#4 divine virtues

[yoga-onion]

Legends and myths about trees

Trees in Buddhism (3)

The Golden Wheel King – Maitreya appearing once every 3,000 years with the the flowers of the udumbara (Ref)

His body colour is gold, crowned with a crown of seven treasures, and light emanates from its entire body. He makes a sign and sits in the full lotus position on a lotus flower decorated with the seven treasures. The lotus flower on which he is seated has a jeweled crown and a treasure pond beneath it.

The most outstanding of the Wheel-Turning Kings, the Golden Wheel King, has an extremely superior merit of the buddhosnisa (the superior brain of Tathagata, the divinity of the intellect to save people).

According to the description in the Buddhist scriptures, the concept of the Wheel-Turning King (Pali: chakravarti, Skt. cakravartin) was roughly as follows.

The world goes through cycles of prosperity and decline. In times of prosperity, the human lifespan is 80,000 years, but as human virtue is lost, the lifespan becomes shorter, and in the age of darkness, when all good is lost, it is 10 years. Thereafter, human virtue is restored, and once again we enter the age of prosperity, when the lifespan is 80,000 years.

It is during this age of prosperity that the transmigration of the Wheel-Turning King will emerge, as a result of his good deeds in his previous lives. He has the same 32 auspicious signs (Ref), signifying a great being like the Buddha, and rules the earth up to the four oceans with the power of the law, without using force of arms.

There are 4 types of Wheel-Turning Kings: the Golden Wheel King, the Silver Wheel King, the Bronze Wheel King, and the Iron Wheel King. The Iron Wheel King has the Iron Wheel and rules over one of the 4 continents that were considered to exist on the earth in the ancient Indian worldview. Likewise, the Copper Wheel King has the Copper Wheel and rules over two continents, and the Silver Wheel King has the Silver Wheel and rules over three continents. The Golden Wheel King, the highest Wheel-Turning King, has the Golden Wheel and rules all 4 continents. For this reason, the Golden Wheel King, like the Wheel-Turning Kings, is surrounded by his seven attributes.

The seven treasures and four divine virtues of the Wheel Turning Sage King:

Chakraratna wheel: rolls in all directions and makes the king level the earth.

Elephant treasure (hatthiratana): a pure white elephant that also flies in the sky.

Horse treasure (assaratana): pure white horses that also fly in the sky.

Octagonal gem treasure (maniratana): jewels whose luminous emanations can reach as high as 1yojana (7mi/12–15 km).

His queen (itthiratana): a dutiful and chaste queen with good looks and fragrance.

Finance minster (gahapatiratana): wealthy citizens who support the state.

General treasure (parinayakaratana): a wise, capable and skilled general.

They are also said to possess the four divine virtues:

good looks

long life

Fewer illnesses, fewer worries

Respect from Brahmin Gahapati and compassion for them

木にまつわる伝説・神話

仏教の樹木 (3)

金輪王 (こんりん‐おう) 〜 3000年に一度、うどんげの花（参照）とともに現れる弥勒菩薩

体色は金色で七宝冠を戴き全身から光を放つ。印を結んで七宝で飾られた蓮の花の上に結跏趺坐する。座っている蓮華の下に輪宝、さらにその下に宝池がある。

転輪聖王のうち最も優れた金輪王は、仏頂尊 (如来の優れた頭脳、人々を救済する知性を神格化したもの)の霊験が極めて優れている。

仏典の記述によれば、転輪聖王 (てんりんじょうおう、転輪王とも)の概念とは大まかに以下のようなものであった:

世界は繁栄と衰退の循環を繰り返し、繁栄の時には人間の寿命は8万年であるが、人間の徳が失われるにつれて寿命は短くなり、全ての善が失われた暗黒の時代には10年となる。その後、人間の徳は回復し、再び8万年の寿命がある繁栄の時代を迎える。

転輪聖王が出現するのはこの繁栄の時代であり、彼は前世における善行の結果、転輪聖王として現れる。ブッダのような大いなる存在を意味する32の希少で特別な身体的特徴（参照）を持ち、4つの海に至るまでの大地を、武力を用いる事無く、法の力を以って統治する。

転輪聖王には金輪王、銀輪王、銅輪王、鉄輪王の4種類がある。鉄輪王は鉄の輪宝を持ち、古代インドの世界観で地球上に4つあるとされた大陸のうち、1つの大陸を支配する。同様に銅輪王は銅の輪宝を持ち、2つの大陸を、銀輪王は銀の輪宝を持ち、3つの大陸を支配する。そして最上の転輪聖王である金輪王は、金の輪宝を持ち、4つの大陸全てを支配するという。そのため金輪王の周りには、転輪聖王が従えるという七つの宝が配置されている。

転輪聖王は七種の宝と徳性を持つと言う：

輪宝 (ﾁｬｯｶﾗﾀﾅ): 四方に転がり、王に大地を平定させる

象宝 (ﾊｯﾃｨﾗﾀﾅ): 空をも飛ぶ純白の象

馬宝 (ｱｯｻﾗﾀﾅ): 空をも飛ぶ純白の馬

珠宝 (ﾏﾆﾗﾀﾅ): 発する光明が1由旬(12–15 km)にも達する宝石

女宝 (ｲｯﾃｨﾗﾀﾅ): 美貌と芳香を持つ従順かつ貞節な王妃

居士宝 (ｶﾞﾊﾊﾟﾃｨﾗﾀﾅ): 国を支える財力ある市民

将軍宝 (ﾊﾟﾘﾅｰﾔｶﾗﾀﾅ): 賢明さ、有能さ、練達を備えた智将

また四種の神徳を持つと言う：

美貌

長寿

少病少悩

バラモン・ガハパティからの敬愛と彼らに対する慈愛

[kociamieta]

Out of the scale of 1 to 10 which version/interpretations of angels look horrifying or majestic?

1. Bayonetta Angels

2. Evangelion Angels

3. Diablo Angels

4. Legion Angels

5. Classic Bible Accurate Angels

6. Angelerium Angels

8. DOOM angels

7. Ultrakill Angels

8. The Woodsprite and Death from Guillermo Del Toro's Pinnochio

9. Dark Souls Angels

10. Shin Megamei Tensei Angels

anon i'm afraid i'm unfamiliar with like, 70% of these. so i can't "rate" them other than based on their looks. instead of a scale of 1 to 10 you're getting my thoughts on their designs as i am notoriously bad at Ranking Things. and some babbling overall. enjoy

starting off with Bayonetta angels. Holy shit. the range.... monster-looking ones? humanoids? ships??? cars????? the flesh inside those gold and marble shells??? love them, quite horrifying and majestic at once.

Evangelion! cool stuff. always love some strange organic shapes for angels, and the very geometric ones are pretty interesting as well

Diablo. i like the tendril-like wings. the lack of a visible face is pretty cool as well..

i... i'm assuming you're talking about the 2010 movie "Legion". no comment on this one.

i'm not really sure what "Classic Bible Accurate Angels" would entail. if you're pedantic enough, you can argue that the cherubim and ophanim in Ezekiel's vision aren't exactly "angels" in the literal sense of the word. malakim/messengers/angels could appear as pretty much human. either way, the celestial being category is quite fascinating

my jaw dropped when i saw the Angelarium website. the designs?? the drawings themselves???? the writing as well. obsessed with this???? hello....... Definitely quite majestic

DOOM. huh. that's a pretty interesting looking alien behind that armor. i'm assuming the angel comparison works in the game's context

ULTRAKILL! yay! Gabriel and the Council's armor are pretty cool, and i like the virtues too (their concept art is so good!!!). hope we get to see more angels in the future.

ahhhhg they're both so cool. love how Death is a sphynx. i can't tell if they're exactly supposed to be angels (saw the Woodsprite called a "fairy" somewhere?), but the motifs are so good regardless

Dark Souls. ojh wow. i think these are the most disturbing on this list, i love them. taking organic shapes to another level.... they remind me of mycelia.... huge win for horrifying angel nation

i wasn't really sure what to focus on with Shin Megami Tensei. the angel enemy itself (poor thing went through a lot, design wise)? the divine demon class as a whole (a... lot of characters to look at)? so i went with the archangels. their SMT IV versions are great, the ornate and quite organic-looking shapes put them on the majestic end of the spectrum for me

[youremyheaven]

Random Vedic Astrology Observations

Adele who is Ardra Rising and Lana Del Rey who is Ardra Sun both have a Paradise tattoo on the side of their hand

This is very interesting symbolism because Ardra nakshatra is preceded by Mrigashira nak which follows the fall from Paradise.

2. Pisces natives 🤝🏼 sculptures

L to R

Rihanna- Revati Stellium (including Moon & Rising)

Ava Gardner- Ketu in (1 degree Pisces) Purvabhadrapada

Bella Hadid- Ketu in UBP

Rosie Huntington Whiteley- UBP Mercury & Rahu, Mars in Purvabhadrapada (0 degrees Pisces) and Jupiter in Revati atmakaraka

Jin- UBP Moon

Isabelle Adjani- Revati Rising

Salma Hayek- UBP Moon

3. Jyeshtas really love jewellery

Vidya Balan- Mercury in Jyeshta (atmakaraka)

Rekha- Jyeshta Rising

Kim Kardashian- Jyeshta Rising

Nicki Minaj- Jyeshta Sun

4. I'd earlier made an observation about how Mars influenced men tend to go after older women and I thought I'd add a few more examples to that list!!

Sachin Tendulkar & Anjali Tendulkar have an age gap of 6 years and their wedding was hugely controversial when it took place in the 90s. Sachin was only 22 when he got married.

Sachin has Mars in Dhanishta atmakaraka and Moon in Purvashada amatyakaraka

Shikhar Dhawan and his ex-wife Ayesha Mukerji have an age gap of 10 years.

Shikhar is Dhanishta Rising, Mars in Chitra atmakaraka with Purvaphalguni Moon

Arjun Kapoor and Malaika Arora have an age gap of 12 years

He is most likely Chitra Rising

He also has Venus (amatyakaraka) conjunct Rahu in Bharani

I know that Bharani is Venus ruled but Bharani is the confluence of Mars & Venus energies and is ruled by the Mars ruled Aries and is another nakshatra that commonly appears in the charts of men drawn to older women

Aditya Pancholi is 6 years younger than his wife Zarina Wahab

He has Sun in Purva Ashadha, Venus amatyakaraka (in Jyeshta) Jupiter in Bharani and Rahu in Mrigashira

Karan Singh Grover is 6 years younger than Bipasha Basu

He has Moon in Dhanishta, Mars (amatyakaraka) conjunct Saturn (atmakaraka) in Chitra with Ketu in Purva Ashada

Vicky Kaushal is 5 years younger than Katrina Kaif

He has Venus in Mrigashira, Mars in Dhanishta, Jupiter (amatyakaraka) in Bharani, Ketu in Purva phalguni

Farhan Akhtar and his first wife, Adhuna Akhtar have an age gap of 7 years.

Farhan has Sun (atmakaraka) conjunct Mercury (amatyakaraka) in Purva Ashada and Saturn conjunct Ketu in Mrigashira

5.

idk if im crazy but i think these 2 women have similar features 😭😭

Zhou Xun is Chitra Sun, Anuradha Moon, Swati Mercury, Chitra Venus & Mars

Ning Ning is Chitra Sun, Bharani Moon, Swati Venus and Ketu in Anuradha

6. Rihanna has a tattoo of Goddess Isis on her chest

Rihanna is Revati Moon and Goddess Isis had powers like love, healing, fertility, protection, wisdom and magic. By virtue of her magical knowledge, she was said to be "more clever than a million gods". Revati nakshatra natives are endowed with divine spiritual wisdom and the deity of Revati, Pushan is the Sun-god in the form of Divine Guide and Nourisher, who helps us to find the right path and leads us to the right solutions.

Revati represents wisdom, empathy, unconditional love, fertility, growth, prosperity & spirituality.

7. Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-American escape artist, illusionist, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts.

He has UBP Sun, Mrigashira Moon, Venus in Revati (exalted) and Ketu in Swati with Shravana Rising

Swati is connected to Maya or illusion so it makes sense as to why someone who has Ketu placed there would become notorious for hoodwinking the public.

Mrigashira nakshatra involves HEAVY themes of running away, escape and being trapped AND finding a way out. If you look at the mythology, its about Brahma's favourite daughter who takes the form of a deer to leave the heavens and run away to the earth to escape her father's sexual advances towards her.

Pisces rashi is almost always present in the charts of magicians or people who have some kind of illusory appeal on the public. Most mega successful celebrities have prominent Pisces placements, most supremely talented actors and singers do. The ability to put yourself out there yet remain completely mysterious and keep people under a veil is a uniquely Piscean trait.

Obviously with that Shravana Asc, he was basically born for this job. Moon dominant people are ADEPT at manipulation and making black seem like white or vice versa.

Dua Lipa recently released a song titled Houdini and she's Punarvasu Moon which I think is another nakshatra that is good at casting illusions.

[cryptotheism]

I know this a pedantic question, but I am curious to hear your response. You have often said that Hermeticism is distinct from Gnosticism because it takes a non-dualistic stance, and does not hate the world. What then do you make of parts of the Corpus Hermeticum like Book 4 where Hermes says "If you don't first hate your body, son, you cannot love yourself." or in Book 6 where he says "For the World is the sum total of evil"? There seems to be a decidedly dualistic philosophy throughout many books of the Corpus Hermeticum.

Imo the key there is parsing what Trismegistus means by "self".

I think you'll agree that hermetic literature tends to see things more in terms of truth and illusion rather than sin and virtue.

It's not necessarily that the body and it's desires are the source of evil, just that the physical world is the shadow on the wall, cast by the fires of divine truth. Within the hermetic view, things like Evil can only actually exist as an obfuscation of divinity. It's not that the world itself is evil, just that its the only thing that can contain evil.

As opposed to many Gnostic texts, where god itself is evil.

[fluffyfebruary]

Fluffy February Prompts 2023

Welcome to Fluffy February 2023!  Back for a third year, we want to spread fluff and good feelings throughout all of February.

This year, we’re reverting to the one-prompt-a-day format from 2021.  As in previous years, no one is obliged to write/draw/create every single day -- do as many as you want!  The official guidelines are posted here.

Above the cut are the one-word prompts.   Below the cut, I’ve included some phrases and suggestions in case the one-word prompt isn’t stirring something creatively.  You are totally free to reinterpret the prompt in a different way;  the stuff below the cut is just to help someone out of block if needed.  Please tag @fluffyfebruary​​ so we can reblog your creations!

Soooo here we go!  Happy creating!

1. Hello

2. Soft

3. Anniversary

4. Starlight

5. Amber

6. Stretch

7. Cloak 

8. Callous

9. Breezy

10. Thunder

11. Immaculate

12. Shell

13. Pride

14. (Free Space/Do Your Own Prompt)

15. Reward

16. Glow

17. Blessed

18. Glide

19. Loop

20. Sink

21. Tender

22. Remember

23. Crave

24. Bubbly

25. Murmur

26.  Joy

27. Blaze

28. Goodbye

Here is the prompt list again, this time with some potential interpretations to try to get your creativity going, if you’re struggling with a prompt.  As stated above, you are under no obligation to use ANY of these -- this is just to bust blocks.

1. Hello  -- the first meeting, the start of a day, a surprise…

2. Soft – a sound, a voice, a feeling…

3. Anniversary – a day to be remembered, a day to remember, another year…

4. Starlight – in night, in comparison, in color…

5. Amber – a stone, a color, a scent, a name…

6. Stretch – limbs, clothes, boundaries, ability…

7. Cloak  -- clothing, to obscure, a device…

8. Callous – an attitude, where something has rubbed, rough...

9. Breezy– an attitude, a voice, the weather, approach...

10. Thunder – weather, noise, a voice, rumble...

11. Immaculate  -- divine, perfect, untouched, clean, sinless...

12. Shell – a home, a part, a covering, an ear, to remove from a hard place, what once was...

13. Pride  -- a group of lions, a feeling, a sin, a virtue...

14. (Free Space/Do Your Own Prompt)

15. Reward  - for a deed done, for achievement, just desserts...

16. Glow – light, skin, a smile, eyes, a warmth...

17. Blessed  -- favored, gifted, lucky, a curse, uttered in frustration...

18. Glide  -- to soar, to skim, to slide, music, dance ...

19. Loop – a path, a knot, a circuit, a stunt, connection ...

20. Sink  -- a verb or a noun or a feeling ...

21. Tender  -- a person or an approach, to show care...

22. Remember – recall, memory, to summon back again, to learn, to ignore...

23. Crave  -- yearn, desire, pine, for a person, for a food....

24. Bubbly -- from heat, from a reaction, to blow, soapy, a personality, fizzy, champagne...

25. Murmur  -- the hum of the crowd, a low voice, something tender, articulate, inarticulate...

26.  Joy  -- happiness, pure pleasure, a virtue...

27. Blaze  -- burn, streak, smoke, to color, to destroy...

28. Goodbye  --- the end, until next time, never again, to set free...

[sistervirtue]

YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS

welcome to sistervirtue dot tumblr dot com. those of you who have read my url...seen my icon...may be wondering: who is this woman? who is Sister Virtue?

as the @original-character-championship bracket begins, I would like to take the time to introduce you to her. go on. take a seat.

[art credit: @/omusubigender, @/citrus-sours, @/kkbardd, @/pcktknife, @/celebiis, @/citrus-sours]

Sister Virtue is a not-quite woman not-quite of the cloth with a bit of a scowl and an unholy attitude problem. Formerly a cherub known as Theophania serving in the appellate choirs of heaven, she judged human souls and debated the dogma of heaven day in and day out.

Although a perfect machine of heaven, Theophania was not heartless. Through her friendship with the Archangel Gabriel, whom represents human souls and their interests in the courts of heaven, she learned about those she judged.

And I am going to let you in on a secret. Angels and demons are both creatures of passion, just their passion turns in different ways. Demons experience passion for the self. Angels turn their passion towards God. And for Theophania, her passion turned in a different way-- towards those silly little animals whom she watched day in and day out. (Even you!)

So when Gabriel came lamenting of the Seraphim's decision to bring forth the end of humanity, she may have done something a bit drastic. Drastic like stealing the Eye of God, an important artifact containing the summation of all knowledge, and then slamming it into her own skull in order to hold it hostage and kick up enough of a fuss that the angels acquiesced and agreed to come to some sort of truce. The ultimate blasphemy.

She would be felled. If she cared so much about those silly, stupid animals, she could spend the rest of eternity proving they were worth it. Shoved into a body made of flesh and her powers largely sealed behind seven penances, Sister Virtue is tasked with protecting humanity from all threats divine or diabolic. She cannot die; [officially banned to prevent any loopholes or complicated litigation later] but she can give up... but doing so would mean damning all of humanity in the entire process.

After crash-landing into a convent and taking the administrative lead of the attached school (now known as Eschaton Academy) Sister Virtue is establishing a network of those both blessed and possessed to aid her in the arduous process of keeping people safe, all while trying to figure out what it means to be human herself.

So Why should you vote for her?

Let's face it, we're not in high school any more.

Coming of age stories for teens are fun, but sometimes... you don't really start coming of age until your 20's, 30's, 40's... Virtue, 37 human years old, is here to show the journey of growing into your skin even if that comes after high school.

2. She's hot as hell.

A nun in her work uniform, Sister Virtue at heart is a truckin', smokin', wrestlin' uncle of a woman, and her casual attitude and casual attire reflect this. And let's face it. A woman who hates wearing shirts and has a happy trail is a god-sent gift for all of us.

[art credit @ koiiluvz]

3. She's just a bit weird.

She named her car (a self-"upgraded" hearse) the Popemobile. She smokes cigarettes because she likes the taste. She doesn't mind nudity, but gets shy eating in public because digestion is just a little too intimate for an angel. She loves paperwork. Sometimes she regurgitates the angel equivalent of a hairball.

4. Don't know about all this original universe lore? She's got a D&D Iteration.

You can find her character sheet here-- She;s a tanky fallen aasimar paladin with 3 different ways to intimidate. Because you don't even need a gun with an attitude like hers.

5. She'd vote for you

At the end of the day, Sister Virtue is someone who runs on love. Love for all of humanity. Including you. Even if you don't believe in Virtue, virtue believes in you, and you should believe in you too.

Questions? Concerns? Comments? Check out my eschaton academy tag. Or pop into my inbox or dms.

(she even has emotes. art credit @/pcktknife, @/citrus-sours, and @/GR4FF1T1 [on toyhouse] )

[hopethroughscriptureministries]

Discovering the Power of God's Word:

A Journey Through Scripture

Introduction: Embark on a captivating journey through the timeless wisdom and power of God's Word as we delve into the pages of Scripture. Join us as we uncover the transformative truths, hidden treasures, and life-changing promises waiting to be revealed in the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture Passage: Psalm 119:105 (KJV) Cross References: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12, James 1:22-25

Commentary: In Psalm 119:105, the psalmist declares, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." The Word of God serves as a guiding light, illuminating our way and directing our steps in the midst of darkness and uncertainty.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 affirms the divine inspiration and authority of Scripture, declaring that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Hebrews 4:12 describes the Word of God as living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. It penetrates deep into the innermost recesses of our being, exposing truth and bringing transformation.

James 1:22-25 admonishes believers not only to be hearers of the Word but also doers, for blessed are those who hear the Word and obey it. The Word of God is likened to a mirror, reflecting our true spiritual condition and revealing areas in need of alignment with God's will.

John 15:1-17 - Jesus' teaching on abiding in Him as the vine and bearing fruit.

Colossians 3:12-17 - Paul's exhortation to clothe ourselves with virtues such as kindness, humility, and forgiveness.

Matthew 7:16-20 - Jesus' teaching on recognizing false prophets by their fruits.

Ephesians 5:9 - Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit as being in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.

Matthew 12:33 - Jesus speaks about how a tree is known by its fruit.

James 3:17-18 - James describes the wisdom from above as being pure, peaceable, gentle, and full of good fruits.

Proverbs 11:30 - "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise."

Psalm 1:3 - "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

Galatians 5:16-26 - The contrast between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.

Luke 6:43-45 - Jesus' teaching on how a good tree brings forth good fruit, and an evil tree brings forth evil fruit.

These cross-references provide additional insights and perspectives on the fruit of the Spirit, encouraging further study and reflection on this vital aspect of the Christian life.

Questions:

How does the Word of God guide and illuminate your path in life?

In what ways do you actively engage with Scripture to experience its transformative power?

How can you apply the truths and principles found in God's Word to your everyday life and decision-making?

What steps can you take to deepen your understanding and appreciation of the King James Version of the Bible?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of your Word, which is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Open our hearts and minds to receive the truths and promises contained within its pages, and empower us to live according to your will. May your Word dwell richly in us, guiding, transforming, and renewing us day by day. Amen.

[funeral]

The basic tenets of alchemy:

1. The universe has a divine origin. The cosmos is an emanation of One God. Therefore All is One.

2. Everything in the physical world exists by virtue of the Law of Polarity or Duality. Any idea can be defined in relation to its opposite, such as: male-female, light-dark, sun-moon, spirit-body, and so on.

3. Everything in the physical world is composed of Spirit, Soul, and Body: the Three Alchemic Principles. (In alchemy, these are called Mercury, Sulfur, and Salt.)

4. All alchemical work, whether practical laboratory work or spiritual alchemy, consists of three basic evolutionary processes: separation, purification, and recombination.

5. All matter is composed of four archetypal energies—the four elements of Fire (thermal energy), Water (liquid), Air (gas), and Earth (solid). The knowledge and skillful use of these four energy types is an essential part of alchemical work.

6. The Quintessence, or “Fifth essence,” is contained within the four elements but is not one of them. It is one of the three essential Principles, also called the Philosophic Mercury.

7. Everything moves toward its preordained state of perfection.

Israel Regardie, The Philosopher’s Stone: Spiritual Alchemy, Psychology, and Ritual Magic

[maremote]

🏴‍☠️🦜MONOLOGUOLYMPICS FINAL ROUND🦜🏴‍☠️

2/4: Silver vs Jack

Silver, to Flint, in 409: "I have no story to tell. [...] Not unremarkable, just… without relevance. A long time ago, I absolved myself from the obligation of finding any. No need to account for all my life's events in the context of a story that somehow… defines me. Events, some of which, no one could divine any meaning from… other than that the world is a place of unending horrors. I've come to peace with the knowledge… that there is no storyteller imposing any coherence, nor sense, nor grace upon those events. Therefore, there's no duty on my part to search for it. You know of me all I can bear to be known. All that is relevant to be known. That is to say, you know my genuine friendship… and loyalty. Can that be enough and there still be trust between us?”

Jack, to Mark Read, in 410: "‘A story is true. A story is untrue. As time extends, it matters less and less. The stories we want to believe… those are the ones that survive, despite upheaval and transition and progress. Those are the stories that shape history. And then what does it matter if it was true when it was born? It's found truth in its maturity, which if a virtue in man ought to be no less so for the things men create. […] Long John Silver's story… is a hard one to know. The men who believed most deeply in it… were ultimately destroyed by it. And those who stood to benefit most from it… were the most eager to leave it all behind. Until all that remains of any of it… are stories bearing only a passing resemblance to the world the rest of us lived in. A world we survived. A world that is no more."

polls tagged #bsm81

[peacereturnedtothevalley]

I am not legally bound to this but I keep feeling a need to find a common theme w all the fatt PCs per player so here is my not-peer reviewed analysis (obviously not completely universal due to the sheer number of characters):

dre characters - unnassuming but surprising when they follow their convictions to shocking or violent ends. may or may not sleep/eat/die

ali characters - blorbos and icons. Romance is important in shaping the characters 

janine characters - macabre, fully in her aesthetic wheelhouse or explorations outside of that comfort zone

sylvi characters - little guy and or really cool and or have family issues

art characters - stoic, explorations of religious worship, or a guy completely out of his depths may or may not alter life as we know it (i dont know enough about duvall)

keith characters - fun and funny and not taken seriously. unsurprisingly follow their convictions but to unexpectedly sad ends

jack characters - wide variety, multiplicity, convincing in-character role play, one brit allowed

Not planning on elaborating on all of these but for Jack wrt multiplicity (some c/w + marielda characters spoilers below 😱):

hitchcocks is twins

audy is audy and also two divines

fourteen fifteen has multiple bodies and got 4 of them on screen, each with distinct personality shifts even if the core is still themself

this doesnt count but the inherent nature of faction game

accounting for solos we have

lem (lem)

clem (clem)

kalar <3

pickman <3

so overall a lot a variety anyway

ALso elaborating on Sylvi characters (little guy really cool family issues):

Aubrey: little guy

Ephrim: really cool, family issues (lonely boy where do I belong where is home)

Echo: little guy really cool family issues

Millie - really cool, family issues (does being a clone count)

Virtue - really cool

Hazard - little guy

Cori - little guy family issues

[harlequinoccult]

The Valley of Luck was said to be a myth. Something that grandparents would tell their grand-kids around a campfire. Even those who worshiped Lucian, The God of Luck, thought it nothing but an old wives tale.

Until, one day, a man with an arm made of solid gold started telling people that he'd been there, that he'd seen the Valley. Word spread quickly, and suddenly, every continent was alight with the rumor that The Valley was real, that it could give you all the riches you could ever want, and then some. 

Choose from 4 different species to play as!

Humans, Elves, Fiendish, and Orcs!

Customize your Adventurer!

Each species have their own unique customization options!

Choose your weapon!

Five different weapons to choose from! That you can name! Or not!

Choose your skills!

Choose your three main skills! Use them to solve problems!

Build your personality!

Different personality traits! be a smartass! be timid! be honest! or not!

The Eldritch Doctor

-Xandin Ivory- Your "Employer" as it were. He largely comes off as aloof on a good day and down right cold on others. He keeps his face hooded, masked, or otherwise shrouded in darkness via magic, Few seem to know what he truly looks like, and those that do are evasive under questioning. He expects your absolute very best on the tasks he sets you on, but he doesn't come across as unfair. There are no shortage of rumors about the man, ranging from completely banal to down right terrifying. Certainly, a warlock acting as a village doctor couldn't be as cruel as he's rumored to be....could he?

The Immortal Bard

-Yuuki Itsuki- A playful bard that seemingly everyone knows, who apparently knows everyone. Everyone but you, that is. He seems keen on remedying that with his uncanny ability to show up in the most unlikely of places, as he's taken an interest in your quest. There are rumors that he's immortal, that he's been around for decades, that he knows where The Valley is, but keeps it a secret. Is he really just a friendly face, or is there something deeper behind his charming demeanor?

The Arcane Knight

-Andrew Hartlyn- The current sovereign's personal guardian, He's been protecting them since they were a child and considers them family. Kind and level headed, He comes off as an uncomplicated man born from humble beginnings, but the question remains of how this seemingly normal man became the guardian of the Altrien monarch is a mystery to many, most of all you. Is this man as modest as he claims, or is there something more extraordinary going on with this knight?

The Vibrant Valkyrie

-Claudia Duskstar- A descendant of the goddess Illumae, her angelic features contrasts sharply with her impudent demeanor. A known bar fly and gambler, this mercenary claims she's only in it for the coin nowadays, but she has plenty of history she isn't exactly keen on sharing, not while sober anyway. Is this divine paladin truly just done with valor and virtue, or can you prove to her that there is some goodness left to protect after all?

The Wandering Merchant

 -Vylasia Ambrees- The ever charismatic merchant you stumbled upon by pure chance, Vylasia has her ear right at the pulse of the rumor mill. She and her trusty steed Diego have traveled far and wide in her caravan, she hocks her wares with an air of mystery and allure and barters her knowledge to the highest bidder, but she seems to keep people at arms length and always plays her persona of the mysterious merchant flawlessly. Will you be able to find out how this merchant really feels about you?

The Enigmatic Noble

-Cyrus/Cyriene/Cyrid Ari'Nodel- Cy is...an odd person by noble standards, from their blatant disdain for other houses of nobility, their extreme willfulness, to their oddly obfuscated noble parentage, they seem to be many contradictions bundled into one person, but the one thing you know they are, is the Ezrian council's head archivist, they've kept sensitive documents for the Council safe for years, but that can't be the only reason their frequent insubordination and flippant attitude is ignored, can it?

______________________________________________________________                                                -DEMO-           

[ome-magical-ramblings]

Incense pt.3 , Blessings of Spirits.

First practical working with the Censer and I would like this to come out of the first and second sections that we did. Is that we make our own incense mix here. I will try to make it very simple and low on Ingredients. The reason I am starting with a blessing is that you want the censer to obtain blessing and virtue by blessing others.

Preparation for the Ritual is making the incense and we will work with: 1. one spoon of Sandalwood powder 2. one spoon of Brown Sugar or Arabic Gum 3. Add enough water to make a dough of the correct consistency 4. Few drops of olive oil. 5. 3 resin of frankincense and myrrh. You put all of them in a bowl and start making a "ball" and rolling all ingredient together until you get something pretty consistent and looks good to use and you let it dry some of the water covered in shrink wrap or something like that. You let it sit for 2 weeks or so and dry out. As you can see in the image below on the right it is the incense mix I made recently and on the right is the one I use after it dries out. Something you can do is put something to "help" the incense mix burn and you might need some testing and fidgeting with the stuff. It's not an easy process but at least you're not going through the route of making self-combusting incense.

The Ritual Proper

I have to emphasize that this isn’t a general offering and I don’t condone nor support the idea of “feeding spirits” randomly. That mean this whole ritual will be very specific in who you want you to give the offering or the blessing to, in the same logic of why you wouldn’t give money to random people in the street or you wouldn’t go to Facebook marketplace and say “FREE MONEY” and then put your location.

The Ritual Outline would be:

1) Prayer to God/Divine Creator. 2) Establishing “Overseers” of the offerings and boundaries. 3) Prayers to call the spirits. 4) Blessings and Thanksgiving. 5) Closure.

Part 1

You Establish some connection to divinity with the ritual and start by asking for guidance, you can of course use the Hidden Stele instead of Aphorism 14 from Arbatel here:

O Lord of heaven and earth, Creator and Maker of all things visible and invisible; I, though unworthy, by thy assistance call upon thee, through thy onely begotten Son Jesus Christ our Lord, that thou wilt give unto me thy holy Spirit, to direct me in thy truth unto all good. Amen.

Because I earnestly desire perfectly to know the Arts of this life and such things as are necessary for us, which are so overwhelmed in darkness, and polluted with infinite humane opinions, that I of my own power can attain to no knowledge in them, unless thou teach it me: Grant me therefore one of thy spirits, who may teach me those things which thou wouldest have me to know and learn, to thy praise and glory, and the profit of our neighbour. Give me also an apt and teachable heart, that I may easily understand those things which thou shalt teach me, and may hide them in my understanding, that I may bring them forth as out of thy inexhaustible treasures, to all necessary uses. And give me grace, that I may use such thy gifts humbly, with fear and trembling, through our Lord Jesus Christ, with thy holy Spirit. Amen.

Part 2

You would put a little put of the incense you made now.

Calling the cardinal Archangels, I usually recommend that people approach this as prayers. You can use format or ask a different thing from each archangel and in any case here’s a format for sake convenience:

“Oh [Archangel name] I ask for your guidance and protection in my ritual today, help me reach those who need my prayers and guide my hand toward those who benefit the most of it. Surround my work in infinite purified divine light of God that no malicious or malevolent spirit may enter and partake in this work, I beseech thee by the blood of Jesus Christ that no deceitful spirit is allowed in this chamber and this blessing is given by the Light of the World our Lord Jesus Christ. “

NOTE: I have to emphasise that the wording that no other spirit comes except those who are coming in light or benevolent. You don’t want to skip this step, you can use whatever form of invocation and with whatever else spirits you usually work but I have to repeat don’t throw the invocation just as free money on the street.

Part 3

You would put a little more of the incense you made now.

Since I am going through this ritual with an elemental focus on mind, now is the time to work with the prayer of elementals. You can use the elemental prayers and walk around the circle calling each elemental kingdom to pray with you!

Part 4

Now the Blessing of the spirit is that you would use the 🖖🖖 gesture toward each direction, where the ritual in Sepher Yetzirah is about sealing the Depths then this ritual is about Blessing the depths. You face each direction and use Numbers 6:24-26

24 ‘“The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Each Direction you’re sending the blessings to the spirits, ancestors, angels, elementals, and so on who came to receive the blessings. East, South, West, North, East up, East Down. Then Stand there give it a bit, you don’t need to do anything right now and you can stand for a bit.

Part 5

Closure helps establish that the spirit who came on their ways and not have any lingering presence. I use Aphorism 21 from Arbatel to be honest:

Forasmuch as thou camest in peace, and quietly, and hast answered unto my petitions; I give thanks unto God, in whole Name thou camest: and now thou mayest depart in peace unto thy orders; and return to me again when I shall call thee by thy name, or by thy order, or by thy office, which is granted from the Creator. Amen.

 'Those that lower their voice in the presence of God's Apostle – their hearts has God tested for piety: for them is forgiveness and a great reward.'

[peachywise]

Lessons in Honesty

steve harrington x reader

chapter 1

– other chapters: part 1 ⋆ part 2 ⋆ part 3 ⋆ part 4 ⋆ part 5 ⋆ part 6 ⋆ part 7 ⋆ part 8 

– synopsis: Being Robin Buckley’s younger sibling had always been uneventful, up until she got herself tangled with Steve Harrington. And really, you were happy for her. She deserved friends. What was bothersome was when he got let in on small secrets like your infatuation with Eddie Munson, and decided to take it into his own hands to try and get him to pay attention to you-- by pretending to be your boyfriend. 

– notes: it has been a long time since i have written fan fiction but here i am!! my dumbass loves a fake-dating plot and i couldn’t resist. i hope to update this pretty regularly, and i post here and under the same username on ao3. i think i’m going to continue to post this as a reader insert and then do an alternative version that’s with an oc (because i can and reader insert series mess with my brain) BUT here’s to hoping y’all enjoy it!!  read here or on ao3  _____________________________

“Stop staring, dweeb.”

The voice cut through a fraction of your brain fog. Not enough to draw your attention away from your current pin-pointed focus, but certainly enough that some semblance of normal thought would have eventually trickled back in. You know, had it not been for the second later when an arm cut across your vision and someone flicked you on the forehead. Patience was never your sister’s virtue.

Still, it did shock you enough out of the stupid little reverie you had fallen into that had been going on for a good five minutes. It was probably better she busted the daydream before someone else caught you and thought you were someone’s lobotomy patient left without supervision.

“Christ, Robin!” You huffed, slapping away her hand as she gave you an indignant look. It was distraction enough that you managed to flick her right back on the forehead right after. Maturity was never your virtue.

“That was a lot harder than I did it,” she argued back, already trying to thwack you once again.

It quickly became a sitting wrestling match as you tried to capture each other’s arms, biting low insults at one another as it went along. You finally managed to yank Robin’s arm down and back to her side, head twisting fast to see if anyone was watching the scuffle. Thankfully not. There was already so much commotion between the football idiots trying to knock soda cans off one another’s heads by throwing a spiral. They probably weren’t even trying to hit the can anymore with how much harder they laughed when the ball slammed into someone’s face instead. I mean— It was kinda funny.

“I sat beside you, and you didn’t even notice me. Do you think that if you stare long enough, it will intimidate Eddie’s clothes into falling off his body?”

The instinctual hand that slapped over her mouth at that moment might have been loud enough to draw some attention if it wasn’t so perfectly timed with the loud smack that came from the football hitting someone in the face again. Divine intervention at its finest. 

“You don’t have to say every thought that pops into your head,” you whispered harshly, eyes still nervously darting around just to double-check no one had heard. Your only solace was that you hadn’t decided to sit at a closer table to Eddie, who was far out of earshot halfway across the quad.

“Tell me about it,” offered a new voice from directly behind you. Shock and surprise rolled through your body as if electrocuted, eyes widening as a familiar figure sat opposite you at the picnic table. “The other day, she was complaining about how annoying it is that your mom tells embarrassing stories about you both to company, but then lets it slip in the same sentence that she wet the bed until she was nine.” Robin must have kicked Steve’s shin under the table because he let out an even more dramatic “Ow!” than you thought him capable of.

“What, did they realize they made a mistake in letting you graduate and rescind your diploma?” You asked him, probably a bit more snippy of a greeting than usual, given that you were still red-faced and deflated from Robin’s mental attack.

Robin gave a short snort at how Steve reared his head back an inch, his floppy hair moving with him like its own appendage. “Ignore them. They’re just mad Eddie Munson doesn’t know they exist.”

You always thought choking on water was something only people on television did when they were shocked. Turns out, It was very much an honest reaction and one you could do simply with your own spit. “I hope you trip over your own feet and the doctors have to wire your jaw shut,” you breathed out, covering your heating face with your hands as you tossed your head back, wishing you were anyway else. And by anywhere, you meant that in the truest sense there was. Let the footballers whisk you away and use your face as target practice instead.

“Munson? You like Eddie’ The Freak’ Munson?” Steve sputtered back. You were thankful that he didn’t just laugh in your face instead, like when Robin found out. You still felt the phantom feeling of her spit flying on your face when she did. Then again, maybe laughter wasn’t the worst reaction. When you removed your hands from your face and saw the genuine look of astonishment and confusion cross his features, brows furrowed, head slightly cocked to the side and studying you as if you were the freak, you began to wonder if you’d prefer the slice of a chuckle and not the hammer of a disappointed and alienating stare. “So you’ll joke about me never graduating— which I did, they can’t just take that back— but find that a desirable trait in Eddie? You do realize he was held back for two years.” As if his own words finally hit his ears, he screwed his face up like he smelled something bad. “Jesus, dude is like twenty years old.”

“I never said it was logical, okay?” you huffed back, folding your arms over your chest, then unfolding them, feeling too restless and itchy at the scrutinization your sister and her idiot friend were putting you through. “I know it’s not going to happen—known that since I was a freshman and joined the Hellfire Club. You can both let it go now.”

You’re a Junior now, and Eddie still treats you the same as if you were a wandering lost puppy he pitied and took in. You kind of were back as a freshman. No friends, not really anyone to talk to other than Robin, wandering around aimlessly in the hallways like the least scary ghost there was, given how many people tried to walk through you. You’d prefer outward avoidance to that. Still, things were different now. Maybe your only friends were members of the Hellfire Club, but at least you’d ranked up from lost puppy to social pariah but with a decent backbone. Eddie, however, clearly didn’t see it that way. His nickname of pipsqueak stuck and has followed you since. Sometimes, he shortens it to Pip, which would be fine if half the student population didn’t think that actually was your name. Some didn’t even believe you when you corrected them.

Robin raised her hands up in surrender, which was bullshit if you’ve ever seen it. “Whatever. Look, I’ve got band practice, so you have to walk home by yourself. Tell Mom to remember to leave the leftovers in the fridge this time, okay? I don’t want to accidentally eat a fly like last time because she left my plate out.” She said that with so much ease as she stood up and walked away, acting as if she hadn’t behaved like someone sprinkled rat poison on her tongue when it happened. It was pretty gross, to be fair. Just thinking about it made you mentally gag and reach for a toothbrush.

“I’ll be fine,” you called out, the same time Steve let out a disgusted mangled noise that sounded halfway between a dog trying to get a stuck piece of kibble out of its throat and a baby trying to say their first words. You stood up from the bench and swung your backpack over one shoulder.

Steve’s voice cut off your movement when you began to walk away. “Hey, let me drive you home. Your sister made me come all the way here to drop off her trumpet she left in my car. I’m already acting like a glorified errand boy today.”

You gave a short, breathy laugh, eyebrow raised. “Just today?” You asked teasingly. That got you an eye roll. “I’m good. Robin just acts like this town is more dangerous than it is. I assure you, a walk by myself will not kill me.” She’s had a tendency to hover lately. And by association, so did Steve, though you just assumed it’s because you were hanging out with Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Max lately, and he had that weird sort of older brother/fifth-wheel type relationship with them. You also assumed it had something to do with Nancy. A lot of what Steve did had to do with Nancy.

“Are all you Buckley’s this painfully stubborn? Just get in the damn car,” he fought back with as much patience as your sister had. Which, as stated earlier, is none at all.

“Steve, it’s fine.“ At this point, you were arguing back merely on some screwed-up principle. You might have gotten farther with it had Steve not stalked next to you and yanked your backpack from your shoulder, already walking off towards the parking lot with conceited expectations that you would fall in line and trail behind him.

You did. He had your bag.

At least you managed to snag one last glance at Eddie as you walked past.

“Has anyone ever told you that your bossy?” You muttered under your breath as you stopped at the familiar burgundy brown BMW that your sister had begun to use as her personal taxi. He tossed your bag into the back once he slipped into the driver’s seat, leaning over the center console to push open the passenger door you waited by.

“Has anyone ever told you that you have bad taste in men?” He supplied back, putting the key in the ignition when you slammed the door shut.

“Don’t start,” you said, staring at him heavily annoyed as he pulled out of the parking lot. “I’m not even as bad as you. Everyone sees the way you pine after Nancy.”

His head snapped so fast to look at you that you quickly smacked his arm to remind him to keep his eyes on the road. “Everyone does not— I don’t *pine* after Nancy, okay? I get it. She’s with Jonathan. We’re friends.”

“Friends who want to—”

“Don’t start.”

Alright. Fair.

Still, it was hard to believe the whole friend’s thing, not only because of the looks Steve gave Nancy, but the ones you saw her give him behind his back. Jonathan wasn’t here. He was in California. And whether or not Nancy just gave Steve lingering looks that were remnants of the past, there were moments you wondered if that was just it. Robin surely didn’t. She was pro-Steve and Nancy all the way. You were shocked she hadn’t already made embarrassing T-shirts about it.

“Don’t let Robin pollute your thoughts,” Steve broke the silence, a more quiet seriousness passing over his concentrated face. “She thinks there’s still something there, but there isn’t. Probably because all these dates I’ve been on lately have all gone to shit. I think Nancy even stares at me with pity about it too.” Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he ran his other in a frustrated motion over his jaw. “It’s annoying. I wish everyone would get off my back about the whole thing.”

“Well, why not just tell them you’re seeing someone? Not like it has to be anyone in Hawkins. Dustin’s got that long-distance girlfriend of his.” It was easy enough to lie about that sort of thing, right?

Steve gave an unamused snort. “Yeah, like Robin will just let that one slide. She’ll see right through it.”

“Then just ask someone to pretend to be your girlfriend for a while. I’m sure plenty of people are lining up just to have a shot with the late, great Steve Harrington, even if it isn’t real,” you joked, though it was true. You’d never really talked to him before he became friends with Robin, but you remembered him from the hallways last year. Heard his name bounce around girl’s lips too often to ignore it.

“Thanks for that,” he muttered in return, hand gripping his steering wheel tightly as he went quiet once more. You shrugged, turning your attention to the window as you watched your neighbourhood come into view. Playgrounds, bright red fire hydrants, trees with tire swings hanging off thick branches. Yeah. Truly a terrifying small town if you ever saw one.

“But maybe you’re on to something.”

Of course, you were on to something. You may be hopeless sometimes, but you were actually pretty clever—

“Why don’t you date me?”

It was a good thing you weren’t the one driving. You would have crashed the car. He would have deserved it.

“You can just drop me off here,” you replied, reaching for the handle, thinking the best option in this scenario was to tuck and roll out of the car. Steve grabbed your wrist before you could. Damn.

“I don’t mean for real, smart ass. But think about it. It would solve my problem, and maybe even yours too.”

You turned back to look at him with a face that read, ‘maybe they should have taken away your diploma, after all.’ “And what problem do you see me facing?”

“Eddie. Eddie’s your problem. You want him to notice you, right? Jerk off’s never been my fan, and it probably annoys the shit out of him that I hang around Henderson and the other idiots. Add you to that equation, mixed in with a guy’s stupid need to have something they can’t have, and he’ll want to be dating you in no time.”

Huh.

“It’s surprising you were never a mathlete in school with logic like that.”

“Can you be serious for a second?” Steve pleaded back at you, turning into your driveway as he did. Even though you were home, you didn’t think getting out of this car was going to be any easier at that moment than it was any earlier.

“I am being serious!” You replied back, a small laugh escaping you at the absolute absurdity. You wouldn’t be shocked if this was just some elaborate prank set up by Robin to pay you back for ruining her favourite sweater a week ago. It was a bit overkill, but you had to appreciate the effort. “You’re the one not being serious. No one would even believe it anyway.”

Steve gave an oddly offended look. “And why wouldn’t anyone believe it? What, you’d never stoop so low?” Jesus, here he was, putting words in your mouth already.

“No,” you said bluntly. “I mean you would never stoop so low. What, the holy ex-basketball player dating his best friend’s little sibling who spends most of their days drawing alone or playing Dungeons and Dragons? Doesn’t exactly scream your type.”

He opened his mouth to argue back, judging by the narrowed look of his brows but decided to drop whatever it was. He deflated with a sigh into his seat, bringing up a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “I-“ he paused again. “That’s not true, alright? Can you just think about it?”

You chewed the inside of your cheek, studying him and trying to understand why he was being so pushy with it. You could see how his predicament was bothersome. You’ve been on the receiving end of Robin’s persistent nagging countless times. But there was probably more to it than that if you were to bet. If Steve was so willing to sell himself out to try and make Eddie jealous, chances are he was hoping that using you would do the same for Nancy. He could deny it all he wanted, but there was still a hang-up there.

“Fine.” You relented, Steve’s hand immediately dropping from his face as he sat up perfectly straight like an obedient child just being told they could have one treat. You held up your hand to tamper it down. “Fine, I’ll think about it. Don’t get your hopes up.”

Turning back around to grab your backpack, you opened your door and slipped out of the car. Steve leaned over the seat and reached for the handle. You thought he would shut it and just be done with it, but he surprised you by saying, “don’t take too long. You don’t have to play hard to get with me,” with an infuriating smirk.

And then he shut the door in your face.

[bestworstcase]

Essentially, Light doesn't (and maybe never really has) understood. It begs the question, then, do you think he could? Accept that not all is defined by them? That what he did to Salem and mankind was, objectively, wrong? To restore their right to Ascension?

i don’t think they can persuade him with a moral argument, no. hard to do that when he’s motivated by his self-identification as their moral arbiter by virtue of being their creator. indeed i think trying to reason with him in good faith at all is probably doomed to failure, because he hasn’t been acting in good faith since he made salem immortal.

but i think he can be beaten at his own game because dark either ascended or wasn’t party to the ultimatum, and the exact wording light used was “these four relics will summon my brother and i back to remnant, and humanity will be judged.” light’s utmost priority is to uphold the order he and his brother established when they created this world, and he promised the same to ozma: he will not judge humanity alone, both of their creators will come back and decide together what humanity’s fate will be.

dark’s unilateral act on salem’s behalf is what sparked the whole conflict in the first place; with the ultimatum, light bent the rule but didn’t break it because 1. dark had already consented to bringing ozma, specifically, back from the dead, and 2. the ultimatum itself is only an elaborate restatement of the original state of affairs (“neither brother will interfere with humanity unless by mutual agreement”) and light is merely providing the means for humanity to solicit interference.

however, if dark no longer exists because he ascended and became something else, then he cannot return to remnant to judge humanity with his brother (and thus light can do nothing) and arguably the act of first leaving salem alive and then ascending would in itself constitute tacit judgment on dark’s part that humanity is worthy (and thus an implicit veto on light’s condemnation).

and if dark does still exist but wasn’t party to the ultimatum, he has standing to cancel the ultimatum because he did not agree to it in the first place, and unlike his brother dark has historically been 1. willing to change, 2. resistant to destroying their disruptive or “disobedient” creations (jabber, salem), 3. sympathetic to human suffering, and 4. really fucking resentful of his brother’s rigidity and unfair rules. which is to say, if dark is still around, he is not going to be best pleased when he hears what light has been doing behind his back—and that goes double if i’m right that dark deliberately pushed salem into rebellion after making her immortal, because “…and then she made herself into a grimm and utterly rejected the divine mandate” is everything dark could’ve hoped for.

so light is fucked either way. he can’t break the rules—he’s terrified of breaking the rules—but if he wants to condemn humanity and annihilate remnant, he will have to break the rules; but if he accepts that things have irrevocably changed (dark is either gone or unwilling to return), he will have to face the terrifying reality that the rules were always arbitrary and didn’t matter, and the only way to close his eyes to that is to break the rules and judge humanity without his brother, but doing so would itself be a tacit admission that the rules don’t matter.

his self-described purpose is to maintain order by following the rules he and his brother agreed upon, and he’s put himself into a situation of his own making where it is completely impossible to fulfill that purpose. he’s going to fucking break.

and what happens to afterans when they break? they’re called home to the tree, to shed what they were and become themselves anew.

i don’t think the story ends with the god of light doing anything to or for humanity; rather, they do for him what the cat did for the afterans, guide him back to the tree because he’s lost himself, and then it’s up to humanity to make their own fate.

[phlve]

Point 4

Point 4 is known as "Ego-Melancholy". The fixation is also known as "Over-Reasoner".

This ego derives from the Image Ego, which is a response to the Relation Instinct. The psychic poison of the Relation Instinct at the root of Ego-Melancholy is Jealousy.

Ego-Melancholy experiences a sense of being criticized in the childhood relationship with a Father figure.

The main ego-characteristic of this fixation is Melancholia. The Passion which feeds this ego is Envy. The primary defence mechanism is Introjection. Worsening of this fixation can lead to the Borderline Personality Disorder. A secondary defence mechanism is Reaction-Formation. Further worsening leads to psychosomatic illness.

Becoming fixated in the Intellectual Domain, there is a swing to the dichotomies of that domain. This can manifest in a positive sense as a focus on Reason on one side, or having an Overview at the other side. It can manifest in a negative sense as Sophistry at one extreme or Superficiality at the other extreme. These dichotomies are represented by two characters: the Argumentative character at one end, the Shallow character at the other. Envies invade the consciousness in this domain. The stress of being fixated and imbalanced in this domain can lead to Crime as a compensatory mechanism. The poison of this domain is Deception.

The Trap which simultaneously restricts but potentially liberates this ego is its focus on Analysis. The Way of self-realisation of this ego is the Way of Clarity, or the way of pure clear analysis.

The Holy Idea which acts as a catalyzer for the transformation of this ego is Holy Origin, or Divine Origin. This can lead to the Virtue (energy) of Equanimity.

Source: The16Types

[bluejayblueskies]

20 questions for fic writers

thank you @three-magpies-in-a-trenchcoat for the tag!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 

130 (more if you count my side accounts and anonymous fics)

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 

958,861 (so close to a million,,,)

3. What fandoms do you write for? 

Right now, primarily Malevolent, but I've written for TMA a lot in the past as well. I also have some ideas for RQG fic since I've been relistening to that podcast!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

The Cube Rule of Food Identification (TMA)

Just Married (Voltron)

it will be this, always (TMA)

a six-step process (TMA)

ten thousand flowers in spring (TMA) (i had no idea this had jumped to spot number 5!!!)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I used to, and I still want to, but I always feel like I need to have something to say more than "thank you so much!" and I get stuck in the paralysis of what to say and then forget to respond at all 😅 but if people ask me a direct question, I will usually answer it!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? 

Hmmm. I write a lot of angst, but I trend towards happy endings rather than unhappy endings, so that's tough.

Oh! So this is on my side account for Malevolent, but The Curation and Preservation of Arthur Lester is probably the closest thing I have to a fic with an angsty ending (that is, it ends very badly for Arthur). Maybe on a more emotionally angsty side, as the pendulum swings? I think that fic generally has an ambiguous/hopeful ending, but only in terms of "they are no longer trapped in the time loop;" all the effects of the loop still remain, consciously or not.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? 

Also a hard question, mostly because I tend to write endings that are a bit.... not open-ended, but more "this isn't 100% resolved but it will be in the future and the steps are there but that's a journey the characters have to take on their own." That said, I think By Virtue of Divine Providence is probably my most straightforward happy ending, where "they lived happily ever after for all eternity" is the general vibe.

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

Not that I know of, though I'm sure it's happened at some point somewhere. Nothing to my face though (yet).

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? 

I do! I typically either write a) sex scenes that fit into the context of a longer fic as a plot point, which tend to be pretty straightforward "sex happened and it was emotional and significant for both people involved" or b) kinky and/or dead dove one-shots that usually get posted on side accounts or anonymously. (Mostly because my bookbinding imprint is tied to this username, and I like to maintain a sort of separation in case anyone IRL comes looking.)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? 

I'm not a big crossover person, reading or writing. I think I maybe wrote a superwholock crossover when I was 14-15? But that's about it.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? 

I sure hope not!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

Not that I know of, though people have done podfics or bookbinds of my fics before!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? 

No, but I'd love to try it some day!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? 

100% jonmartin; I'll probably never be over them.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? 

I have an unfinished TMA longfic, Seen, Unseen, Unsung that I have fully outlined but will very likely never finish writing.

16. What are your writing strengths? 

I think I'm good at internal monologues (ie letting the character ramble for a bit), emotional beats (particularly angsty ones), and writing dialogue that sounds like something the character in question would say.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? 

I'm so bad at writing romance (and yet I keep trying 😅). Established romance? Fine, okay, I can do that. Budding romance? I have absolutely no idea and rely pretty much entirely on tropes I've seen in other fics or books/TV shows/movies/etc.. Also, I feel that I struggle a bit with transitions between scenes that aren't hard scene break cuts.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? 

If I do, I usually do something along the lines of, "He said in Spanish, 'Don't go over there!'" for ease of reading and because my translations would probably be horrible.

19. First fandom you wrote for? 

Probably Supernatural.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Hands-down whiskey old fashioned sour. It's such a fun world to play in, and I really enjoyed writing all the little newspaper/extra tidbits for it, and I have many more ideas swirling around in my brain for it. By Virtue of Divine Providence is a close second though.

I'll go ahead and tag @shadow0haven, @organchordsandlightning, @captaincravatthecapricious, @splitting-infinities, and anybody else who's interested!