#(un)baptism

[copiousloverofcopia]

Do you imagine all new Siblings of Sin are unbaptized?

I do imagine that they all must go through an initiation and education period in order to accept their rites. Their position is not to be taken lightly, and they need that foundation for which to fully appreciate and receive the unholy sacrament of (un)baptism/unholy baptism.

As I said in a previous ask, I also believe that children born into the Ministry are not eligible to be "full-fledged" members/Siblings of Sin until they are old enough to be able to consent.

Also I HC that the way an (un)baptism/unholy baptism is performed does NOT always include a sexual element of initiation.

After all some siblings are asexual or require a close relationship to feel comfortable having sex, or plain just do not wish to participate in this way...

If that is the case the Ministry respects their wishes....

Instead they chose a Cardinal sin (of the 7 deadly sins) of their own from which to use as a point of initiation.

As I mentioned before in a previous ask as well, once siblings of sin have accepted their vows and the rites have been performed, They receive a rosary for which the color responds to the reigning Papa during their (un)baptism/unholy baptism.

See the post for sibling of sin HCs HERE!

[notachair]

omgg the imagery of lestat turning louis at the foot of the chancel (?) with christ baring witness, I cannot-

[tanadrin]

(Note: this is all totally non-rigorous free association)

Famously, the King James Version of the Bible translates Exodus 22:18 as "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." This is one of those translations, though, that has suffered for passing through multiple different cultural lenses over the textual history of Exodus. Alternate modern translations say things like "put to death any woman who does evil magic," "*wizards* thou shalt not suffer to live," or even "whoever has sexual relations with an animal must be put to death."

In the Septuagint, the underlying word is translated φάρμακος; despite the connotation of the English word, a masculine noun; the word is associated with magical arts in general, but is *especially* associated with poison. It's from φάρμακον, a word which can mean either "poison" or "drug," and is the origin of "pharmacy." Greek had a rich vocabulary for the supernatural: an older and more general word seems to be γοητεία, "charm, jugglery, sorcery," from γόης, "sorcerer, wizard, juggler, cheat." That it includes in its semantic field the concept of sleight-of-hand shows that mundane deception is countenanced as a possible explanation for claims of magical power, which no doubt contributes to the dim social reception of magic, but also shows a neat symmetry with the modern concept of the stage magician, whom we publicly acknowledge as really being just a particular kind of illusionist and entertainer. Another Greek word for magic is, well, μάγος, the source of the English word, ultimately a borrowing from Old Persian maguš. A maguš was simply a priest of Mazda in the old Zoroastrian religion; the word is of uncertain etymology, but its connotations in Greek arise from crediting a Greek mythical version of Zoroaster with the invention of magic and astrology, showing us that perhaps orientalism of one sort or another has long been part of European traditions of the occult. There is also  θαυματουργία, "wonder-working, doing miracles, wizardry."

But the Septuagint word choice is an odd one; as I understand it, the actual underlying lexical item is מְכַשֵּׁפָה/mekhashefah, the feminine form of מְכַשֵּׁף/mekhashef. The root of this word seems to be כשף/KH-SH-F, which has been glossed various ways. One gloss I find particularly interesting is "cut." Kenneth Kitchen links this etymology to the cutting of herbs; thus, a mekhashef is a kind of herbalist, and the context, as with pharmakos, is the fear of poisons--the feminine form might also make sense here, as it seems plausible that just as in our modern society, poisoning was a more reliable tool for killing for women than for men, for whom the possibility of physically overpowering their enemies was less likely.

But I think it's interesting to note other ways in which magic is about division and breaking. Though in modern fantasy a "warlock" is either just a generic wicked sorcerer, or a summoner of demons, the word comes from Old English wǣrloga ("promise-deceiver"), a deceiver, a breaker of oaths. A warlock is thus someone who dissolves social ties, or even betrays their baptismal vows by making an unholy vow, an un-promise, to Satan himself. The English "witch" comes from the Old English wiċċa or wiċċe (masculine and feminine forms respectively), from Proto-Germanic *wikkô, "sorcerer, necromancer," from the verb *wikkōną, "to practice sorcery." One likely derivation of *wikkōną is the Proto-Indo-European stem *weyk-, "to separate, to divide, to choose." This may be a reference to cleromancy, the casting of lots; many ancient words for magic link together fortunetelling of various kinds (the second element in words like "necromancy" and "cleromancy" is ancient Greek μᾰντείᾱ, "divination, prophecy, fortune-telling), but here again the concept of separation appears in a way that is difficult to ignore.

The Romans, like the Greeks, looked east for their wisdom, and were also obsessed with divination in particular, so their words for magic are often borrowed from Greek, or concern forms of fortune-telling in particular: haruspicina, the inspection of entrails; the genius or numen, language of spiritual presence and will (the latter not dissimilar to the mana of Polynesia); auspicium, the interpretation of omens, especially the flights of birds. Perhaps other kinds of magic invoked skepticism: Pliny argues that, except possibly in the making of potions (the Romans, no less than the Greeks and the Hebrews, knew that the right herbs could kill!), most claims of magic were simply lies--though there was little harm in apotropaic wards to set the mind at ease. Apuleius granted the existence of spirits and demons, and both Augustus and Constantine worried enough about magic to try to suppress its practice.

In Sanskrit, magic was apparently sometimes called इन्द्रजाल/indrajala, "Indra's net," a metaphor for emptiness, a word that foregrounds the idea of fraud and illusion. Similarly, the word माया/maya means "magic," but also "illusion," being in that way akin to the English notion of glamour found in fairy-stories. There is also possibly semantic overlap with German Zauber, whose meaning is "magic," but which is etymologically connected to Old English tēafor, "to paint [a picture]," and Icelandic töfrar, "enchantment." (Icelandic also has galdur, "sorcery," but also "[conjuring] trick.") Chinese offers the root 魔/mo2, which according to Wiktionary is from Sanskrit मार/mara, "death, pestilence;" in Chinese it takes on theurgic qualities: "devil, demon, magic, the unnatural, crazy," depending on the context it's found in: 魔羅, a kind of Buddhist demon; 魔術, "magic," as in an illusion imitating the supernatural; 瘋魔, "to be insane, to be fascinated by, to be enchanted by," a concept of obsessive madness shared in other cultures, including our own.

A full cross-cultural, historical comparison of words pertaining to magic is far beyond my capabilities, of course; but exploring current in the vocabulary and historical development of words around magic is interesting so far as it peels back the thick systematizing, empirical layer within our culture and helps us glimpse how these ideas functioned in the past. Nowadays, magic is often prototypically the magic of high fantasy: it is systematic, little more than a flashy kind of science, even if it is one accessed through mental discipline rather than mechanical instruments. Magic is patterned, stable, fundamentally knowable, because we are so thoroughly grounded in systems of knowledge that understand the whole world as patterned and knowable that we cannot imagine anything else. We redefine magic in ways that simplify it down to nothing: to be little more than abstract spiritual practice, moral therapeutic deism with countercultural window-dressing, or to mean nothing more than simply acting on the world. But is that really in keeping with the spirit of the thing, as it is has been imagined for most of history?

Magic is about many things. It is about division: discrimination, separation, cutting. Cutting the body of the sacrifice, to prod at its bloody insides; cutting breath from a living victim; cutting off the sacred from the unholy, and vice-versa. It is about speaking, chanting, singing, the form and the performance of words. It is about writing (itself a word which means to cut or carve into something). It is about deception: lies in pursuit of status or money, lies to avoid culpability for murder, lies about secret knowledge. It is about feeling oneself inhabiting a world filled with intentional beings, beings with a will and nature unknown and perhaps unknowable to you. Spirits of the dead, of the air, and of the wild world; the genius loci, the demon, the hungry ghost. It of a world when the night could claim real darkness, when the stars were forever an inscrutable mystery, and when the terrifying unknown could intrude into your life at a moment's notice. Even modern occultism feels like a nonsensical imitation of the past, with emphasis on benign enlightenment or spiritual growth, when ancient magic was rife with murder, curses, treachery, and simple human greed. The huckster fortune-teller, who cynically defrauds their customrs, is closer to the spirit of magic than the observant neo-pagan.

We are mostly too sure of ourselves, and too confident in our ability to understand even that which is at first horrifying and inexplicable, to really replicate the feeling of that kind of magic. A world in which that kind of magic is possible is a world in which the last few centuries of philosophy and epistemology and science are shown to be so profoundly wrong that we are left with nothing but naive superstition and fear. Or else, it is a world where all these basic forms of inquiry that we take for granted simply do not work--because if they did work, we would be back in our own comforting, familiar world, a world of rationalism and enlightenment, albeit perhaps with a few of the phenomenological incidentals changed. I wonder if it is really possibly anymore for us to tell stories in the mode of that older world. With the exception of certain kinds of horror, I don't really know of anything that comes close.

[kookaburra1701]

Writerly Thumbprint Challenge~

Rules: look back on your work, both past and present, finished and unfinished. what are five (or more!) narrative elements, themes, topics or tropes that continuously pop up in your work?

Tagged by @thana-topsy ❤️❤️❤️

For all of the nattering I do at my friends about my fics, I really had to think about this, (unless I just wanted it to be a list of all my favorite fanfic tropes.)

(Which I kind of do so they will come rapid-fire at the end hehehehe)

Crisis of Faith - At some point, at least one of my characters will have to question everything they've been taught or thought about the Way the Universe Works. This may be a crisis of actual religious faith, or in the way they view abstract concepts like Truth or Justice, or in the way they view some institution or authority figure. Unlike some of the themes that follow, I know exactly where this one comes from. See, I grew up in a very fundamentalist house hold. Like speaking in tongues, the earth is 5000 years old, and having an erotic dream is just as sinful as sex type of fundamentalist house hold. I even went to a religious college and learned some Latin and Greek to try to figure out which Christian denomination was The One True Church. I graduated from that religious college with straight As in all my theology/religion courses and new found atheism. So, crises of faith and deconversion arcs are very compelling to me, but I really love exploring what a deconversion/reaffirmation of faith means in the context of worlds where there is incontrovertible evidence that the gods/divine/supernatural do actually exist. I suppose it's a little bit of wish fulfillment - sometimes it would be nice to have the comfort of religion again, but that's a bell that can't be un-rung, at least for me. Tropes that come out of this that I loooooooove: -baptism imagery -oracles/prophecy -martyrdom -pretty men tied up and tortured (I'm not sure whether going to church and being SURROUNDED by the kinkinest goddamn fetish art of various saints dying horribly changed my brain chemistry or whether my brain was always That Way and the visuals just made it bearable but either way.)

The Universe Doesn't Give a Shit About You, but I do - this is the second part of the Crisis of Faith. The Protagonist has realized that searching for meaning outside of themselves is pointless, and that in the face of an implacable, uncaring void the only way to find meaning is within oneself and in the connections forged with fellow beings.

The Crucible - I love angst. I...honestly cannot think of a time that I wanted to do something horrible to a character and toned it down before publishing a fic. But I really want it to have a point - I want my characters to go through hell and back, to be completely destroyed, remade, but also to come out the other side changed when they shed all the extraneous things and discover what their essential inner essence is.

Hidden Depths - in this case I'm not referring to the main protagonist discovering their inner strength; to me that is part and parcel of The Crucible. What I just eat up with a spoon and love writing is secondary characters, minor characters, and especially antagonists revealing some of their inner world and it surprising the hell out of everyone. The taciturn swordsman turns out to actually be really good at sewing. The logical scholar loves romance, etc. It can be hard to not have this end up being a deus ex machina crutch to resolve corners I've written myself into, but some of the best times of my life have been when I've discovered something I didn't know about someone I've known for years and they bust it out just when we need it (usually final jeopardy round at pub trivia) I want my protagonist to suddenly see every previous interaction with that person in a new light because they've now glimpsed the Hidden Deep.

Cleansing, or in other (Greek) words Catharsis - Someone somewhere is going to end up in a bathtub. Getting scrubbed. Usually this physical vulnerability will mirror the emotional vulnerability between the scrubber and the scrub-ee. It's also a really fun place for smut.

Sanctuary - in real life, after we've gone through the Crucible to achieve our Catharsis we rarely get a chance to breathe. The activities of daily living still require our attention: pets must be fed, jobs must be reported to, taxes must be paid. But something that almost always happens in my stories after the big resolution is that circumstances contrive to give my characters a physical place where they do not have to worry about keeping themselves fed or housed while tying up loose ends. They've ended up in a secure environment separated from the rest of the world. They always end up having to leave this place, and do so willingly, but the time they spend in it gives them space to come to terms with the events that came before, and plan out their next steps, without the pressures of the outside world. This has taken the form of a temple, a spaceship, and a giant tree in various fics. And then, of course, there's this that might as well be a personal attack:

I tag @gilgamish @moriche

[hanzajesthanza]

For "send a character" ask - Zoltan Chivay.

send me a character and i will tell you my:

first impression

when i first met him in witcher 3, i'll be honest, he did not make much of an impression on me... there wasn't much context given to his and geralt's relationship so i kind of shrugged him off

in baptism of fire though i was more amused by his first appearance, and the wolf song made me laugh

impression now

this turned into my whole analysis and thoughts on zoltan's role in the story, so... here you are.

upon my rereads of baptism of fire, i think i have a better understanding of zoltan's role.

zoltan is one of the two "wise kings" geralt meets in his journey (the other being regis)... i mean, zoltan, sultan, rēgis, rēx.

zoltan advises geralt about altruism - helping others, whereas regis advises geralt about accepting company - helping himself. these are the two biggest challenges geralt faces, and this book is all about his character development as he embarks on his hero's journey...

geralt always wants to help others, and never wants to accept help.

zoltan advises him that he can only help as much as he can, and cannot save the entire world:

‘Unbridled altruism is a huge vice of mine,’ he explained. ‘I simply have to do good. I am a sensible dwarf, however, and know that I’m unable to do everyone good. Were I to attempt to be good to everyone, to the entire world and to all the creatures living in it, it would be a drop of fresh water in the salt sea. In other words, a wasted effort. Thus, I decided to do specific good; good which would not go to waste. I’m good to myself and my immediate circle.’

notably, this lesson comes first (in chapter 2).

of course, zoltan breaks his own rule, as he has taken the women from kernow under his wing, and later has taken even more refugees under his protection:

Geralt turned his head, pointed with his chin at the two women and the two children, and then bored his eyes into the dwarf. Zoltan cleared his throat. ‘We came across the two young ’uns and the women here in Angren,’ he explained in hushed tones. ‘They’d got lost during their escape. They were alone, fearful and hungry, so we took them on board, and we’re looking after them. It just seemed to happen.’ ‘It just seemed to happen,’ Geralt echoed, smiling faintly. ‘You’re an incorrigible altruist, Zoltan Chivay.’ ‘We all have our faults. I mean, you’re still determined to rescue your girl.’

later (in chapter 5) regis gives geralt a following advice: that though he wants to help his ciri, he must also accept help:

"You’ll pass through fire, which burns, but also purges. And you’ll do it alone. For were someone to support you in this, help you, take on even a scrap of that baptism of fire, that pain, that penance, they would, by the same token, impoverish you. They would deprive you of part of the expiation you desire, which would be owed to them for their involvement. After all, it should be your exclusive expiation. Only you have a debt to pay off, and you don’t want to run up debts with other creditors at the same time. (...)" "A sense of guilt, as well as the need for expiation, for a cleansing baptism of fire, aren’t things you can claim an exclusive right to. Life differs from banking because it has debts which are paid off by running up debts with others."

so as you see, zoltan is one-half of the advice geralt needs to accept in order to grow and move forward in the story.

it's no surprise then, to me, that when geralt and his newfound company runs into zoltan and his company again at the end of the book (chapter 7), it is zoltan and regis speaking with geralt apart from the others.

a parallel with zoltan's comments about how he picked up the refugee women and children:

'Thank you for your aid, barber-surgeon. I see you’ve also joined the Witcher’s company.’ ‘It just seemed to happen.’ ‘Mmm,’ Zoltan said and stroked his beard.

and then, it is the joint three of them that receive the girl's prophecy and do not say a word of it to the others... the old king (regis), the current king (zoltan), the new king (geralt)

another role of zoltan in relation to geralt's development is that he is a model for geralt to become a leader of his own company.

the first time they meet, geralt has only dandelion and milva with him, who he is also trying to shun the company of because he doesn't want them to risk their necks for his journey. it is then they meet zoltan leading his company of five (four dwarves, one gnome).

they separate, but, at the end of the book, when they meet again, geralt has now accrued his full company (minus angouleme, who was an unpredicted addition by sapkowski). although he has not yet stepped into the role of leader, geralt has followed zoltan chivay's example: he has found a company. and zoltan comments on this:

'I wish you and your company luck. It’s a strange company, if you don’t mind me saying so.’ ‘They want to help,’ the Witcher said softly. ‘That’s something new for me. Which is why I’ve decided not to enquire into their motives.

finally, zoltan is the one who gives geralt his sihill, the legendary hero his legendary weapon. when they part, he gives him his sword, to embark on his journey... quite poetic.

i also appreciate how zoltan and percival introducing geralt to sihill in chapter 2 of baptism of fire is a humorous contrast to the dramatic introduction of ciri to her zireael in chapter 4 of tower of the swallow.

and in the end, in the last chapter of lady of the lake, when geralt tries to put his sword down, he tries to return it to zoltan, who refuses. of course, he had to use his sword "for the last time," then, but the identity of zoltan as sword-giver remains consistent.

favorite moment

alright, i technically have two favorite moments, but i'm packaging them as they're directly related to one another.

the first part is when zoltan gives geralt his sihill, telling him to remember him when he kills ciri's enemies. and geralt tells him how he won't forget him for his selfless altruism is not easily forgotten in this world:

‘That’s wise,’ Zoltan said, removing the dwarven sihil in its lacquered scabbard, wrapped in catskins, from his back. ‘Here you go, take it. Before we go our separate ways.’ ‘Zoltan…’ ‘Don’t say anything, just take it. We’ll sit out the war in the mountains. We have no need of hardware. But it’ll be pleasant to recall, from time to time, that this Mahakam-forged sihil is in safe hands and whistles in a just cause. That it won’t bring shame on itself. And when you use the blade to slaughter your Ciri’s persecutors, take one down for Caleb Stratton. And remember Zoltan Chivay and the dwarven forges.’ ‘You can be certain I will,’ Geralt said, taking the sword and slinging it across his back. ‘You can be certain I’ll remember. In this rotten world, Zoltan Chivay, goodness, honesty and integrity become deeply engraved in the memory.’

the second part of this is the follow-up. in lady of the lake, at stygga castle when they are fighting vilgefortz... sihill does something incredible, parts vilgefortz's stream of fire:

Geralt rushed at him, wiping plaster from his face. Vilgefortz turned his eyes towards him and a hand from which flames exploded with a roar. The Witcher instinctively shielded himself with his sword. The rune-covered dwarven blade protected him, astonishingly, cutting the stream of fire in half. ‘Ha!’ roared Vilgefortz. ‘Impressive, Witcher! And what say you to this?’

zoltan isn't present in at stygga castle, of course. but i remembered him and the dwarven forges.

idea for a story

i want to know how he got engaged to eudora brekekeks breckenriggs. what kind of marriage customs prevail amongst the dwarves?

unpopular opinion

zoltan should be shipped with more characters. i think his ships with geralt and dandelion are vastly underrated. i think the fandom forgets him a lot. just my two cents

favorite relationship

zoltan and percival's friendship is wonderful. i do love how he often reminds percival to go easy on the infodumping...

‘(...) Take this, little miss. It’s beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate, popularly known as…’ ‘An emerald,’ the dwarf finished off the sentence. ‘Don’t confuse the child, she won’t remember anyway.’ ‘Oh, how pretty! And how green! Thank you very, very much!’ ‘Enjoy it and may it bring you fortune.’ ‘And don’t lose it,’ Dandelion muttered. ‘Because that little pebble’s worth as much as a small farm.’ ‘Get away,’ Zoltan said, adorning his cap with the cornflowers the girl had given him. ‘It’s only a stone, nothing special. Take care of yourself, little miss. (...)'

their friendship is a lot like geralt and dandelion's in this way, it's reminiscent of...

‘How would you prefer it, in verse or in normal speech?’ ‘Normal speech.’ ‘As you please,’ Dandelion said, not putting his lute down. ‘Listen then, noble gentlemen, to what occurred a week ago near the free town of Barefield. ‘Twas thus, that at the crack of dawn, when the rising sun had barely tinged pink the shrouds of mist hanging pendent above the meadows—’ ‘It was supposed to be normal speech,’ Geralt reminded him.

favorite headcanon

i headcanon that after some time zoltan goes to novigrad to check on how percival is doing, and as soon as he walks in the door, field marshal windbag has already squawkingly taken flight to perch on his shoulder and pull on his hair. parrots recognize and miss their owners... he and percival have joint custody of the field marshal

also not much of a headcanon, but modern au design, he would look spectacular in a tropical shirt with a bucket hat and fanny pack

[echos-of-swords-and-fire]

NEUVAINE A SAINTE JEANNE D'ARC

NOVENA TO SAINT JOAN OF ARC

My English translations are not the best I am sorry.

╰┈➤ Premier jour (first day)

Jeanne, le Seigneur a chargé l’Archange saint Michel de t’apparaître et de t’annoncer ta mission de sauver le royaume de France.

Jeanne, the Lord has instructed the Archangel Saint Michael to appear to you and announce your mission to save the kingdom of France.

Jeanne, ton grand désir de servir Dieu et de tout faire pour lui plaire, Te font prononcer le « fiat » malgré tes craintes de ne pas être digne et capable d’accomplir cette mission.

Jeanne, your great desire to serve God and to do everything to please him, makes you pronounce the “fiat” despite your fears of not being worthy and capable of accomplishing this mission.

Le ciel t’a donné une épée pour combattre, et les voix de sainte Catherine et de Sainte Marguerite pour te guider.

Heaven has given you a sword to fight, and the voices of Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret to guide you.

Intercède pour que nous puissions toujours répondre à notre vocation.

Intercede so that we may always respond to our vocation.

╰┈➤ Deuxième jour (second day)

Jeanne, tu rends visite au Dauphin de France

Jeanne, you visit the Dauphin of France.

Tu lui révèles qu’il est le véritable héritier de France, et fils de roi, Qu’il sera couronné à Reims et que tu es venue pour l’aider à accomplir ce désir du Ciel.

You reveal to him that he is the true heir of France, and son of a king, that he will be crowned in Reims and that you have come to help him fulfill this desire of Heaven.

Tu livres ensuite de nombreuses batailles contre les Anglais, et tu en sors toujours victorieuse.

You then fought many battles against the English, and you always emerged victorious.

Tu livres également bataille au péché dans ton propre camp et tu demandes à tes soldats de retrouver l’état de grâce.

You also give battle to sin in your own camp and you ask your soldiers to regain the state of grace.

Intercède maintenant pour que notre pays se souvienne de son baptême Et retrouve le chemin des sacrements.

Intercede now so that our country remembers its baptism And finds the way to the sacraments.

╰┈➤ Troisième jour (third day)

La semaine de Pâques de cette année 1430, alors que tu te trouves dans un fossé de Melun, les voix de saintes Catherine et Marguerite t’annoncent que tu seras faite prisonnière avant la fête de la saint Jean et que Dieu te viendra en aide durant cette épreuve.

Easter week of this year 1430, while you are in a ditch in Melun, the voices of Saints Catherine and Marguerite announce to you that you will be taken prisoner before the feast of Saint John and that God will come to you help during this test.

Tu es alors envahie d’angoisse et tentée de ne pas te soumettre à la volonté divine afin de sauver ta vie.

You are then overwhelmed with anguish and tempted not to submit to the divine will in order to save your life.

Prie pour nous, afin que nous fassions toujours la volonté de Dieu, et non la nôtre.

Pray for us, that we always do God's will, not our own.

╰┈➤ Quatrième jour (fourth day)

C’est le 26 Mai, après une rude bataille, que tu es prise par un archer du camp adverse.

It is on May 26, after a hard battle, that you are taken by an archer from the opposing camp.

Tu es ainsi arrêtée et accusée par l’Inquisition d’hérésie et d’idolâtrie.

You are thus arrested and accused by the Inquisition of heresy and idolatry.

Malgré tes craintes et tes peurs, tu te laisses emprisonner.

Despite your fears and fears, you allow yourself to be imprisoned.

Tu gardes confiance en tes voix, et tu demandes leur intercession afin de répondre aux questions qui te sont posées.

You keep trust in your voices, and you ask for their intercession in order to answer the questions that are put to you.

Demande à Dieu, pour nous, le courage et l’audace d’affirmer notre foi.

Ask God, for us, the courage and audacity to affirm our faith.

╰┈➤ Cinquième jour (fifth day)

Tu es torturée moralement, assaillie par de nombreux et interminables interrogatoires, abandonnée et trahie de tous, y compris du Roi, traitée comme une prisonnière de guerre, menacée corporellement par les gardiens de ta cellule, accusée de nombreuses fautes que tu n’as pas commises, sans avocat.

You are morally tortured, beset by numerous and interminable interrogations, abandoned and betrayed by everyone, including the King, treated like a prisoner of war, bodily threatened by the guards of your cell, accused of numerous faults that you do not have not committed, without a lawyer.

Toujours docile aux conseils de tes voix, tu réponds sans crainte à tout ce que l’on te demande.

Always docile to the advice of your voices, you respond without fear to everything that is asked of you.

Intercède pour que nous ayons toujours recours à la prière dans nos difficultés.

Intercede that we always have recourse to prayer in our difficulties.

╰┈➤ Sixième jour (sixth day)

Tous tes accusateurs s’acharnent pour te faire faillir, pour te faire contredire les faits que tu relates;

All your accusers work hard to make you fail, to make you contradict the facts you relate;

ils t’accusent, te menacent de tortures physiques, te harcèlent sans cesse durant des heures;

they accuse you, threaten you with physical torture, harass you constantly for hours;

en vain, tu as toujours réponse à toutes les questions, jusqu’au jour, où, n’en pouvant plus, effrayée par la mort, tu renies tout. 

in vain, you always have the answer to all the questions, until the day when, unable to take it any longer, frightened by death, you deny everything.

Puis, par la grâce de Dieu, tu acceptes avec courage le martyre et reviens sur tes reniements.

Then, by the grace of God, you courageously accept martyrdom and reconsider your denials.

Malgré la reconnaissance de certains de tes juges de l’intervention divine dans ta conduite, tu es condamnée à mort par le supplice du feu.

Despite the recognition of some of your judges of divine intervention in your conduct, you are condemned to death by torture by fire.

Prie pour que la France relève la face et se souvienne de ses promesses faites à Dieu.

Pray for France to raise its face and remember its promises made to God.

╰┈➤ Septième jour (seventh day)

Jeanne, tu es surnaturellement soutenue par le Ciel, mais tu n’échappes pas aux angoisses provoquées par la sentence.

Jeanne, you are supernaturally supported by Heaven, but you cannot escape the anguish caused by the sentence.

Tu aurais préféré « être décapitée sept fois plutôt que brûlée et réduite en cendres. »

You would have rather "be beheaded seven times than burnt and reduced to ashes."

Sur le bûcher, une fois liée, tu demandes pardon aux anglais et à tous tes ennemis, pour les batailles livrées contre eux, et, d’une voix haute et claire, tu pardonnes à tous ceux qui t’ont condamnée.

At the stake, once bound, you ask pardon of the English and of all your enemies, for the battles waged against them, and, in a loud and clear voice, you forgive all those who have condemned you .

« Mes saintes ne m’ont pas trompée, ma mission était de Dieu. Saint Michel, sainte Marguerite et sainte Catherine, vous tous, mes frères et sœurs du Paradis, venez à mon aide… »

“My saints did not deceive me, my mission was from God. Saint Michael, Saint Margaret and Saint Catherine, all of you, my brothers and sisters in Paradise, come to my aid…”

Au milieu des flammes, tu regardes la croix qui t’est présentée, et tu prononces le Nom de Jésus avant de mourir.

In the midst of the flames, you look at the cross presented to you, and you pronounce the Name of Jesus before dying.

Sois notre modèle dans l’obéissance, dans la confiance en Dieu, et la persévérance dans notre mission

Be our model in obedience, in trust in God, and perseverance in our mission

╰┈➤ Huitième jour (eighth day)

Alors que le bourreau éteint le brasier afin que tous voient le cadavre défiguré de celle qui les a fait trembler, il écarte les cendres et le miracle apparaît devant leurs yeux effrayés :

As the executioner puts out the fire so that everyone can see the disfigured corpse of the one who made them tremble, he pushes aside the ashes and the miracle appears before their frightened eyes:

Ton cœur est là, rempli d’un sang vermeil et semblant vivre encore !

Your heart is there, filled with vermilion blood and seeming live again!

Du soufre et de h’huile sont alors répandus dessus, le feu reprend puis s’éteint à nouveau, le laissant toujours intact.

Sulfur and oil are then sprinkled on it, the fire resumes and then goes out again, leaving it still intact.

Inquiet de ce miracle et craignant l’émotion du peuple, le cardinal d’Angleterre ordonne que tes os, tes cendres et surtout ton cœur soient jetés immédiatement dans la Seine.

Worried about this miracle and fearing the emotion of the people, the cardinal of England orders that your bones, your ashes and especially your heart be thrown immediately into the Seine.

Le bourreau dit alors : « J’ai grand peur d’être damné pour avoir brûlé une sainte »

The executioner then said: "I am very afraid of being damned for having burned a saint".

Des cris s’élèvent dans la foule : « Nous sommes tous perdus car une sainte a été brûlée ! »

Cries rise in the crowd: “We are all lost because a saint has been burned! »

Aide-nous à servir Dieu et à ne chercher que la gloire du Ciel.

Help us to serve God and seek only the glory of Heaven.

╰┈➤ Neuvième Jour (ninth day)

Après ta mort, mourut la prospérité des anglais en France. Depuis le bûcher de Rouen, ils ne connurent que déceptions et défaites.

After your death, the prosperity of the English in France died. From the stake in Rouen, they knew only disappointments and defeats.

A leur grande honte et confusion, ils furent rejetés de tous les pays qu’ils avaient conquis.

To their great shame and confusion, they were thrown out of all the countries they had conquered.

Tous ceux qui avaient jugé avec mauvaise foi la Pucelle trouvèrent la mort peu de temps après la sienne.

All those who had judged the Maid in bad faith died shortly after hers.

L’évêque Cauchon, enrichi par le Roi d’Angleterre, mourut subitement ; il fut excommunié par le Pape et ses os furent jetés aux bêtes féroces.

Bishop Cauchon, enriched by the King of England, died suddenly; he was excommunicated by the Pope and his bones were thrown to wild beasts.

Ainsi s’accomplit la prédiction faite à Jeanne, en sa prison, par ses voix:

Thus is fulfilled the prediction made to Jeanne, in her prison, by her voices:

« Tu auras secours. Tu seras délivrée par une grande victoire. Prends tout en gré. Ne te soucie pas de ton martyre. Tu viendras enfin au Royaume du Paradis. »

"You will have help. You will be delivered with a great victory. Take it all in stride. Don't worry about your martyrdom. You will finally come to the Kingdom of Heaven."

Que la résurrection soit le seul but de notre vie.

Let the resurrection be the only goal of our life.

Sois présente à nos côtés et contribue encore à la sanctification de notre pays.

Be present at our side and still contribute to the sanctification of our country.

TO BE RECITED AFTER EACH DAILY PRAYER:

Prions. Sainte Jeanne d’Arc, ton martyre est la grande victoire de Dieu sur nos ennemis .

Intercède, du Royaume des Cieux, pour que nous soyons préservés des guerres contre notre pays et des assauts contre notre foi.

Que la France se souvienne qu’elle est la Fille Aînée de l’Eglise. Seigneur, nous te rendons grâce car Tu as béni notre pays en nous donnant Jeanne d’ARC.

Suscite encore de nombreuses vocations pour garder intacte la mission apostolique de la France. Amen.

Let us pray. Saint Joan of Arc, your martyrdom is God's great victory over our enemies. Intercede, from the Kingdom of Heaven, that we may be preserved from wars against our country and attacks against our faith. May France remember that she is the Eldest Daughter of the Church. Lord, we give you thanks because you blessed our country by giving us Joan of Arc. Still arouses many vocations to keep intact the apostolic mission of France. Amen.

+ Pater, Ave, Gloria

[spider-xan]

A dreadful ferryman looks after the river crossing, Charon : appalling filthy he is, with a bush of unkempt white beard upon his chin, with eyes like jets of fire; and a dirty cloak draggles down, knotted about his shoulders. He poles the boat, he looks after the sails, he is all the crew of that rust-coloured wherry which takes the dead across--an ancient now, but a god's old age is green and sappy.

This is a passage from the Day-Lewis translation of Vergil's Aeneid, as I have been thinking about this post by @thegoatsongs about Jonathan and Arthur's journey on the river being like a katabasis, ie. the descent of the heroes into the Underworld in Classical mythology, though they themselves also play the role of Charon the ferryman and symbolize death.

Unlike Charon, they are wearing new fur coats and steering a modern steam launch, but otherwise, the imagery very much fits Jonathan, especially in terms of what the Romanians must be seeing at night when they turn on their electric lamp, like in this artwork by @mayhemchicken-artblog; in fact, here is Jack's description of Jonathan on October 3 after the blood baptism:

The poor fellow is overwhelmed in a misery that is appalling to see. Last night he was a frank, happy-looking man, with strong, youthful face, full of energy, and with dark brown hair. To-day he is a drawn, haggard old man, whose white hair matches well with the hollow burning eyes and grief-written lines of his face. His energy is still intact; in fact, he is like a living flame.

White hair, burning eyes of fire, looks like an ancient old man, but is full of youthful energy? That describes both Jonathan and Charon, and like Charon, the ferryman of dead souls to the afterlife, Jonathan is seeking to bring Dracula, who has been (un)dead and wandering the earth for centuries, over to the land of the dead where he rightfully belongs, despite his denial of the natural order of the world where all mortal souls must eventually pass on, as only the gods can live forever, and to defy that is hybris, in the Ancient Greek sense of the word.

Also, if you enjoy speculating that Jonathan may not be entirely human anymore, or the possibility of his becoming a vampire himself, consider how he would fit this specific description of Charon even more closely if he were to be immortal and wander the rivers at night forever, eventually growing a white beard, his fur coat rotting into a ragged cloak, manning the boat alone after Arthur is long gone, and slowly gliding over the dark water with a pole once the furnace can no longer burn its own fire.

[marabarl-and-marlbara]

hi Mara, you've mentioned etiquette for the left handed before, and I'm curious about it, aside from writing left to right what else counts as proper etiquette?

hey christmas anonymous;

sincere uncertainty: i don:t know if i publicly mentioned etiquette for left-handed people before, or were just talking about etiquette from bacterial will for myself to adhere to -- the uncertainty is mostly because i usually reserve the 'etiquette' word to refer to those prior rules (these would be things like: not using diagnostic terminology; never expressing doubt in the faith to properly perform deknitting-of-thought against outsider influence; not being allowed to use doctors or treat self; so-and-so rules to create wilderness against 'logic') <- i try to be consistent with terminology but i fail sometimes / confuse the message;

prescriptions for left-handed persons to un-confuse are mostly laid out in the gracecon story and can be extrapolated out from that: the lefties write right->left, the righties go left->right; the left are not permitted to sing or hear music (and by extension song can:t be permitted in public spaces where confusion is at risk of contamination; births should be silent; before handedness can be accurately assessed, song and iconography should be kept bare from the environment, & names shouldn:t be given yet); the right are not permitted to observe idolatrous forms (representational drawing, art, pictures, sculpture -- exceptions are made for abstractive form exclusively through "geometric form" (tile, architecture) and calligraphy); the left should observe an eight-day calendar, the right the seven-day calendar; baptisms for the left should be a dry baptism done through sterilized sands or clays or ash; wet baptism for the right, submersion; prayer services for the left should be silent, and/or done through physical creation in lieu of abstract choruses to heaven (reserved to the right); left-handed names should be representational and idolatrous: ie valid names would be new-demonic representational nouns (paper, plastic, chemical, book, cathedral, green, sun) or old-demonic abstractive names as grandfathered 'legal' names (your baals and belphegors and etceteras); right names are non-existent abstractive nouns (jacobs and richards and so-and-so); sacred text for the left has to be reproduced "as accurately as possible" to the original (this mostly relates to the original physical material of the text) and denoted as a child of the original idol, and treated as an idol itself; ideally everything is observed at as young an age as possible and adhered to as strictly as possible to create clean non-confusion of chirality; annihilation of the soul for the left; eternal subsumation for the right;

that:s mostly it -- if you:re bored check out kageki shoujo(!!), i started watched it lately and really like it;

take care, christmas anonymous

[copiousloverofcopia]

Okay. Shower thought: do people in the ministry get unbaptized when they join the Clergy? Would any of the Papas unbaptized their own kids when they're born?!

So an (un) baptism, the Ministry requires consent and children born to those within the clergy or among the siblings of sin have yet enough life experience to give it...

So in my opinion they have this ceremony done as they become old enough to be able to recognize what it means and give informed, enthusiastic consent to be in baptized in his most unholiness name.

[alllostinmythoughts]

My Story

How it all started

I was not born in to the religion but i do consider myself a born in. It’s all I’ve known. My mother was baptized when I was five or six and soon after married my step-father. I do not remember any birthdays, Christmas’, or any other holidays before that point in my life.

My step-father was a fourth generation born in and the religion was everything to his family. We were to carry that legacy on in whatever way possible. Whether by volunteering our time in service or our money in helping others in the congregation. We were to make sure we did nothing to “bring reproach on Jehovah’s name”. It was serious business. Our life revolved around the religion. Not only in our spiritual life but our work and personal life.

My mother was no slouch either. She may have “come from the world” but she was a serious and studious student of the bible. She was a good JW wife and mother. Took care of house and home. Served the congregation as best she could despite her ailments. Our house consistently had brothers and sisters in and out for dinners, barbecues and other get togethers.

I became an un-baptized publisher somewhere between 10 and 12. Not because I felt a calling or anything but because I knew it was expected of me and I already went on service every week with my mother so really it didn’t change anything. I just now had to report those hours I preached.

Doubt

I started to doubt as a preteen. Evolution was one sticking point. I had a very science oriented mind as a child, still do. I just didn’t understand how science could say we evolved but Witnesses say we didn’t. I questioned my mother and she tried to explain it to me and then did what every witness parent does. Pointed me to the “creation book” or Life-How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation? I read it cover to cover but I still couldn’t shake the idea that hundreds of well educated people came to the conclusion that we came to be through an evolutionary process. But eventually, I knew there was no fighting it, so I just let it go.

Then came doubts about the bible itself. There is so much in the bible that makes me question the organization’s narrative of a loving God verses what God does in the bible. If a person was to do what God did in the bible, I would say that that person was a sociopathic war criminal who should be tried for their crimes against humanity. If you’re someone who believes in the Christian God and believes that the things written in the bible are literal, I’m sorry but this is just my opinion.

Eventually, the expectation of baptism came. At that point, the reasons for me being hesitant wasn’t that I didn’t believe, because I really didn’t know what I believed. I know I wanted to believe, but that was because I knew that if I expressed that anything other than belief, it would alienate me from my family.

Since I wasn’t baptized and underaged, I knew I wouldn’t be kicked out. But it would definitely strain the relationship I had with my mother and sisters. Looking back now, I realized that I would have been in for lecture after lecture from my step-dad. It wouldn’t have been the loving (guilting) approach of trying to bring someone back into the fold I would be reproached for making what he thought was bad and idiotic decision.

I knew there really was only one decision I could make. So, I set the date when there would be an assembly, so I would have to be baptized in front a huge crowd, and I started the questions to be done with two elders. I was baptized in my mid teens.

I look back on that day and I feel numb. I think I felt relief at the time because it was done. The anxiety of knowing that people would constantly be looking at me with the expectation of my baptism would stop. I know now that I didn’t do it for the right reason. I didn’t believe. I just did it, because I knew there was no other choice.

My Step Father

And I continued being miserable. I struggled with my belief and it was not helped by my family life. Like I said, serving Jehovah was supposed to be everything in my family, and that included everything little thing in someones life. How one kept there home, how someone conducted themselves in front of someone else, how someone’s attitude towards work was. And to my step-father there was only one correct way of doing things, and if you didn’t do things that way then as a person, something was wrong with you fundamentally. My father’s way of thinking was based on what the Watchtower taught but to an extreme that I didn’t see in many other family in the organization.

So if the family wasn’t perfect in everything we did, that was not acceptable to my father and we were berated and shamed for it. Sometimes, it felt like nothing my mother did could ever be enough. She strove to keep the house clean to his standards but sometimes she was too tired or there was too much on her plate and he would berate and belittle her. It felt like us kids were never allowed to be kids, we were expected to just get it. You make a mistake once and that was it. Sometimes even a mistake wasn’t allowed. It felt like we were just supposed to know how to do things without explanation.

We would be subject to lectures that would last hours. He would bring up my mothers life before being baptized to shame her. He would imply that she somehow passed on some of her “undesirable” traits on to us kids and that’s why we acted in a way that he didn’t approve of. He would criticize everything little thing we did. Honestly, looking back, some of the things he would criticize us for, was kinda ridiculous. Things that were really not important. In the end, you were left feeling worthless. Trying you’re best would never be enough because if you try your best and you fail, then to him, that means you weren’t trying your best.

Turning Point

After a particular grueling and emotionally exhausting fight, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I went to my mother and told I couldn’t do it anymore. I told her I didn’t believe anymore and that I was agnostic. I told her I would move in with my biological father. Although I was still underaged, I still felt the need to move because I knew the tension would be too much for me. She told me alright but she also reminded me that I wouldn’t be able to talk to my siblings or her anymore. That I wouldn’t be able to see my youngest sister, who was a baby at the time, grow up. That broke my heart, but I said I knew and she said we would talk with everyone later.

That lasted about the day. The reality of my decision caught up to me and I couldn’t take the thought that I could never speak to my family again. Before we could talk to the family I went to her and told her the reason I said all those things was because I couldn't live in a house where in our religion we’re taught one thing but at home we are expected to live an extreme way that one can never attain and that I wanted to stay and I would continue going to meetings.

This reason was partially true. What I was experiencing was what broke the camels back but I was also still questioned my beliefs, I just didn’t want her to know that. And so I started to push everything away, or at least I tried to. They were there, I just ignored them. I overcompensated what I could do to counter the fact that I knew I had doubt and didn’t do more to be involved in the organization. I made sure to keep up to date with everything. I did research for meetings and I probably knew about more events in the bible than my sisters who regularly went out on service and gave bible studies.

Sometimes I look back and wonder if taking everything back and staying was a good idea. I sometimes regret it. I feel I might have saved a lot of heartache.

Leaving

2021. Coming up two years into the COVID-19 pandemic. My sister got married on the 21st of November. On the 28th of November my mother wakes me up. It seems that my parents were waiting for my sister to be married to tell the rest of us, so as not to ruin my sister’s wedding.

I was having one of my bad health days and just couldn’t muster up the energy to get up for meeting. I initially thought she was coming to see if I would be getting up for meeting. She tells me that’s alright, she and daddy just need to tell the family something and after that I can go back to sleep. My hackles immediately rise. Family discussions are usually a toss up on how they can go. I would have never even guess what was about to be discussed.

I walk downstairs with my blanket wrapped around me and sit on the couch. I notice that my mother’s laptop is dialed in to Zoom but not connected to the TV as it usually is, so our family can view the Zoom meeting on a bigger screen. We wait for the everyone to settle in. When everyone is settled my mother moves the laptop to the next room and closes the door because although everybody is usually muted she says she’s any thing can accidentally happen and our conversation could be broadcasted. I get more and more confused by what is happening.

My father and mother look a little nervous. I can’t remember if my mother or father was the one to speak first but they just came out with it immediately. Told us that they would not be going to meetings anymore. I couldn’t believe it. They told us about several things that led them to making that decision.

They told us what they found out about the organization’s hypocrisy with their dealings with the ‘world’. They were a NGO in the UN in the 90’s. If you’re a witness you know that the UN is regarded as the wild beast in Revelation in the bible and that as a witness you are to stay politically neutral and not be a part of any governmental organization. So them being apart of it is kind of a big deal, even if it was only for a decade. They told us of the white-washing of the organizations history. The failed predictions. The double standards expected of different countries.

I remember at one point they turn to my youngest brother and apologize to him and tell him that he was right. You see, a couple of years ago, my brother made it known that he did not believe in the organization and that he was an atheist. That definitely put a strain on the family.

I do not remember who brings it up, but somebody mentions the child sexual abuse in the organization. I have always told myself that that was a line that could not be crossed. That if I found out that the organization was implicit in the cover up of child abuse, that that was it. I could never be in an organization like that.

So that was that. They told us that they wouldn’t stop us from still attending if so desired. They offered to send us all the stuff they found out about if we wanted. They knew that my youngest brother wouldn’t anymore for obvious reasons. My youngest sister was only 8 so, she was just glad to not have to have to wake up early and still for meetings anymore. My oldest youngest brother was past the age that people expected to get baptized, because he always wanted to be 100 percent sure of something before he committed for something and I guess he couldn’t get committed because he wasn’t convinced.

And as for me, I think my mum already had an inkling of where my mind was at, based on previous conversations we have had and provided that time I had told her I couldn’t be a witness anymore. Even if that was years ago. I didn’t give a definitive answer but based on what I said in the conversation, the could infer that I wasn’t going anymore as well.

I let it stew for about two or three days. I guess I just had to let myself come to terms with this big thing that would change everything. I found that I was probably the calmest I had ever been in my entire life. I felt no anxiety. I realized I felt light like a weight had been lifted. I asked mum for all the stuff she found. It didn’t change anything, just gave me concrete proof of what I already suspected.

Aftermath

Unfortunately, we did not leave unscathed. We decided to fade. For those not in the know. Fading is when someone decided not to announce that they will no longer be a Jehovah’s Witness anymore. They will stop going to meetings, without saying anything. This way the elders technically cannot disfellowship (ex-communicate) you. So technically family and friends brave enough can still talk to you without the elders telling them anything.

My parents decided they would tell my sisters, not everything but just that they found stuff out and that they could not in good conscience be apart of the organization. That did not go over well for one of the three sisters and later a second one.

The youngest sister of us four oldest basically told us she had to shun us. She was on my parents insurance and requested to be removed even though she is incredibly sick right now and needs it. She sold the car my parents gave as a wedding present. She only calls to update my mum on her health condition. Because the youngest is not baptized, she still talks to her. She tried to keep in contact with the oldest brother but he would try to ask questions about the organization that’s he could not answer and he got frustrated, so they don’t talk anymore.

The third oldest at first seemed like she wasn’t going to shun us. It seemed just strained at first, which was expected but then she just disappeared. She quit working at my parents business and would not tell my mother where she would be working now. When mum would try and text her, she would only give one word answers and so communication petered out.

The oldest after me still talks to us. She works for my parents and regularly calls my mother. My youngest sister goes over to her apartment almost every Friday. Though the relationship has recently become strained because she is in between my sisters and us. Trying to be neutral but that obviously can’t last forever when my sisters ask her not to talk about them.

Now

Now it’s been 1 year, 4 months, and 14 days since that day. (Yes I did look up exactly how long it’s been.) I have missed two memorials, and have not attended one meeting, assembly, or convention since then. I have gotten therapy. (Shout out to my amazing therapist) Birthdays have been celebrated. We celebrated Christmas last year for the first time. My sister got to dress up for Halloween.

I am trying to move forward. Trying to find myself in the rest of the world. This blog is supposed to be a first step. Hopefully I get there.

[albertfinch]

October 21, 2023 – Exhortation

In this season the Holy Spirit is targeting areas of constriction and restriction, limitations and afflictions that have been on the Church -- yokes that you have accepted as normal.  All man-made yokes, agreements, and alignments are being severed because God wants you free. To walk in the fullness of your anointing you need to be un-yoked so you are available to minister to others in the freedom Jesus has promised. Like Elisha, you are in a "burning of yokes and oxen" (1 Kings 19:21) season because there is a new assignment concerning your Christ calling on its way.

This is your moment to dig your heels in and join the radical remnant that doesn't live by what they see, hear in the news, or feel, but who are moved by the Spirit of God alone – in Jesus' name!

You will overcome by the BLOOD of the Lamb and the WORD of His testimony. Take communion -- worship, praise, bless those who persecute you.

God is smashing, in pieces, every assignment that has been warring against you and every word pitted against you.

(Isaiah 54:15-17)

Right now believe for a fresh baptism of fire as your boldness and courage to roar in the face of the storm is restored.

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

[be-ca-lm]

i’m caught between wanting to do some sort of un-baptism ritual and also not wanting to, because it might validate the “power” of that religious tradition and it doesn’t really have any...so there’s nothing to undo because i didn’t die and resurrect in that water, my spirit is and will always be free and safe. 

i didn’t pledge allegiance to an absent god in that water. 

i wasn’t washed of my impurities in that water, because i wasn’t dirty in the first place. i was clean. i was good. i was already complete.

[bakushinverse]

ジェットジャガー Jet Jaguar | Jetto Jagā [Size Changing Robot with a kickass theme song]

“It appears that Jet will be receiving a baptism of fire. I hope that you’re up to the task my metallic friend. Go and tell Shin Gojira how we say hello on this planet.”

After the events in 2016 of Shin Gojira’s raid on Japan, a coalition of nations including Germany, America, Britain, China, Australia and Japan lent there resources for a contingency plan outside Monarch and the UN’s jurisdiction. In a secret facility located in the unforgiving Australia desert near Uluru, Goro Ibuki’s size changing technology discovered in 2009 was finally put to use in Project Jaguar. Although the project was started in 2018, the project was fast tracked in 2019 after Biollante’s appearance in the Amazon rainforest.

With Monarch’s Antarctic Outpost 32 suddenly overrun with Shin Gojira’s mutant army and Shin Gojira in complete control of the MechaGodzilla Kiryu, all of Monarch’s Outposts went into lockdown as Shin used Kiryu to transmit a global jamming signal, now unable to respond to the threat causing Project Jaguar to be prematurely launched. With Yoroi Godzilla already moving to intercept Shin Gojira, Mothra, Anguirus and Rodan close behind, Jet Jaguar made his way South to assist the Titans against the Mutant King.

Having already engaged Yoroi Godzilla and blasted some his armour plates off and ripped a hole in the opposing King’s neck, severely incapacitating the Titan King, Shin Gojira was ready to kill the downed King near the city of Melbourne. The Stealth Bombers distracted the monstrous ShinGoji Kiryu as Jet Jaguar ambushed the half mech Godzilla from beneath his feet. It allowed Yoroi to heal his neck wounds however with his plates knocked off, Yoroi had become vulnerable and prone to attack from Krystalaks and Shin Gojians.

Jet managed to counter the now literal iron grip of Shin Godzilla however Kiryu's targeting system allowed Shin to target weaknesses in Jet's body and allowed Shin Godzilla to violently attack and pummel the robot mercilessly until it's right arm was ripped off and it's size changing module was destroyed.

This did not stop Jet Jaguar however, as he continued to fight on despite his handicap, somewhat impressing Shin Godzilla with his tenacity.

Height:

Varies (Tallest height is 95m)

Attributes:

Size changing module created by Goro Ibuki

Can punch, punch, punch

Can strategize and adapt to situations

Made of a heat resistant alloy, able to withstand Godzilla’s atomic breath and strength

Inbuilt speakers, so he can his theme for a dramatic entrance

Stronger when not in larger forms, the smaller he is the more dense and durable

Unlike most current technology, will not fail in extreme radioactive areas making him useful for nuclear meltdowns.

Can Punch, Punch, Punch!

Some say he eats sushi from a pail but that is blatantly something lost in translation. 

Personality:

Has a can do attitude

Positive and extremely friendly to anyone that isn’t Shin Gojira

Friend to children

Also a friend to Gamera

Yoroi tolerates him however Legendary Godzilla considers the robot a close friend.

Rodan also likes him which is odd considering Rodan doesn’t like anyone except himself.

One of the few robots that Dr Serizawa likes

Basically everyone loves him. Except ShinGoji, but ShinGoji is an asshole.

Megalon isn’t too fond of him either.

__________________ ShinMonsterVerse Series FIRST | PREVIOUS | NEXT __________________ SHIN MONSTERVERSE INDEX

[electronicbags]

un (april 23, 2024)

composed somewhere in taft swallowing syllables mouthing vowels unsaying said

a reversal from  this drought we bled 

too much love too much joy  to even hove through life

we’d dry in dirt if not for the mirage of skin on skin

sweat on sweat kiss after kiss

may we intake  all our love  misplaced

inject them back replenishing anemic veins

an inwards Promethean ritual a bloody baptism

[hippiesolitude]

Not that anyone asked, but I wanted to compile a list of my top 5 favorite episodes of Futurama and see if anyone else had a similar list :D

5. Godfellas - I mean, who doesn’t love this episode. Bender floating alone in space playing God is just way too good of a plot line. I especially love it bc of how dedicated Fry is to find him. Something about that is just way too wholesome.

4. The Late Philip. J Fry - This episode is just absolutely fantastic the entire way around. I think it is one of the coolest interpretations of time travel the show has done. I love the song, I love the way Leela thinks Fry stood her up and then died, and I love that they crack a 6 pack open to watch the world end. It’s just one of the best.

3. I Second That Emotion - This one I feel like is not on many people’s list, but something about it is just so great. Bender feeling actual human emotion really got me in this one. This was probably the episode where I decided Bender was my favorite character. Not only is it hilarious, but seeing Bender be vulnerable is really cool, and there’s a ton of funny jokes in it too. Fry screaming and then going “I burned my finger” is probably one of my favorite jokes ever.

2. The Honking - This was actually the first episode of Futurama I had ever seen. So, it instantly earns a place on this list. The insane amount of jokes in this episode earn it a high spot. The Shining references, Fry getting emo bc Bender picked Leela over him, Leela’s frozen meals joke, Bender being covered in transmission fluid instead of blood… the list goes on! It really holds a close place to my heart.

1. Hell is Other Robots - This episode I whole heartedly believe is the best Futurama has ever done. We are introduced to the Robot Devil, who is an incredible character, and see so much of the Beastie Boys; who I love. Not only that, but I think electricity addicted Bender is one of the funniest interpretations of his character ever. And then religious Bender… “who wants to come to my exceedingly long, un-airconditioned baptism ceremony” has to be one of the funniest jokes in the show. And to top it all off, the SONG!!!! I literally have the entire thing memorized because of just how much I’ve watched this episode. The way Fry and Leela work together to save Bender too is just too good. Overall, this episode is just incredible.

Some other runner ups include Silence of the Clamps, Lethal Inspection, and Ghost in the Machines.

I’d love to hear everyone else’s top 5!! :)))

[spoopy-moose]

a guide to self-annihilation

first, understand that everything is infinite except you. understand that a second is a million years, and a minute is one quadrillion. know that moss grows in the depth of your lungs as you breathe, and secretly rot creeps as you sleep.

then, beneath your skin, let another touch you there where the flesh is mottled and blue, growing fuzz like the gout along tiles or else entrails left on the side of the road stinking meek and stale. let their fingernails dig and their dead skin scraps fall like brittle snow or glass between your bones and sinews and flesh and skin and nerves and

understand that everything will endure except you. third, know that this body will live on long past the point when you have died. a mausoleum, or a haunted house to you, its ghost or bones whose presence engulfs in absence. and in death the mould will multiply: your skin warm and moist to the touch, your bones hollow, lichen-grown, termite-filled, and

know that everything will live, one way or another despite you. then, allow yourself to be unspooled, unwound, undone, unmade, un… until you’re nothing but ribbons of flesh along the floor or in the arms of another whose fingers digs at your threads. let gentle the beetles gnaw at your skin, gentle the ants carry you away atom by atom. and if they are to draw blood, or elicit pain, allow too that pain to be chipped away, or overgrown, or eaten,

and know that in ending everything is beautiful but everything will hurt. finally, give yourself over to encircle a wound made on the skins of the earth and repeat a prayer bubbling pus and fungi down a spiral staircase that is a fractal. let your being melt into everything else, let the others’ cacophony of hands pull at threads and scraps and bones, let annihilation wash over you like a baptism, and

know that everything decays including you