Emperor Theodosius to call for an ecumenical Council in Italy, but in vain.

Emperor Theodosius II died in the year 450 and was succeeded by his sister Pulcheria, who consented to marry Marcian, the army chief, to help her run the state, provided that she remained a virgin. Marcian returned to the bishops in exile and responded to the demand of Pope Leo the Great. He called for a council in “Chalcedon,” which the Church in the East and the West called “the 4th ecumenical Council”.

The Council of Chalcedon was held the year 451 and 630 bishops attended to invalidate the Robber Council of Ephesus. They condemned the Eutychian and the Nestorian heresies and excommunicated Dioscorus, the bishop of Alexandria, for declining to appear before the Council despite being called by them thrice. This was considered disrespectful behavior towards the Council. The Fathers warmly accepted the message Pope Leo sent, which Dioscorus had abstained from reading in the Council of Ephesus. In this message, The Pope distinguishes clearly between the two natures, emphasizing the presence of the two natures in one hypostasis. They also expressed their faith in the One Son, perfect in terms of his divinity and humanity: the true God-Man”. They confessed the unity of the two natures without division, separation, and confusion…” that this union is accurate and valid in terms of essence and constitution”. They stressed their faith that there is one hypostasis in Christ with two distinguished natures: the divine and the human. he most essential conclusions in the definition, that Christ is “perfect God and perfect Man. A true God and a true Man. Equal to the Father in Godhead and equal to us in humanity, like us in everything except in sin. He was begotten from the Father as God pre-eternally, and in the last days, He was born of the virgin Mary, the Mother of God (Theotokos), according to humanity. He is one. He is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Lord who must be confessed in two natures united without confusion, change, division, or separation. He was not divided into two persons but has always been the Only Begotten God the Word and the Lord Jesus Christ”.

In this Chalcedonian definition, the Fathers of the Council re-emphasized the Creed. They also emphasized two other essential things:

-The unity of the person in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is indicated in the “he is one and the same.” The Lord Jesus Christ is One. He is the Word of God, eternally born from the eternal Father before the ages and born from Mary in humanity.

-That the two natures in Christ sustain their properties amidst the unity of the person. The word became Flesh assuming all the Human Nature except “sinning”, without giving up or abandoning his Divine Nature. The Chalcedonian Council acquitted Theodoritus of Cyre, Eva of Rah, and some other bishops after they approved excommunicating Nestorius and confessed that Mary is the Mother of God (Theotokos), refusing to divide the Only-Begotten Son of God. The Council legislated 30 Canons, among which is Canon 28, that gave equal dignity to the bishops of the two Romes, the old (Rome) and the new (Constantinople). The Council also released and obtained an autocephalous status giving it the 5th rank among the great Churches.

Although the goal of the Chalcedonian Fathers was to decide, once and for all, on the unity of the Person in Christ, emphasizing his two natures in him, the Eastern Churches following the Coptic, Armenian, and Syrian traditions, still consider that the words used in the Council highlight “two persons in Christ”. This is what the Chalcedonians rejected, emphasizing the unity of one person in Christ. That is why it is better not to call these Churches monophysites (believing in one nature only), rather using the expression (non-Chalcedonian) in the hope that all complications be removed

When the 630 Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council met in Chalcedon in 451, with the support of both the pious emperors Marcian and Pulcharia in the large Basilica of St Euphemia, the Fathers had wanted to reject all heretic ideas of the Archimandrite Eutyches who had been supported by Dioscorus of Alexandria. As they wished for a decisive and divine resolution, the Holy Patriarch Anatolius suggested that each party write down their Creed. Then both Creeds shall be put into the coffin with the Relics of St. Euphemia. When the two Creeds were placed on her chest, the coffin was shut down while the Fathers went to pray. Eight days later, all the fathers returned to the Coffin. When they opened it, to their surprise, they found out that St Euphemia held tight to the Orthodox Creed to her chest while the other was at her feet.

An ancient story is associated with what happened: The Holy Fathers laid the two documents in the coffin. Suddenly, St. Euphemia stretched out her hand to take the orthodox document. Then she kissed it and handed it to the Holy Father.

The Fathers of the Council wrote a letter to St Leo the 1st. They said: “St Euphemia received from us the dogmatic definition and handed it down to her bridegroom through the emperor and the empress to emphasize that it is what she believes in. In this way, she confirmed by hand and tongue the decree signed by all the attendants in the Council.

The Church Fathers chose a gospel to be read about this Council. It is Christ’s saying: “You're the light of the world.” This is a great expression: “The light of the world.” Without light, our eyes cannot see. Vision needs light. The sun, the planets, and other lights are produced by electricity. All these emit light. All these are because God created the light when he created the universe. But the light meant here is additional, exceptional, and can reveal to us that man who can be seen by the light that comes from inside, carries God, carries Christ, and there is the light of divinity in him which is the source of light coming from him. 

Source: Antioch Patriarchate

ROMANS 13:1-10

1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God. Those who oppose will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works but evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise for the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore, you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience's sake. 6 Because of this, you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. 8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore, love fulfills the law.

MATTHEW 12:30-37

30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. 31 Therefore, I say to you that every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven, either in this age or the age to come. 33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned.

[wensihe]

Two Cases of Cambridge Analytica

Cambridge Analytica was a data analysis company that was famous for leading Trump's 2016 US election and Brexit plan. In fact, this company provided data analysis services to various national departments and organizations, such as the United States, NATO and some Eastern European countries. The blog specifically discusses two examples of how Cambridge Analytica conducted data manipulation. (Woolley, Howard)

Much of the data collection on voters in the US general election was done through Facebook's test (Netflix Official Site, 2019). Brittany Kaiser, a former employee of Cambridge Analytica, introduced that her former company would make character models for all American voters, and they would focus on the "persuadable" people in swing states. Then, they drew all the constituencies in each swing state, and screened out constituencies whose results were difficult to change. The company then flags enough “persuadables” in likely winning constituencies, focuses data on them, and creates personalized media content for them. When voters are guided enough in favor of Democrats, they are likely to cast their votes for Democrats, the party that Cambridge Analytica serves.

It’s like a boomerang, said Brittany Kaiser: The company sent out the data, then took back the analysis; then, the personally identifiable information was put in front of the person; and finally, the person’s behavior changed. Although this seemingly "bullet theory" approach was surprising, it was undeniable that it worked quite well.

Another case was about the "Do So Campaign," which targeted black child voters in the United States (Netflix Official Site, 2019) . Because according to the Cambridge Analytica survey, Indian children generally always listen to their parents and choose to vote, while black children are relatively more independent. Therefore, the "Do So Campaign" was not to make black children oppose the government, but to oppose politics and voting. Therefore, once the black children followed the call of the movement and gave up voting, the purpose of Cambridge Analytica would be achieved. Among black youth ages 18-35, the voter turnout varied by 40% than before, according to the ballot results, making the election swing 6%.

Such brazen manipulation of elections has clearly violated the country's democratic politics. Therefore, Cambridge Analytica disappeared. But the problem is that Cambridge Analytica's operating model is here to stay, and it tells us a cruel fact that whoever abandons the bottom line of privacy and democracy first can gain huge benefits. Cambridge Analytica is gone, but who is the next Cambridge Analytica?

In the era of social media, we should have more rights: the right to data and the right to be forgotten. Otherwise, who would know that the next person to be manipulated by data would not be me?

Reference:

Computational propaganda: Political parties, politicians, and political manipulation on social media (Oxford Studies in digital politics): Amazon.co.uk: Woolley, Howard: 9780190931407: Books. Computational Propaganda: Political Parties, Politicians, and Political Manipulation on Social Media (Oxford Studies in Digital Politics): Amazon.co.uk: WOOLLEY, HOWARD: 9780190931407: Books. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16, 2022, from https://www.amazon.co.uk/Computational-Propaganda-Political-Politicians-Manipulation/dp/019093140X

Confessore, N. (2018, April 4). Cambridge Analytica and Facebook: The scandal and the fallout so far. The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/us/politics/cambridge-analytica-scandal-fallout.html

Guardian News and Media. (n.d.). The Cambridge analytica files. The Guardian. Retrieved December 16, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/news/series/cambridge-analytica-files

Watch the great hack: Netflix official site. Watch The Great Hack | Netflix Official Site. (2019, July 24). Retrieved December 16, 2022, from https://www.netflix.com/title/80117542

[rococospade]

Hello! I have a question regarding the design of your Tarnished character, Letho, and his friend Ambrosia from your fic.

Have you used pre existing armor sets/armor pieces that you find in game for their design, or did you give them different clothes that you yourself made? Just curious, cause it seems like there's a lot of people making new armors for their Tarnished ocs to fit a certain character or aesthetic, just as there's a lot of people using pre existing sets in their drawings of them.

Have a good day!

Hi! Uh, honestly for me it's a little of both.

I'll break the answer into two parts, the fic answer and the art answer.

So, fic wise, Letho is usually in the Confessor Set by default, and either has the base Confessor weapons (Lemosyne) or the Bloodhound Fang and more throwables than god (Mare's Nest.)

Ambrosia's costume I've been vague about because I haven't actually sat down and concretely decided what they're wearing, though in chapter 10 it's probably something like the page set and a hood armour for plot-reasons.

On the art side of things:

So, I've drawn Letho in the Confessor outfit of course, but the costume he's wearing in my pinned post is based on a mix of one of the mage sets (Alberich's) and the Confessor set, plus Rennala's gauntlets because I really like them (and a wrap that he got as a gift, not based on a game item). I've drawn him in the deathbed companion dress a few times, and I've commissioned art of him in a combination of Maliketh's armour + the Depraved Perfumer robes, too. There's also an armour I did based on a design class I'm taking, but I haven't uploaded that yet.

Ambrosia's costume in my head is like a patchwork forest-coloured hedgewitch looking set, I really need to make them an Elden file just so I can look for costume ideas though! I'd love to have them with a game armour look. (Maybe the page set and one of the hood items? Hmm.)

When I do design original armour I try to use game sets as a jump off point, but I'm not good at folding in a convincing amount of detail yet.

Combo of Confessor, Alberich, and Rennala's sets + a shawl

Based on the same as above but with different colours. Hairstyle changed because the idea of him wearing a crystal dart as a hairpin appealed to me -- originally he had the default braided hair, which, beloved <3

aaaand the armour set that's still in development, and not based on anything in the game:

This will show up in fic and art at some point. I didn't plan for it to be gold, but it kind of works conceptually and colours-wise, so why not.

aaand I went digging for the art I had of Ambrosia:

These sketches are from a few months ago. Their costume's really too similar to Letho's, here. I'll need to do something else. But it's hard to picture them in long skirts, so even if I do that, I'll probably draw the skirt as girded.

And this is a pen sketch I did in like 2 minutes to try and figure out what they're wearing in chapter 10. "Oooh I'm just a helpless old person, stop looking at me, I definitely won't hit you with this stick" vibes

Thanks for the ask!

[arikos-of-caelid]

(Answering these with regards to him in his Tumblr RP Continuity for the least amount of confusion.)

Meet the Muse!

Legal Name: Arikos.

Date of Birth: March 6th.

Nicknames/Aliases: Ari. Many temporary identities over the years, most forgotten and discarded.

Gender: Cis Male

Age: 37

Species: Human.

Place of Birth: Unknown.

Current Living Conditions: A nomadic wanderer who mostly makes do with where he is.

Former Living Conditions: Usually temporary lodgings within the various churches of the Lands Between when not undercover.

Spoken Languages: Common, Latin, I'm sure some others. (What else do people speak in the Lands Between anyway?)

Occupation: Former Confessor, currently a wandering Tarnished and aspiring Perfumer.

Criminal Record: Killed one of Godwyn's retainers by mistake on the Night of the Black Knives, and got convicted for murder and high treason.

Drink/Smoke/Drugs: Actually quite a skilled mixologist from more questionable uses in his old line of work; nowadays, enjoys the fruits of his own labor. (Do recreational aromatics count as drugs or smoke?)

(Note: These next four are NOT exhaustive, LOL.)

Likes: Herbalism and perfuming, fashion and aesthetics. Traveling and sightseeing, parkour. Indulging and crafting conspiracy theories, people watching, eavesdropping. The Redmanes and General Radahn.

Dislikes: Black Knife Assassins (sans Tiche). Depraved Perfumers. The Scarlet Rot and its worshipers. The Godskin cult. Rykard and the Volcano Manor. The Mohgwyn Dynasty. The more entrenched Golden Order fundamentalists.

Fears: The past, and repeating it. His own bloody hands and conscience. And anything that reminds him of the above. Getting too attached and the consequences thereof. Margit/Morgott, even as he admires him from a distance.

Personality Traits: Generally polite and friendly. Deeply intuitive, sly and cheeky. On the surface, generally measured and deliberate. Under the surface, somewhat jumpy and slightly unhinged.

Hair Color: Originally auburn brown, but got stained an unnatural violet silver due to chronic use of bleach and homemade hair dye.

Eye Color: Dark Blue

Height: 5' 9"

Weight: 160 lbs. He's a bit of a wet noodle.

Tattoos: A dark purple Black Knives symbol in the center of his forehead.

Siblings: Unknown.

Parents: Unknown.

Children: None.

Pets: None, though he has considered keeping a small Miranda Bloom.

Sexual Preference: Aro-ace.

Relationship Status: Not romantically involved, though Tiche is more or less his platonic soulmate and backseat gamer.

(Technically) tagged by @fearthecoldblood and @mei-is-tarnished

Tagging @vaeltan-louxser (if you want!)

[yourreddancer]

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

TODAY, Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine sued Mark Zuckerberg, saying he was personally responsible for failing to protect Facebook users’ data, instead allowing it to be sold to political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica before the 2016 election.

Racine says that Zuckerberg violated the Consumer Protection Procedures Act by permitting third parties to harvest information about users without their knowledge.The filing recounts the story, which was important to the 2016 election. In November 2013, researcher Aleksandr Kogan designed an app on the Facebook platform that identified itself as a personality test. To use it, a consumer had to give permission for the app to collect some personal data: name, gender, birthdate, likes, and friends list. 

What they did not know, though, was that the app also accessed the data of those folks on the friends list. “The vast majority of these Facebook friends never installed the App, never affirmatively consented to supplying the App with their data, and never knew the App had collected their data.” About 290,000 users installed the app, but the app collected the data of about 87 million users, more than 70 million of whom were in the U.S. More than 340,000 were in Washington, D.C.

In 2014, Kogan sold the data the app had collected for about $800,000 to the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, which used the information to target ads to users to promote Republican candidates in the 2014 midterm elections.

By December 22, 2015, Facebook knew that Kogan had sold the data; selling data violated its terms of service. It got rid of the app but simply requested that Kogan and Cambridge Analytica delete the information. Instead, Cambridge Analytica used it during the 2016 election, targeting political ads to help first Texas senator Ted Cruz, and then Trump. 

The extent of the story burst into public view in 2018, when Christopher Wylie, who had helped to start Cambridge Analytica, talked to reporters. He left the company in late 2014, apparently in disgust over its hard-right turn after a $15 million investment from Robert Mercer, who was being advised by Steve Bannon. “They want to start a culture war in America,” he told Matthew Rosenberg, Nicholas Confessore, and Carole Cadwalladr of the New York Times. “Cambridge Analytica was supposed to be the arsenal of weapons to fight that culture war.”

In 2019 the Republican-controlled Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined Facebook $5 billion for deceiving its users about their privacy but did not require Facebook to admit guilt or regulate how Facebook would use information in the future. (Facebook’s revenue that year was $56 billion.) It also indemnified the company for “any and all claims prior to June 12, 2019,” a provision that the FTC’s former chief technologist Ashkan Soltani told Soo Youn of ABC News was “a $5 billion get out of jail card.

”Racine has an ongoing lawsuit against Meta, Facebook’s parent company, and now will try to bring Zuckerberg himself to account for the data breach. 

In Michigan, the Bureau of Elections has ruled that five of the ten Republican candidates for governor in this fall’s elections are ineligible to run in the primaries. It appears that canvassers paid to collect signatures on the candidates’ nomination petitions forged signatures—68,000 of them on the paperwork of 10 candidates. All of the candidates have railed against election fraud. The board’s report says it does not believe that the candidates were aware of the scheme. 

Still, they should have had systems in place to catch this massive number of fraudulent signatures (some pages were apparently all in the same handwriting). The Board of State Canvassers will vote on the issue Thursday. “We have never seen anything like this before, as it is an epic implosion that will likely be a cautionary tale in campaign textbooks moving forward,” wrote Mara MacDonald of Detroit’s WDIV.

Sure feels like there’s a lot of that going around.

[readerinsertfanfiction]

hii I was wondering, if it’s not too much, could you write a little something that’s like childhood best friends to lovers with Naruto? I’m such a sucker for those. Being friends with him since the beginning even though everyone hated him, & just him being confused on why you’re friends with him and it leads to a confession?🥺. Thank youuu🧡🖤

Ooh, it has been a loooong while since I wrote anything for Naruto, I feel. Let’s see what I can cook up for ya! 

Fandom: Naruto

Character: Naruto Uzumaki 

The kyuubi attack had left many orphans, both young and old, including you. Within one night you found yourself all alone in this world before you had even a consciousness in which you could realise the loss you had faced and properly mourn it. A loss you hadn’t even realised you had, nor any understanding of what had happened for you to lose everything that you were supposed to be born and grow with. And with the village in ruins the adults were too preoccupied to cumber over yet another orphan. You, along with many others, were left to your own devices and that was a bitterness you could understand.

“These adults are stupid,” you had exclaimed one day after that the hokage had visited you once more. Barely of any age you had to fight and you had to grow faster than any child in the village who did keep their parents. “Thinking they can pick on us just because we have no adults to spit on them,” you continued your complaints as you turned towards a certain blond, a young boy who was just like you, an orphan.

“Is that why you spat on him?” the boy had questioned, eyes wide and a little dirty. It was just another day for him, where he was cursed and glared at, pushed and ignored for whatever reason other than that he had no parents.

“That was nothing compared to what I was about to do! If only I wasn’t held back,” you exclaimed with a scoff before turning to the boy.

“Those adults should feel bad for bullying us kids. But we gotta stick together as well. After all, there is no one else who will stick up for us.”

The statement rang true as you offered your hand to the other. A peer, one of the many, but for some reason that you couldn’t comprehend, even more rejected than you and your lot were.

“What’s the name?” you question the boy and once more stark blue eyes and whiskers on the face looked up at you, a suspicious glare on his face first before he mumbled:

“Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki.”

And to this you flashed a grin, grabbing hold of his hand as you shook it wildly, just as you had seen people greet each other. How you had seen friends bump into each other.

“Well, Naruto, let’s be friends!”

The exclamation rang true and it did so for years, with the two of you doing everything together. Mischief, pranks, growing up in general. Even attending the academy was done together, but where Naruto was held back by some unseen force you had managed to move on, soon making yourself a known name, a talent to behold, a figure to look up to.

It left Naruto with a bitter distaste, for the two of you always had been together, always had been equals and now you suddenly were not. But he never let it show, encouraging you to pursue the path the both of you had chosen.

“I will wait for you to catch up!” you had promised and Naruto only flashed a grin back;

“Don’t wait too long, or I might actually pass you by!” he had said, sparkling that bright and optimistic aura of his, never beaten down by a failure it seemed. How you admired his determination and strength for that, for you knew that you weren’t half as strong if it wasn’t for his stubbornness at your side.

“Still a genin?” you smirk as you welcomed your old friend back into the village. The years had passed and the two of you had grown into teens, fine teens that were allowed to be proud of their accomplishments.

“Just you watch, I will catch up soon and be a chunin like you!” the male exclaimed, bright and cheery, always encouraging and never with a cloud on his mind. Confident as ever, despite all the setbacks he had faced, despite the horrible truths he had to learn about himself and the village. You as well were aware of them by now.

You laughed, hands on your hips as you let your head fall back into your neck. A precious friend he was indeed. The same old Naruto, with or without that monster within him that had taken away so much, but given you even more.

“I’m a jounin by now,” you revealed, expecting Naruto’s eyes to grow wide as sausages as his lips would fall agape like a fish. You were waiting for his surprise, just as you were expecting him to congratulate you with that same old cheer.

There was silence instead, and when you peeled open an eye you found that your best friend was looking down at the ground, his fist balling up before he finally lifted his face with a forced grin.

“I really can’t beat ya, eh?” he sighed instead and you instantly knew there was something amiss.

“Naruto…”

“Haha, what else could I have expected from you, my role model?” the male continued and you felt a stab in your chest, wondering why he was referring to you as an example instead of a friend, for were you not?

“I will have to work extra hard to live up to your standards, or else I fear you won’t be hanging out with me anymore,” he continued to exclaim and yet again you felt a stab to your chest, wondering why Naruto spoke so distantly.

“Because we’re friends?” you tried, brows furrowing to which Naruto scratched his face, not really sure what you meant it seemed before he sighed.

“Hey, now that you’re a jounin you get access to all these super secret files, right? Maybe you can look into Sasuke’s file for me?”

You felt your heart break at the mention of that male’s name. The one that had so quickly surpassed you as a friend. The one that Naruto had thrown himself into entirely and devoted so much of his time to. The one that seemed to have pushed you out of his life so completely.

“If I were in Sasuke’s place, would you have been as desperate?” you suddenly find yourself questioning the blond who freezes at your tone. This time his eyes did grow wide and his mouth fell open agape, like you had hoped it would do when you would reveal your new rank to him.

“There is no need to save you from evil. How could you ever be as dumb as that Sasuke?” Naruto exclaims instead, earning a grit from your teeth as you clench your fists. You were being unfair, you knew that, but it hurt all the same.

“Perhaps I should, because all you ever talk about is Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. What about us? Aren’t we friends? I was your friend before he was,” you spit out the vitriol that is building up within your lungs, but you regret the words immediately as you see Naruto’s expression fall, hurt in the same way you were.

“Whatever, I had hoped you would value me more,” you ended the conversation and left.

That this was the way you guys parted left a bad taste. Nonetheless, the both of you were of the stubborn kind and neither wanted to approach the other to speak of the hurts within their hearts. You missed him, but you didn’t dare to admit your fault, didn’t want to face your shame.

When the Akatsuki attacked the village you once more made another realisation. One that you should have realised so much sooner, but that your anger and your bitterness had prevented you from realising. When your friend, the bestest you had, was thrown up into the air by the crowd, hailed a hero despite his low rank and his former image, finally earning his place in the village. It was then that you realised that, as Naruto shared his magic and his warmth with the people around him, that you had lost him.

“Hey,” you greeted him one late night. You had gone home early that day, on purpose, so that you could wait at the window for your friend to appear. The same window that you guys shared, for neither of you had ever moved despite life looking up.

“Hey,” came the greeting back from a boy that had grown into a fine male, a hero like he had always imagined himself to be. Naruto had been late to get back that night, what with the village now occupying him.

“Congratulations,” you spoke, and to this Naruto seemed confused, not really understanding what he was being congratulated for. “Congratulations for surpassing me,” you clarified and to this Naruto’s eyes drooped a little, an understanding settling in.

“Listen I--”

You cut him off, hand rising as you shrug your shoulders, trying to find your words.

“I shouldn’t have made you choose between Sasuke and me. I know we both hold a different meaning in your life,” you start, eyes downcast as you remember the words ‘role model’ and ‘example’. When you had become such you weren’t sure, but it still bit.

“I never thought of myself as better than you, or someone you needed to surpass,” you smile, knowing that it took you long enough to realise what your feelings were and that it was better to let it out now, now that your friendship seemed to have grown to a natural end. “You were my best friend, still are,” you trail off as you gather your courage to continue.

“And also the person I like the best in this rotten world.”

You knew that after his ascension to legendary heroes that Naruto had received the attention of many. Even more had fallen for him, as there was a daily and steady string of confessors each day that wished to share and convey their feelings to him. You just hoped that none of them were as dear as you had once been, that you still held an edge because of your longstanding friendship.

The silence that followed after was even more suffocating than the silence you had shared before, clear blue eyes focussed upon you, confused and conflicted, and could you blame him for that?

“I,” the male started, letting the words sink in. How familiar you were to that expression of his when Naruto was truly and really trying to progress something.

“I think you are also the best in this world!” he exclaimed loudly and you scoff out a laugh, nearly ramming your head into the side of your window as you try not to launch yourself into a drum against the wall.

Somewhere you had expected this answer to come from him. Dear as Naruto was, he simply wasn’t the brightest, but definitely the dearest. You were fine with giving him the time and room needed to realise what you really meant. There was time after all, you weren’t planning on leaving him alone after all. 

[7r0773r]

Diving into the Wreck: Poems 1971-1972 by Adrienne Rich

Song

You’re wondering if I’m lonely: OK then, yes, I’m lonely as a plane rides lonely and level on its radio beam, aiming across the Rockies for the blue-strung aisles of an airfield on the ocean

You want to ask, am I lonely? Well, of course, lonely as a woman driving across country day after day, leaving behind mile after mile little towns she might have stopped  and lived and died in, lonely

If I’m lonely it must be the loneliness of waking first, of breathing dawn’s first cold breath on the city of being the one awake in a house wrapped in sleep

If I’m lonely it’s with the rowboat ice-fast on the shore in the last red light of the year that knows what it is, that knows it’s neither  ice nor mud nor winter light but wood, with a gift for burning

***

The Ninth Symphony of Beethoven Understood At Last As a Sexual Message

A man in terror of impotence or infertility, not knowing the difference a man trying to tell something  howling from the climacteric music of the entirely isolated soul yelling at Joy from the tunnel of the ego music without the ghost of another person in it, music trying to tell something the man does not want out, would keep if he could gagged and bound and flogged with chords of Joy where everything is silence and the  beating of a bloody fist upon a splintered table

***

Rape

There is a cop who is both prowler and father: he comes from your block, grew up with your brothers, had certain ideals. You hardly know him in his boots and silver badge, on horseback, one hand touching his gun.

You hardly know him but you have to get to know him: he has access to machinery that could kill you. He and his stallion clop like warlords among the trash, his ideals stand in the air, a frozen cloud from between his unsmiling lips.

And so, when the time comes, you have to turn to him, the maniac’s sperm still greasing your thighs, your mind whirling like crazy. You have to confess to him, you are guilty of the crime of having been forced.

And you see his blue eyes, the blue eyes of all the family whom you used to know, grow narrow and glisten, his hand types out the details and he wants them all but the hysteria in your voice pleases him best.

You hardly know him but now he thinks he knows you: he has taken down your worst moment on a machine and filed it in a file. He knows, or thinks he knows, how much you imagined; he knows, or thinks he knows, what you secretly wanted.

He has access to machinery that could get you put away; and if, in the sickening light of the precinct, and if, in the sickening light of the precinct, your details sound like a portrait of your confessor, will you swallow, will you deny them, will you lie your way home?

[clocksfanfiction]

Number 100 bwahahahaha jk. Number 98 “Why can’t you just believe me?” - “Because you lied about it before.” Omegaverse or Cardverse, whichever you feel like writing :)

Send me a dialogue prompt!“Why can’t you just believe me?” - “Because you lied about it before.”

Thank you for the request!! It’s really helping me get back to writing and I really enjoyed writing this one. I’m not sure if I went the way you were hoping with it, but I enjoyed it. And honestly I’ll take every excuse to write cardverse.

“You are the most infuriating person on the face of thisearth.” Arthur spat, furious as he stormed up the grand staircase towards thequeen’s chambers. Alfred followed on determinedly, unfazed by the venomous lookthrown over a shoulder at him.

“What would you have me do different? Unsettle half thekingdom with a vague diversion?”

“I would have you not speak at all if you will only lie!”Arthur’s shout echoed through the empty hall, undoubtedly loud enough forwhatever guards or staff were around to hear each syllable with disturbingclarity, but neither monarch seemed to care. He’d turned finally to face Alfredon the top step, the dark line of his suit cutting him an imposing figureagainst the dim candlelight and only intensifying the thundercloud of his eyes.

Alfred stopped still on the steps below him, gazing up atthe man he so usually found himself looking down at as that accusation rung inhis ears. His brows knit together, lips parting in effort to find someobjection to his indictment and drawing only blank. When he was met only withsilence, Arthur released a huff of breath, turning once again on his heel andcontinuing on the warpath toward his bedroom. It took Alfred only a momentafter to move as well, keeping hot on Arthur’s heels despite the queen’sobvious desire to have him gone.

“What lie did I tell to earn me such a look?” He demanded, ahard edge to his tone as anger crept up on him too but it was far below therage that had consumed his husband.

“Do not insult me with this feigned ignorance, Alfred, youhave already humiliated me enough for one evening.” They neared Arthur’s doorand knowing well how swiftly Arthur would shut him out with locks and magic ifhe got beyond the threshold, Alfred surged forward to slam his hand across thewood and prevent Arthur’s entry. Arthur stilled before the door, his eyes onlyon the arm across his doorway. “Move.” He commanded, with all the authority ofa man used to only needing to say something once.

Alfred didn’t move. He stayed put, glaring at Arthur’saverted gaze. The king and queen of Spades had not managed to attain the mostharmonious of relationships, attested by Arthur’s remaining presence in thequeen’s chambers instead of the larger king’s chambers designed for the marriedpair. Most times the castle was peaceful, but their turbulent relationship wasenough for Alfred to have seen the edge of Arthur’s anger before, but never sointensely. Arthur indeed wasn’t the type to lose his temper so completely;Alfred had witnessed the far scarier icy glares of an Arthur irate, luckilynever directed at him, but he’d almost believed the man capable of causingfrostbite in a glance with the freezing capacity of his anger when he sodesired. But that was an anger borne of control. This fiery, stinging emotionthat Arthur had ripped forth the instant their guests had filed out wassomething entirely foreign.

“When did I lie to you, Arthur?” Alfred pressed, unrelentingin his hold and his gaze.

Slowly, Arthur turned his head, gracing Alfred with a lookso full of untempered aggression that it might have melted the flesh off hisbones if Alfred himself wasn’t capable of just as much fury. His eyes narrowed,saving Alfred from some of that fire if only in the name of a pissed-off glareof condescension.

“Do you wish me to repeat the words you gave to the Diamondambassador or is the reminder enough?”

Arthur didn’t need to repeat them. Alfred could hear his ownvoice just as well as he could feel his veins run icy at the reminder.

The celebration this evening had been the same event theSpades royalty had been holding for two hundred years; the midwinter ball.Spades held several similar galas throughout the year, but the midwinter ballwas the only one significant enough to warrant the attendance of all three setsof kings and queens from the other kingdoms. Along with whatever entourage ofhigh ranking officials those monarchs thought necessary. It was only Alfred andArthur’s second time hosting this ancient event, and their first time inagreement that their marriage was not a happy one.

They had found themselves at one point opposite sides to asmall circle of officials, all happily chatting and enjoying the atmosphere ofmidwinter celebration as they jokingly chastised one another for veering intopolitical topics. Arthur was a surprising expert at navigating suchconversations given how Alfred knew his dislike of nearly every other humanbeing in existence, but his noble upbringing had to account for something.Alfred himself was personable and friendly, and more than happy to lift theburden off of Arthur as often as he could. Until the ambassador from Diamondshad turned to him and asked with a sly grin how their first year of marriagehad gone.

Vultures for gossip, all eyes in their small circle and whatbusy eavesdroppers there were had turned to Alfred. Alfred hadn’t missed thenigh-imperceptible tensing of Arthur’s hand on his glass of champagne. No oneoutside of the castle was aware of the tumultuous relationship between theSpades king and queen. They made an astounding pair to deal with when united onthe political front, indeed between those meetings where international affairswere on the line he and Arthur could even claim to like one another as theymanaged easy chatter. There had even been those handful of occasions where oneor other or both of them had seduced the other into bed. But beyond thosefleeting moments of peace almost all the rest of the time was filled with tenseand petty arguments to the point that they couldn’t stand to be in a room together.

And what was it that Alfred had replied to such a question?

I believe my queen would testify to how grossly in lovewith him I am.

Arthur stared up into his eyes, the accusation in them alltoo plain and clear even if Alfred hadn’t been able to place precisely whyArthur was so furious. Not only had he told a set of high ranking officialsthat they were utterly in love, but he’d forced Arthur to agree with his lieright then and there. Which Arthur had, elegantly cool in his affirmative replyand turnaround of the conversation towards dancing.

He’d had to spend several more hours with people referencingtheir apparent matrimonial bliss and yet while Alfred could feel Arthur’stension with his hand upon his waist, he himself had not hated it. More thananything, a part of him he’d been quietly and steadily brewing over had beenelated to hear Arthur’s affirmatives whenever they were together for the restof the night.

“What if it was true?”

That was not the reply Arthur had been expecting. It was no dramaticconfession, no sincerely worded expression of a harboured passion that Alfredhad been clinging to through months of torment. It was merely a question. Asuggestion framed in such honesty that Alfred could almost see the flinch inArthur as he registered the meaning. His excellent control of his expressionflickered for just a moment from anger to confusion before it was hidden againin the venom, but it was a moment enough for Alfred.

“I told you not to insult me, Alfred.”

“Why can’t you just believe me?”

There was an admission there. More plainly spoken than thesuggestion of romance that his prior question had given and he was surprised byhow at ease he found himself as it was offered. Arthur was smart enough andknew him enough to need not decipher the meaning but hear it as plainly asAlfred meant it spoken and that thought should naturally have filled Alfredwith an anxiety that any confessor would recognise as the fear of rejection.But Alfred held no such worries.

Not until the heat drained from Arthur’s eyes and he foundhimself levelled with a chilly stare.

“Because you lied about it before.”

Arthur didn’t need to say more.

Alfred remembered it vividly. It had been the year previous,when in their first handful of weeks of knowing each other they thought indeedthat they could get along, be friends, perhaps even turn their obvious mutualattraction into a long lasting love. But Alfred remembered. He remembered whathe did, remembered the look on Arthur’s face as he told him he only had eyesfor his queen only to be caught later in a darkened corner with one of theguests at their ball.

Arthur hadn’t even had the decency to look betrayed. If he’dlooked hurt or wounded Alfred might not have felt so much guilt as he hadlooking back into Arthur’s blank stare as his queen informed him plainly thathe’d come in search of him for the last dance and apologised for interruptingas he left.

“That was different.” A weak defence, but the only andtruthful one Alfred could give.

“How?” Arthur’s voice had drained of venom, greeting Alfredwith the empty tone of a man beyond emotion and freezing him to his core at thesound. “How is it different to say you wanted me then, before we did antagoniseone another, than it is to plainly say you love me now when you make ityour every mission to show me how much you despise my presence? I didn’tbelieve you then, Alfred, I’m not foolish enough to believe you now.”

Alfred should’ve been fazed by such a cold remark, it shouldhave sent him scampering away with a heavy heart and painful rejection. But itdidn’t. More than anything Alfred found himself spurred on by Arthur’s lack ofany emotional response.

“Because I didn’t love you then. I do love you now.”

That was enough to startle Arthur out of his icy reserve,his narrowed eyes widening with a disbelief he couldn’t quite control back intoan aloof expression. He settled for an affronted scowl instead and Alfredcouldn’t help thinking that it was only his pride that kept him from backingaway.

“And you expect me to believe that? With no proof?” Arthurspat, the venom still lacking from his voice but now not quite so entirelyemotionless.

“No.” Alfred’s answer was plain, so utterly simple in itshonesty that Arthur couldn’t quite seem to keep his grip on that carefullycontrolled expression. “But I have every intention of showing you if you wouldgive me more than ten seconds of your time.”

He stepped forward, startling Arthur enough out of hisshocked reverie that he very nearly tripped over himself and ended up stoodwith his back to the door Alfred had previously been guarding. Whatever groundhe’d gained hiding behind his fury was gone then, the stormy anger and coldaloofness lost to bewilderment that Arthur still tried fiercely to hide inhalf-scowls and tight lips.

“I-” Arthur began, regret instantly evident on his face whenno further words followed, leaving him the appearance of a stammering fool withAlfred looming so frightfully close. “Gods, where did you get this ideathat you can do just anything you like all of a sudden?” The bite was back inArthur’s words, another pushed protest to find the anger that had been curlingin his gut all evening, but the fire simply wasn’t there.

“I didn’t.” Alfred leaned closer, eyes locked on Arthur’s.“Say the word and I’ll leave you alone again, I’ll even pretend to despise youas you so think I do, if you wish.”

Arthur said nothing.

He didn’t say anything when Alfred leaned closer still. Hedidn’t say a word when Alfred’s lips hesitantly brushed his, nothing but astuttered breath and leaning up that fraction more to seal their lips together.

Alfred’s hands found Arthur’s waist, hair, pulling him upclose as that soft brush turned to fervent kisses. Arthur’s lips parted, aquiet, desperate noise that could’ve been equal parts need and relief muffledbetween them as Alfred pushed him against the door. Arthur’s hands slippedunder his suit jacket, the waistcoat and shirt beneath still insulatingAlfred’s skin from his touch but not his body from the firm press of Arthur’shands at his back demanding that he stay close.

“I closed you off.” Arthur murmured, not breaking from thosekisses even to speak so much as breathe the words between. “I shut you out,why,”

“I know.” Alfred interrupted, turning his lips to Arthur’sneck instead, or what of it he could with his shirt collar still neatly inplace. “I want you anyway.”

Arthur grabbed at his hair, threading fingers into Alfred’sgolden locks and ruining whatever careful styling had gone into them for theevening’s festivities, but he couldn’t bring himself to care when Arthur wasdragging him up to meet his gaze again. The corridor they were in, tangledtogether up against the door of the queen’s chambers, it was silent save forthe sound of their heavy breaths, shared only between them in what little spacethey would allow to separate them at that moment. But Alfred could hear withequal clarity the pulse pounding in his ears as Arthur broke the quiet.

“Then take me to bed.”

Alfred stared at him, a handful of seconds that seemed tostretch on forever with the depth of meaning he heard in those words. Hereached for the door handle but Arthur grabbed his hand, pulling it away withthe slightest shake of his head.

“Not here.”

It took just a moment for those words too, the weight ofthem, the desire and command and frustration and fear all hidden in thebreathless tone of Arthur’s voice to register with Alfred. But it took him onlya breath to sweep Arthur up into his arms. There was no protest to the carryingfrom Arthur, no spluttered objection in the name of his perfectly functioninglegs, no chastising the fact they weren’t the protagonists of some high romancenovel. Only Arthur’s arms winding around his neck and the warm, insistentkisses under his jaw that assured him of Arthur’s very real presence as hewalked down the hall towards the king’s chambers.